Courses / Module

• Recall the microscopic definitions and basic properties of entropy, temperature and chemical potential
• Give a microscopic interpretation of the second and third laws of thermodynamics
• Deduce and apply the canonical and grand canonical distributions for the states of systems in contact with heat and particle reservoirs
• Calculate partition functions and thermal averages for non-interacting systems such as ideal gases and paramagnets
• Derive the equipartition theorem for the energy and discuss its physical implications and its regime of validity
• Deduce the Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions and apply them in combination with the density of states

• 24 lecture hours, 8 tutorial hours

• Continuous Assessment detail(s): Assignments

• Pass standard: 40%
• 40%

• University scheduled written examination (Autumn): 120 minutes

• MP203

For a full timetable search, go to NUIM Timetable. Venue locations can be found here.