PHYS 515 Class Info

This page contains links to information for the PHYS 515 course (Thermal and Statistical Physics).

TEST 1 will be Tues Feb 19 and will cover Chap 1 through Chap 3.1. Bring your book and a calculator.

TEST 2 will be Thur Apr 11 and will cover Chap 3.2 through Chap 6.2. Bring your book and a calculator.

FINAL will be Thur May 2 from 7-9 pm in PHYS 238 (Note different room!). The final will be comprehensive. Bring your book and a calculator.

The text book for the class is An Introduction to Thermal Physics by Daniel V. Schroeder. The tests are open textbook so you must have access to a physical copy (not electronic because you can't have open laptop during test); printout of relevant pages are OK as long as they only have info from the book.

See warning at https://physics.weber.edu/thermal/ about abridged international versions! Beware!!

We will cover most of Chaps 1-7. Course description.

Syllabus

Office hours: Monday 4-5, Tuesday 10:00-11:00 (Contact me by email if you want to arrange a special time.)

Homework will be due by midnight on Tuesdays. You must show enough work on the homework so the grader can understand what you're doing.


Notes Sec 1.1, Notes Sec 1.2, Notes Sec 1.3, Notes Sec 1.4, Notes Sec 1.5, Notes Sec 1.6
Notes Sec 2.1, Notes Sec 2.2, Notes Sec 2.3, Notes Sec 2.4, Notes Sec 2.5, Notes Sec 2.6, einstein_model.xls, einstein_model.xlsx, einstein_model_class.xlsx
Notes Sec 3.1, Notes Sec 3.3, Notes Sec 3.2, Notes Sec 3.4, Notes Sec 3.5, Notes Sec 3.6
Notes Sec 4.1, Notes Sec 4.2
Notes Sec 5.1, Notes Sec 5.2, Notes Sec 5.3, Notes Sec 5.4, Notes Sec 5.5, Notes Sec 5.6
Notes Sec 6.1, Notes Sec 6.2, Notes Sec 6.3, Notes Sec 6.4, Notes Sec 6.5, Notes Sec 6.6, Notes Sec 6.7
Notes Sec 7.1, Notes Sec 7.2, Notes Sec 7.3, Notes Sec 7.4, Notes Sec 7.5

Fundamentals: k_B = ?; T_K = ? for room, sun, coldest; M of N₂?; Atm. Pressure; Size of atom/molecule; Number density of atoms/molecules in air/liquid/solid; units of concepts (for example, specific heat, latent heat, enthalpy, entropy...), Stirling's approximation

HWK 1 (Due Tues Jan 15, 10 problems total):
Chap 1: 1, 4, 7, 12, 14, 16, 17, 21, 23, 28(see specific heat pg 28 C=4.2 J/(degC g))

HWK 2 (Due Tues Jan 22, 9 problems total):
Chap 1: 32, 34, 36, 38, 39, 42, 45, 46, 47

HWK 3 (Due Tues Jan 29, 8 problems total): (example spread sheets: einstein_model.xls, einstein_model.xlsx, einstein_model_class.xlsx) Also, for the cases where you're asked to print out spread sheets, only print out every ~10th row so you don't need reams of paper.)
Chap 1: 50, 54
Chap 2: 1, 3, 5 (only a, d, f, g), 8, 9, 11 (for prob 2.11, do one table using the parameters in the book AND one where there are 200 and 100 paramagnets with 80 energy units). (Hint: this is not the Einstein model but you can still figure out the multiplicity of each subsystem.)

HWK 4 (Due Tues Feb 5, 10 problems total):
Chap 2: 13, 14, 16, 17, 19, 21 (also find an approximation to the large N form as a Gaussian in terms of the variable x where z = (1/2) + x), 22, 24, 26, 27

HWK 5 (Due Tues Feb 12, 9 problems total):
Chap 2: 28, 29, 30, 32 (also compute the temperature), 33, 36, 38
Chap 3: 1, 3

HWK 6 (Due Tues Feb 26, 10 problems total):
Chap 3: 5, 8, 9, 10, 14, 17, 20, 21, 24, 25

HWK 7 (Due Tues Mar 5, 10 problems total):
Chap 3: 16, 31, 32, 37
Chap 4: 1, 10, 15
Chap 5:  1, 5, 8

HWK 8 (Due Tues Mar 19, 10 problems total):
Chap 5: 11, 19, 20, 22, 23(a-c), 28, 32, 36, 37, 48

HWK 9 (Due Tues Mar 26, 10 problems total):
Chap 5: 60, 64, 75, 76, 81, 82, 84, 87
Chap 6: 2, 3

HWK 10 (Due Tues Apr 2, 10 problems total):
Chap 6: 4, 6, 12, 14, 15, 16, 20 (see pg 3 for U), 22 (a & b only), 23, 26

HWK 11 (Due Tues Apr 16, 10 problems total):
Chap 6: 31, 38, 41, 44, 49, 52
Chap 7: 3, 7, 8, 9

HWK 12 (Due Tues Apr 23, 9 problems total):
Chap 7: 11, 13(a,b,c), 18, 19, 22, 26, 28, 31, 39