Credit Hours: 4                               Prerequisites: PHYS 2110.
Time: Mon/Wed/Fri 12:35 - 1:30 PM, plus an additional hour at a time to be decided.                
Room: Brown Hall Room 266
Instructor: Dr. Beverly Smith       Email:
Office: Brown Hall Room 273           Phone: (423)-439-8418
Office Hours: Wed/Thurs 3:00-4:00 PM, or by appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION: PHYS-4117/5117: KINETIC AND STATISTICAL PHYSICS is a course in thermal physics intended for students majoring in technical fields. It assumes a knowledge of introductory physics on the level of Technical Physics I (PHYS 2110), as well as one semester of calculus. In this course, we will deal with the flow of energy in matter and the associated properties of matter under conditions or states of equilibrium. In this course, we will investigate the basic laws of thermodynamics using both a macroscopic and a microscopic approach. We will also study engines and refrigerators, Maxwell's relations, partition functions, the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution, as well as selected applications.

REQUIRED TEXT:  An Introduction to Thermal Physics by Daniel V. Schroeder.

COURSE REQUIREMENTS: There will be three exams during the semester, regular homework assignments, and a final exam. The final exam will be given on Wednesday December 12 from 1:20 - 3:20 PM.

GRADING: Your class grade will be based upon your average grade on the exams (60 percent), the final (20 percent), and your homework grade (20 percent).

WRITING ASSIGNMENTS: This course fulfills the ETSU core writing-intensive requirement. Each homework assignment will include at least one essay question, in which a physical phenomenon should be explained in detail. These answers will be graded in part on grammar, spelling, and language usage, so please be careful in writing these essays.

HONORS/GRADUATE CREDIT: Students taking this course for honors or graduate credit will be assigned extra more difficult problems each problem set. They will also be required to write a term paper on a relevant topic in thermal physics. They must give a talk on the topic to the rest of the class.