Thermal Physics

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

Taught at a host instituion. PHYC 30010 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics at UCD; Themodynamics and Statistical Physics sees wide application across the sciences. This module derives its understanding from first principles and translates this to wide application for example in relation to fluids, solid-state, phase change, radiation and laser physics, boson and fermion statistics. Introduced and widely applied are tools such as concepts of exact and inexact differentials, Maxwell's relations and the Lagrange method of multipliers. When taught in Dublin Ireland: PHYC 30010 Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics at UCD; Themodynamics and Statistical Physics sees wide application across the sciences. This module derives its understanding from first principles and translates this to wide application for example in relation to fluids, solid-state, phase change, radiation and laser physics, boson and fermion statistics. Introduced and widely applied are tools such as concepts of exact and inexact differentials, Maxwell's relations and the Lagrange method of multipliers. When taught at Trinity: PI 4041 Post-Kantian Philosophy: Self-Reference and Self-Awareness at TCD; When we speak or think we cannot avoid making use of the personal pronoun. We say 'I think' 'I am in pain', 'I am hungry' or 'I was born in the last century'. In all these instances reference to a bearer of thought seem inevitable. Yet there are many who wish to convince us that what seems unavoidable, in everyday talk, is nothing other than a linguistic convention. The words ʻIʼ and ʻmyʼ are mere adornments of speech. There is a ʻnecessity of syntaxʼ which compels us to speak of a positional self, however as soon as we have a closer look we come to realise that the pronoun ʻIʼ is not a place holder for anything in particular. Indeed, without much trouble we can replace the phrase ʻI was thinkingʼ with ʻthere was thinking going onʼ, and ʻI am in pain with ʻthere is painʼ since there is no self separable from the thought or the sensation of pain. Proof for this lies in the fact that we cannot perceive such a self but if at all only our objects of thoughts, feelings, sensations or impressions. This is why Hume already concluded that no introspection will ever yield a pure self. Against this view this course wishes to show why we need to hold fast to the claim that ʻIʼ is a referring expression. There is something distinctive about the use of the first person pronoun. No description, not even one containing indexicals (other than the first person pronouns themselves) can be substituted for 'I'. We shall do this by focusing on the writings on Wittgenstein, Sartre, Kant and Husserl.