Statistical Physics  PHY 4523
http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~hill/teaching/2008/4523/
Instructor: Dr. Stephen Hill
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Office: 2263 New Physics Building
Tel: (352) 392-5711
E-mail: hill@phys.ufl.edu
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Lab: B158 New Physics Bldg.
Lab Phone: (352) 392 1062
Class Hours: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, period 5 (11:45am–12:35pm) in 1002 NPB
Office Hours: Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 3:003:50 pm, or any other time you can find me
Required textbook: Introductory Statistical Mechanics, by Roger Bowley and Mariana Sanchez (Oxford)
Prerequisite courses: PHY3513 & differential equations (PHY4604 & PHZ3113 useful but not required)
Grading:
 Approximately weekly graded homework will count 25% towards your final grade
 In-class quizzes (using student response system) will count 7% towards your final grade
 The best 2 scores out of 3 in-class exams are worth 34% (17% each) towards your final grade
 A cumulative 2 hour final exam will be worth 34% towards your final grade
For more detailed instructions concerning exam policy, as well as submission and grading of the weekly
homework assignments, consult the course web site: http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~hill/teaching/2008/4523/.
This web site also contains the following: a summary of each class (PowerPoint & pdf), along with the
relevant reading sections in the text book; copies of lecture notes from my thermal physics course
(PHY3513); solutions to the exams and some practice exam problems; a tentative schedule for the
semester; and links to other useful learning resources. You are responsible for keeping up to date with any
important announcements made during class or via the course web page.
PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO ASK QUESTIONS IF ANYTHING IN CLASS IS UNCLEAR OR IF
YOU ARE CURIOUS ABOUT SOMETHING THAT I DID NOT DISCUSS. Student participation in the
lectures is openly encouraged. Indeed, the instructor will often engage the class in discussion.
Homework assignments and exams will be graded by a graduate TA. However, all assignments should be
turned in to the instructor by the specified deadline (consult the course web page if in doubt). The grader
and instructor will make every effort to return graded assignments in a timely fashion. Unannounced
quizzes will be given roughly once per week. These will be administered using the remote student
response system (HiTT). Clickers will be provided if you do not have one (consult the course web site).
Important dates:
Exam 1
50 minutes
Friday February 8th, in class (tentative)
Exam 2
50 minutes
Wednesday March 19th, in class (tentative)
Exam 3
50 minutes
Friday April 18th, in class (tentative)
Final Exam
2 hours (cumulative)
Wednesday April 30th, 5:30-7:30pm (NPB1002)
Additional textbooks:
Concepts in Thermal Physics, 3rd edition, by Blundell and Blundell (Oxford).
Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics, by Ashley Carter (Prentice Hall).
Statistical Physics, by Franz Mandl (Wiley).
Course overview:
Classical thermodynamics provides a theoretical framework describing the relationships between
macroscopically measurable properties of matter, e.g. volume, density, compressibility, etc.. The theory is
relatively simple, yet remarkably successful in describing a wide variety of processes even though it
makes no attempt to consider the underlying microscopic details. Most importantly, the second law of
thermodynamics leads to the concept of entropy, which we shall see is also central to the statistical theory
of condensed matter. However, the statistical approaches that we will develop during this course will
allow us to calculate entropy directly based upon consideration of the microscopic properties of the
individual atoms and molecules within a given system. Once we are able to do this, we can compute
macroscopic observables such as the various thermodynamic potentials and heat capacities.
One could never hope to exactly predict the precise motions of every particle within a macroscopic
sample. This is where statistical mechanics comes to the rescue. Although the motions of individual
particles appear to be random, their average behavior is not. By examining all possible microscopic
configurations of an ensemble (a collection of particles), we will find that it is possible to derive
thermodynamic relations from statistical principles. This leads to the concept of a distribution function
governing the probabilities of finding a system in a particular configuration. We will find that the
approach to this problem differs depending on whether the system is thermally isolated or not, and/or
whether it is open or closed. More importantly, for dense systems, the underlying wave-like (quantum
mechanical) nature of matter turns out to have a profound influence on the statistics.
The course will begin with a review of the material covered in PHY3513 (classical thermodynamics) –
mainly the first and second laws. We will then develop the main ideas and techniques underlying
probability and statistical mechanics, illustrating how they give rise to a theoretical basis for the laws of
thermodynamics. The remainder of the course will be devoted to applications of these ideas to various
systems and concepts, including: ideal gases; the rotational and vibrational properties of diatomic
molecules; the vibrational heat capacity of a solid; thermal and cosmic background radiation; Fermi
systems; and the non-interacting Bose gas. Indeed, statistical mechanics has wide applicability in
essentially all branches of physics, astronomy and even chemistry. Along the way, we will develop some
of the fundamental ideas governing quantum systems. However, it is not essential that you have
previously taken a course in quantum mechanics. Although the pace of this course should be quite
comfortable in terms of the introduction of new concepts, the level of mathematical sophistication is
substantially advanced in comparison to the course you took in classical thermodynamics.
Goals:
The main course objectives will be: to learn the concepts and mathematical tools associated with the
subject; to develop the statistical formalisms from consideration of the microscopic states associated with
a given system; to understand how to relate this statistical formalism to classical thermodynamics; and to
apply statistical mechanics to derive formulae for various macroscopic observables associated with both
classical and quantum systems.
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Disabilities (accommodations): Students who require a classroom accommodation for a disability must contact the Dean of
Students Office and request proper documentation. Upon bringing that documentation to the Instructor, the student will be
given the appropriate accommodations. No accommodations are available to students who lack this documentation. It is the
policy of the University of Florida that the student, not the instructor, is responsible for arranging accommodations when
needed. If you require extra time for in-class work, you must initiate this request at least seven days before the exam or quiz.
Academic Honesty: All students are expected to hold themselves to a high standard of academic honesty. It is normal and
reasonable for students in this course to work together on homework assignments. However, giving or receiving any
unauthorized assistance during an exam will be treated as a deliberate violation of the UF Academic Honesty policy. This will
result in a failing grade in PHY4523. In addition, submitting homework solutions that are transcribed or copied from another
source is unacceptable (unless the source is cited) and will be interpreted as intentional dishonesty.