PHY 410 - Thermal and Statistical Physics

Spring 2017

Lecture Schedule

Instructors:

	Pawel Danielewicz, Lecturer Email: danielew@msu.edu Phone: (517) 908-7330, 5-9672 x 330 from campus Office: Cyclotron 2101 Office hour: Tue 3-4pm (or by appointment, but the time ahead of the lecture is excluded)
	Some lectures taught by Dr. Hossein Mahzoon Email: hossein@pa.msu.edu Phone: (517) 908-7168, 5-9672 x 168 from campus Office: BPS 4252
	Mengzhi Chen, Grader Email: chenme24@msu.edu Office: BPS 1308 Office hour: Mon 3-4pm

Required Textbook: Thermal Physics, 2nd Edition, Charles Kittel and Herbert Kroemer, 1980
Publisher: W. H. Freeman
ISBN-13 978-0716710882, ISBN-10: 0716710889

Other Potentially Useful Texts:
Alternate book for PHY410: Fundamentals of statistical and thermal physics, F. Reif
Strong thermodynamic foundation: Thermodynamics and an Introduction to Thermostatistics, Herbert B. Callen
Broad perspective: Statistical physics, L.D. Landau and E.M. Lifshitz
Graduate level: Statistical mechanics, Kerson Huang

Clicker Questions: Lectures will be interrupted with unannounced clicker-questions, with responses provided using i>clickers. Even incorrect responses will be earning some credit.  Extra 2% has been added to total class score, in order to compensate for any absences and getting caught by surprise. Multiple-choice answers will be provided for the questions, so the more primitive remote i>clicker+ should be sufficient. Older version of that multiple choice remote is likely to work too. Please enter the ID Code of your remote at the D2L site for the class following the items Content ⇨ Register i>clicker. Aside from the remotes, the i>clicker company offers an option of entering answers using a smartphone app or web interface, under the process of REEF Polling. The latter option will be enabled for the course, but there had been hiccups relying on WiFi during the periods of intense WiFi use within the BPS building. Fortunately, the i>clicker company offers a free 14-day trial period for the REEF Polling.

Homework: Weekly homework assignments, see the schedule, will be normally due at the Wednesday lecture, for the material from the preceding week. D2L Discussions List for the class may be used to post questions and otherwise discuss the homework.

Exams: There will be three midterm exams and final.

Schedule

Grading and policies

D2L site for the course will be used for storing lecture notes and solutions, both under 'Content', and for accessing class scores, under 'Assessments'.

Last revised: April 2, 2017.