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PHY 418: Statistical Mechanics I
Prof. S. Teitel: stte@pas.rochester.edu ---- Spring 2022

Unit 2

Unit 1Unit 2Unit 3Unit 4

Classical Ensembles

January 31 to March 23

Your response to Discussion Question 3 is due Tuesday, February 8 at 5pm.
Your solutions to Problem Set 3 are due Thursday, February 10, at 5pm.
Your solutions to Problem Set 4 are due Thursday, February 17, at 5pm.
Your response to Discussion Question 5 is due Tuesday, February 22 at 5pm.
Your solutions to Problem Set 5 are due Thursday, February 24, at 5pm.
Your response to Discussion Question 6 is due Tuesday, March 1 at 5pm.
Your solutions to Problem Set 6 are due Thursday, March 3, at 5pm.
Your response to Discussion Question 7 is due Tuesday, March 22 at 5pm.
Your solutions to Problem Set 7 are due Thursday, March 24, at 5pm

In this we unit begin our discussion of statistical mechanics, which provides the link between mechanics and thermodynamics. We start with a simple discussion of the kinetic theory of the ideal gas. We then move on to the more general statistical ensemble approach which is based on the ergodic hypothesis. In this unit we will confine our discussion to systems obeying classical mechanics. We will discuss the microcanonical ensemble for systems at fixed total energy, the canonical ensemble for systems at fixed temperature, and the grand canonical ensemble for systems at fixed chemical potential. We will discuss the partition functions for each of these ensembles and their relation to the corresponding thermodynamic potential. We will discuss several examples and discuss the relationship between entropy and information.

Below is a list of links to course notes for each topic in this unit, followed by links to recorded video lectures.

Notes and Video Lectures