PHYS 224, Winter 2003
Thermal Physics

Syllabus

Please note that some of the details given below may change as we go through the quarter.

Class date Topics Giancoli sections Other reading
M Jan 6 Admin. Fluid statics: density, pressure, compressibility; suction 13-1,13-2  
W Jan 8 Quiz 1.  Pressure variation with position; buoyancy; Pascal's and Archemedes' principles 13-3 to13-6  
F Jan 10 Fluid dynamics: continuity equation; Bernoulli equation 13-7 to 13-9  
M Jan 13 Quiz 2.  Applications of continuity and Bernoulli equations   Aerodynamics of bicycles
W Jan 15
HW1 due
Viscosity; turbulence; surface tension 13-10 to 13-12 The transition to turbulence
F Jan 17 Definition and measurement of temperature.  Zeroth law of thermodynamics.  Ideal gas thermometer.  Absolute temperature.   17-2 to 17-5,17-10 Essay on temperature
M Jan 20 MLK holiday    
W Jan 22
HW2 due
Quiz 3.  Ideal gas law.  Thermal expansion of solids, liquids and gases.   17-4 to 17-8  
F Jan 24 Atomic picture.  Kinetic theory of ideal gas.  Equipartition. 17-1,17-9,18-1  
M Jan 27 Quiz 4.  Non-ideal gases.  Statistical mechanics and distribution functions. 18-2 to 18-5  
W Jan 29
HW3 due
Brownian motion. rms velocity and mean velocity.   18-2  
F Jan 31 MIDTERM 1    
M Feb 3 Exam return. Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution.  More about distribution functions.   Derivation of M-B distribution
W Feb 5
HW4 due
Boltzmann distribution.  Mean free path and its distribution; diffusion. 18-6,7 Boltzmann
distribution
F Feb 7 Heat as energy; work; internal energy; first law of thermodynamics; heat capacity; latent heat. 19-1 to 19-5  
M Feb 10 Quiz 5.  Phase diagram of water.  Changes of state. Figs 18-6 and 19-5, Sec. 19-6  
W Feb 12
HW5 due
Quiz 6. Quasistatic, adiabatic, isothermal, isobaric processes.  Degrees of freedom; equipartition of energy; heat capacities of gases.  Adiabatic expansion of gases. 19-7,19-9  
F Feb 14 Molecular gases.  Heat transfer; thermal conductivity; thermal radiation.   19-8,19-10  
M Feb 17 Presidents Day holiday    
W Feb 19
HW6 due
Quiz 7.   Black body radiation.  Planck distribution; color; Wien's law.   38-1  
F Feb 21 Second law of thermodynamics (Clausius statement).  Heat engines; efficiency.  Stirling engine. Reversible processes;  20-1,2,3  
M Feb 24 Quiz 8.   Carnot engine; Maximum efficiency; Refrigerators; Carnot's theorem. 20-4  
W Feb 26 Definition of entropy.  Entropy always increases.

20-5 to 20-9

 
F Feb 28
HW7 due
Microscopic picture and  Boltzmann's law, S = k ln W.  Entropy pennies.  Applications and review. 20-10  
M Mar 3 MIDTERM 2    
W Mar 5 Special study session.    
F Mar 7
HW8 due
Exam return.  PVT surfaces.  Phase boundaries; coexistence; vapor pressure; dew point; triple point.  18-3 to 18-5 Phase diagrams
PVT-surface
M Mar 10 Quiz 9.  Thermodynamic potentials:  internal energy, enthalpy, Gibbs free energy, and Helmholtz free energy.   Hyperphysics
W Mar 12 Equilibrium and available energy.  Maxwell relations.   Notes
F Mar 14
HW9 due
Applications and review.    
Th Mar 20 FINAL    

Reading material

The required course book is Giancoli's Physics for Scientists and Engineers (3rd Edition). Additional notes will be provided as we go along.

Recommended books are:

(1) An Introduction to Thermal Physics by Daniel V. Schroeder (for a modern, insightful, more thorough treatment of thermodynamics and statistical physics)
(2) Physics Volume I, by Resnick, Halliday and Krane, (some of you may have this already - it is a little more detailed and has some more challenging problems than Giancoli).
(3) Thermodynamics, by Enrico Fermi (Dover, $8.95) - a brief, elegant and authoritative monograph.
(4) The Flying Circus of Physics by Jearl Walker (world-out-there physics questions, for your enjoyment!)

Last modified: 3/8/2003 9:36 pm