Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (U03272)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 9 ? Acronym : PHY-3-ThermStat

The course is in two parts: Thermodynamics, and Statistical Mechanics.
Thermodynamics:
An introduction to equilibrium thermodynamics. The First and Second laws of thermodynamics are introduced, along with the concepts of temperature, internal energy, heat, entropy and the thermodynamic potentials. Applications of thermodynamic concepts to topics such as heat engines, the expansion of gases and changes of phase are considered. The Third Law, and associated properties of entropy, complete the course.
Statistical Mechanics:
This course provides an introduction to the microscopic formulation of thermal physics, generally known as statistical mechanics. We explore the general principles, from which emerge an understanding of the microscopic significance of entropy and temperature. We develop the machinery needed to form a practical tool linking microscopic models of many-particle systems with measurable quantities. We consider a range of applications to simple models of crystalline solids, classical gases, quantum gases and blackbody radiation.

Entry Requirements

? Pre-requisites : Physics 2B: Waves, Quantum Physics and Materials (PHY-2-B); Foundations of Mathematical Physics (PHY-2-FoMP) or Applicable Mathematics 4 and Mathematical Methods 4 (MAT-2-am4/mm4) or Principles of Mathematical Physics (PHY-2-PoMP).

? Prohibited combinations : U01357 Statistical Mechanics Thermodynamics (pre-2006)

Variants

? This course has variants for part year visiting students, as follows

Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics (VS1) (Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2))

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Undergraduate (School of Physics), (School of Physics, Schedule Q)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Full Year (Blocks 1-4)

? Contact Teaching Time : 3 hour(s) per week for 22 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
21/09/2006	11:00	12:00	Lecture Theatre C, JCMB	KB

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	11:10	12:00	KB
Lecture	Thursday	11:10	12:00	KB

? Additional Class Information : Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged.

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this course it is intended that a student will be able to:
1)State the 0th,1st,2nd,3rd Laws of thermodynamics, if appropriate in different forms;show equivalence
2)Understand all concepts needed to state the laws, such as thermodynamic equilibrium, (in)exact differentials, (ir)reversible processes
3)Use the laws of thermodynamics (esp 1st & 2nd laws) to solve a variety of problems, eg expansion of gases,efficiency of heat engines
4)Understand meaning and significance of state variables, in particular P;V;T;U;S, especially for a simple fluid, and to manipulate these variables to solve problems
5)Define the enthalpy H, Helmholtz function F and the Gibbs function G and state their roles in determining equilibrium under different constraints
6)Manipulate (using suitable results from the theory of functions of many variables) a variety of thermodynamic derivatives, including a number of 'material properties' eg heat capacity,thermal expansivity,compressibility, and solve problems in which such derivatives appear
7)Sketch the phase diagram of a simple substance in various representations;understand 'equation of state' (eg van der Waals' equation for a fluid) & basic thermodynamics of phase transitions
8)estimate orders of magnitudes
Statistical Mechanics (SM):
1)define/discuss concepts: micro/macrostate
2)define/discuss the concepts & roles of entropy,free energy, in SM view
3)define/discuss the Boltzmann distribution & role of the partition fn
4)calculate macroscopic properties from microscopic models of magnetic & crystalline systems
5)discuss concept & role of indistinguishability in theory of gases;know classical results & when they apply
6)define Fermi-Dirac/Bose-Einstein distributions;state where they apply;understand how they differ;show when they reduce to Boltzmann
7)calculate thermal properties of electrons in metals using Fermi-Dirac
8)calculate blackbody radiation properties of radiation using Bose-Einstein