EP 209 - Thermal Physics, Autumn 2016-17

Instructor Name Raghunath Chelakkot

Course Type Core for EP students (Half-sem)

Course overview

Basic Concepts of Thermodynamics (State variables, equilibria in systems,different types of processes, heat engines and refrigerators), Entropy, Euler and Gibbs Duhem Relations, Maximum Work Theorem, Maxwell Relations, Stability of Systems, Introduction to phase transitions

Prerequisites

No formal or informal prerequisites.

Credit distribution

Quiz 1-15 marks,  Final Exam-35 marks, Total-50 marks

Feedback on Lectures

Attendance not compulsory, classes on blackboard, with some portion like introduction and Phase transitions covered using slides

Feedback on tutorials, assignments and exams

Regular good tutorial sheets, no assignments for submissions.

Relevant References

1. Thermodynamics and Introduction to Thermostatistics - Herbert Callen
2. Heat and thermodynamics - M. Zemansky, R Dittman : especially for the introductory portion on temperature scales and zeroth law

Pro-tips

The book by Callen is very good and extremely useful for this course. The relevant course content is directly available in it. Try to read up stuff from it as much as possible.

Respondent Viraj Karambelkar

Note: This is a review to help you make a more informed choice about how to study for this course and/or choosing this course. While we've tried to keep it objective and complete, one must keep in mind that students have varying interests, methods of study, and the course itself changes from year to year.