An Introduction to Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics

An Introduction to Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics

Author: Robert H. Swendsen

Publisher: OUP Oxford

Published: 2012-03-01

Total Pages: 422

ISBN-13: 0191627461

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This text presents the two complementary aspects of thermal physics as an integrated theory of the properties of matter. Conceptual understanding is promoted by thorough development of basic concepts. In contrast to many texts, statistical mechanics, including discussion of the required probability theory, is presented first. This provides a statistical foundation for the concept of entropy, which is central to thermal physics. A unique feature of the book is the development of entropy based on Boltzmann's 1877 definition; this avoids contradictions or ad hoc corrections found in other texts. Detailed fundamentals provide a natural grounding for advanced topics, such as black-body radiation and quantum gases. An extensive set of problems (solutions are available for lecturers through the OUP website), many including explicit computations, advance the core content by probing essential concepts. The text is designed for a two-semester undergraduate course but can be adapted for one-semester courses emphasizing either aspect of thermal physics. It is also suitable for graduate study.


Scotland's Mark on America

Scotland's Mark on America

Author: George Fraser Black

Publisher: Good Press

Published: 2019-11-26

Total Pages: 168

ISBN-13:

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'Scotland's Mark on America' is a non-fiction book that examines the influence of Scotland on the U.S., with a primary focus on highlighting U.S. immigrants with Scottish heritage. It dedicates each chapter to professional fields where Scots-Americans have greatly influenced the development of said fields, such as the military, church, art, and even the White House.


Lost Libraries

Lost Libraries

Author: J. Raven

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2004-01-31

Total Pages: 308

ISBN-13: 0230524257

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This pioneering volume of essays explores the destruction of great libraries since ancient times and examines the intellectual, political and cultural consequences of loss. Fourteen original contributions, introduced by a major re-evaluative history of lost libraries, offer the first ever comparative discussion of the greatest catastrophes in book history from Mesopotamia and Alexandria to the dispersal of monastic and monarchical book collections, the Nazi destruction of Jewish libraries, and the recent horrifying pillage and burning of books in Tibet, Bosnia and Iraq.


The Years of Jesuit Suppression, 1773–1814: Survival, Setbacks, and Transformation

The Years of Jesuit Suppression, 1773–1814: Survival, Setbacks, and Transformation

Author: Paul Shore

Publisher: BRILL

Published: 2019-12-30

Total Pages: 123

ISBN-13: 9004423370

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The forty-one years between the Society of Jesus’s papal suppression in 1773 and its eventual restoration in 1814 remain controversial, with new research and interpretations continually appearing. Shore’s narrative approaches these years, and the period preceding the suppression, from a new perspective that covers individuals not usually discussed in works dealing with this topic. As well as examining the contributions of former Jesuits to fields as diverse as ethnology—a term and concept pioneered by an ex-Jesuit—and library science, where Jesuits and ex-Jesuits laid the groundwork for the great advances of the nineteenth century, the essay also explores the period the exiled Society spent in the Russian Empire. It concludes with a discussion of the Society’s restoration in the broader context of world history.