Mechanical Engineering 325, Kinetic Theory and Statistical Thermodynamics

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Catalog description

Kinetic theory of ideal gas, temperature, Maxwell velocity distribution, and transport phenomena. Maxwell- Boltzmann statistics, Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac statistics, partition functions, and thermodynamics.

Prerequisite: ME 220 or consent of instructor

Who takes it

Advanced undergraduates and graduate students.

What it's about

Thermal physics arises from the behavior of large numbers of atoms and molecules. The basic ideas form the foundation for subjects as diverse as statistical physics, random and stochastic processes, condensed matter physics, molecular motors, tribology and chemical kinetics. The lectures are aimed at introducing techniques for thinking about and manipulating probability distributions, providing the fundamentals of the kinetic theory of gases and thermodynamics, illustrating this material with a number of applications of the subject to real physical situations.

The course includes:

  • Statistical methods and probability distributions
    • the Boltzmann distribution
    • the Maxwell-Boltzmann velocity distribution function
    • molecular effusion
  • Collision times and transport processes
    • viscosity
    • thermal conductivity
    • self-diffusion
  • The laws of thermodynamics
    • energy
    • entropy
    • equations of state
    • thermodynamic potentials
    • chemical potential
    • phase changes

Contact:

Professor: Seth Lichter
e-mail: s-lichter@northwestern.edu