SYLLABUS:  3650:340:001 – THERMAL PHYSICS

Class Details: Spring 1999: Tue, Thur,
Ayer 112: 1:45 - 3:00 p.m.
Instructor: Dr. Robert R. Mallik

Office Hours: Tue, Thur, 3:00 - 4:00 p.m., Ayer 207, or call me first
Telephone:  (330) 972-7145
e-mail: rrm@physics.uakron.edu
FAX: (330) 972-6918

Texts: Reif, Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics, McGraw-Hill Book Co.

Course Outline:
    For the most part, topics will be covered in the same order as the course textbook; we will cover about the first nine chapters. You are encouraged to read the material in the book before coming to class, since this will help in discussions.  The class will follow a question and answer approach; hopefully this will promote creative thinking, not merely assimilation of information.

    Thermal physics is a branch of physics which sets out to understand and explain what can loosely be defined as the transport of thermal energy, and associated properties of systems of solids, liquids, gases, and plasmas. The systems can be micro- or macroscopic, and, in this course anyway, we shall only consider systems , which are in a steady state, i.e., in thermal equilibrium.

    You have already encountered some basic thermal properties of solids, liquids, and gases in Elementary Classical Physics II, for example, the Ideal Gas Law, Specific Heat Capacities, and Evaporation. Also, you will probably remember fondly some more detailed thermodynamic properties of systems such as Work, Internal Energy, Entropy, and perhaps a few others. Thermal physics treats the various forms of matter as systems of large numbers of elementary entities (usually atoms or molecules) and uses statistical methods to try to explain the thermal properties of the system as a whole. As you will see, thermal physics relies on building upon various fundamental statistical concepts, and then applying the results to various systems. These concepts are very powerful, and can also be applied to other properties of systems such as magnetism. Thermal physics has been likened to book-keeping or accounting. Basically when you perform some operation on a system you have to conserve energy. This is a fundamental law of nature and clearly the principles are far-reaching.

Material Covered

1. Statistics (Ch. 1,2)
Treatment of macroscopic and microscopic systems containing many particles. Probability distributions, Averages. Combining probabilities, Random Walks.

2. Thermodynamics (Ch.3,4,5)
Temperature. Thermal Equilibrium. Laws of thermodynamics. Heat Capacities. Reversibility of thermal processes. Gas Laws. Conservation of energy. Reservoirs. Expansion of gases (isothermal, adiabatic, isobaric, etc.) Cyclic processes.

3. Elementary Statistical Mechanics (Ch. 6,7)
Ensembles. Reservoirs revisited. Equations of state. Equipartition Theorem. Partition function. Transport properties.

4. Phase Changes (Ch.8)
Equilibrium between phases, vapour pressure.

5. Maxwell-Boltzmann (MB) Distribution (Ch.9)
A different approach to the phenomenon of temperature. Quantum statistics. Classical limits. Derivation of MB Law. Applications of MB statistics: velocity distributions of ideal gases, vapour pressure, paramagnetism.

YOUR GRADE: This will be determined by four tests, and (approximately) weekly homework assignments as outlined below:

TESTS: Three exams will be given in the semester, and a final exam in exam week (non-comprehensive). The best three exams will  count towards a total of 70% of your final grade. Each exam will contain a mixture of  numerical problems, derivations, and written answers. You will be informed about one week in advance of each test.

HOMEWORK: Will normally be assigned on a weekly basis from problems in the text book or my own problems handed out in class. The homework will account for 30% of your final grade. Late homeworks will not be accepted.

ATTENDANCE: It is in your own interest to attend all classes. Material covered in class (sometimes not contained in the book) may appear in homework problems and/or tests. Positive class participation may affect your final grade. Please note also a statement from the Dean’s office regarding those attendees not officially signed up for the course: "Students whose names do not appear on the University's official class list by February 2, 1999, will not be permitted to participate (attend class, take exams, or receive credit) in class."