Thermal and Statistical Physics I (Physics 533) Spring 2008
Physics 533 provides an introduction to
thermodynamics
and statistical mechanics. It is a core course for graduate
students of physics and astronomy
but
students of other disciplines with appropriate background are welcome
to
enroll; check with the instructor.
In brief
Instructor:
Gary S. Collins,
Webster 554, 335-1354, email:collins-at-wsu-edu. You can
learn more about me here.
Meeting times: MWF, 9:10-10:00 am, CUE 407.
Required text: Herbert B. Callen, Thermodynamics
and
an Introduction
to Thermostatistics (Wiley, 2nd edition, 1985).
Office hours: whenever my door is
open, or by appointment.
Course information (PDF)
Blackboard web site for enrolled students
(discussion threads, class notes, solutions, other resources)
Additional resources
Web courses and notes (better ones near top)
- Thermal and Statistical
Physics (Harvey Gould and Jan Tobotchnik; undergrad/grad level)
- Chemical Thermodynamics course (Nancy Makri, Chemistry, UIUC, 4.5 MB powerpoint)
- Classical
and
Statistical Thermodynamics (John Saunders, Royal Holloway U. of
London)
- Statistical Mechanics (Michael Cross, Caltech)
- Thermal and Statistical Physics (Judith McGovern, Manchester) Index
- Statistical Mechanics of Particles (Statistical Mechanics I, Mehran Kardar, MIT)
- Statistical Mechanics of Fields (Statistical Mechanics II, Mehran Kardar, MIT)
- Chemical
Thermodynamics (W. Mulder, U. of the West Indies, Jamaica)
- Statistical
Thermodynamics of Materials (Boris Veytsman and Michael
Kotelyanskii, Penn. State U.))
- Thermodynamics
(Tom Marsh and Jonathan Flynn, U. Southhampton)
- Thermodynamics
(for chemical engineers; Princeton U.)
- Expert
system for thermodynamics (S. Bhattacharjee, San Diego State U.)
- Thermodynamics of Materials
(W. Craig Carter, MIT)
- Thermodynamics
of Materials (MIT OpenCourseWare)
- Notes
on differential equations in thermodynamics (Ed Copeland, U. of
Sussex,
England)
About Callen's texts
Simulations and visualizations
Miscellaneous
Phase diagrams and evaluated data
Fine Print
- Academic honesty. You are encouraged to study with
fellow students,
but copying homework orexam solutions is plagiarism and is
forbidden.
University integrity standards may be found here.
You are encouraged to work through homework problems by
yourself. After you have made an honest
effort to solve a problem without success, you may ask me or a fellow student
for hints. Never use
solution of others or from the web. Use of such sheets is unethical
and shortcircuits the hard work of learning.
- Students with disabilities.
If you have a disability recognized by the Disability Resource
Center,
please see me during the first week of classes so that we can make
arrangements
to accommodate your disability.
4 January 2008. You
are visitor 
to this page since the last reset. Send suggestions and bad links to
collins-at-wsu-edu.
Return to Gary
Collins's instructional home page.