Description
Book SynopsisThermodynamics Kept Simple A Molecular Approach: What is the Driving Force in the World of Molecules? offers a truly unique way of teaching and thinking about basic thermodynamics that helps students overcome common conceptual problems.
For example, the book explains the concept of entropy from the perspective of probabilities of various molecular processes. Temperature is then addressed and related to probabilities for heat transfer between different systems. This approach gives the second law of thermodynamics a natural and intuitive background.
The book delivers a concise and brilliantly conceived introduction to thermodynamics by focusing at the molecular level in a manner that is easy to follow and illustrated by engaging, concrete examples. By providing a guided tour of the world of molecules, the book gives insights into essential principles of thermodynamics with minimal use of mathematics. It takes as a unifying theme an application of simple
Trade Review
"This book is a pleasure to read. Especially noteworthy is the considerable attention that has been devoted to the concept of entropy … neatly explained via very simple model systems."
—Jan Forsman, Professor, Lund University
"… an excellent complement to traditional thermodynamics textbooks. The author clearly explains concepts in chemical thermodynamics using a molecular approach."
—Enrique Peacock-Lopez, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Williams College
"Thermodynamics Kept Simple is an excellent book. It demystifies, with great devotion on the confusing details, the concepts of temperature, pressure, entropy, enthalpy, and free energy. It then explains, mainly qualitatively, topics such as mixing, chemical equilibrium, vapor pressure, and so on."
—Kristofer Modig, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Lund University
"The author’s treatment is straightforward and appropriate for first-year students. His examples are clear, his intuitive arguments are convincing, the math is always kept simple … [and] the language is flawless."
—Stephen C. Harvey, University of Pennsylvania
"This reviewer highly commends Kjellander for engaging readers immediately in the concept of energy and entropy via a simple description of microstates coupled with straightforward algebra. The author covers other areas informally and includes sufficient algebra and simple calculus for students to follow the text. This non-rigorous approach may meet the objectives of science and engineering technology majors who lack preparation in multivariate calculus…. Kjellander provides helpful hints in footnotes scattered abundantly throughout the book, including messages about accurate methods to derive concepts from first principles."
—Choice (Review by R. N. Laoulache, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth)
"I recommend the textbook for a first exposure to thermodynamics. Kjellander has indeed kept it simple."
—Contemporary Physics (Sep 2016), review by Robert S. MacKay
"Unlike most textbooks on statistical mechanics and thermodynamics there is very little math in this book. Instead, clear explanations and illustrative examples have been put forward to support the discussions. The book also takes a very interesting and novel approach in introducing the concepts of temperature and entropy, which clears up the usual confusions and sets a strong foundation for more advanced courses. The text is easy to read and follow and does not require any particular, university level knowledge of mathematics and physics. These make it ideal for the first year students. It will be definitely in the essential reading list for my first year thermodynamics course."
—Dr Nader Karimi, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow
"This book is a pleasure to read. Especially noteworthy is the considerable attention that has been devoted to the concept of entropy … neatly explained via very simple model systems."
—Jan Forsman, Professor, Lund University
"… an excellent complement to traditional thermodynamics textbooks. The author clearly explains concepts in chemical thermodynamics using a molecular approach."
—Enrique Peacock-Lopez, Professor, Department of Chemistry, Williams College
"Thermodynamics Kept Simple is an excellent book. It demystifies, with great devotion on the confusing details, the concepts of temperature, pressure, entropy, enthalpy, and free energy. It then explains, mainly qualitatively, topics such as mixing, chemical equilibrium, vapor pressure, and so on."
—Kristofer Modig, Department of Biophysical Chemistry, Lund University
"The author’s treatment is straightforward and appropriate for first-year students. His examples are clear, his intuitive arguments are convincing, the math is always kept simple … [and] the language is flawless."
—Stephen C. Harvey, University of Pennsylvania
"This reviewer highly commends Kjellander for engaging readers immediately in the concept of energy and entropy via a simple description of microstates coupled with straightforward algebra. The author covers other areas informally and includes sufficient algebra and simple calculus for students to follow the text. This non-rigorous approach may meet the objectives of science and engineering technology majors who lack preparation in multivariate calculus…. Kjellander provides helpful hints in footnotes scattered abundantly throughout the book, including messages about accurate methods to derive concepts from first principles."
—Choice (Review by R. N. Laoulache, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth)
"I recommend the textbook for a first exposure to thermodynamics. Kjellander has indeed kept it simple."
—Contemporary Physics (Sep 2016), review by Robert S. MacKay
"Unlike most textbooks on statistical mechanics and thermodynamics there is very little math in this book. Instead, clear explanations and illustrative examples have been put forward to support the discussions. The book also takes a very interesting and novel approach in introducing the concepts of temperature and entropy, which clears up the usual confusions and sets a strong foundation for more advanced courses. The text is easy to read and follow and does not require any particular, university level knowledge of mathematics and physics. These make it ideal for the first year students. It will be definitely in the essential reading list for my first year thermodynamics course."
—Dr Nader Karimi, School of Engineering, University of Glasgow
Table of ContentsIntroduction. Energy and entropy. Entropy and free energy. More on gases and the basics of thermodynamics. Mixtures and reactions. Phases and temperature variations. Epilogue. Appendices.
