PHY 3513 THERMAL PHYSICS - Spring 2015

INSTRUCTOR

Pierre Sikivie
Office: NPB 2063
email: sikivie@phys.ufl.edu
tel: 352.392.1923

CLASS TIMES

MWF, 11:45am - 12:35pm, in NPB 1101

OFFICE HOURS

Mondays: 9:35am - 10:25am
Wednesdays: 10:40am - 11:30am
Fridays: 12:50pm - 1:40pm

GRADER

Derrick VanGennep
Office: NPB B25
email: dav08d@ufl.edu
Office hours: Fridays 4:05-4:55pm

REQUIRED TEXTBOOK

"Concepts in Thermal Physics" (2d edition) by Stephen J. Blundell and Katherine M. Blundell, Oxford University Press, 2010. We will cover chapters 1-6, 8, 11-14, 16-19, 26-28, and 31.

There are many other useful textbooks on thermal physics. You are encouraged to explore alternatives. The following books may be helpful:
  • "Thermal and Statistical Physics", by H. Gould and J. Tobochnik. Available online from UF computers at http://uflib.ufl.edu.
  • "Introductory Statistical Mechanics", by R. Bowley and M. Sanchez.
  • "Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics", by A.H. Carter.
  • "Introduction to Thermal Physics", by D.V. Schroeder.
  • "Thermal Physics", by R. Baierlein.
  • "The Feynman Lectures on Physics", by R.P. Feynman, R.B. Leighton and M. Sands, Vol 1, Chapters 39-46. Available online at http://www.feynmanlectures.caltech.edu.
  • "Mathematical Methods in the Physical Sciences", by M.L. Boas. This text presents an in-depth discussion of much of the mathematics used in this course.

DESCRIPTION

PHY3513 is the first part of a two semester sequence (PHY 3513-4523) on thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. It provides a treatment of classical thermodynamics, including fundamental postulates, entropy, equations of states, thermodynamic equilibrium and potentials, Maxwell relations, and phase transitions.

PREREQUISITES

PHY2049 or equivalent. You should be familiar with multi-variable calculus.

HOMEWORK

There will be seven homework sets, due on 1/21, 2/4, 2/18, 3/11, 3/25, 4/8 and 4/22. The homework is your best opportunity to learn the material in depth. If at all possible, do the homework entirely on your own. Only if you are hopelessly stuck is it allright to seek help from the instructor or other students. Any help must be explicitly acknowledged at the end of the corresponding problem. In that case you will not be penalized for having received help.

QUIZZES

There will be seven quizzes, each 20 to 25 minutes long, on 1/26, 2/9, 2/23, 3/16, 3/30, 4/13 and 4/22. The quizzes will be on the material covered by the previous homework set.

Of the seven quizzes, only the five best will count towards the final grade.

GRADING

Your final grade will be based on:
Homework 20%
Quizzes 40%
Final exam (April 30) 40%
 
Your letter grade will be determined from the following scale:
80 < A < 100 50 < C < 55
75 < A- < 80 45 < C- < 50
70 < B+ < 75 40 < D+ < 45
65 < B < 70 35 < D < 40
60 < B- < 65 30 < D- < 35
55 < C+ < 60  

The current UF policies for assigning grade points may be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx.

CLASS ATTENDANCE

Requirements for class atendance, make-up exams, and other work in this course are consistent with university policies that can be found at https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/grades.aspx.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES

Students with disabilities requesting accommodations should first register with the Disability Resource Center (352-392-8565, https://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc) by providing appropriate documentation. Once registered, students will receive an accommodations letter which must be presented to the instructor when requesting accommodation. Students with disabilities should follow this procedure as early as possible in the semester.

COURSE EVALUATIONS

Students are expected to provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing online evaluations at https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Jan. 7 - Jan. 21: chapters 1, 2, 3
Jan. 23 - Feb. 4: chapters 4, 5, 6
Feb. 6 - Feb. 18: chapters 8, 11, 12
Feb. 20 - March 11: chapters 13, 14
March 13 - March 25: chapters 16, 17, 18
March 27 - April 8: chapters 19, 26, 27
April 10 - April 22: chapters 28, 31