Concepts in thermal physics / Stephen J. Blundell and Katherine M. Blundell

Previous edition: 2006

Includes bibliographical references (pages [485]-487) and index.

1. Introduction -- 2. Heat -- 3. Probability -- 4. Temperature and the Boltzmann factor -- 5. Maxwell-Boltzman n distribution -- 6. Pressure -- 7. Molecular effusion -- 8. Mean free path and collisions -- 9. Transport properties in gases -- 10. Thermal diffusion equation -- 11. Energy -- 12. Isothermal and adiabatic processes -- 13. Heat engines and the second law -- 14. Entropy -- 15. Information theory -- 16. Thermodynamic potentials -- 17. Rods, bubbles, and magnets -- 18. Third law -- 19. Equipartition of energy -- 20. Partition function -- 21. Statistical mechanics of an ideal gas -- 22. Chemical potential -- 23. Photons -- 24. Phonons -- 25. Relativistic gases -- 26. Real gases -- 27. Cooling real gases -- 28. Phase transitions -- 29. Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac distributions -- 30. Quantum gases and condensates -- 31. Sound waves -- 32. Shock waves -- 33. Brownian motion and fluctuations -- 34. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics -- 35. Stars -- 36. Compact objects -- 37. Earth's atmosphere -- A. Fundamental constants -- B. Useful formulae -- C. Useful mathematics -- D. electromagnetic spectrum -- E. Some thermodynamical definitions -- F. Thermodynamic expansion formulae -- G. Reduced mass -- H. Glossary of main symbols

This text provides a modern introduction to the main principles of thermal physics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The key concepts are presented and new ideas are illustrated with worked examples as well as description of the historical background to their discovery