PHYS 302
Stat Mechanics & Thermodynamics Spring 2020
Division III Quantitative/Formal Reasoning
This is not the current course catalog

Macroscopic objects are made up of huge numbers of fundamental particles interacting in simple ways–obeying the Schrõdinger equation, Newton’s and Coulomb’s Laws–and these objects can be described by macroscopic properties like temperature, pressure, magnetization, heat capacity, conductivity, etc. In this course we will develop the tools of statistical physics, which will allow us to predict the cooperative phenomena that emerge in large ensembles of interacting particles. We will apply those tools to a wide variety of physical questions, including the behavior of gases, polymers, heat engines, biological and astrophysical systems, magnets, and electrons in solids.