PHYS 317 - Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics
Instructor: Katharina Vollmayr-Lee, kvollmay@bucknell.edu, Olin 152, x7-3109Office Hours: MWF 2-3, TR 11-12, and by appointment (my schedule)
Text: Daniel V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Thermal Physics , Schroeder's Physics Software
Course Information
Cool Links:
- water phase diagram
- J.M. H. (Anneke) Levelt Sengers
- Images for Diblock Copolymer Phase Diagram
- Nobel Prize in Physics 2016
Account Login:
(Journals for Reading Assignments)
Exams
- Exam #1, Friday, Sep. 16: Formulae for Exam 1
- Exam #2, Friday, Oct. 21: Formulae for Exam 2
- Exam #3, Friday, Nov. 18: Formulae for Exam 3 and Jeopardy before Exam 3
- Final, Thursday, Dec. 15, 3:30, Olin 264: Formulae for Final and Jeopardy before Final
- Office Hours: Dec. 7/8/9/12/14 2:00 - 3:30pm and Dec. 13/15 2:00 - 3:00 pm
- Final Solutions
Assignments
| Due | Topic | Read | Homework | Sol. |
| Aug. 24 | Ideal Gas & Equip. Thm | § 1.1-1.3 | 1.1, 1.11, 1.16 Hint: Air N2 | HW 1 |
| Aug. 26 | Heat and Work | § 1.4-1.5 | 1.21, 1.23, 1.25 | HW 2 |
| Aug. 29 | Heat Capacities | § 1.6 | 1.27, 1.34, 1.36 | HW 3 |
| Aug. 31 | Rates | § 1.7 | 1.41, 1.49, 1.50 | HW 4 |
| Sept. 2 | Multiplicity | § 2.1 & 2.2 | 1.60, 1.67, 1.70 | HW 5 |
| Sept. 5 | Interacting Systems | § 2.3 | 2.3a-f, 2.4, 2.5b,c,f,g, 2.7 | HW 6 |
| Sept. 7 | Large Systems | § 2.4 | 2.10 & 2.11 | HW 7 |
| Sept. 9 | Ideal Gas | § 2.5 | 2.17, 2.18, 2.19 | HW 8 |
| Sept. 12 | Entropy | § 2.6 | 2.24(9P), 2.26(3P), 2.27(3P) | HW 9 |
| Sept. 14 | Review | review, no new reading | 2.31, 2.34, 2.37 | HW 10 |
| Sept. 19 | Temperature | § 3.1 | none | Exam 1 |
| Sept. 21 | Entropy & Heat | § 3.2 | 3.1, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7 | HW 11 |
| Sept. 23 | Paramagnet | § 3.3 | 3.8, 3.10, 3.14 | HW 12 |
| Sept. 26 | Mech. Equilibrium | § 3.4 | 3.23, 3.25a-c, 3.25d,e | HW 13 |
| Sept. 28 | Equilibrium & μ | § 3.5 & 3.6 | 3.31, 3.34a-d, 3.34 e-g | HW 14 |
| Sept. 30 | Heat Engine and Refridgerator | § 4.1 & 4.2 | 3.33, 3.35, 3.36 | HW 15 |
| Oct. 3 | Free Energy | § 5.1 up to page 155 | 4.1, 4.5, 4.18 | HW 16 |
| Oct. 5 | Thermodynamic Identities | finish § 5.1 | 5.5, 5.6 | HW 17 |
| Oct. 7 | Equilibrium and G | § 5.2 | due 12th:5.12, 5.14a-c, 5.14d-g | HW 18 |
| Oct. 12 | Phase Transitions | § 5.3 up to page 175 | 5.22, 5.23ab, 5.23cd | HW 19 |
| Oct. 14 | van der Waals | finish § 5.3 | 5.31, 5.32ab, 5.47a | HW 20 |
| Oct. 17 | Mixtures | § 5.4 up to page 195 | 5.48, 5.51, 5.52 | HW 21 |
| Oct. 19 | Review | none | due 20th: 5.60 | HW 22 |
| Oct. 24 | Boltzmann Factor | § 6.1 | none | Exam 2 |
| Oct. 26 | Average Values | § 6.2 | 6.5 , 6.9a,b & 6.9c | HW 23 |
| Oct. 28 | Equipartition Theorem | § 6.3 | 6.16, 6.17, problem A | HW 24 |
| Oct. 31 | Maxwell Distribution | § 6.4 | 6.26, 6.31, 6.32a,b | HW 25 |
| Nov. 2 | F and Composite Systems | § 6.5 & 6.6 | 6.35, 6.37, 6.41 | HW 26 |
| Nov. 4 | Ideal Gas | § 6.7 | 6.42, 6.43, 6.44 | HW 27 |
| Nov. 7 | Ising Model | § 8.2 up to page 345 | due 11/9: 6.45, 6.50, 6.52 | HW 28 |
| Nov. 9 | Gibbs Factor | § 7.1 | 8.18, 8.20 | HW 29 |
| Nov. 11 | Bosons & Fermions | § 7.2 | 8.22, 7.2, 7.6 | HW 30 |
| Nov. 14 | Degenerate Fermi Gas | § 7.3 through page 278 | 7.8, 7.18 | HW 31 |
| Nov. 16 | Review | review, no new reading | 7.20, 7.22 | HW 32 |
| Nov. 28 | Black Body Radiat. I | § 7.4 through p. 296 | 7.23b-d, 7.23e-g (due T) | Ex3 &HW 33 |
| Nov. 30 | Black Body Radiation II | finish § 7.4 | 7.43, 7.44 | HW 34 |
| Dec. 2 | Bose-Einstein Condensation | § 7.6 | 7.37, 7.52, 7.54 | HW 35 |
| Dec. 5 | Review | review material | 7.67, 7.72 | HW 36 & final |
Syllabus
| Dates | Topics | Reading |
| Aug 22 - 31 | Intro & Energy | Ch 1 |
| Sept 2 - 14 | Entropy | Ch 2 |
| Fr, Sept 16 | Exam 1 | |
| Sept 19 - 28 | Temperature/Interactions | Ch 3 |
| Sept 30 | Engines & Refridgerator | § 4.1 & 4.2 |
| Oct 3 - 7 | Free Energy | § 5.1, 5.2 |
| Oct 12 - 19 | Phase Transitions | § 5.3 , 5.4 |
| Fr, Oct 21 | Exam 2 | |
| Oct 24 - Nov 4 | Boltzmann Statistics | Ch 6 |
| Nov 7 | Ising Model | § 8.2 |
| Nov 9 - 16 | Quantum Statistics: Bosons & Fermions | § 7.1 - 7.3 |
| Fr, Nov 18 | Exam 3 | |
| Nov 28 & 30 | Black Body Radiation | § 7.4 |
| Dec 2 & 5 | BE Condens. | § 7.6 |
| Dec 15, 3:30pm | Final Exam |