PHYSICS 7546 - Statistical Mechanics

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2016

This course develops concepts in classical laws of thermodynamics and their application, postulates of statistical mechanics, statistical interpretation of thermodynamics, microcanonical, canonical and grant canonical ensembles; the methods of statistical mechanics are used to develop the statistics for Bose-Einstein, Fermi-Dirac and photon gases; selected topics from low temperature physics and electrical and thermal properties of matter are discussed.

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Course Details

Course Code	PHYSICS 7546
Course	Statistical Mechanics
Coordinating Unit	School of Physical Sciences
Term	Semester 1
Level	Postgraduate Coursework
Location/s	North Terrace Campus
Units	3
Contact	Up to 3 hours per week
Available for Study Abroad and Exchange	Y
Prerequisites	PHYSICS 2510, MATHS 2101 or MATHS 2201, MATHS 2102 or MATHS 2202
Incompatible	PHYSICS 3004, PHYSICS 3542
Assumed Knowledge	PHYSICS 2532, PHYSICS 2534
Assessment	tests, assignments, written exam

Course Staff

Course Coordinator: Associate Professor Ross Young

Course Timetable

The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from .

Course Learning Outcomes

1. explain statistical physics and thermodynamics as logical consequences of the postulates of statistical mechanics;

2. apply the principles of statistical mechanics to selected problems;

3. apply techniques from statistical mechanics to a range of situations;

4. use the tools, methodologies, language and conventions of physics to test and communicate ideas and explanations

5. use the tools, methodologies, language and conventions of physics to test and communicate ideas and explanation.

University Graduate Attributes

This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

University Graduate Attribute	Course Learning Outcome(s)
Deep discipline knowledge informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1 accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)	1-5
Critical thinking and problem solving steeped in research methods and rigor based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment	1-5
Teamwork and communication skills developed from, with, and via the SGDE honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning	4
Career and leadership readiness technology savvy professional and, where relevant, fully accredited forward thinking and well informed tested and validated by work based experiences	3,4
Self-awareness and emotional intelligence a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate	1-5

Learning Resources

Required Resources

- Mandl, F. (1998): Statistical Physics, 2nd edition, Wiley

Recommended Resources

- Reif, F. (1965): Fundamentals of Statistical and thermal Physics, McGraw-Hill

Online Learning

MyUni: Teaching materials and course documentation will be posted on the MyUni website (http://myuni.adelaide.edu.au/).
Learning & Teaching Activities

Learning & Teaching Modes

- 2 Lectures of 1 hour each per week

- 2 Tutorials of 1 hour per week

Workload

The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

A student enrolled in a 3 unit course, such as this, should expect to spend, on average 12 hours per week on the studies required. This includes both the formal contact time required to the course (e.g., lectures and practicals), as well as non-contact time (e.g., reading and revision).

Learning Activities Summary

Ø The First Law of Thermodynamics
- Concepts of thermal physics
- First law of thermodynamics
- Heat capacities

Ø The Second Law of Thermodynamics
- Direction of natural processes
- The statistical weight of a macrostate
- Fundamental postulates of statistical mechanics
- Derivation of concepts of T and P
- The Schottky defect
- Equilibrium of a system in a heat bath

Ø Paramagnetism
- Paramagnetic solid in a heat bath
- Isolated paramagnetic solid

Ø Infinitesimal changes and the Second Law
- The Fundamental Thermodynamic Relation and Maxwell’s First Relation
- The Clausius inequality and availability
- Helmholtz free energy
- Gibbs free energy
- Enthalpy
- Useful work
- The third law and its consequences

Ø Simple thermodynamic systems
- Other forms of the second law
- Heat engines and refrigerators
- The difference of heat capacity
- Applications to irreversible processes
- Heat capacity of solids
- Examples of low temperature behaviour
- Einstein’s model for heat capacity of solids

Ø The Ideal Classical Gas
- Ideal classical gas
- The partition function
- Validity criteria for classical regime
- Characterizing the ideal classical gas
- The Maxwell velocity distribution
- Classical statistical mechanics

Ø Quantum statistics
- The Ideal quantum gas
- The Gibbs distribution
- Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein distributions
- The classical limit
- The free electron model of metals
- Electronic heat capacity of metals

Ø Systems with variable particle numbers
- Bose-Einstein Condensation
- Thermodynamics of the Gibbs distribution

Ø Diffusion and Random Walk Processes
- Description of Particle transport theory via diffusion processes

The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
Assessment must maintain academic standards.

