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PHYS 425

Thermal & Statistical Physics

Catalog2026-2027
Credits3 units
LevelUpper Division
Average gradeB+
Standard

Overview

Description

Statistical basis of thermodynamics. Applications to fundamental processes; entropy, distribution functions, classical and quantum gases, phase transformations, low temperature phenomena.

Requirements

Prerequisites

PHYS 182PHYS 301
Original catalog text

Prerequisites

Prerequisite(s): PHYS 182; PHYS 301.

Units

Lecture3

Catalog Details

Offering

Offered: Every Fall

Terms

fall

Attributes

Standard

Learning Outcomes

  • identify and describe the statistical nature of concepts and laws in thermodynamics, in particular: temperature, entropy, thermodynamic potentials, chemical potential, and partition functions.
  • apply the statistical physics methods, such as Boltzmann distribution, Gibbs distribution, and Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions to solve problems in various physical systems.
  • use the principles of black-body radiation to analyze radiation phenomena in thermodynamic systems.
  • make connections between applications of general statistical theory in various areas of physics.