Given that thermodynamics books are not a rarity on the market, why would an additional one be useful? The answer is simple: at any level, thermodynamics is usually taught as a somewhat abstruse discipline where many students get lost in a maze of difficult concepts. However, thermodynamics is not as intricate a subject as most people feel. This book fills a niche between elementary textbooks and mathematically oriented treatises, and provides readers with a distinct approach to the subject. As indicated by the title, this book explains thermodynamic phenomena and concepts in physical terms before proceeding to focus on the requisite mathematical aspects. It focuses on the effects of pressure, temperature and chemical composition on thermodynamic properties and places emphasis on rapidly evolving fields such as amorphous materials, metastable phases, numerical simulations of microsystems and high-pressure thermodynamics. Topics like redox reactions are dealt with in less depth, due to the fact that there is already much literature available. Without requiring a background in quantum mechanics, this book also illustrates the main practical applications of statistical thermodynamics and gives a microscopic interpretation of temperature, pressure and entropy. This book is perfect for undergraduate and graduate students who already have a basic knowledge of thermodynamics and who wish to truly understand the subject and put it in a broader physical perspective. The book is aimed not at theoretical physicists, but rather at practitioners with a variety of backgrounds from physics to biochemistry for whom thermodynamics is a tool which would be better used if better understood.

This well-received book presents the striking asymmetry of natural phenomena with respect to time reversal and irreversibility. It presents some of the most important classes of physical processes characterizing the arrow of time and strives to uncover its common cosmological root. This third edition has been thoroughly revised to include important new results in the arrow of time in quantum mechanics and quantum cosmology. Both physicists and philosophers of science will find this to be a magnificent survey.

This elegant book provides a student-friendly introduction to the subject of physical chemistry. It is by the author of the very successful Basic Chemical Thermodynamics and is written in the same well-received popular style. It is concise and more compact than standard textbooks on the subject and emphasises the two important topics underpinning the subject: quantum mechanics and the second law of thermodynamics. Both topics are challenging to students because they focus on uncertainty and probability. The book explains these fundamental concepts clearly and shows how they offer the key to understanding a wide range of chemical phenomena including atomic and molecular spectra, the structure and properties of solids, liquids and gases, chemical equilibrium and the rates of chemical reactions.This revised edition has enabled improvements and corrections to be made.

The objective of this book is to provide a unifying approach to the study of biophysical chemistry for the advanced undergraduate who has had a year of physics, organic chem istry, calculus, and biology. This book began as a revised edition of Biophysical Chemistry: Molecules to Membranes, which Elizabeth Simons and I coauthored. That short volume was written in an attempt to provide a concise text for a one-semester course in biophysical chemistry at the graduate level. The experience of teaching biophysical chemistry to bi ologically oriented students over the last decade has made it clear that the subject requires a more fundamental text that unifies the many threads of modem science: physics, chem istry, biology, mathematics, and statistics. This book represents that effort. This volume is not a treatment of modem biophysical chemistry with its rich history and many contro versies, although a book on that topic is also needed. The Physical Basis of Biochemistry is an introduction to the philosophy and practice of an interdisciplinary field in which biological systems are explored using the quantitative perspective of the physical scientist. I have three primary objectives in this volume: one, to provide a unifying picture of the interdisciplinary threads from which the tapestry of biophysical studies is woven; two, to provide an insight into the power of the modeling approach to scientific investigation; and three, to communicate a sense of excitement for the activity and wholesome argument that characterize this field of study.

The asymmetry of natural phenomena under time reversal is striking. Here Zehinvestigates the most important classes of physical phenomena that characterize the arrow of time, discussing their interrelations as well as striving to uncover a cosmological common root of the phenomena, such as the time-independent wave function of the universe. The description of irreversible phenomena is shown to be fundamentally "observer-related". Both physicists and philosophers of science who reviewed the first edition considered this book a magnificent survey, a concise, technically sophisticated, up-to-date discussion of the subject, showing fine sensivity to some of the crucial philosophicalsubtleties. This new and expanded edition will be welcomed by both students and specialists.

Statistical thermodynamics plays a vital linking role between quantum theory and chemical thermodynamics, yet students often find the subject unpalatable.In this updated version of a popular text, the authors overcome this by emphasising the concepts involved, in particular demystifying the partition function. They do not get bogged down in the mathematical niceties that are essential for a profound study of the subject but which can confuse the beginner. Strong emphasis is placed on the physical basis of statistical thermodynamics and the relations with experiment. After a clear exposition of the distribution laws, partition functions, heat capacities, chemical equilibria and kinetics, the subject is further illuminated by a discussion of low-temperature phenomena and spectroscopy. The coverage is brought right up to date with a chapter on computer simulation and a final section which ranges beyond the narrow limits usually associated with student texts to emphasise the common dependence of macroscopic behaviour on the properties of constituent atoms and molecules.Since first published in 1974 as ‘Entropy and Energy Levels’, the book has been very popular with students. This revised and updated version will no doubt serve the same needs.

All human activities, including mental activities, are governed by physical laws and are essentially thermodynamic processes. However, current economic theories are not established on these foundations. This pioneering book seeks to develop an analytical theory of economics on the foundation of thermodynamic laws. A unified understanding of economic and social phenomena is presented, an understanding that is much simpler than what mainstream economic theory has to offer. Its aim is to revolutionize thinking in economics and transform social sciences into an integral part of the physical and biological sciences.

This Book Titled Basic Thermodynamics Makes An Attempt To Cover The Portions Keeping In View Of The Syllabus For Iiird Semester B.E., Mechanical, Prescribed By Visveswaraiah Technological University. This Book Can Also Be Useful For Students Of Other Engineering Disciplines Like B.E. In Industrial Production, Industrial Engineering Management, Automobile, Diploma In Mechanical And Ip, Iem And Automobile Engineering, Amie Etc. The Whole Book Is Written With Precise Explanations, Neat Sketches And Good Number Of Numericals. The Numerical Problems From Vtu Question Papers Have Also Been Updated.

This widely acclaimed text, now in its sixth edition and translated into many languages, continues to present a clear, simple and concise introduction to chemical thermodynamics. An examination of equilibrium in the everyday world of mechanical objects provides a starting point for an accessible account of the factors that determine equilibrium in chemical systems. This straightforward approach leads students to a thorough understanding of the basic principles of thermodynamics, which are then applied to a wide range of physical chemical systems. The book also discusses the problems of non-ideal solutions and the concept of activity, and provides an introduction to the molecular basis of thermodynamics. Over six editions, the views of teachers of the subject and their students have been incorporated. Reference to the phase rule has been included in this edition and the notation has been revised to conform to current IUPAC recommendations. Students taking courses in thermodynamics will continue to find this popular book an excellent introductory text.