Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics

Lectures on Theoretical Physics, Volume V: Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics discusses the significant developments and problems in the study of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. This volume contains five chapters. The first two chapters provide an overview of the various aspects and applications of thermodynamics. Chapter III contains a preliminary introduction to statistical mechanics, with an emphasis on the Brownian motion, which is the most important example of statistical fluctuations. Chapter IV describes the Boltzmann''s original form of combinatorial method, in which the molecules of a gas are endowed with a physically real existence. This chapter also considers the various numerical combinations that govern the way in which the mutually indistinguishable particles are distributed over the states constituting the substance of the statistics. Chapter V explores the behavior of molecules in perfect gases following the course of historical development. This chapter covers an exact formulation of the kinetic theory of gases. Physics teachers and students will find this book invaluable.