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  3. Thermal Physics
  • Cited by 6
    • This textbook will transition to Cambridge Core on 6 July 2026. Please take a moment to export any annotations you may have created on the eTextbook before the move.
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    • Publisher:
      Cambridge University Press
      Publication date:
      28 May 2018
      19 February 2015
      ISBN:
      9781139942539
      9781107080119
      9781107465497
      DOI:
      https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9781139942539
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.41kg, 174 Pages
      Dimensions:
      (228 x 152 mm)
      Weight & Pages:
      0.29kg, 176 Pages
      • Subjects:
      Physics and Astronomy, General and Classical Physics, Statistical Physics
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    • Selected: Digital
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    Subjects:
    Physics and Astronomy, General and Classical Physics, Statistical Physics
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    Book description

    Written by distinguished physics educator David Goodstein, this fresh introduction to thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and the study of matter is ideal for undergraduate courses. The textbook looks at the behavior of thermodynamic variables and examines partial derivatives - the essential language of thermodynamics. It also explores states of matter and the phase transitions between them, the ideal gas equation, and the behavior of the atmosphere. The origin and meaning of the laws of thermodynamics are then discussed, together with Carnot engines and refrigerators, and the notion of reversibility. Later chapters cover the partition function, the density of states, and energy functions, as well as more advanced topics such as the interactions between particles and equations for the states of gases of varying densities. Favoring intuitive and qualitative descriptions over exhaustive mathematical derivations, the textbook uses numerous problems and worked examples to help readers get to grips with the subject.

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    Contents

    Contents
    • 1 - The basic ideas of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics
      pp 1-27
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