Editorial Review:
This concise, elementary treatment illustrates the ways in which an atomic-molecular perspective yields new insights into macroscopic thermodynamics. Starting with an analysis of some very simple microcanonical ensembles, it proceeds to the Boltzmann distribution law and a systematic exploration of the proper formulation, evaluation, and application of partition functions. 1974 edition.
Cached date: AWS Called=true
You may also be interested in these products:
These categories may also be of interest to you:
Customer Reviews
Average Customer Rating: 
this old book the best elementary introduction to statistical mechanics 2007-03-05
This is a wonderful introduction to statistical mechanics, especially for chemistry students taking undergraduate physical chemistry. Leonard K. Nash was a Harvard professor of chemistry whose primary interest became chemical education and the history of chemistry. This book was a classic in the 1960's, but later went out of print. Dover has done a real service in reissuing it. The book is remarkable for its lucidity and pedagogical clarity. It's the best introduction I know to the very difficult subject, especially for beginners, of statistical mechanics. For starters, it gives a wonderfully insightful look at the meaning of the statistics of the statistical ensembles.
This book puts most of the current physical chemistry textbooks to shame in its treatment of the subject. It could serve as a stand-alone text for the statistical mechanics part of a physical chemistry sequence.
If you are taking this course, you owe it to yourself to get this book. The price cannot be beat.
I also recommend the companion book by Nash on macroscopic thermodynamics, together with Fermi's classic text (also available from Dover).
At a more elementary level, Dover has re-issued Bruce Mahan's famous thermodynamics book. I believe he used this for advanced freshmen at Berkeley. If you are having trouble with thermodynamics in physical chemistry, even at the Fermi or Nash level, do yourself a favor and get Mahan's book. Even if you're not having trouble, you may very well find it helpful.
|
|
