Statistical Mechanics: A Set Of Lectures (Advanced Book Classics) (Paperback)

by Richard P. Feynman (Author) "The key principle of statistical mechanics is as follows: If a system in equilibrium can be in one of N states, then the probability of..." (more)
Key Phrases: multiparticle space, sausage diagrams, two spin waves, Low Temperature Physics (more...)

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Product Description

Physics, rather than mathematics, is the focus in this classic graduate lecture note volume on statistical mechanics and the physics of condensed matter. This book provides a concise introduction to basic concepts and a clear presentation of difficult topics, while challenging the student to reflect upon as yet unanswered questions.

About the Author

Richard P. Feynman was raised in Far Rockaway, New York, and received his Ph.D. from Princeton. He held professorships at both Cornell and the California Institute of Technology. In 1965 he received the Nobel Prize for his work on quantum electrodynamics. He died in 1988.

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Product Details Paperback: 368 pages Publisher: Westview Press; 2 edition (March 5, 1998) Language: English ISBN-10: 0201360764 ISBN-13: 978-0201360769 Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies) Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews) Amazon.com Sales Rank: #321,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books) Popular in this category: (What's this?) #69 in  Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Materials Science > Mechanical Properties of Solids

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First Sentence:
The key principle of statistical mechanics is as follows: If a system in equilibrium can be in one of N states, then the probability of the system having energy En is , where Read the first page

Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
multiparticle space, sausage diagrams, two spin waves, destruction operators, excitation curve, classical partition function, variational treatment, linear harmonic oscillator

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Low Temperature Physics

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Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!

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Citations (learn more)

This book cites 11 books:

• Statistical Physics (Course of Theoretical Physics, Volume 5) by Lev Davidovich Landau on page 33, and page 315
• Fluid Mechanics, Second Edition: Volume 6 (Course of Theoretical Physics) by L D Landau on page 315
• Intermediate Quantum Mechanics: Third Edition (Advanced Book Classics) by Roman Jackiw in Front Matter
• Gauge Theories Of Strong, Weak, And Electromagnetic Interactions (Advanced Book Classics) by Chris Quigg in Front Matter
• Basic Notions Of Condensed Matter Physics (Advanced Book Classics) by Philip W. Anderson in Front Matter

See all 11 books this book cites

 

54 books cite this book:

• Introduction to Quantum Field Theory by V.lG. Kiselev on page 37, and Back Matter
• Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track by Richard P. Feynman in Front Matter, and page 257
• Boxed Set Of Pleasure Of Finding Things Out & Meaning Of It All by Richard P. Feynman in Front Matter, and page 276
• Neural Networks: An Introduction (Physics of Neural Networks) by Berndt Müller in Back Matter
• The Framework Of Plasma Physics (Frontiers in Physics) by Richard D. Hazeltine in Front Matter

