An Introduction to Thermal Physics (Paperback)

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.

This book will give you a working understanding of thermal physics, assuming that you have already studied introductory physics and calculus. You will learn to apply the general laws of energy and entropy to engines, refrigerators, chemical reactions, phase transformations, and mixtures. You will also learn to use basic quantum physics and powerful statistical methods to predict in detail how temperature affects molecular speeds, vibrations of solids, electrical and magnetic behaviors, emission of light, and exotic low-temperature phenomena. The problems and worked examples explore applications not just within physics but also to engineering, chemistry, biology, geology, atmospheric science, astrophysics, cosmology, and everyday life.

熱物理學處理大量粒子的集合，通常是10的23次方左右。例如氣球中的空氣、湖中的水、金屬塊中的電子以及太陽發出的光子。我們不可能追蹤這麼多粒子的每個細節運動。因此，在熱物理學中，我們假設這些運動是隨機的，並使用概率法則來預測材料整體應該如何行為。或者，我們可以測量材料的整體性質，並從中推斷出它所由的粒子的一些信息。

本書將使您對熱物理學有一個實用的理解，假設您已經學過入門物理學和微積分。您將學習應用能量和熵的一般法則於引擎、冰箱、化學反應、相變化和混合物。您還將學習使用基本的量子物理和強大的統計方法，以詳細預測溫度如何影響分子速度、固體振動、電磁行為、光的發射以及異常低溫現象。問題和實例將探討應用不僅限於物理學，還包括工程學、化學、生物學、地質學、大氣科學、天體物理學、宇宙學和日常生活中的應用。

Daniel V. Schroeder, Professor of Physics, Weber State University

Daniel V. Schroeder is Professor of Physics at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, USA. He earned his PhD in Physics at Stanford University, then taught briefly at Pomona College and Grinnell College before coming to Weber State in 1993. He is the coauthor, with Michael E. Peskin, of An Introduction to Quantum Field Theory. From 2012 through 2016 he served as Associate Editor of the American Journal of Physics.

Daniel V. Schroeder，韋伯州立大學物理學教授。

Daniel V. Schroeder是美國猶他州奧格登韋伯州立大學的物理學教授。他在斯坦福大學獲得物理學博士學位，然後在蓬莫納學院和格林內爾學院短暫任教，於1993年加入韋伯州立大學。他與Michael E. Peskin合著了《量子場論入門》一書。從2012年到2016年，他擔任《美國物理學雜誌》的副編輯。