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Type of assessment	Percentage of total assessment	Hurdle Yes or No #	Objectives being assessed / achieved
Assignments, tests & online responses	Formative & Summative	30 - 40%	No	1 – 5
Exam	Summative	60 - 70%	No	1 – 4

Assessment Detail

While this course is offered concurrently to undergraduate students, all postgraduate students are expected to perform at a higher level both qualitatively and quantitatively. To facilitate this, postgraduate students are required to address additional content in the assignments and the examination within the same timeframe as undergraduate students.

Assignments, Tests and online responses

The mix of assignments and tests will be decided at the start of the semester by negotiation with students. A combination of on-line responses, tests and summative assignments will be used during the semester to address understanding of and ability to use the course material and to provide students a benchmark for the progress in the course (40% of total course grade). Postgraduate students are required to complete additional assessment tasks within each assignment, test and online responses to demonstrate additional understanding of the course material, in particular the ability to integrate different course components in a novel context.

Examination

One 2-hour exam will be used to assess knowledge and understanding of and ability to use the material (60% of total course grade). Online responses to questions in the Statistical Mechanics component will contribute 2% of the final result. Poor performance in assignments and tests can be partially compensated by a higher weighting of the examination in the final assessment.

Submission

Submission of Assigned Work
Coversheets must be completed and attached to all submitted work. Coversheets can be obtained from the School Office (room G33 Physics) or from MyUNI. Work should be submitted via the assignment drop box at the School Office.

Extensions for Assessment Tasks
Extensions of deadlines for assessment tasks may be allowed for reasonable causes. Such situations would include compassionate and medical grounds of the severity that would justify the awarding of a supplementary examination. Evidence for the grounds must be provided when an extension is requested. Students are required to apply for an extension to the Course Coordinator before the assessment task is due. Extensions will not be provided on the grounds of poor prioritising of time. The assessment extension application form can be obtained from: http://www.sciences.adelaide.edu.au/current/

Late submission of assessments
If an extension is not applied for, or not granted then a penalty for late submission will apply. A penalty of 10% of the value of the assignment for each calendar day that is late (i.e. weekends count as 2 days), up to a maximum of 50% of the available marks will be applied. This means that an assignment that is 5 days or more late without an approved extension can only receive a maximum of 50% of the mark.

Course Grading

Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
Grade	Mark	Description
FNS		Fail No Submission
F	1-49	Fail
P	50-64	Pass
C	65-74	Credit
D	75-84	Distinction
HD	85-100	High Distinction
CN		Continuing
NFE		No Formal Examination
RP		Result Pending

Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

Final results for this course will be made available through .

Student Feedback

The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.
Student Support
Policies & Guidelines
This section contains links to relevant assessment-related policies and guidelines - all university policies.
Fraud Awareness

Students are reminded that in order to maintain the academic integrity of all programs and courses, the university has a zero-tolerance approach to students offering money or significant value goods or services to any staff member who is involved in their teaching or assessment. Students offering lecturers or tutors or professional staff anything more than a small token of appreciation is totally unacceptable, in any circumstances. Staff members are obliged to report all such incidents to their supervisor/manager, who will refer them for action under the university's student鈥檚 disciplinary procedures.

The 成人大片 is committed to regular reviews of the courses and programs it offers to students. The 成人大片 therefore reserves the right to discontinue or vary programs and courses without notice. Please read the important information contained in the disclaimer.

Authorised by:	Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Vice-President (Academic)
Maintained by:	Course Outlines Administrator

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