HOWARD UNIVERSITY

DEPARTMENT OF PHYSICS & ASTRONOMY

 

STATISTICAL MECHANICS I

PHYS 222 (CRN 80704)

FALL 2002

 

M W F            1:10 – 2:00 PM          TKH 111

INSTRUCTOR: Professor Prabhakar Misra

OFFICE: TKH# 102  or OPFM/CSTEA# 112

TEL:         806-6251               806-4913 (Message/Voice Mail)

OFFICE HOURS: 10:00-11:00 AM             M   W   or By Appointment

 

Text: “Statistical Mechanics,” R.K. Pathria, Butterworth Heinemann, Oxford, 2nd edition, 1996 (ISBN: 0 7506 24698)

 

SUBJECT MATTER                                                            WEEK(S) OF

 

Fundamentals & Statistical Basis of Thermodynamics                8/26 & 9/4

Elements of Ensemble Theory                                                   9/9 & 9/16

The Canonical Ensemble                                                           9/23 & 9/30

The Grand Canonical Ensemble                                                10/7 & 10/16

Quantum Statistics                                                                    10/21 & 10/28

The Theory of Simple Gases                                                     11/4 & 11/13

Ideal Bose Systems                                                                  11/18 & 11/25

Ideal Fermi Systems                                                                 11/25 & 12/2

EXAM 1: 9/23 EXAM 2: 10/21           EXAM 3: 11/25           FINAL EXAM: 12/11

 

Grading Scheme: Homework 15%; Exams (1, 2 & 3) 65%; Final Exam 20%

 

Suggested Reading:

  1. “Statistical Mechanics,” T. Tsang, Rinton Press, Princeton, New Jersey, 2002 (ISBN 1-58949-006-1).
  2. “Thermodynamics & Statistical Mechanics,” W. Greiner, L. Neise & H. Stocker, Springer, New York, 1995 (ISBN 0-387-94299-8).
  3. “Thermodynamics,” H.B. Callen, John Wiley & Sons, New York, 1960 (ISBN 0-471-13035-4).

 

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