Thermal Physics provides and introduction to thermodynamics
and statistical mechanics. Thermal physics studies the relationship
between volume, pressure, heat, work, energy, temperature, entropy
free energy, enthalpy, chemical potential, heat capacities and
other quantities.
Topics presented in this course include the first, second
and third laws of thermodynamics; heat engines, refrigerators
and heat pumps;
mechanical, thermal, and chemical equilibrium.
phase diagrams, phase transitions,
Boltzmann and Gibbs distributions, partition functions,
the equipartition theorem,
Blackbody radiation, and degenerate fermi gasses.
Prereq.: PHYS-206 and MATH-202 or consent of instructor.
3.0 Credits
Course Catalog Description
Thermodynamic systems; pressure and temperature; ideal gas laws; heat, work and energy; entropy; kinetic theory
For university courses, the universal, standard expectation is that students
should spend at least 2-3 hours per week outside of class for every credit
hour. For science classes, and for upper division science classes in
particular, the "2" above is generally considered to be insufficient. That
means for this class you should be spending at least nine hours a week
outside of class time reading the text, studying the lecture notes, and
doing the homework assignments. Students who do not devote enough
time to outside of class study should not expect to
perform well on tests and quizzes.
Problem Sets
Weekly problem sets are assigned
here.
Problem sets should be completed by the following
week. You are strongly encouraged to work with your classmates on
problem sets, however the work on your individual problem
set should be your own.
When face-to-face meetings on campus are suspended, I may ask you to
submit some assignments using DropBox in D2L. Consider enhancing them with:
This course has seven in class exams, which may contain take home problems.
The exams are largely based on material from lectures and problems similar to those
found in the weekly assignments.
When meetings on campus are suspended, we will try online equizzes using a LockDown Browser:
The final grade will be based on seven chapter exams.
Any student who achieves a percentile score of above 90%, 80%, 70%, 60% is
guaranteed to receive an A, B, C, or D respectively. These percentile scores
may be adjusted downwards based on a class curve and other considerations.
Northeastern Illinois University (NEIU) complies with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) in making reasonable accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. To request accommodations, students with special needs should make arrangements with the Student Disability Services (SDS) office, located on the main campus in room D104. Contact SDS via (773) 442-4595 or http://www.neiu.edu/university-life/student-disability-services.
g-anderson@neiu.edu