Thermodynamics of Materials

Readings

• This struggle with familiarity creates a dilemma for professors of thermodynamics: should the first course in thermodynamics be taught as formulaic solving of the standard problems—or should one try to teach the more philosophical aspects of the subject. I am not sure which is the best approach. I was educated with the practical first approach, but I have chosen the second for MIT 3.00 because I find it more interesting and hopefully more useful in the long-run. I am pretty sure that this theoretical approach is not the best for every student; but, I hope that it is best for the majority.
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• Last year I used a classical textbook by Denbigh in this course to supplement the lecture material. The students didn’t like it because Denbigh is a bit advanced for a first thermodynamics course, but it is the best thermodynamics book that I know of. It is rigorous and descriptive. It will be a useful reference for you in the future as well as this class—I would encourage you to get your hands on a copy.
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• It is very useful to take a look at one or two of the hundreds of other thermodynamics texts <span data-math= . Everyone learns in different ways and you may find one that is particularly suitable for you. Perhaps the reason that there are so many thermodynamics texts is that few people agree on the best way to explain the material. You will find that notation varies considerably from book to book (and sometimes even within a single text). You can often learn just by sorting out differences in notation—after all, it is only the subject material that counts. You will learn even more if you study the different ways that similar subject material is developed. You will begin to master the subject when you start identifying the conceptual errors that exist in nearly every textbook.
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• Gaskell and Devereux are widely used in Materials Sciences courses at other good universities. Gaskell, in particular, is full of practical worked problems for materials scientists. Keep in mind that notation varies from textbook to textbook; nevertheless, these books may help clarify complicated topics and provide additional practical problems.
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• Statistical Physics from the Landau and Lifshitz series is an excellent advanced treatise on both classical and statistical thermodynamics. It is ponderous, but is a good investment if you find yourself needing more thermo.
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• Denbigh is perhaps the most complete textbook on chemical equilibrium. It is dense but very well-written. The introductory book by Bent has a number of very clear examples and historical anecdotes, I used it very often while preparing lectures.
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• Besides Fermi, Planck also wrote short and very readable introductory treatises on thermodynamics. Shrodinger has a very nice (but perhaps too advanced for this course) introduction to statistical thermodynamics that is also a bargain. You probably associate these authors with other topics—their interest in the formulation of thermodynamics demonstrates the importance that most professional scientists place on a coherent understanding of thermodynamics as a foundation for advanced study. Chandrasekhar devoted an entire chapter of his book on Stellar Structure to the differential geometry of the second law of thermodynamics. The most complete and fundamental development of thermodynamics is a single paper by J. Willard Gibbs. Even though it is very difficult to read, Gibbs is the quintessential reference in thermodynamics. I’ve tried to use Gibbs as much as possible when I prepared the lectures.
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• Bent, Henry A. The Second Law: An Introduction to Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics . Oxford University Press, 1965.
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• Chandrasekhar, S. An Introduction to the Study of Stellar Structure . New York: Dover Publications, 1939.
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• Denbigh K. The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium . 3rd edition. Cambridge Univ. Press, 1971.
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• Devereux, Owen F. Topics in Metallurgical Thermodynamics . NY: John Wiley and Sons, 1983.
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• Fermi, Enrico. Thermodynamics . New York: Dover Publications, 1936.
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• Gaskell, David R. Introduction to Metallurgical Thermodynamics . NY: McGraw-Hill, 2nd edition, 1981.
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• Gibbs, J. Willard. “On the equilibrium of heterogeneous substances.” (1876). In Collected Works 1, Longmans, Green, and Co., 1928.
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• Lifshitz, E.M., and L.P. Pitaevskii. Statistical Physics. 3rd edition. Part 1. New York: Pergammon Press, 1980, pages 365ff.
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• Planck, Max. Treatise on Thermodynamics . 7th edition. New York: Dover Publications, 1926.
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• Shrodinger, Edwin. Statistical Thermodynamics . Dover, 1989.
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