PHYS 221 FALL 2025
Statistical Thermodynamics
Statistical Thermodynamics
Announcements
Important: All midterm exams will be in class during lecture hours
PS HOURS: Please follow the course moodle page for announcements on problem sessions and exam scores
Course Info
PHYS 221 (Thermal Properties of Materials) 3 Cr
Class Schedule: TTThTh 1212 KBZ 01 KBZ 01 NH 102 NH 102
Prerequisite: PHYS 102
Instructor: Prof. Özhan Özatay
Co-Instructor/Assistant: Dr. Önder Dünya
Office Hours: by appointment
Exams and Grading
There will be 4 midterm exams and a final exam
Exam Dates
Midterm 1 Chapters 1 - 2 Oct 21st
Midterm 2 Chapters 3 - 4 Nov 18th
Midterm 3 Chapters 5 - 6 Dec 9th
Midterm 4 Chapter 7 Dec 18th
Final Chapters 1 - 8
All exams will be closed book & closed notes.
Calculators/cell phones/laptops are not allowed.
In all exams you must show your work explicitly and you must use the proper units.
Attempting to cheat in any of the exams in the university is a serious crime and if caught any disciplinary action can result in being unable to work in or for any state institution for the rest of the career..
For symbolic calculations with no units, it is strongly recommended to check the dimensions in the final answer.
All symbolic answers must be in terms of the parameters given in the problem statement and universal physical constants.
Students can not leave the exam room in the first 15 minutes of the exam and those who are more than 15 minutes late to the exam will not be admitted to the exam.
All exam grades will be announced on the course moodle page.
An objection date/time and place will be announced on the website. Students can only see their exams during this time interval. Do not ask to see your paper some other time as the exams will be immediately sent to archive after the objection.
There is no option for objection via email. You have to be physically present during the objection time. Nobody else can see your exam paper.
Students with a total midterm grade below 15 (out of 60) cannot take the final exam!
No need based grading!!! This means the following answer to common questions:
-" I am expecting a CC or CB letter grade but I want to repeat this course so could you please lower my grade to DC?" or
" The grade that I will receive from this course will result in the loss of my financial aid since my GPA will be below a critical value. Is it possible to push my letter grade up a notch?" or
" If I fail this course it will cost me one more year and I won't be able to do my internship. Could you please let me pass?" or
" One of my relatives is seriously sick or has just passed away. Therefore, I can not concentrate in the exams so please do me a favor and let me pass the course even if I performed poorly in the exams"
- No. It is illegal to change a letter grade and such unlawful behavior is "usulsüzlük" which can lead to several months of imprisonment. Furthermore pushing the course instructor to break the course rules by showing up in the office and sending irritating messages is a type of harassment, which can result in disciplinary action against you.
The final grades will be determined according to the distribution of cumulative grades.
Contents
Elements of probability theory, Bernoulli, Poisson and Gaussian probability distributions. Random walk and diffusion. Thermal motion, molecular distribution of energy in crystals and gases, definition of temperature and the Boltzmann factor, statistical characterization of thermal equilibrium, entropy. Entropy and heat: second law of thermodynamics. Entropy of mixing. Open systems and free energy minimum principles. Applications of the equilibrium conditions: the Clausius-Clapeyron equation, Raoult’s law, Henry’s law, Osmotic pressure. Ideal gases with internal degrees of freedom. Third law of thermodynamics.
Lectures
All lectures are available online at :
Problems and Solutions are available online at:
Textbook
Statistical Physics, Berkeley Physics Course Vol. 5 by F. Reif
TOPICS TO BE COVERED
Week 1 and 2
Chapter 1 Characteristic Features of Macroscopic Systems
Week 2 and 3
Chapter 2 Basic Probability Concepts
Week 4
Chapter 3 Statistical Description of Systems of Particles
Week 5 ,6 and 7
Chapter 4 Thermal Interaction
Week 8
Chapter 5 Microscopic Theory and Macroscopic
Measurements
Week 9 and 10
Chapter 6 Canonical Distribution in the Classical
Approximation
Week 11 and 12
Chapter 7 General Thermodynamic Interaction
Week 12 and 13
Chapter 8 Elementary Kinetic Theory of Transport Processes
Make-Up Rules
There will be no make-up exam.
Three highest grade midterm exams out of four will count towards your final score. So everybody has the right to miss a midterm exam either intentionally or with any type of excuse
If you are eligible to take the final exam and miss, you must petition the university’s excuse commission.
Attendance and Class Participation
There is no attendance requirement. Students are highly encouraged to come to class on time and be ready to discuss the lecture material. Past grades show a strong correlation between class attendance and final scores!