Thermal Physics I (Fall 2004)

Instructor: Professor Cowley
  Office: BSB 410, email: cowley@camden.rutgers.edu

 
Textbook: Daniel V. Schroeder, An Introduction to Thermal Physics

 
Grading: 75% homework, 25% final exam

 
Homework: Schroeder's book is very problem oriented. Many of the important ideas are contained only in the problems. I shall assign a lot of problems. It is very important that you look at these promptly. Notice that most of your grade comes from the homework. There will be a penalty of 10% for each week that an assigned problem is handed in late.



 

There are many very good books on thermal physics, with different approaches to the subject. You should look at several of these, in the library, and you might decide to buy one or two and make more use of them. I have written a very personal set of opinions on the available textbooks.



Syllabus

This is a first try with a new and very different textbook, so we shall be playing by ear, this year. At a minimum, in the Fall semester we need to work through parts I and II, chapters 1-5. This works out to 16 pages per week. If you work a substantial fraction of the problems, that will be do-able.
Syllabus
 
Week Reading Assigned problems
September 1 Pages 1-16 1.3, 1.8, 1.10, 1.12, 1.16, 1.17, 1.22, 1.24
September 8 Pages 17-28 1.27, 1.33, 1.34, 1.37, 1.38, 1.40
September 15 Pages 29-48 1.43, 1.45, 1.56, 1.57, 1.61, 1.69(difficult?)
September 22 Pages 49-59 2.1, 2.2, 2.7, 2.8, 2.9 (computational)
September 29 Pages 60-84 2.15, 2.24, 2.26, 2.32, 2.37
October 6 Pages 85-91 3.2, 3.5, 3.6, 3.7
October 13 Pages 92-107 3.10, 3.18(computer), 3.19, 3.23, 3.25(parts a thru' d)
October 20 Pages 108-121 3.29, 3.33, 3.34, 3.37, 3.39
October 27 Pages 122-136 4.3, 4.5, 4.8, 4.14, 4.25
November 3 Pages 137-160 4.33, 4.36, 5.5, 5.9, 5.12, 5.13
November 10 Pages 161-169 5.19, 5.20, 5.22, 5.23
November 17 Pages 170-185 5.24, 5.26, 5.35, 5.48, 5.51, 5.55 (most of these are short but the last one is a brute)
December 1 Pages 186-207 5.56, 5.59, 5.67, 5.68, 5.77
December 8 Pages 208-219
December ?? Final Exam to be arranged
Last Modified: August 24, 2004