Physics and its Applications – serie

Concise yet thorough, accessible, authoritative, and affordable. These are the hallmarks of books in the remarkable Physics and its Applications series.Thermodynamics is an essential part of any physical sciences education, but it is so full of pitfalls and subtleties, that many students fail to appreciate its elegance and power. In Thermal Physics, the author emphasizes understanding the basic ideas and shows how the important thermodynamics results can be simply obtained from the fundamental relations without getting lost in a maze of partial differentials.In this second edition, the author  incorporated new sections on scales of temperature, availability, the degradation of energy, and lattice defects. The text contains ample illustrations and examples of applications of thermodynamics in physics, engineering, and chemistry.

Solid-state physics has for many years been one of the largest and most active areas of research in physics, and the physics of metals and semiconductors has in turn been one of the largest and most active areas in solid-state physics. Despite this, it is an area in which new and quite unexpected phenomena - such as the quantum Hall effect - are still being discovered, and in which many things are not yet fully understood. It forms an essential part of any undergraduate physics course. A number of textbooks on solid-state physics have appeared over the years and, because the subject has now grown so large, the books too have usually been large. By aiming at a more limited range of topics, I have tried in this book to cover them within a reasonably small compass. But I have also tried to avoid the phrase 'It can be shown that. . . ', as far as possible, and instead to explain to the reader just why things are the way they are; and sometimes this takes a little longer. I hope that some readers at least will find this approach helpful. 1 The free-electron model 1. 1 THE CLASSICAL DRUDE THEORY The characteristic properties of metals and semiconductors are due to their conduction electrons: the electrons in the outermost atomic shells, which in the solid state are no longer bound to individual atoms, but are free to wander through the solid.

Whatever the field of human activity-domestic or scientific, work or leisure-it is likely that some knowledge of the behaviour of electrical circuits is required to keep the processes moving, the wheels turning. In many cases, a knowledge of Ohm's law may suffice. In others, an understanding of more complex relationships may be necessary. In this book an attempt is made to provide, in a concise manner, an introduction to the main methods of treating electrical networks, whether they be carrying direct (de) or alternating (ac) electrical currents. Clearly, the range of possible circuits is vast so that the simplifications which are demonstrated in the pages that follow are of great importance to the student. However, to gain the fullest benefit from such a concise presentation, the student must devote some time to the exercises which are provided in Appendix B. The units used throughout the book are those of the International System (or SI). The various quantities which are introduced-such as current and potential and resistance-are summarized in Appendix A together with the symbols used to represent them, the unit associated with each quantity and the formula used to derive that unit from four fundamental or MKSA units.

This book is intended to give a clear and concise introductory account of the basic ideas underlying nuclear and elementary particle physics. The attempt throughout is to convey a sound physical understanding of the structures and processes encountered. It assumes some knowledge of elementary quantum mechanics, particularly the treatment of angular momentum, and the rudiments of special relativity. In addition to 'standard' calculations based on this knowledge, frequent use is made of 'order-of-magnitude' and 'dimensional' arguments. In this way it has been possible to give some discussion of quite advanced topics and recent developments. Although reference is made from time to time to the apparatus of nuclear and particle physics no technical detail is given. My basic hope is that students using this book will acquire a sound understand­ ing of what nuclear and particle physics is about and will wish to learn more. I am indebted to Dr David Bailin and various (nameless) referees for penetrating and helpful comments on parts of the text.

Modern electronics is the most visible result of research in solid state physics. Transistors and integrated circuits are used everywhere in ever increasing numbers. The microprocessor controlled coffee-pot exists. Most experimental physicists, and, indeed, experimental scientists in most disciplines, study their subject with the aid of apparatus containing significant amounts of electronics and much of that electronics is digital. In order to design experiments and apparatus or simply to understand how a piece of equipment works, an under­ standing of electronics has become increasingly important. In recognition that electronics has pervaded so many areas, courses in digital electronics are now a recommended part of physics and many other science degree courses. At the introductory level, digital electronics is, primarily, a practical subject with relatively few basic concepts and any complex­ ity arises from the coupling together of many simple circuits and the extensive use of feedback. Designing an electronic circuit and then getting it to work correctly provides an experience, and a sense of achievement, which is significantly different from most undergradu­ ate work as it more closely resembles project work than standard laboratory practicals.

Professor Dobbs provides an elegant and clear account of the subject, leading the student from electrostatics through to Maxwell's equations and electromagnetic waves, covering all the material needed by a student taking courses on electricity and magnetism and electromagnetic waves.

Quantum mechanics is the key to modern physics and chemistry, yet it is notoriously difficult to understand. This book is designed to overcome that obstacle. Clear and concise, it provides an easily readable introduction intended for science undergraduates with no previous knowledge of quantum theory, leading them through to the advanced topics usually encountered at the final year level.Although the subject matter is standard, novel techniques have been employed that considerably simplify the technical presentation. The authors use their extensive experience of teaching and popularizing science to explain the many difficult, abstract points of the subject in easily comprehensible language. Helpful examples and thorough sets of exercises are also given to enable students to master the subject.

Concise yet thorough, accessible, authoritative, and affordable. These are the hallmarks of books in the remarkable Physics and its Applications series.Thermodynamics is an essential part of any physical sciences education, but it is so full of pitfalls and subtleties, that many students fail to appreciate its elegance and power. In Thermal Physics, the author emphasizes understanding the basic ideas and shows how the important thermodynamics results can be simply obtained from the fundamental relations without getting lost in a maze of partial differentials.In this second edition, the author  incorporated new sections on scales of temperature, availability, the degradation of energy, and lattice defects. The text contains ample illustrations and examples of applications of thermodynamics in physics, engineering, and chemistry.