Physics 421 - Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics
Instructor: Tankut Can
Lectures: TuTh 1pm - 2:15pm, MSC N304
Office Hours: TuTh 10am-11am, MSC N242
Teaching Assistant: Roberto Avalos
Office Hours: WTh, 2:30 - 3:30pm, MSC N237
Course Format: This will be a traditional lecture course. However, unusual for a physics course, very little weight will be given to homework in the final grade. The homework should be treated as a study guide, to prepare you for the exams through extensive practice solving problems. If you are stuck, solutions will be available online or through your favorite chatbot (GPT-4 can solve the problems from only a screenshot). We will work through a lot of problems in class, as well.
How to Read a Physics Textbook: At the risk of sounding patronizing, I must share some advice on how to read a physics textbook. This isn't War and Peace. Do not sit in bed, open the textbook, and consume it like a novel. The correct way to read a physics textbook is to work through problems as you read. It is as if the author has left parts of the textbook unwritten, and you are required to fill it in. Indeed, some problems in Schroeoder ask you to do exactly this.
I have included a list of suggested problems to guide you through the reading.
Prerequisites: The formal prerequisites are Physics 220 (Math Methods) and Physics 253 (Modern Physics). Some basic concepts from quantum mechanics are necessary to make sense of statistical mechanics. Also, multivariable calculus is essential for understanding thermodynamic relations. Counting is also important in statistical mechanics, but not a prerequisite. We will learn advanced counting techniques as they are needed.
Grading:
10% Homework: will be posted on Canvas. The problem set will include all of the suggested problems from the textbook, and occasionally some additional problems. Choose 4 from this set to write up and turn in. You will earn full credit for just completing these problems, right or wrong. Can be turned in via Canvas, email, mailbox, or in-class. There are 12 homeworks in all, but only 10 are needed for full credit. Late homework is acceptable.
50% Exams: 3 in-class exams total. Lowest score is worth 10%, the others each 20%.
40% Final
References:
For problems and lectures, I will draw from many resources. If something doesn't make sense in one book, it might make sense in another. I recommend looking around. Almost all of the textbooks and notes are freely available online (just google "author + title + pdf"):
Schroeder - Intro to Thermal Physics (Required)
Blundell & Blundell - Concepts in Thermal Physics
Goodstein - States of Matter
Kittel & Kroemer - Thermal Physics
Reif - Fundamentals of Statistical and Thermal Physics
Fermi - Thermodynamics
Lecture Notes and Reviews:
Here you can find my lecture notes for this course. I will update this site regularly. Caution: these notes do not include a complete treatment of any topics covered. For that, please see the textbook. They are only a record of what I tried to cover during lectures. You will also find exam reviews and practice problems at this link. See below for quick access:
Exams:
Course Schedule:
Below you will find a schedule of lectures. Homework is graded for completion, and due every week. Exams will take up the entire class period.
A few lectures might have to be rescheduled. I will keep you posted.
