Spring 2004: Thermal Physics
Physics 554 Syllabus
Classroom: Currens Hall, 336
Meeting Time: MWF 9:00 - 9:50
Textbook: "Statistical Thermodynamics and Microscale Thermophysics", 1999, Van P. Carey.
Instructor: Dr. Jim Rabchuk
Office: 316A Currens Hall
Office Phone: 298-2577
E-mail: ja-rabchuk@wiu.edu
Website: www.wiu.edu/users/mfjar2/p554/p554.sp2004.syl.htm
Office Hours: MWF 1-2 PM
Th. 9-10 AM, and by appointment.
Course Objective:
The textbook chosen for this course is a graduate level mechanical engineering text. It is detailed to the point of being tedious and the author does not expend much energy on analogies or explanations. What the text is very good at, however, is developing in a methodical fashion all of the statistical tools for analyzing the thermal behavior of mechanical systems and materials. I will supplement the text from time to time with readings from Landau and Lifshitz' classic text on Statistical Physics and elsewhere, in particular in order to cover material on quantum effects in gases in more detail.
Grading:
Homework (8 assignments) - 20%
Midterm Exam - 35%
Final Exam - 45%
Homework Schedule
Due January 23rd, from Chapter 1: 2-12
Due February 6th, from Chapter 2: 2-5, 7-10, 12 plus 1.8, 19, 22 from Benedek and Villars
Due February 20th, from Chapter 3: 2-3, 5-6, 8, 11-14
Due March 5th, from Chapter 4: 1, 2, 5, 10-13 and 4.34, 35 from Benedek
Due March 26th, from Chapter 5: 1, 2, 4, 7, 9, 13 (Problem 10 for extra credit)
Due April 9th, from Chapter 6: 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 14-16
Due April 23rd, from Chapter 7: 1, 2, 3, 4, 6-7, 9, 11, 13, 15 and from Schroeder, 7:52-54
Due April 30th, from Chapter 8: 1-3, 7
Calendar of Physics 554 Events: Jan 12th, 2004 edition
| 12:The energy picture: Classical and Quantum | 13: | 14: Quantum Systems: SHO, Rotor, Box, Hydrogen | 15: | 16: Quantum realities |
| 19: MLK Day | 20: | 21: Probability distributions | 22: | 23: The ensemble picture & Microcanonical ensemble HW#1 due |
| 26: Boltzmann Statistics | 27: | 28: Entropy, probability and distinguishability | 29: | 30: Entropy and Temperature and Heat |
| Feb 2: Macroscopic Equilibrium | 3: | 4: Maxwell's ideal gas | 5: | 6:The fundamental equation and equations of state HW#2 due |
| 9:Euler and Gibbs-Duhem equations | 10: | 11: Thermodynamic Potentials | 12:Lincoln b'day | 13: Entropy and heat, II |
| 16: Forms of the Second Law of Thermodynamics | 17: | 18: Maxwell's relations | 19: | 20: Joule, J-T and Paramagnetic cooling |
| 23: Canonical Ensemble | 24: | 25: Ensemble average | 26: | 27: Grand Canonical Ensemble |
| March 1: Fluctuations and Equilibrium | 2: | 3: The Classical Limit | 4: | 5: Ideal monatomic gases HW#4 due |
BREAK  | ||||
| 15:Ideal Diatomic Gases: translation and vibration | 16: | 17: EXAM I | 18: | 19: Diatomic Gases: rotation (ortho and parahydrogen) |
| 22: Equipartition theorem | 23: | 24: The Classical Partition function | 25: | 26: Van der Waals gas |
| 29: Virial Expansion | 30: | 31: Quantum Fluids | April 1st: | 2:Fermi-Dirac Statistics |
| 5: Bose-Einstein Statistics | 6: | 7:Photon gas | 8: | 9:Einstein Crystal |
| 12: Debye Crystal | 13: | 14: Free Electron gas | 15: | 16: Electron gas in B-fields |
| 19: Stability criteria | 20: | 21: Phase transitions | 22: | 23: Phase diagrams |
26: Order - disorder |
27: | 28: Mean-Field Theory | 29: | 30:HW#8 due |
| May 3rd: | 4: | 5: 8AM Final | 6: | 7: |