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OverviewThis book is based on the premise that the entropy concept, a fundamental element of probability theory as logic, governs all of thermal physics, both equilibrium and nonequilibrium. The variational algorithm of J. Willard Gibbs, dating from the 19th Century and extended considerably over the following 100 years, is shown to be the governing feature over the entire range of thermal phenomena, such that only the nature of the macroscopic constraints changes. Beginning with a short history of the development of the entropy concept by Rudolph Clausius and his predecessors, along with the formalization of classical thermodynamics by Gibbs, the first part of the book describes the quest to uncover the meaning of thermodynamic entropy, which leads to its relationship with probability and information as first envisioned by Ludwig Boltzmann. Recognition of entropy first of all as a fundamental element of probability theory in mid-twentieth Century led to deep insights into both statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, the details of which are presented here in several chapters. The later chapters extend these ideas to nonequilibrium statistical mechanics in an unambiguous manner, thereby exhibiting the overall unifying role of the entropy. Full Product DetailsAuthor: Walter T. Grandy, Jr. (Department of Physics, University of Wyoming)Publisher: Oxford University Press Imprint: Oxford University Press Volume: 141 Dimensions: Width: 16.20cm , Height: 1.60cm , Length: 24.10cm Weight: 0.502kg ISBN: 9780199546176ISBN 10: 0199546177 Pages: 224 Publication Date: 26 June 2008 Audience: College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly , Professional & Vocational Format: Hardback Publisher's Status: Active Availability: To order  Stock availability from the supplier is unknown. We will order it for you and ship this item to you once it is received by us. Table of Contents1: Introduction 2: Some Clarification from Another Direction 3: The Probability Connection 4: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics 5: The Presumed Extensivity of Entropy 6: Nonequilibrium States 7: Steady-State Processes 8: Sources and Time-Dependent Proceses 9: Thermal Driving 10: Application to Fluid Dynamics 11: Irreversibility, Relaxation, and the Approach to Equilibrium 12: Entropy Production and Dissipation Rates A: Perturbation Theory B: Dissipative Currents and Galilean Invariance C: Analytic Continuation of Covariance FunctionsReviewsWritten in an accessible style, the book makes numerous little-known connections between macroscopic and microscopic expressions for entropy and entropy production...Filled with many examples, Grandys thought-provoking exposition will be of interest for years to come. I would recommend it to any serious student of statistical physics. P. Salamon, Physics Today Author InformationWalter T. Grandy, Jr. Professor of Physics, Emeritus University of Wyoming Professor of Physics, University of Wyoming, 1963-1998. Visiting Professor: University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; University of Tübingen, Germany; University of Sydney, Australia. Tab Content 6Author Website:Countries AvailableAll regions |
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