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Daniel V. Schroeder

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An Introduction to Thermal Physics 1st Edition

by Daniel V. Schroeder (Author)

4.5 309 ratings

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This text looks at thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Part I introduces concepts of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics from a unified view. Parts II and III explore further applications of classical thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Throughout, the emphasis is on real-world applications. Table of Contents:

I. FUNDAMENTALS.

1. Energy in Thermal Physics.
2. The Second Law.
3. Interactions and Implications.

II. THERMODYNAMICS.

4. Engines and Refrigerators.
5. Free Energy and Chemical Thermodynamics.

III. STATISTICAL MECHANICS.

6. Boltzmann Statistics.
7. Quantum Statistics.
8. Systems of Interacting Particles.
Appendix A. Elements of Quantum Mechanics.
Appendix B. Mathematical Results.
Reference Data.
Suggested Reading.

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Please be aware that the "New International Edition" (ISBN 978-1292026213) and perhaps some other international editions of this book are significantly abridged. In the cases I am aware of, these versions are missing Chapter 8, Appendices A and B, the Preface, Suggested Reading, and Index. Check the page count: The complete book should be 422 pages plus 10 pages of front matter (with Roman numerals); the abridged versions are typically advertised to be only 336 pages. I apologize to all readers who have unintentionally ended up with abridged versions. The abridgments were made without my knowledge and I have no control over their publication. In some parts of the world the price for an abridged version is actually more than the U.S. price for the complete hardcover version (ISBN 978-0201380279).

The complete Preface and Table of Contents, along with some supplementary material, can be found on the author's web site.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0201380277
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Pearson; 1st edition (August 28, 1999)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 432 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780201380279
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0201380279
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.53 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1.1 x 7.4 x 9.2 inches

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4.5 309 ratings

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4.5 out of 5

309 global ratings

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No-tail

Brand-new book.

Reviewed in the United States on January 11, 2024

Good price.

The chapters concerning the key fundamental results on statistical mechanics (the various ensembles and distribution statistics)

Reviewed in the United States on January 4, 2016

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This is an outstanding introductory book on thermal physics, with readability and clarity put at the forefront. The author painstakingly explains key derivations, delineating practically every step with a masterful combination of prose and equations. The chapters concerning the key fundamental results on statistical mechanics (the various ensembles and distribution statistics) are the best I've seen, blowing away McQuarrie (both his undergrad and grad level books) and Chandlers' texts. The graduate level books have their merits, either in depth and/or rigor, but on average, I think Schroeder's approach will allow the readers to get their feet wet the most effectively.

It's perfect as either your first read or as a companion piece to more comprehensive, first year graduate level texts. There are very few critical typos, which I think is important for first time readers trying to parse the difference between the jargon (microstates, macrostates, particle states, system states, multiplicity, density of state...). In any case, the author makes great effort in his definitions of terms. You're in good hands, I promise.

This book requires just a bit of multi variable calculus but no vector calculus is required. The various transforms (Legendre, Fourier, Laplace, etc.) are only mentioned briefly as means to obtain important results, but they are not a prerequisite. Familiarity with a very rudimentary level of wave function formalism of quantum mechanics becomes crucial in the later chapters.

This text contains very few, completely solved examples. I actually liked this approach since it keeps the book slim and compact. The author explains on his website defending his choice. I think the effort he places in explaining the derivations of key ideas step by step more than makes up for the lack of an easily accessible solution manual.

Finally, I like to point out that the price of this modern, hardcover text is close to one-third of its close relatives. Take a look at the price tags of Ahlfors, Baby Rudin, 2nd edition Sakurai, 3rd edition Boas, etc.... It's one of the most generously priced, recently produced hardcover science texts on the market today.

Five stars all the way!

10 people found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Intuitive and well-written for undergraduates!

Reviewed in the United States on May 14, 2020

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In the first 3 chapters I felt a definite lack of rigor, like I was back in 1st year university course, but I understand now that it was to focus on understanding the concepts in thermodynamics and also to build some intuition for students who (like myself) have not had a formal course in statistics. Chapter 4 is a pretty good section on applied thermodynamics, especially for engineering students. Chapters 5-7 are truly where the rigor picks up, and he derives many of the first results in these chapters, with easy to follow commentary.

As someone who took the later part of my course on quarantine, chapter 7 is a bit difficult to grasp if you don't have a professor with you. Other than that my only real complaint is that sometimes the exercises seem more like a test of algebra and patience. Though, this is mostly made up for with a lot of good applied and theoretical questions, so hopefully your professor gives good homework sets.

Can't really think of a better undergraduate thermo book!

5 people found this helpful

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Alexander Puttré

Book Arrived in Good Condition

Reviewed in the United States on May 16, 2023

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I received the book on time. It was in excellent condition - still in the plastic wrap.

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Andy

A Tour de Force of Textbooks

Reviewed in the United States on June 19, 2014

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Schroeder's "An Introduction to Thermal Physics" is one of the simplest, most concise, and engaging treatments of the subject matter (classical thermodynamics, classical and quantum statistical mechanics, with applications) that I have ever come across, without sacrificing thoroughness and rigor. The organization, exposition, and development of the book and subject matter is very clear and straight-forward; its introduction of basic ideas, postulates, and applications were sufficient to make accessible those later chapters in which advanced topics were covered. Although a strong mathematical background is required to fully appreciate this book, the author does a rare thing: he carefully and painstakingly connects the mathematics back to the physics of the problem. In undergraduate texts of this level, it is easy to lose oneself in abstractions. This is a pitfall that Schroeder deftly avoids. For this, I strongly recommend "An Introduction to Thermal Physics" for all undergraduate students, even as a supplement to other "authoritative" texts in the field, i.e. Kittel's "Thermal Physics." (An additional boon to undergraduates is the inclusion of worked problems throughout the book, which give guided practice at application of main ideas, as well as subtle tests of one's mastery of the basic underlying theory.)

4 people found this helpful

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Cameron Spitzfaden

Great book, currently marred by sub-par printing quality

Reviewed in the United States on May 24, 2019

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This is a review of the book construction itself. Schroeder's book is great, but the current printings (yes, the main hardcover edition, ISBN 9780201380279) are suffering from sub-par printing quality. Older printings used a high quality glossy paper. The current printings use a thicker matte paper, adding bulk to the book as a whole. The binding of current printings is glued (like a paperback) rather than using stitched signatures. It's effectively a paperback with boards glued on. The printing itself is extremely low resolution, as if printed on a low-quality inkjet printer. In recent years, it appears that the major textbook publishers are intentionally sabotaging print editions of their books, in hopes that people will switch to e-books. What a shame, Pearson.

10 people found this helpful

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Javier Peña

Excelente.

Reviewed in Mexico on January 19, 2022

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Es un buen libro para introducirse en la termodinámica, los temas abarcados son de "amplio espectro", ya que se ven temas de termodinámica y física estadística, me parece muy digerible su desarrollo y además la calidad de impresión de Oxford es muy buena.

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Guillermo Gerardo Rivera Gambini

Great book

Reviewed in Canada on June 2, 2021

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It covers thermodynamics and statistical mechanics, and the many exercises it has are very useful.