An Introduction to Thermal Physics

Thermal physics deals with collections of large numbers of particles – typically 10 to the 23rd power or so. Examples include the air in a balloon, the water in a lake, the electrons in a chunk of metal, and the photons given off by the sun. We can’t possibly follow every detail of the motions of so many particles. So in thermal physics we assume that these motions are random, and we use the laws of probability to predict how the material as a whole ought to behave. Alternatively, we can measure the bulk properties of a material, and from these infer something about the particles it is made of.

This book will give you a working understanding of thermal physics, assuming that you have already studied introductory physics and calculus. You will learn to apply the general laws of energy and entropy to engines, refrigerators, chemical reactions, phase transformations, and mixtures. You will also learn to use basic quantum physics and powerful statistical methods to predict in detail how temperature affects molecular speeds, vibrations of solids, electrical and magnetic behaviors, emission of light, and exotic low-temperature phenomena. The problems and worked examples explore applications not just within physics but also to engineering, chemistry, biology, geology, atmospheric science, astrophysics, cosmology, and everyday life.

Table of Contents

1 Energy in Thermal Physics

2 The Second Law

3 Interactions and Implications

4 Engines and Refrigerators

5 Free Energy and Chemical Thermodynamics

6 Boltzmann Statistics

7 Quantum Statistics

8 Systems of Interacting Particles

A Elements of Quantum Mechanics

B Mathematical Results

About the Author

Daniel V. Schroeder is Professor of Physics at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, USA. He earned his PhD in Physics at Stanford University, then taught briefly at Pomona College and Grinnell College before coming to Weber State in 1993. He is the coauthor, with Michael E. Peskin, of An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory. From 2012 through 2016 he served as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physics.