See all 54 books citing this book

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	76% buy the item featured on this page: Statistical Mechanics: A Set Of Lectures (Advanced Book Classics) 4.5 out of 5 stars (6) $45.90
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6 Reviews 5 star:  (4) 4 star:  (1) 3 star:  (1) 2 star:    (0) 1 star:    (0)           Average Customer Review 4.5 out of 5 stars (6 customer reviews)		Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews 16 of 17 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars great book on statistical and condensed matter physics, November 22, 2000 By  Lars English (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews This is a wonderful book written by one of the greatest teachers of physics on a subject matter often shrouded in mystery. I found it tremendously helpful in understanding many topics in condensed matter physics on a deeper, more conceptual level. The chapters on second quantization, superconductivity and superfluidity are especially illuminating, and the latter is far surperior in clarity than anything I have come across (which is perhaps not surprising considering Feymnman developed much of the theory himself). I highly recommend this book as a supplimentary text for any graduate-level Statistical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics or Solid State course you may be taking. 10 of 11 people found the following review helpful: 5.0 out of 5 stars a tremendous book, February 1, 2005 By  Dong Zhou (GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    when i was undergrad, i read Prof. Kerson Huang's stat mech. i think that book is good. everything is covered systematically, but everything is explained 'evenly'. if u r a careful reader, u still get the ideas of the essence, like partition function plays the central role of stat mech, etc. now, i am reading feynman's book. it's totally diff from huang's. it's full of excitement. he put the principle of stat mech which is the relation b/w partition function and probability at the very beginning. all the other aspects in stat mech follow so straight forword and there are endless novel derivations in this book. i feel many of my previous understandings are interconnected by reading this book. it's simply great, just like the other books written by feynman. 3 of 4 people found the following review helpful: 4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Overview, July 4, 2005 By  S. D Webb (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)    The Feynman Lectures on Statistical Mechanics contain a great deal of very useful information, and each page is full of solid work without bothering too much with unnecessary details. The book also covers all the bases very well, hitting plenty of good examples, such as spin waves, and the obligatory superconductivity chapter is a solid introduction. My only complaint is that the ordering of the book is a little haphazard. I understand that it is difficult to include quantum and classical statistical mechanics in one continuous run, but the book seems to jump around a bit. All this considered, the book is probably a must-buy for people interested in statistical physics, as it is one of the better general overview books available (I despise the Reif; it needs to be updated and completely rearranged), and, as an added bonus, you get to see the Onsager solution to the 2-D Ising model. Cheers!		Ad feedback   Most Recent Customer Reviews 3.0 out of 5 stars Style over substance. Feynman was one of the most accomplished physicists in the 2nd half of the 20th century. His publications speak for themselves. Read more Published on December 29, 2003 5.0 out of 5 stars extraordinary Masterpiece! Richard Feynman said:"What I cannot create, I do not understand!". I am really amazed by his unique style of doing physics: he always create anything from scratch, always has his... Read more Published on January 23, 2003 by TsungpLee 5.0 out of 5 stars Statistics that "moos you along" A classic by one of the best. I wish I could say I understand it all, but it rings true in many ways. Read more Published on January 14, 2002 by vgolubic Search Customer Reviews Only search this product's reviews

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Product Details

• Paperback: 368 pages
• Publisher: Westview Press; 2 edition (March 5, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201360764
• ISBN-13: 978-0201360769
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #321,566 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #69 in

  Books > Professional & Technical > Engineering > Materials Science > Mechanical Properties of Solids

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars great book on statistical and condensed matter physics, November 22, 2000

By	Lars English (Ithaca, NY USA) - See all my reviews

This is a wonderful book written by one of the greatest teachers of physics on a subject matter often shrouded in mystery. I found it tremendously helpful in understanding many topics in condensed matter physics on a deeper, more conceptual level. The chapters on second quantization, superconductivity and superfluidity are especially illuminating, and the latter is far surperior in clarity than anything I have come across (which is perhaps not surprising considering Feymnman developed much of the theory himself). I highly recommend this book as a supplimentary text for any graduate-level Statistical Mechanics, Quantum Mechanics or Solid State course you may be taking.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a tremendous book, February 1, 2005

By	Dong Zhou (GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

when i was undergrad, i read Prof. Kerson Huang's stat mech. i think that book is good. everything is covered systematically, but everything is explained 'evenly'. if u r a careful reader, u still get the ideas of the essence, like partition function plays the central role of stat mech, etc.

now, i am reading feynman's book. it's totally diff from huang's. it's full of excitement. he put the principle of stat mech which is the relation b/w partition function and probability at the very beginning. all the other aspects in stat mech follow so straight forword and there are endless novel derivations in this book. i feel many of my previous understandings are interconnected by reading this book.

it's simply great, just like the other books written by feynman.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Solid Overview, July 4, 2005

By	S. D Webb (Atlanta, GA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The Feynman Lectures on Statistical Mechanics contain a great deal of very useful information, and each page is full of solid work without bothering too much with unnecessary details. The book also covers all the bases very well, hitting plenty of good examples, such as spin waves, and the obligatory superconductivity chapter is a solid introduction.

My only complaint is that the ordering of the book is a little haphazard. I understand that it is difficult to include quantum and classical statistical mechanics in one continuous run, but the book seems to jump around a bit.

All this considered, the book is probably a must-buy for people interested in statistical physics, as it is one of the better general overview books available (I despise the Reif; it needs to be updated and completely rearranged), and, as an added bonus, you get to see the Onsager solution to the 2-D Ising model. Cheers!