SCHEDULE FOR PHY176/EE176 ----- Spring 1999
Dates Target Subject matter Text chapters Remarks
1/14
 
1/19
 
Thermodynamics Review;
 
Basics of Probability,
Large Numbers
Class notes  
1/21
 
1/26
Random walks,
Brownian motion
Basic concepts of stat mech;
How to count states.
Class notes
 
K&K Chapter 1
Assignment 1 due
1/28
 
2/2
Thermal equilibrium, temperature,
and entropy.
Boltzmann dist., Partition func.,
Thermodynamic quantities.
K&K Chapter 2
 
K&K Chapter 3
Assignment 2 due
2/4
 
2/9
First look at ideal gas.
 
Thermal radiation; 
Greenhouse effect;
K&K Chapter 3 ctd.
 
K&K Chapter 4
Assignment 3 due
2/11
 
2/16
Chemical potential
Gibbs dist.
Classical ideal gas.
K&K Chapter 5
 
K&K Chapter 6
 
Assignment 4 due
2/18
2/23
Review
 
  Assignment 5 due
Exam Due on 2/23
2/25
 
3/2
Fermi and Bose statistics.

Ideal gases and classical limit.

K&K Chapter 7
 
K&K Chapter 7 ctd.
 
3/4
 
3/9
Nearly degenerate Fermi gas;
Electrons in metals.
Bose gas;
Bose-Einstein condensation.
K&K Chapter 7 ctd.
 
K&K Chapter 7 ctd.
 
Assignment 6 due
3/11 Heat and work;
Reversible processes and 
Carnot limits.
K&K Chapter 8. Assignment 7 due
3/13--3/21     SPRING BREAK
3/23 Carnot and Rankine cycles.
p-V and T-S diagrams. 
K&K Chapter 8 ctd,
 
 
3/25
 
3/30
Rankine cycle efficiency;
Expansion engine cooling. 
Van der Waals gas;
Joule Thomson effect.
K&K Chapter 12
Handout on steam tables.
 
4/1

4/6
Review

Phase Transitions
 
 
Assignment 8 due

Exam Due on 4/6

4/8
 
4/13
Ising Model;

Landau theory
 
K&K Chapter 10
 
Handout
 
4/15
 
4/20
Kinetic theory.
Transport.
K&K Chapter 14 Assignment 9 due
4/22
 
4/27
 
Semiconductors.
K&K Chapter 13

Assignment 10 due

5/?     Final Exam