8.044
Statistical Physics I
Introduction to probability, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics. Random variables, joint and conditional probability densities, and functions of a random variable. Concepts of macroscopic variables and thermodynamic equilibrium, fundamental assumption of statistical mechanics, microcanonical and canonical ensembles. First, second, and third laws of thermodynamics. Numerous examples illustrating a wide variety of physical phenomena such as magnetism, polyatomic gases, thermal radiation, electrons in solids, and noise in electronic devices. Concurrent enrollment in 8.04 is recommended.
Spring 2013
Topics
- Probability: 1 Random Variable
- Probability: 2 or More Random Variables
- Probability: Functions of a Random Variable
- Probability: Sums of RVs and Central Limit Theorem
- Thermodynamic Variables and State Functions
- The First Law and Paths
- Statistical Mechanics and the Microcanonical Ensemble
- Entropy, Temperature, and the Second Law
- Entropy as a Thermodynamic Variable
- Maxwell Relations and Thermodynamic Potentials
- Heat Engines and Carnot Cycles
- Derivation of the Canonical Ensemble
- Examples Using the Canonical Ensemble
- Polyatomic Gases
- Black Body Radiation
- Paramagnets
- Quantum States of Many-particle Systems
- Chemical Potential and Grand Canonical Ensemble
- Density of States and Free Fermi Gas
- Stellar Configurations and White Dwarfs
- Interesting and Counter-Intuitive Examples
- Bose-Einstein Condensation
Readings
- Huang, Kerson. Statistical Mechanics . Wiley, 1987. ISBN: 9780471815181.
- A graduate text formerly used in MIT subjects. Although some of the material {mainly in the latter half of the book {is above the level of 8.044, the clear and concise explanations of thermodynamics and the three statistical ensembles are hard to beat. The presentation of the material in 8.044 follows this approach quite closely. Note that a subsequent text by Huang, Kerson. Introduction to Statistical Physics . CRC Press, 2001. ISBN: 9780748409419 is not as useful for our purposes.
- Mehran has given the graduate version of statistical physics at MIT for a number of years and this is the text that has evolved from it. The course, and the textbook, are exemplary. This is more advanced than the Huang text (students are better prepared now than they were then) so it is not as useful for us. None the less, some of the sections on the development of theory are worth reading.
- Zemansky, M. W., and R. H. Dittman. Heat and Thermodynamics . McGraw-Hill Science, 1996. ISBN: 9780070170599.
- A classic undergraduate textbook on thermodynamics at about the same level as 8.044. Some students may appreciate the lengthier discussion of thermodynamics and the numerous examples treated throughout the text.
- Baierlein, Ralph. Thermal Physics . Cambridge University Press, 1999. ISBN: 9780521590822.
- Blundell, Stephen, and Katherine M. Blundell. Concepts in Thermal Physics . Oxford University Press, 2009. ISBN: 9780199562091.
- Kittel, Charles, and Herbert Kroemer. Thermal Physics . W. H. Freeman, 1980. ISBN: 9780716710882.
- A popular undergraduate textbook at the level of 8.044. It does not follow the development we use (I think it jumps around a lot), but the alternative discussions of individual topics may be helpful to some students.
Prerequisites & course information
Prereq: 8.03 and 18.03 U (Spring) 5-0-7 units
Sources
- Course catalogue ↗2026–2027
- MIT OpenCourseWare ↗Spring 2013
- MIT OCW calendar ↗
- MIT OCW syllabus ↗
- Historical MIT OpenCourseWare offering. Named reading entries and schedule topics are automatically extracted from the linked source pages.