Physics 530, Fall 2012: Statistical Mechanics
D. M. Wood
Office: Meyer Hall 454
Phone: (303) 273-3853
e-mail: dmwood@Mines.EDU
Syllabus
If you forgot to pick up a problem set or handout, retrieve it from the
list below and print it out.
Let me know if you have difficulties with any PDF file.
Lecture notes
Introduction, random walks, diffusion
Review of thermodynamics
Canonical, grand canonical ensembles
BE, FD distribs, ideal QM gases
Density matrix
Phase transitions, critical phenomena
Figures used for examples
Within each file, figures are in no particular order, alas.
Homework assignments
Homework 1, due Thursday, September 1
Homework 2, due Thursday, September 8:
2D random walk applet [RandomWalk2D.jar]
Homework 3, due Thursday, September 15
Homework 4, due Thursday, September 22
Homework 5, due Thursday, September 29
Homework 6, due Thursday, October 6
Homework 7, due Thursday, October 13
Homework 8 (revised slightly), due Thursday, October 27
Homework 9, due Thursday, November 3
Homework 10 (revised Nov 9), due Thursday, November 10
Homework 11, due Thursday, November 17
Homework 12, due Tuesday, November 22
Homework 13, due Tuesday, December 6
Practice Exams
Sample Hour Test 1
Sample Fina1
Handouts
Useful math tricks
Notes on the Monte Carlo method
Useful Mathematica Notebooks
Note: If you choose to use these Mathematica Notebooks as templates
for a solution you turn in, please observe the following rules:
- Remove my comments and section headings (and replace them with your own)
and be sure to put in a written explanation of what you are doing!
- Make sure that your Notebook runs correctly if saved and re-run
from scratch with Mathematica. (I've seen too many Notebooks consisting
of a random sequence of attempts to simplify expressions, with
non-reproducible results because competing variable definitions were
used at different times.)
- If you turn in a printout, make sure it is printed `2up', i.e., with
two logical Notebook pages per physical sheet. This is easy enough to
read without wasting paper.
These Notebooks will display as text files. Save them as .nb files so you can
run them.
Sample non-linear fits [SampNLFit.nb];
Sample non-linear fit data [SampNL.data]
Importance sampling Monte Carlo [ImportanceSamplingMC.nb];
Using Mathematica
CSM Field Session tutorial
Wolfram
screencast of Basics of Mathematica version 7
Wolfram
hands-on learners tutorial screencast
Wolfram screencasts
for accomplishing common tasks
Send comments & questions to dmwood@mines.
edu
Last Modified: May 9, 2012