Description
Book SynopsisStatistical mechanics is the science of predicting the observable properties of a multiple bodied system by studying the statistics of the behaviour of its individual constituents, whether they are atoms, molecules, photons, etc. It provides the link between macroscopic and microscopic states, and as such has the potential to be one of the most satisfying parts of an undergraduate science course - linking in an elegant manner the quantum world with everyday observations of systems containing large numbers of particles.This excellent text is designed to introduce the fundamentals of the subject of statistical mechanics at a level suitable for students who meet the subject for the first time. The treatment given here is designed to give the student a feeling for the topic of statistical mechanics without being held back by the need to understand complex mathematics. The text is concise and concentrates on the understanding of fundamental aspects. Numerous questions with worked solutions
Trade Review... constructured with great care and with plenty of worked-out problems. * Times Higher Education Supplement *
Table of ContentsPreface ; 1. Back to basics ; 2. The statistics of distinguishable particles ; 3. Paramagnets and oscillators ; 4. Indistinguishable particles and monatomic ideal gases ; 5. Diatomic ideal gases ; 6. Quantum statistics ; 7. Electrons in metals ; 8. Photons and phonons ; 9. Bose-Einstein condensation ; 10. Ensembles ; 11. The end is in sight ; Appendix A: Worked Answers ; Appendix B: Useful Integrals ; Appendix C: Physical Constants ; Appendix D: Bibliography ; Index
