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Campus | Bryn Mawr |
Semester | Fall 2020 |
Registration ID | PHYSB303001 |
Course Title | Statistical & Thermodynamics |
Credit | 1.00 |
Department | Physics |
Instructor | Daniel,Kate |
Times and Days | MTh 08:10am-09:30am
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Room Location | |
Additional Course Info | Class Number: 2044 This course presents the statistical description of the macroscopic states of classical and quantum systems, including conditions for equilibrium, the microcanonical, canonical, and grand canonical ensembles, and Bose-Einstein, Fermi-Dirac, and Maxwell Boltzmann statistics. The statistical basis of classical thermodynamics is investigated. Examples and applications are drawn from among solid state physics, low temperature physics, atomic and molecular physics, electromagnetic waves, and cosmology. Lecture three hours and additional recitation sessions as needed. Prerequisite: PHYS B214 or H214. Co-requisite: PHYS B306 or H213.; Statistical Mechanics & Thermodynamics is unlike any physics class you have taken. It combines ideas from the fields of quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, probability theory, and relativity, to name a few. It connects macroscopic, bulk properties (like temperature) to properties on a microscopic scale (like particles velocities). It is subtle and complex, and it cannot be learned by simply doing problem sets. You will need to read, search the internet, talk to your classmates and to me (and anyone else who may be “in the know” about a topic). You will directly benefit from every minute spent synthesizing the material. The more connections you make, the more likely you will fall in love with statistical mechanics. Applications range from solid state physics, to astrophysics, to information theory, to engines, to non-linear dynamics, to thunder, to biological systems, to climate change. There is no way to be bored in this class. This course is not for the faint of heart! It is a difficult topic and requires you put a lot of time into it. However, by the end of the semester, you will have a newfound appreciation for your universe and this understanding will be a crown jewel in your physics education. Haverford: C: Physical and Natural Processes (C), Natural Science (NA) This course will have a once a week synchronous class where the best time will be determined during the first week. The remainder of the course work will be done asynchronously. |
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