General Information

What will you learn in this course?

The intent of this course is to introduce the principles and physical applications of classical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics so that students can develop an intuitive understanding on how macroscopic observations can be explained from microscopic effects. In addition, basic concepts in classical and quantum statistical mechanics will be introduced and their relations to thermodynamics will be developed. By the end of the course, students should get a new appreciation of thermodynamics concepts and the power of statistical mechanics in explaining those concepts.

Textbook Information

S.J. Blundell and K. M. Blundell, *Concepts in Thermal Physics, Oxford University Press; 2nd edition (November 30, 2009)

Cover Textbook

How to use this site?

This site was originally written as a companion to a course Vincent Meunier delivered at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Fall semester 2021. It is designed to provide a full experience of the course and it is possible for motivated students to learn the material based solely on material provided here. Here is the suggested use of the site:

  1. First watch the youtube video for a given chapter (link embedded on each page)

  2. Read the “key learning points” and go over the summary

  3. Test your knowledge using the provided multiple-choice questions

  4. Move on to the next chapter

About the Instructor

Your instructor for is Prof. Vincent Meunier, P.B. Breneman Chair and Professor in the Engineering Science and Mechanics Department at The Pennsylvania State University. He has taught this course a number of times to Seniors graduating in physics and applied physics. He also offers another course under the same format, on Introductory Quantum Mechanics.

Meunier head-shot

Vincent Meunier is a Belgian/American condensed matter and materials physicist known for his theoretical and computational research on electronic, optoelectronic, and structural properties of low-dimensional materials. Among his contributions are the quantum mechanical description of processes responsible for scanning tunneling image formation in low-dimensional materials, the development of a microscopic theory of nanocapacitors, and contributions to the theory of electronic transport and ultra-low frequency vibrational modes in van der Waals heterostructures.