Physics 351, Thermal Physics (Statistics and Thermodynamics), Spring 2013

Welcome to Thermal Physics. This is a one-term course on Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics. Thermodynamics is the study of bulk properties of matter dealing with temperature and heat flow. It was largely put together in the 19th century. Statistical Mechanics attempts to explain the principles of thermodynamics. It does so using concepts from 20th century physics, especially Quantum Mechanics.

  • Professor: Amitabh Lath, Serin W 324. (email: lath -AT- physics.rutgers.edu, phone: (732) 445-5500 ext 5853)
  • Text: Introduction to Thermal Physics by Daniel V. Schroeder.
  • Lectures: Wed 10:20 - 11:40 am, Fri 3:20 - 4:40 pm, SEC 117
  • Office Hours: Wed afternoon, Friday morning anytime (email to confirm).
  • Homework Grader: Po-Chun Yeh

    Syllabus

    There is a syllabus for this class. There will be weekly homework, a midterm exam and a final exam. Please let me know as soon as possible if you cannot make either the midterm or final exam.

    Lecture Notes

    The lectures will be blackboard based, so it is essential that you attend. There are also slides originally written up by Prof. Gershenson, which are available on this page . They serve as a good compliment to the text and lectures.

    Homework

    Homeworks will be assigned every Wednesday, and will be due in one week (exceptions as noted). Here is the homework list . Here is a directory with homework solutions .
    Note that the homeworks are 20% of your grade. This is a higher weight than homeworks are usually accorded. Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics are notoriously opaque subjects and the only way to get a handle on them is to solve problems.
    The homeworks will be returned on the Wednesday after submission. On that day, I will go over the homework problems in class, discussion to be continued in office hours after end of lecture.

    Grading

    Here is how the grading breaks down (approximate):
  • Homeworks: 20%
  • Midterm Exam: 30%
  • Final Exam: 50%

    Midterm and Final Exam

    The Midterm exam will be in class, for a full lecture period. I will have a review session before the midterm. I will hand out a previous year's exam for practice when the time comes. The Final Exam will be during the finals period.

    Online Gradebook

    There is an online gradebook for this course. Please check this for exam grades, etc.

    Other

    This page has some interesting items about subjects we are discussing in class.

    Students with Disabilities

    Please consult me as early as possible if you have a disability that might interfere with an optimal learning experience.
    Also, please consult the website on disabilities . The University has coordinators for students with disabilities.
    Amitabh Lath &
    Last modified: Tue Jan 22 11:15:28 EST 2013