LEADER 03508nam 22006135 450 001 9910544865103321 005 20251113182252.0 010 $a9783030917944$b(electronic bk.) 010 $z9783030917937 024 7 $a10.1007/978-3-030-91794-4 035 $a(MiAaPQ)EBC6887152 035 $a(Au-PeEL)EBL6887152 035 $a(CKB)21167321000041 035 $a(PPN)260827339 035 $a(OCoLC)1297837174 035 $a(DE-He213)978-3-030-91794-4 035 $a(EXLCZ)9921167321000041 100 $a20220211d2022 u| 0 101 0 $aeng 135 $aurcnu|||||||| 181 $ctxt$2rdacontent 182 $cc$2rdamedia 183 $acr$2rdacarrier 200 10$aMaking Sense of Statistical Mechanics /$fby Jean Bricmont 205 $a1st ed. 2022. 210 1$aCham :$cSpringer International Publishing :$cImprint: Springer,$d2022. 215 $a1 online resource (375 pages) 225 1 $aUndergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics,$x2192-4805 311 08$aPrint version: Bricmont, Jean Making Sense of Statistical Mechanics Cham : Springer International Publishing AG,c2022 9783030917937 320 $aIncludes bibliographical references and index. 327 $aWhat We Need from Thermodynamics -- What Are Probabilities? -- Dynamical Systems -- Statistical Mechanics 1 : The Nature of Equilibrium -- Statistical Mechanics 2: Irreversibility -- Demystifying Entropy -- Comparison with Quantum Mechanics. 330 $aMany people, including physicists, are confused about what the Second Law of thermodynamics really means, about how it relates to the arrow of time, and about whether it can be derived from classical mechanics. They also wonder what entropy really is: Is it all about information? But, if so, then, what is its relation to fluxes of heat? One might ask similar questions about probabilities: Do they express subjective judgments by us, humans, or do they reflect facts about the world, i.e. frequencies. And what notion of probability is used in the natural sciences, in particular statistical mechanics? This book addresses all of these questions in the clear and pedagogical style for which the author is known. Although valuable as accompaniment to an undergraduate course on statistical mechanics or thermodynamics, it is not a standard course book. Instead it addresses both the essentials and the many subtle questions that are usually brushed under the carpet in such courses. As one of the most lucid accounts of the above questions, it provides enlightening reading for all those seeking answers, including students, lecturers, researchers and philosophers of science. 410 0$aUndergraduate Lecture Notes in Physics,$x2192-4805 606 $aMathematical physics 606 $aThermodynamics 606 $aPhysics$xPhilosophy 606 $aTheoretical, Mathematical and Computational Physics 606 $aThermodynamics 606 $aPhilosophical Foundations of Physics and Astronomy 615 0$aMathematical physics. 615 0$aThermodynamics. 615 0$aPhysics$xPhilosophy. 615 14$aTheoretical, Mathematical and Computational Physics. 615 24$aThermodynamics. 615 24$aPhilosophical Foundations of Physics and Astronomy. 676 $a530.13 676 $a530.13 700 $aBricmont$b J$g(Jean),$028555 801 0$bMiAaPQ 801 1$bMiAaPQ 801 2$bMiAaPQ 912 $a9910544865103321 996 $aMaking Sense of Statistical Mechanics$92762657 997 $aUNINA