Thermodynamics

This book provides an accessible yet thorough introduction to thermodynamics, crafted and class-tested over many years of teaching.

Suitable for advanced undergraduate and graduate students, this book delivers clear descriptions of how to think about the mathematics and physics involved. The content has been carefully developed in consultation with a large number of instructors, teaching courses worldwide, to ensure wide applicability to modules on thermodynamics.

Modern applications of thermodynamics (in physics and related areas) are included throughout — something not offered to the same degree by existing texts in the field.

This new edition has been fully updated, each chapter has been rewritten with an emphasis on increased clarity for the reader. Chapters include expanded coverage of chemical thermodynamics, phase transitions, and non-equilibrium thermodynamics.

Split into two parts, part I emphasizes the structure of thermodynamics as a theory, in preparation for a study of statistical mechanics. Part II contains additional topics not normally found in books at this level, such as the Caratheodory formulation of entropy, Negative-temperature thermodynamics, information theory and black hole thermodynamics.

Key Features:

• Presents a sophisticated approach to the subject that is suitable for advanced undergraduate students and above
• Includes modern applications of thermodynamics throughout
• Accompanied by companion volumes on statistical mechanics, which can be used in conjunction with this book on courses which cover both thermodynamics and statistical mechanics

James H. Luscombe is Professor of Physics at the Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California. He received his PhD in Physics from the University of Chicago in 1983. After post-doctoral positions at the University of Toronto and Iowa State University, he joined the Research Laboratory of Texas Instruments, where he worked on the development of nanoelectronic devices, before joining the Naval Postgraduate School in 1994. He was Chair of the Department of Physics between 2003 and 2009. He teaches a wide variety of topics, including general relativity, statistical mechanics, mathematical methods, and quantum computation.