3 credits
Fall 2025 Lecture Upper Division
The molecular interpretation of thermodynamic equilibrium. Development of the partition function. Introduction to quantum mechanics and molecular spectroscopy. The Maxwell-Boltzmann formulation of statistical mechanics and applications to ideal gases, solids, radiation, and laser diagnostics. The Gibbs formulation of statistical mechanics and application to real gases. Kinetic theory and applications to transport properties and chemical kinetics. Offered in alternate years.
Learning Outcomes1Provide a fundamental microscopic understanding of thermodynamics, temperature, radiation and transport phenomena.
2Apply concepts and calculate thermodynamic and transport properties of ideal gases.
3Evaluate properties in reacting and non-reacting flow fields from laser spectroscopic measurements.
Prerequisites
Restrictions
made by Purdue students.