Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics) by Enrico Fermi (PDF)

Description

Indisputably, this is a modern classic of science. Based on a course of lectures delivered by the author at Columbia University, the text is elementary in treatment and remarkable for its clarity and organization. Although it is assumed that the reader is familiar with the fundamental facts of thermometry and calorimetry, no advanced mathematics beyond calculus is assumed.Partial contents: thermodynamic systems, the first law of thermodynamics (application, adiabatic transformations), the second law of thermodynamics (Carnot cycle, absolute thermodynamic temperature, thermal engines), the entropy (properties of cycles, entropy of a system whose states can be represented on a (V, p) diagram, Clapeyron and Van der Waals equations), thermodynamic potentials (free energy, thermodynamic potential at constant pressure, the phase rule, thermodynamics of the reversible electric cell), gaseous reactions (chemical equilibria in gases, Van’t Hoff reaction box, another proof of the equation of gaseous equilibria, principle of Le Chatelier), the thermodynamics of dilute solutions (osmotic pressure, chemical equilibria in solutions, the distribution of a solute between 2 phases vapor pressure, boiling and freezing points), the entropy constant (Nernst’s theorem, thermal ionization of a gas, thermionic effect, etc.).

User’s Reviews

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐I am a recently retired electrical engineer.One goal I have had for retirement is to try to become knowledgable about energy, on account of it being in my view the most crucial technical issue that will determine the well-being or lack thereof of mankind in the coming years.As I have read various articles and books on contemporary energy topics, it dawned on me that I need to get a better grounding in thermodynamics and chemistry.I had one course in thermodynamics in school, but, as an EE, I think I just learned it well enough to pass the tests without understanding it in depth.There is an excellent book on renewable energy called “Fundamentals of Renewable Energy Processes” that covers the gamut of energy alternatives, and is geared toward someone with a science/engineering background, as compared to the many books on the topic of energy that are written at a layman’s level.There is some good material in the early chapters of that book on thermodynamics and heat engines. However, I felt like I should get a few additional books on thermodynamics to make sure I have a good grasp of the fundamentals.Fermi’s book has proved to be very useful in that regard. I have only gone through the chapters on the 1st & second laws and entropy, which I think may be all I need to know for now.I was concerned that a book by Fermi might be over my head.To my delight, I found that is not the case. For me, the level of difficulty was just right- he does not cut corners, but it is at a level where I think most undergraduate engineering students would be able to grasp it without tremendous agony. But, although it is not overly abstract, Fermi approaches the subject from a physicist’s perspective, which is: Whatever concept he is covering, he doesn’t pull it out of a hat, he explains where it comes from.I believe everything I ever did in my engineering career that was of substance was in an area where I had a decent grasp of the origins of the formulas and concepts I was working with.Fermi’s book is the most valuable tool I have found to get such a grounding in the basic laws of thermodynamics.I have only read through the chapter on entropy- I’m not sure whether I will need the rest of the material, but I will probably discover before too long that the answer is yes.I now feel better prepared to read up on practical heat engines. I believe it will be easier to learn such material and I will understand it better on account of having gotten the fundamentals from Fermi’s book.

⭐A great physicist stands at a higher position than others in teaching. I studied thermodynamics from many other authors, and some of them are also really good. Nevertheless, Fermi has extraordinary clarity and he always explains why we should introduce something very convincingly. For example, do you feel uncomfortable when you first study thermodynamics and you have to touch the Carnot cycle? Why we need to study the “thermo-engine” if, say, you will not touch anything on mechanical engineering or a refrigerator? I felt uncomfortable before, since I study this subject only for the sake of condensed matter physics and some chemistry disciplines. However, Fermi first states the equivalence between heat and work, then he argued that it is easy to transform work into heat, because we can do friction!! Then a question arises NATURALLY how we can inversely transform heat into work. Even if one do not want to do any engineering about thermo-engine, he needs to think of this NATURAL question seriously. The problem is then, we do not have many ideas, the only good one at hand, is some reversible cycle to release net work, and then I feel motivated to study the Carnot cycle. This is great. More importantly, the EASE to transform work into heat and the DIFFICULTY to transform heat into work is a core aspect of Second Law, which I never thought about before. Another example, in the First Law, Fermi writes in a way very much like a realy physicist. He does not force the reader to accept some argument, but he let the reader to estimate the consequence. You either prefer this argument, or you may question the energy conservation law. (Physicists think in this way, for example, N. Bohr used to want to abandon the energy conservation law in beta decay, but he was wrong in that) Such way of thinking and writing attract me very much. Anyway, Fermi is Fermi and his small book on thermodynamics is excellent.

