Solved Problems In Thermodynamics And Statistical Physics

This book contains a modern selection of about 200 solved problems and examples arranged in a didactic way for hands-on experience with course work in a standard advanced undergraduate/first-year graduate class in thermodynamics and statistical physics. The principles of thermodynamics and equilibrium statistical physics are few and simple, but their application often proves more involved than it may seem at first sight. This book is a comprehensive complement to any textbook in the field, emphasizing the analogies between the different systems, and paves the way for an in-depth study of solid state physics, soft matter physics, and field theory.

Volume 5.

This volume is a compilation of carefully selected questions at the PhD qualifying exam level, including many actual questions from Columbia University, University of Chicago, MIT, State University of New York at Buffalo, Princeton University, University of Wisconsin and the University of California at Berkeley over a twenty-year period. Topics covered in this book include the laws of thermodynamics, phase changes, Maxwell-Boltzmann statistics and kinetic theory of gases.This latest edition has been updated with more problems and solutions and the original problems have also been modernized, excluding outdated questions and emphasizing those that rely on calculations. The problems range from fundamental to advanced in a wide range of topics on thermodynamics and statistical physics, easily enhancing the student's knowledge through workable exercises. Simple-to-solve problems play a useful role as a first check of the student's level of knowledge whereas difficult problems will challenge the student's capacity on finding the solutions.

In order to equip hopeful graduate students with the knowledge necessary to pass the qualifying examination, the authors have assembled and solved standard and original problems from major American universities – Boston University, University of Chicago, University of Colorado at Boulder, Columbia, University of Maryland, University of Michigan, Michigan State, Michigan Tech, MIT, Princeton, Rutgers, Stanford, Stony Brook, University of Tennessee at Knoxville, and the University of Wisconsin at Madison – and Moscow Institute of Physics and Technology. A wide range of material is covered and comparisons are made between similar problems of different schools to provide the student with enough information to feel comfortable and confident at the exam. Guide to Physics Problems is published in two volumes: this book, Part 2, covers Thermodynamics, Statistical Mechanics and Quantum Mechanics; Part 1, covers Mechanics, Relativity and Electrodynamics. Praise for A Guide to Physics Problems: Part 2: Thermodynamics, Statistical Physics, and Quantum Mechanics: "... A Guide to Physics Problems, Part 2 not only serves an important function, but is a pleasure to read. By selecting problems from different universities and even different scientific cultures, the authors have effectively avoided a one-sided approach to physics. All the problems are good, some are very interesting, some positively intriguing, a few are crazy; but all of them stimulate the reader to think about physics, not merely to train you to pass an exam. I personally received considerable pleasure in working the problems, and I would guess that anyone who wants to be a professional physicist would experience similar enjoyment. ... This book will be a great help to students and professors, as well as a source of pleasure and enjoyment." (From Foreword by Max Dresden) "An excellent resource for graduate students in physics and, one expects, also for their teachers." (Daniel Kleppner, Lester Wolfe Professor of Physics Emeritus, MIT) "A nice selection of problems ... Thought-provoking, entertaining, and just plain fun to solve." (Giovanni Vignale, Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Missouri at Columbia) "Interesting indeed and enjoyable. The problems are ingenious and their solutions very informative. I would certainly recommend it to all graduate students and physicists in general ... Particularly useful for teachers who would like to think about problems to present in their course." (Joel Lebowitz, Rutgers University) "A very thoroughly assembled, interesting set of problems that covers the key areas of physics addressed by Ph.D. qualifying exams. ... Will prove most useful to both faculty and students. Indeed, I plan to use this material as a source of examples and illustrations that will be worked into my lectures." (Douglas Mills, University of California at Irvine)

This textbook is the result of many years of teaching quantum and statistical mechanics, drawing on exercises and exam papers used on courses taught by the authors. The subjects of the exercises have been carefully selected to cover all the material which is most needed by students. Each exercise is carefully solved in full details, explaining the theory behind the solution with particular care for those issues that students often find difficult, or which are often neglected in other books on the subject. The exercises in this book never require extensive calculations but tend to be somewhat unusual and force the solver to think about the problem starting from first principles, rather than by analogy with some previously solved exercise.

Well respected, widely used volume presents problems and full solutions related to a wide range of topics in thermodynamics, statistical physics, statistical mechanics. Suitable for undergraduates and graduate students, self-study, reference. 1989 edition.

A thorough understanding of statistical mechanics depends strongly on the insights and manipulative skills that are acquired through the solving of problems. Problems on Statistical Mechanics provides over 120 problems with model solutions, illustrating both basic principles and applications that range from solid-state physics to cosmology. An introductory chapter provides a summary of the basic concepts and results that are needed to tackle the problems, and also serves to establish the notation that is used throughout the book. The problems themselves occupy five chapters, progressing from the simpler aspects of thermodynamics and equilibrium statistical ensembles to the more challenging ideas associated with strongly interacting systems and nonequilibrium processes. Comprehensive solutions to all of the problems are designed to illustrate efficient and elegant problem-solving techniques. Where appropriate, the authors incorporate extended discussions of the points of principle that arise in the course of the solutions. The appendix provides useful mathematical formulae.

This revised and expanded edition of Statistical and Thermal Physics introduces students to the essential ideas and techniques used in many areas of contemporary physics. Ready-to-run programs help make the many abstract concepts concrete. The text requires only a background in introductory mechanics and some basic ideas of quantum theory, discussing material typically found in undergraduate texts as well as topics such as fluids, critical phenomena, and computational techniques, which serve as a natural bridge to graduate study. --