Customer Reviews

Entropy And Its Physical Meaning

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Teachers and college students: here is a clear, friendly intro. to thermodynamics and statistical mechaniocs. (Don't be deceived by the title--it is not a specialist tract on entropy, that is only a convenient hook for author to hang a title.) Prof. Dugdale has a fine instinct for picking out the important highlights at the college-level. A quick and easy read (compared to standard textbooks).

Should be ideal as refresher for the teacher and as textbook supplement for the student. (Probably it is too brief for a textbook for a one-quarter course, unless teacher supplements with extra material and adds a few more problems at chapter ends.)

I was grateful that there were only a few problems at chapter ends -- and not too hard, either; this made it less guilt-inducing for me just to read the book w/o doing the problems, since time did not permit the latter. My understanding did not suffer noticably from this "casual" approach.

There are original touches throughout, including a most fresh discussion of the second law enlivened with extracts from Carnot's own discussion of his ideal engine. Historical asides such as these are a rare item in a Physics book and reading this I began to see what a treat I've been missing all these years!

The book has 3 sections: Part I on macro thermo, Part 2 on stat. mech, and a short Part 3 on low temperatures. A well-balanced presentation, and at an affordable price.