⭐This slim volume is based on a course of lectures given by Fermi at Columbia University, New York, in the summer of 1936. The intended audience for this book is clearly the science undergraduate, but given the age of this text, one wonders whether it is more of historical interest than a course book for the modern student.Fermi’s treatment of the fundamentals in the first four chapters – thermodynamic systems, the first law, the second law, and entropy – is attractive in its clarity. He takes his time, and is careful not to lose the reader as he elaborates the concepts. Given the timeless nature of these topics, this part of the book does not suffer on account of its age.Regarding the subjects presented in the next three chapters – thermodynamic potentials, gaseous reactions and the thermodynamics of dilute solutions – my view is that today’s student would be better advised to study a more contemporary text. Important equations, such as the Gibbs-Helmoltz equations, are not mentioned here, and some of the nomenclature and symbols are outdated, which is unlikely to help the student when cross-referencing to contemporary texts and class notes.The final chapter is devoted to the third law and the entropy constant.It is evident from the book that Fermi has a liking for theorems and proofs. The Clapeyron equation, for example, is proved in two different ways for no apparent reason other than to show that it can be done, and his derivation of the phase rule extends over six pages. If you’re a fan of such rigor, there is much for you to enjoy here.Overall, I would say that Fermi’s book has probably passed its time as a course text for the modern student of thermodynamics, but that for the purposes of deepening understanding of the fundamental concepts addressed in the first four chapters, it still has much to recommend it.

⭐I bought this book because I needed a textbook on thermodynamics and because it was written by a famous physicist and because it covers the subject in only 155 pages. Also the price is right.

⭐Fermi was one of the best physicists of the last century. Despite his high ability, he appears to have had no trouble in writing an elementary text which is quite easily understandable and with great precision and clarity. For example, his explanation of ‘course graining’ (although he avoids using that term) of Boltzmann Entropy (p140) is superb. His explanation of the ‘no decrease’ in entropy version of the Second Law (p55) is also excellent. This short book will delight experienced physicists of physical chemists wishing to reacquaint themselves with elementary thermodynamics but it will also be very useful to newcomers to the subject to supplement their notes or other textbooks. I have dozens f thermodynamics books, which vary in level, size and age. This is perhaps one of the best of the more elementary texts, alongside Bent’s ‘The Second Law’. Well worth double the price!

⭐A terrific scientist Fermi was, but his style of writing (or whoever actually wrote it) is difficult and wearisome. Simply put, this books was just too advanced for me. Eventually I hope to read it again, and understand.

⭐I study Physics at University and this book was incredibly helpful in forming a complete understanding of Thermodynamics. The book follows a very mathemtical style by coming to conclusions from basic premises which are well explained. Fermi does an excellent job in explaining the concepts (which is ofcourse more important than knowing how to manipulate symbols with rules as is normally done when the real physics isn’t understood). I read the book along side my second year Thermodynamics course. The course sort of gave me a vague idea but the book really made the ideas concrete (as well as solving problems from my course). The book is fairly small and contains little in the way of practice material. The book covers the 4 laws, explains Carnot cycles, Claussius’ inequaility, thermodynamic potentials (free energy and Gibbs function covered in slightly more detail) and some other useful material for chemists. I would recommend this book to anybody who is studying a course in thermodynamics. A lot of the mathematics uses line/loop integrals, exact/perfect differentials and partial derivatives. So to get the most out of the book a rudimentary understanding of those mathematical techniques would be useful.

⭐The wonderful thing about thermodynamics is that there are always different nuances to pick up, different connections to make. I wouldn’t recommend this as a comprehensive guide to thermodynamics, but it’s a short tour with a particularly brilliant perspective and priced accordingly.A good supplement for an undergraduate course, or a refresher for later study.I think I “get” ensembles now.

⭐Very good book, enjoyable although it takes time to go through it; so it is a half or a quarter review.But the fact that is Fermi’s book is already a seal of approval; you don’t need my opinion to buy this one.

Keywords

Free Download Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics) in PDF format
Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics) PDF Free Download
Download Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics) 2012 PDF Free
Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics) 2012 PDF Free Download
Download Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics) PDF
Free Download Ebook Thermodynamics (Dover Books on Physics)