Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics [Paperback]

David Chandler (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0195042778 | ISBN-13: 978-0195042771 | Publication Date: September 17, 1987 | Edition: 1

Leading physical chemist David Chandler takes a new approach to statistical mechanics to provide the only introductory-level work on the modern topics of renormalization group theory, Monte Carlo simulations, time correlation functions, and liquid structure. The author provides compact summaries of the fundamentals of this branch of physics and discussions of many of its traditional elementary applications, interspersed with over 150 exercises and microcomputer programs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The exposition is very clear, and although elementary, this book is an example of a text which requires a large degree of reader participation. . . . People teaching modern statistical physics will like the book and those who prefer a more traditional approach will be pleasantly surprised to see a new way in which all traditional subjects can be included in a textbook, so it can be a valuable tool in teaching any course of statistical physics." --Mathematical Reviews

"There is clearly a strong case for any textbook which seeks to provide a continuous thread from tradition to modernity. Chandler's book seems to be the first attempt at such a task....Suitable for undergraduates and first-year graduate students, [it] aims to provide an introduction to modern concepts and techniques in statistical mechanics without presupposing an undue degree of previous exposure to the subject. I strongly suspect that this book will prove popular with students and teachers alike."--The Times Higher Education Supplement

"Exactly what I was looking for. I will also use this in my graduate course."--Greg H. Zimmerman, Tennessee State University

"An excellent introduction emphasizing major modern topics such as Monte Carlo sampling, renormalization groups. and the fluctuation-dissipation theorem." --American Mathematical Monthly

"The text is clear and spare and addresses the latest developments in statistical mechanics in a manner an undergraduate could readily understand." --New Scientist

"A refreshing, lucid and much-needed textbook in an area which remains inaccessible to many students."--G. P. Matthews, Plymouth Polytechnic, England

"Chandler's book gives an excellent introduction to statistical mechanics, and is highly recommended to any student majoring in physics or chemistry." --SIAM Review

"The book is highly recommended for the excellent discussions that it contains." --American Scientist

"A breezy and enthusiastic guide with quite solid content. All in all this is an outstanding job." --Physics Today

"This is a book which pleases in many ways. The author's style is engaging, the questions sprinkled throughout the whole book are both entertaining and interesting." --Education in Chemistry

About the Author

David Chandler is at University of California, Berkeley.

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 1 edition (September 17, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195042778
• ISBN-13: 978-0195042771
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #112,023 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #39 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Chemistry > Physical & Theoretical > Physical Chemistry
  • #70 in Books > Professional & Technical > Professional Science > Physics > Mechanics

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

36 of 38 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Only modern stat mech book, June 21, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics (Paperback)

The best part of this book is that it is modern. You have chapters on Monte Carlo simulations, the Ising model, and more. You don't get long chapters on the partition function of an ideal gas, for example. The bad part about this book is that it is not immediately transparent if you're reading stat mech for the first time. I like it more the more I know about stat mech, but it's not a good beginner's book, and I think it's better to have another book with it - maybe Hill or McQuarrie - since it's not really that long either. Still, recommended (get the soln. manual too) with these caveats.

32 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Caltech Graduate Student, March 1, 2000

By 

David R. Kent (Los Alamos, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics (Paperback)

This was a great book. It covered the important material and left out all of the extra garbage that most books carry on for pages about. The presentation was done using clear mathematics and modern, easily followed notation. The book is short making it practical to actually read the entire book if you are extremely busy. We used the book in conjunction with Hill. I don't recommend Hill because it is hard to follow.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ever wonder why energy flows from a hot body to a cooler one?, February 3, 2006

By 

Reader (CA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Introduction to Modern Statistical Mechanics (Paperback)

I used this book while taking the course for which this book was designed, Prof. Chandler's stat mech course for first year graduate students.

I agree with the reviewer who wrote that this book avoids a lot of filler that can distort the main thrust of the material at hand.

I disagree with the reviewer who wrote that this is not the book for a beginner. I used this book having studied undergrad p-chem but essentially no stat mech. Being a concise text, one must read carefully to extract the point of each paragraph. I sometimes found myself re-reading certain sections a few times in order to understand them. The abundant prose should be evidence that the author is trying to provide a physical picture to improve the scientific intuition of the reader.

This doesn't mean the book isn't for a beginner. It just means what you should already know: you will not learn stat mech by skimming any text just once with a pint of beer in your hand.

I constantly return to this book for review of thermo and stat mech concepts. For my grad qualifying exams I mostly used McQuarrie for general p-chem overview, but switched right back to IMSM for thermo and stat mech review.

If you're looking for a reference book with every possible stat mech problem worked out to help with your problem sets, this is not it. If you want to understand stat mech this book is the first step.