Thermal Physics

Overview

Course introduction

◎The nature and purpose of the course

Thermal physics is a basic course for physics majors and it is the science of studying the thermal motion of matter and the laws related to heat. First, students should master the characteristics, laws and research methods of material thermal motion, and master the basic concepts, laws and theories of thermal science. Second, it focuses on both the understanding and training of students' statistical physics thinking methods so as to lay a good foundation for the follow-up study and research of physics.

◎Introduction to course content

Thermal physics is the study of the thermal motion of matter and the laws associated with it. Its research method is guided with both macroscopical theories and microcosmic ones. The main research contents include the equilibrium theory of molecular dynamics of thermodynamic,transport phenomena and non-equilibrium theory of molecular dynamics namely transport phenomena in gases, thermodynamic system and equilibrium states, the zeroth law and temperature scale of thermodynamics, the first law of thermodynamics, the second law of thermodynamics and entropy, thermal phenomena of solids and liquids and phase transitions.

◎Basic requirements.

Master the basic thermal concepts of equilibrium, temperature and temperature scales, heat and internal energy, reversible and irreversible, entropy and the second Law of thermodynamics, distribution functions and statistical averages, phase transitions and Clapeyron equations, ideal gases and Van der Waals equations.

Master Maxwell velocity and velocity distribution, Boltzmann distribution, equipartition theorem of energy, macroscopic law and microscopic mechanism of viscosity, heat conduction and diffusion, zeroth law of thermodynamics, first law of thermodynamics, second law of thermodynamics, principle of entropy increase, vaporization and liquefication, Clapperon equation and other basic thermal theories.

Be able to apply various physical models to study and analyze various problems; Master the physical image that "the macroscopic property of the system is the statistical appearance of the microscopic thermal motion of molecules in the system", strengthen the teaching of entropy, and highlight the statistical concept and statistical average method. Master and apply statistical law to study thermal law from microscopic essence.

Syllabus

Week 1: Chapter 1 Introduction -- the macro part

1.0 Introduction
1.1 The macroscopic description method and the microscopic one
1.2 Thermodynamic systems and equilibrium states
1.3 Temperature, empirical temperature scale
1.4 Absolute temperature scale
1.5 Equation of state

Week 2: Chapter 1 Introduction -- the micro part

1.6 A microscopic model of matter
1.7 A microscopic model of an ideal gas
1.8 A preliminary theory of microscopic description of an ideal gas
1.9 The inter-molecular kinetic energy of real gas
1.10 Van der Waals equation

Week 3: Chapter 2 The equilibrium theory of gas dynamics -- Basis of probability theory and Maxwell

2.1 Molecular dynamics theory and statistical Physics
2.2 The basics of probability theory
2.3 Probability distribution function
2.4 Molecular beam experiments
2.5 Velocity space
2.6 Maxwell rate distribution
2.7 Three typical averages of molecular rates

Week 4: Chapter 2 Equilibrium state theory of gas dynamics -- Maxwell velocity distribution and Bol

2.8 Maxwell velocity distribution
2.9 Velocity component distribution and velocity distribution relative to the most probable rate
2.10 The number of gas molecules hitting the wall from Maxwell velocity distribution and pressure fo
2.11 Isothermal atmospheric pressure formula
2.12 Boltzmann distribution
2.13 The radial distribution of suspended particles in the rotating body and super-centrifugal techn