PHY 6536
Statistical Mechanics

In this course we will study "statistical physics.'' This subject is a link between the microscopic world of one or two particles and the macroscopic world of Avogadro's number of little particles, all the same. In the micro-world, energy is conserved; the equations are exact, reversible, and can be solved at any level of detail required. In the macro-world the details are lost in some thermodynamic limit; we work with very general relationships among macroscopic properties of systems; and entropy always increases.

Announcements:
Grades are posted. Come by to get your final and last problem set.
Syllabus

Time and place: MWF 6th (12:50-1:40 pm) NPB 1101
Text (at start): J.P. Sethna, Statistical Mechanics: Entropy, Order Parameters and Complexity  (Oxford University Press, 2006).
Text (later): R.K. Pathria,Statistical Mechanics (BH, 1996). (A third edition, Feb 2011.)
Instructor: David Tanner
email: tanner@phys.ufl.edu
Phone: 392-4718
Office: 2372 NPB
Office hours: 11:45-12:35 MWF (10-11 Tue/Th also available)
Final exam: Apr 28, Thursday, 7:30-9:30 am

Methods by which students will be evaluated and their grade determined:
Grades will be based on one midterm exam (25%), one final (35%) and homework (40%). There will be approximately 6 homework assignments.

Other course notes:
All students are required to abide by the Academic Honesty Guidelines of the University of Florida.

Attendance will not be monitored; however, exam questions will come from topics discussed in class.



Links:
UF links:  Various links:


D. Tanner  / tanner@phys.ufl.edu / Last modified: 5 May 11