Statistical Mechanics: A Concise Introduction for Chemists [Paperback]

B. Widom (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 3, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0521009669 | ISBN-13: 978-0521009669 | Edition: 1

This is an introduction to statistical mechanics, intended to be used either in an undergraduate physical chemistry course or by beginning graduate students with little undergraduate background in the subject. It assumes familiarity with thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, the kinetic theory of gases, quantum mechanics and spectroscopy, at the level at which these subjects are normally treated in undergraduate physical chemistry. Highly illustrated with numerous exercises and worked solutions, it provides a concise, up-to-date treatise of statistical mechanics and is ideally suited to use in one semester courses.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"This elegant new book by Benjamin Widom provides an attractive alternative for those faculty and students who want to go further...Widom has written a volume...that shows students the beauty and power of the theory as well as some of its most important contemporary applications. The sections on molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods are amonng the best concise introductions to those techniques that I have read. The prose is clear and erudite reflecting the scientific and personal style of the author...This book should be in the hands of everyone who teaches undergraduate physical chemistry to provide a model for what can be tuaght in that course beyond the material contained in the standard textbooks. Graduate students and faculty who need to learn statistical mechanics can hardly find a better introduction. Even those who regularly teach a graduate course in this area will get some new ideas and inpsiration from one of the leading practitioners of the field." Jefferey Kovac

Book Description

This is an introduction to statistical mechanics, intended to be used either in an undergraduate physical chemistry course or by beginning graduate students with little undergraduate background in the subject. It assumes familiarity with thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, the kinetic theory of gases, quantum mechanics and spectroscopy, at the level at which these subjects are normally treated in undergraduate physical chemistry. Highly illustrated with numerous exercises and worked solutions it provides a concise, up-to-date treatise of statistical mechanics and is ideally suited to use on one semester courses.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 182 pages
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press; 1 edition (May 3, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0521009669
• ISBN-13: 978-0521009669
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #862,622 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Introduction, September 1, 2006

By 

Decleva Piero (Trieste, Italy) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Statistical Mechanics: A Concise Introduction for Chemists (Paperback)

While looking for a suitable textbook for a one-semester course on Statistical Mechanics, I found this little gem by Prof. Widom, a recognized authority in the field. It was a pleasure to read, clear, all the classical topics well explained, very understandable.

Several excellent textbook on the subject are available, but none conveys so much in so little space (THE SPACE you have available in an undergraduate lecture course), yet with no compromise on rigour or clarity. At the beginning, I was a little uneasy by the choice of skipping a discussion of the (difficult) foundations, jumping directly to the Boltzmann distribution as a starting point. Now I totally agree with it, it is the best for a first introduction, and if time is left (rarely) one can profitably add a discussion on fundations at the end of the course.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Concise and really understandable, December 1, 2009

By 

J. P. Ferreira - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Statistical Mechanics: A Concise Introduction for Chemists (Hardcover)

As suggested by the tittle, the book is concise but, nevertheless, very complete, clear and rigorous. In fact, I found it much clearer than many other lenghty books on this difficult subject.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Short, direct, and mathematical, August 7, 2009

By 

Luke Marney (Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Statistical Mechanics: A Concise Introduction for Chemists (Hardcover)

Widom does a fantastic job at articulating both the impact of statistical thinking on the real world and the complexities of mathematics required to infer knowledge about chemical systems. This book has everything a chemist needs to know about statistical mechanics, without watering down the subject. I read this book four years after taking a formal statistical mechanics course, and I understand it better now than I did in the course! I wish this book was provided as a supplement to my formal course work.