Thermal and Statistical Physics

Thermal physics deals with large numbers of particles, anything big enough to see with a conventional microscope. From understanding the greenhouse effect to the blackbody radiation left over from the Big Bang, no other physical theory is used more widely throughout science. This course provides an introduction to classical thermodynamics, with applications in materials science & engineering and earth science, as well as statistical thermodynamics, with applications in solid state physics and astrophysics. The course begins with classical thermodynamics to introduce the fundamental concepts of temperature, energy, and heat, then moves to statistical mechanics, in which the laws of statistics are used to predict the behaviour of ensembles of particles, through the concept of entropy. These concepts are then used within thermodynamics to explore free energies, and understand heat engines, refrigerators and phase transformations and fuel cells, before the course returns to statistical physics to where Boltzmann and Gibbs factors and partition functions are applied to both classical and quantum systems, including blackbody radiation and Fermi gases. Note: Graduate students attend joint classes with undergraduates but are assessed separately.