Thermodynamics and statistical physics

Statistical physics relates the macroscopically observed properties of temperature, pressure, and chemical reactions to the molecular structure of matter and the continued redistribution of energy as a result of molecular motions and collisions. This study allows us to develop and understanding of the macroscopic quantities of temperature and pressure, and an understanding of what governs the spontaneous changes and energy flow in physical systems.

The Heat and Temperature section can be done either as a part of this chapter or with the Macro models of matter units.

To understand the context and motivation for the chapter, see the following page:

• Overview: Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics

Here's the full Table of Contents of the chapter. The notation "(EX)" means that there is a worked example attached to that page. The notation "{WO}" means there is an activity (a Workout) attached to that page, usually one that involves working with a simulation.

• • Heat and temperature
    • • Measuring Temperature
      • Thermal energy and specific heat
      • Heat capacity (EX,WO)
      • Heat transfer(WO)
        • Workout: Heat transfer
        • Conduction -- Fourier's law  (EX)
        • Example: Heat Transfer - radiation
        • Biology of heat transfer
      • The biological implications and consequences of temperature

• • Kinetic theory: The ideal gas law
    • Partial pressure - gases
    • Partial pressure - liquids
    • Reading the content in the ideal gas law
  • The 1st law of thermodynamics
    • Organizing the idea of energy
    • Enthalpy (EX)
    • Thermodynamic equilibrium and equipartition (EX)
  • The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics
    • The 2nd Law of Thermodynamics -- A Probabilistic Law
    • Entropy -- implications of the 2nd law of thermodynamics
      • Biological consequences of the 2nd law of thermodynamics
      • Why entropy is logarithmic (WO)
      • Sharing -- a way to think about entropy
      • Calculating entropy (EX)
    • Motivating Free Energy  (EX)
      • Gibbs free energy
    • Fluctuations -- How energy is distributed (WO)
      • The Boltzmann distribution  (EX,WO)
        • The Boltzmann distribution and the Gibbs free energy (WO)

Joe Redish 3/27/19