Making sense of statistical mechanics / Jean Bricmont.
Bricmont, J. (Jean), author.
2022
QC174.8
Available Online

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Title Making sense of statistical mechanics / Jean Bricmont.
Author Bricmont, J. (Jean), author.
ISBN 9783030917944 (electronic bk.)
3030917940 (electronic bk.)
9783030917937 (print)
3030917932
DOI https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-91794-4
Published Cham, Switzerland : Springer, 2022.
Language English
Description 1 online resource (x, 368 pages) : illustrations (some color).
Item Number 10.1007/978-3-030-91794-4 doi
Call Number QC174.8
Dewey Decimal Classification 530.13
Summary Many people, including physicists, are confused about what the Second Law of thermodynamics really means, about how it relates to the arrow of time, and about whether it can be derived from classical mechanics. They also wonder what entropy really is: Is it all about information? But, if so, then, what is its relation to fluxes of heat? One might ask similar questions about probabilities: Do they express subjective judgments by us, humans, or do they reflect facts about the world, i.e. frequencies. And what notion of probability is used in the natural sciences, in particular statistical mechanics? This book addresses all of these questions in the clear and pedagogical style for which the author is known. Although valuable as accompaniment to an undergraduate course on statistical mechanics or thermodynamics, it is not a standard course book. Instead it addresses both the essentials and the many subtle questions that are usually brushed under the carpet in such courses. As one of the most lucid accounts of the above questions, it provides enlightening reading for all those seeking answers, including students, lecturers, researchers and philosophers of science.
Bibliography, etc. Note Includes bibliographical references and index.
Access Note Access limited to authorized users.
Source of Description Online resource; title from PDF title page (SpringerLink, viewed February 17, 2022).
Series Undergraduate lecture notes in physics, 2192-4805
Available in Other Form Print version: 9783030917937
Linked Resources Online Access
Record Appears in Online Resources > Ebooks
All Resources
What We Need from Thermodynamics
What Are Probabilities?
Dynamical Systems
Statistical Mechanics 1 : The Nature of Equilibrium
Statistical Mechanics 2: Irreversibility
Demystifying Entropy
Comparison with Quantum Mechanics.

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