Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics (Dover Books on Physics) by E. Atlee Jackson (PDF)

Description

Ideal as an elementary introduction to equilibrium statistical mechanics, this volume covers both classical and quantum methodology for open and closed systems. Introductory chapters familiarize readers with probability and microscopic models of systems, while additional chapters describe the general derivation of the fundamental statistical mechanics relationships. The final chapter contains 16 sections, each dealing with a different application, ordered according to complexity, from classical through degenerate quantum statistical mechanics. Key features include an elementary introduction to probability, distribution, functions, and uncertainty prior to a discussion of statistical mechanics; a review of the concept and significance of energy, together with a discussion of various models of physical systems. A series of appendixes contains helpful information on Gaussian integrals, the error function, the entropy constant, solutions to problems, and other subjects.A background in integral calculus is assumed, but because material is presented at a reasonable level of complexity, even readers not familiar with quantum mechanics can make use of at least two-thirds of this book. Index. 5 Appendixes. Problems at ends of chapters. Over 100 text figures.

User’s Reviews

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

⭐This book is an excellent introduction to Statistical Mechanics for Physics undergraduates. In less than 250 pages, it manages to cover pretty much everything they need to know.It only has four chapters. The first chapter is on probability. This brief introduction surprises by introducing information into the discussion. However, the definition of information is not particularly well motivated, and the reader may want to look to an introductory information theory text for a deeper understanding of this definition.Chapter 2 is on energy and its different forms. Some quantum mechanics is used, but the reader doesn’t really need to know quantum mechanics in any depth. A typical Modern Physics course will be sufficient.Chapter 3 is simply titled “Statistical Mechanics” and it provides the essential points of the theory. The treatment is Gibbsian in flavor, and one of the most interesting parts of the book is where the author gives a very simple probabilistic argument to justify the law of canonical distribution. This is worth seeing. This chapter also introduces the partition function and lays out its connection to the property variables of thermodynamics extremely clearly.The last chapter is on applications and takes up half the book. It covers a wide variety of systems including perfect gases, imperfect gases, simple dielectric systems, paramagnetic systems, the perfect Fermi gas, and the perfect Bose gas including Bose-Einstein condensation.There are also a large number of problems which are quite good, but I did find it a bit annoying that the author employs numerous systems of units.My only substantial criticism for this book is in its treatment of entropy, which is also one of the things this book covers very well in some ways. The concept of the information of a probability distribution is introduced in chapter one and is connected with entropy early on. I thought this was great. On the other hand, the author makes big deal over the thermodynamic assumption that entropy is an extensive property.There is no fundamental justification for this assumption, the author claims, and it exacts a high price in statistical mechanics by requiring a great deal of fiddling with what initially appears to be an arbitrary function of the number of particles in the system to get it to be so. Rather, the author claims, the only justification for this assumption in thermodynamics is just that it makes things easier.But this is not true.Separation of mixtures such as desalination of sea water requires the input of actual work, and this is because such mixtures exist in a higher state of entropy than their pure components under the same conditions. On the other hand, it requires no work to separate pure water from pure water, and the mixing of two samples of water in the same condition is completely reversible. As such, it does not result in an increase in entropy.But this reversibility immediately implies that thermodynamic entropy is an extensive property, and as this is a point involving actual measurable physical work, this is not just an assumption made to make the lives of thermodynamics students easier. So statistical mechanics will just have to fiddle away…To be fair though, I found the discussion of and attention to this aspect of the subject extremely valuable, and this was one of my favorite things about this book even though the author’s understanding of the thermodynamic implications seems imperfect.Also, while entropy is discussed in great detail in the first three chapters, it is almost completely absent from the fourth where all the applications are. As such, the author never discusses the difference between the entropy of a diatomic gas with identical nuclei versus one with different nuclei due to quantum mechanics.This seems to me to be too important of a point to simply ignore in a book on statistical mechanics. This also means that some of the expressions developed for partition functions are, in fact, wrong as they lack the quantum “symmetry factor” which compensates for the difference between homogenous and heterogeneous nuclei, and which can have important and observable consequences in chemical equilibrium for example.Nonetheless, I would still strongly recommend this book for physics undergraduates, but I would also suggest supplementing it with

⭐which not only covers some of the points neglected here, but presents a quite different but highly complementary approach to the entire subject.Between these two relatively short books, you should pretty much have it licked until grad school. However, anyone reading either of these two books needs to be certain they have a strong grounding in thermodynamics. To that end, I recommend

⭐, and if you are a physics student, don’t scoff at this book just because it is an engineering book. Remember that fundamentally thermodynamics is an engineering discipline of which physicists, among many others, make use. Not the other way around.

⭐I buy this book for the graduate class. this book is cheap enough, and the quality is also very good. My professor recommend this book to us.

⭐I have

⭐and

⭐to compare this text to. It stacks up well to Wall, but lacks the depth of Hill ( but is also much better written than Hill).In the coverage of Bose -Einstein and Fermi-Dirac partitionsthe Jackson text presents material lacking in the other two texts.There is very good mathematical physics in this text!The writing style is readable and the diagrams are helpful in understanding the text. I’m glad I found this book!

⭐Apesar de curto, abrange os principais conceitos de Mecânica Estatística. Uma ótima introdução. A melhor definição de entropia que já encontrei pela frente.

⭐Not found.

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