From Microphysics To Macrophysics

Download or read book From Microphysics to Macrophysics written by Roger Balian and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2006-11-13 with total page 481 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This popular, often cited text returns in a softcover edition to provide a thorough introduction to statistical physics and thermodynamics, and to exhibit the universality of the chain of ideas leading from the laws of microphysics to the macroscopic behaviour of matter. A wide range of applications illustrates the concepts, and many exercises reinforce understanding. Volume I discusses the probabilistic description of quantum or classical systems, the Boltzmann-Gibbs distributions, the conservation laws, and the interpretation of entropy as missing information. Thermodynamics and electromagnetism in matter are dealt with, as well as applications to dilute and condensed gases, and to phase transitions.