PHYS 302
Stat Mechanics & Thermodynamics Spring 2015
Division III Quantative/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 gasses, polymers, heat engines, magnets, and electrons in solids.