Fundamental Concepts in Statistical Mechanics

Benefits of Peer Tutoring

Why get tutored by other students?

About Certifications

Prove your mastery and get ready to tutor.

Become a Tutor

Learn, grow, and give back through tutoring.

Session Safety Measures

How we keep virtual tutoring safe.

Help Desk

Have questions? Search our FAQ.

Community Events

Game nights, product updates, and more.

Study Spaces

Stay motivated in virtual study rooms.

Leaderboards

Check out the community's impact.

Stories

Testimonials from the Schoolhouse community.

Blog

Keep up with our volunteer-run blog.

Fundamental Concepts in Statistical Mechanics

SAT Score Range

•

9 sessions

•

+14

This series ended on June 25, 2022. All 1:1 and group chats related to this series are disabled 7 days after the last session.

About

In this series, I will rigorously develop the foundations of thermal physics: multiplicity, entropy, thermodynamic potentials, and Boltzmann and Gibbs statistics will be the main topics. Much of this course revolves around how to predict the behavior of a large number of particles without following the details of all their interactions. This kind of thinking helps us understand big, complex systems, like magnets, clouds, and even our own brains. You should be at minimum acquainted with introductory calculus and physics.

Tutored by

Sam S 🇺🇸

Certified in 2 topics

View Profile

I'm an undergraduate physics and mathematics student. In high school, I earned a bronze medal on the USAPhO and 5's on the Calculus BC, Physics 1, Physics C Mechanics, and Physics C E/M AP exams. I'm now excelling in advanced physics and math classes like Quantum Mechanics and Differential Geometry, and doing research on collective behavior in biological systems. I look forward to seeing you in one of my sessions!

Schedule

✋ ATTENDANCE POLICY

You can attend whichever sessions you like, but of course you will learn best if you attend all the sessions.

SESSION 1

14

May

SESSION 1

Physics

Sat 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTCMay 14, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTC

Microstates, macrostates, multiplicity, and entropy in the context of an Einstein Solid.

SESSION 2

21

May

SESSION 2

Physics

Sat 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTCMay 21, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTC

The 2nd Law and formal definitions of pressure, temperature, and chemical potential

SESSION 3

28

May

SESSION 3

Physics

Sat 2:30 PM - 3:20 PM UTCMay 28, 2:30 PM - 3:20 PM UTC

This will be a review of the material covered in sessions 1 and 2, targeted at learners who are a bit lost or confused.

SESSION 4

28

May

SESSION 4

Physics

Sat 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTCMay 28, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTC

We'll discuss ensembles, the thermodynamic identity, and the Boltzmann distribution along with its application to the Hydrogen atom.

SESSION 5

4

Jun

SESSION 5

Review

Sat 2:30 PM - 3:20 PM UTCJun 4, 2:30 PM - 3:20 PM UTC

We'll continue the review from last Saturday.

SESSION 6

4

Jun

SESSION 6

Physics

Sat 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTCJun 4, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTC

Problem-solving session. Come prepared to participate!

SESSION 7

11

Jun

SESSION 7

Physics

Sat 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTCJun 11, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTC

the canonical partition function
derivation of the equipartition theorem
a new definition of entropy (if time allows)

SESSION 8

18

Jun

SESSION 8

Physics

Sat 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTCJun 18, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTC

Free energy and phase transitions in the context of the Ising model.

SESSION 9

25

Jun

SESSION 9

Physics

Sat 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTCJun 25, 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM UTC

I will discuss Kuramoto oscillators as a model of synchronization phenomena.

Public Discussion

Please log in to see discussion on this series.

May 14 - Jun 25

7 weeks

50 - 60 mins

/ session

SCHEDULE

Saturdays

3:30PM