An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics

by Terrell L. Hill

Book Overview

"A large number of exercises of a broad range of difficulty make this book even more useful...a good addition to the literature on thermodynamics at the undergraduate level." -- Philosophical Magazine
Although written on an introductory level, this wide-ranging text provides extensive coverage of topics of current interest in equilibrium statistical mechanics. Indeed, certain traditional topics are given somewhat condensed treatment to...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0486652424
• ISBN13: 9780486652429
• Release Date: January 1987
• Publisher: Dover Publications
• Length: 544 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 5.5" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

Very good introduction to the field

The authors takes time to explain the basic hypotheses of statistical mechanics. I believe that it is an excellent introduction to this field.

great handbook

i'm a student of applied chemistry and this book has everything you need too know as undergraduate of statistical thermodynamics

An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics- Terrel L.Hill

An excellent text book for Physical Chemist who want to get sound footing in Statistical Thermodynamics.Inorder to really get a good view of the basics of statistical mechanics the reader really needs to spend an adequate amount of time in digesting the contents of the initial chapter. However, after spending some amount of time in reading those initial chapters, one can grasp the latter parts of the book in a quite interesting fashion.In my opinion, this book is a must for those who want to master the statstical thermodynamics. Infact, one would be really amazed at the standard of the book considering the fact that it is reasonably old. No new standard books on ' Statistical Mechanics' can provide such an adequate foundations as it in this book. I would strongly recommend this book along with the other book 'Statistical Mechanics' by the same author. Sasisanker Padmanabhan

Reliable Treatise

Written in 1960 and revised in 1986 this is a general treatise onstat-thermo in the tradition of Tolman and McQuarrie. I have a wellused copy on my desk, bought originally as a textbook for a graduatecourse - probably the cheapest textbook I ever bought at $12.95.The first chapter derives the ensembles from the quantum perspective.This has the advantage of generality and the disadvantage thatit requires some rudimentary knowledge of quanta and is lessexpedient for the scientist who is only concerned with classicalstat-mech.Once the foundations are laid, the book is divided intoapplications to non-interacting and interacting systems. In the latter category is the virial expansion for imperfect gases. Thisderivation makes an unnecessary effort to introduce a relativeactivity. The derivation in Jackson's book is more transparent and shorter without sacrificing rigor. The Mayer expansion forhard spheres is treated in useful detail.Chapter 18 includes a good description of the Debye-Hueckel theoryof electrolytes. The derivation of the Flory-Huggins theory of polymer solutions in Chapter 21 is excellent - more concise andeffortless than all others that I have seen. Chapter 14 covers thesolution of the one-dimensional Ising magnet but I still have troubleunderstanding this one. The appendices are useful and include the maximum term method and method of undetermined multiplierswhich are the cornerstone of the fundamental theorems.

No better place to start with Stat Mech

If you are intrested with studing statistical mechanics then start here. Hill starts from the defintions and postulates of thermodynamics and then moves into applications and problems. You will need to understand Diff EQ for this book.The first chapter took me a week to read and work out the math but then I red the rest in 4 weeks. It is a hard start because Hill develops your background before starting with applications of the theory. I really began to grasp the subject after reading this book. Ohter books will not lay the mathout as well as Hill does. It is a hard read because Hill is so thorough, but the rewasd is well worth the struggle. It is a great introduction and I suggest all of Hill's Stat mech book. Another great bargin from DOVER PRESS.At the price I recomend it to all graduate chemical engineers and chemists