Undergraduate Course: Statistical Mechanics (PHYS09019)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
http://www2.ph.ed.ac.uk/~pmonthou/Statistical-Mechanics/ |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description | 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. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2012/13 Semester 2, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | 09:00 - 09:50 | | | | | King's Buildings | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | | 09:00 - 09:50 | | King's Buildings | Tutorial | | 2-11 | | | 09:00 - 10:50 | | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
| Additional information |
Workshop/tutorial sessions, as arranged. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours:Minutes |
|
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 2:00 | | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 2:00 | | |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course a student should be able to:
1)define and discuss the concepts of microstate and macrostate of a model system
2)define and discuss the concepts and roles of entropy and free energy from the view point of statistical mechanics
3)define and discuss the Boltdsmann distribution and the role of the partition function
4)apply the machinery of statistical mechanics to the calculation of macroscopic properties resulting from microscopic models of magnetic and crystalline systems
5)discuss the concept and role of indistinguishability in the theory of gases; know the results expected from classical considerations and when these should be recovered
6)define the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions; state where they are applicable; understand how they differ and show when they reduce to the Boltsman
distribution
7)apply the Fermi-Dirac distribution to the calculation of thermal properties of elctrons in metals
8)apply the Bose-Einstein distribution to the calculation of properties of black body radiation |
Assessment Information
Coursework, 10%
Degree Examination, 90% |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | StatM |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Philippe Monthoux
Tel: (0131 6)51 7231
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Laura Gonzalez-Rienda
Tel: (0131 6)51 7067
Email: |
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