An Introduction to Thermal Physics by Daniel V. Schroeder PDF Free Download

This text looks at thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Part I introduces concepts of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics from a unified view. Parts II and III explore further applications of classical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Throughout, the emphasis is on real-world applications. Thermal physics deals with collections of large numbers of particles – typically 10 to the 23rd power or so. Examples include the air in a balloon, the water in a lake, the electrons in a chunk of metal, and the photons given off by the sun. We can’t possibly follow every detail of the motions of so many particles. So in thermal physics we assume that these motions are random, and we use the laws of probability to predict how the material as a whole ought to behave. Alternatively, we can measure the bulk properties of a material, and from these infer something about the particles it is made of.