Course Outline
Islamic University of Gaza Physics Department
Name of instructor: Prof.Dr. Mohmmed M. Shabat
Name of the course: Statistical physics
Postgraduate studies: First degree in physics
Number of the course credit hours: 3 hours
Prerequisites: Introduction to Statistical physics, Heat and thermodynamics
Method of Evaluation:
Quizzes and activities 15%
Assignments 10%
Midterm exam. 25%
Final Exam. 50%
Unit – 1
Review of the basic principles of Thermodynamics, First Law, work, heat, heat capacity, Second Law, Third law, Entropy. Statistics and Probabilities.
Unit-2
Microstates and Macrostates, foundation of statistical physics or mechanics.
Unit 3
The Boltzmann distribution applied to gases gives rise to a speed distribution known as the Maxwell–Boltzmann distribution.
Unit 4
Statistics of ensembles, statistics of indistinguishable particles, Maxwell — Boltzmann, Fermi Dirac and Bose- Einstein statistics, properties of ideal Bose gases, Bose. Einstein condensation, properties of ideal Fermi gas, electron gas in metals, Boltzmann transport equation.
Unit 5
This unit contains a short project covering one of the above subject.
The students have to present their works at the end of the semester.
Learning Outcomes :
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
Describe the state of a quantum mechanical system in a number of
Microstates.
Derive the distribution function for Maxwell – Boltzmann distribution
Apply Maxwell’s velocity distribution
Calculate canonical partition functions for simple systems
Apply Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac distribution functions
Canonical Ensembles and Grand Canonical Ensembles..
Text Books and reference book:
- S. J. Blundell and K.M. Blundell, Concepts in Thermal Physics, Oxford University Press, U.K., 2006
- A J Pointon. Introduction to Statistical Physics For Students
- R K Pathria, Statistical Mechanics,
- F Reif , Statistical and thermal Physics