PHYSICS 313

Thermodynamics

Fall term 2003

·        Time: MWF 11

·        Place: Hebb 13

·        Instructor: Birger Bergersen

·        Office: Hennings 328

·        Phone: 822-2754

·        E-mail: birger@physics.ubc.ca

·        Office hours: ½ hr before each lecture, or you may take your chances, and drop by my office to see if I‘m in.

·        Text: “An introduction to thermal physics” by Daniel Schroeder (Addison Wesley 2000)

 

COURSE ORGANIZATION

 

·        There will be a 6 regular problem sets. The problems will be posted on the course website, as will be suggested solutions (after the problems are due). The problems will be due on approximately 9 days after they are assigned. They are very much part of the course. There is no formal tutorial but the first part of the lecture on the lecture before the problems are due will be set aside for discussion of the problems. The assignment will be marked with a numerical grade to help you recognize your mistakes, but the assignment mark towards your final grade will not be based on a simple addition of the individual marks.  Instead I will look for an honest attempt to solve the problems. Your grade will not penalize you for making a few mistakes on the assignments. You are encouraged to seek help from me, or collaborate with each other, in solving in these problems, although we will not accept assignments that are just copies of each other.

·        There will be 2 midterms and a final exam. The first midterm will is scheduled for wednesday October 1. The second is scheduled for Wednesday November 5.

·        A review problem set (which doesn’t need to be handed in) will be posted a week or so before the midterms and final. If you hand in solutions to these before solutions are posted you can use them to make up for missing assignments.  If you do better on final than on the midterms the final will be given increased weight.

 

MARking scheme:

 

Assignments: 20%

Midterms: 10%+20%

Final: 50%

 

If you wish to reduce the weight of the final you may hand in an optional term paper. If you miss assignments you can hand in solutions to review problem sets before they are discussed in class.

 

OVERVIEW:

 

The main topics of the course are:

 

·        Energy in thermal physics

·        Second law of thermodynamics

·        Thermodynamic concepts

·        Engines and refrigerators

·        Free energies and chemical thermodynamics

·        Elementary statistical mechanics

 

Course outline

PROBLEMS FALL 2003

Problem set 1.

Problem set 2.

Problem set 3.

Problem set 4.

Problem set 5.

Problem set 6.

1st Midterm review 2003.

1st Midterm 2003.

2nd Midterm review problem set 2003

2nd Midterm 2003.

End of term review problems 2003.

PROBLEMS FALL 2002

Problem set 1:

Problem set 2:

Problem set 3:

Problem set 4:

Problem set 5:

Problem set 6:

1st Midterm review 2002.

1st Midterm 2002.

2nd Midterm review 2002.

2nd Midterm 2002.

End of term review problem set 2002.

Final exam 2002.

 

PROBLEMS FALL 2001

Problem set 1:

Problem set 2:

Problem set 3:

Problem set 4:

Problem set 5:

Problem set 6:

Problem set 7:

Problem set 8:

Midterm review 2001:

First midterm 2001:

2nd midterm review 2001:

Second midterm 2001:

Review problems chapter 7:

Final exam 2001.

 

PROBLEMS FALL 2000 (with solutions):

Problem set 1 2000: 1.8 and 1.17 of text.

Problem set 2 2000:  1.28, 1.42 and 1.54 of text.

Problem set 3 2000: 2.2, 2.4 and 2.8 of text.

Problem set 4 2000: 2.28, 2.33 and 2.36 of text.

Midterm review problems 2000: 3.10, 3.11, 3.13 and 3.14 of text.

Problem set 5 2000:  4.1, 4.13 and  4.18 of text.

Midterm I 2000.

Midterm II 2000.

Problem set 6 2000: 5.5, 5.10 and 5.11 of text.

Problem set 7 2000: 5.32, 5.33 and 5.42 of text.

Supplementary problems.

Final exam 2000.

Solutions to Problems

 

REFERENCESS:

 

Links to thermodynamics related web sites.