Publisher's Synopsis
An introduction to statistical mechanics which aims to relate microscopic properties of matter to observed macroscopic, or bulk, behaviour of physical systems.;The foundations of statistical mechanics, laid down by Gibbs, are presented, with an introductory chapter on thermodynamics. Other topics covered include: model systems and the thermodynamic limit, theories of phase transitions, fluctuations and correlations, exactly solved models, scaling theory and the renormalization group.;The book also includes many problems and worked solutions which, in certain areas, approach the threshold of current research activity in the subject.;No prior knowledge of the subject is assumed. The only prerequisites are advanced calculus, an elementary knowledge of probability theory, linear algebra and classical mechanics.
