Foundations of Statistical Mechanics (Paperback)

W.T. Grandy Jr.

ISBN 10: 9401077975 / ISBN 13: 9789401077972

Published by Springer, Dordrecht, 2011

About this Item

Paperback. In this volume we continue the logical development of the work begun in Volume I, and the equilibrium theory now becomes a very special case of the exposition presented here. Once a departure is made from equilibrium, however, the problems become deeper and more subtle-and unlike the equilibrium theory, many aspects of nonequilibrium phenomena remain poorly understood. For over a century a great deal of effort has been expended on the attempt to develop a comprehensive and sensible description of nonequilibrium phenomena and irreversible processes. What has emerged is a hodgepodge of ad hoc constructs that do little to provide either a firm foundation, or a systematic means for proceeding to higher levels of understanding with respect to ever more complicated examples of nonequilibria. Although one should rightfully consider this situation shameful, the amount of effort invested testifies to the degree of difficulty of the problems. In Volume I it was emphasized strongly that the traditional exposition of equilibrium theory lacked a certain cogency which tended to impede progress with extending those considerations to more complex nonequilibrium problems. The reasons for this were adduced to be an unfortunate reliance on ergodicity and the notions of kinetic theory, but in the long run little harm was done regarding the treatment of equilibrium problems. On the nonequilibrium level the potential for disaster increases enormously, as becomes evident already in Chapter 1. In this volume we continue the logical development of the work begun in Volume I, and the equilibrium theory now becomes a very special case of the exposition presented here. Shipping may be from multiple locations in the US or from the UK, depending on stock availability.

Seller Inventory # 9789401077972

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Foundations of Statistical Mechanics (Paperback)
• Publisher: Springer, Dordrecht
• Publication Date: 2011
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 9401077975
• ISBN 13: 9789401077972
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: new

About this title

Synopsis

In this volume we continue the logical development of the work begun in Volume I, and the equilibrium theory now becomes a very special case of the exposition presented here. Once a departure is made from equilibrium, however, the problems become deeper and more subtle-and unlike the equilibrium theory, many aspects of nonequilibrium phenomena remain poorly understood. For over a century a great deal of effort has been expended on the attempt to develop a comprehensive and sensible description of nonequilibrium phenomena and irreversible processes. What has emerged is a hodgepodge of ad hoc constructs that do little to provide either a firm foundation, or a systematic means for proceeding to higher levels of understanding with respect to ever more complicated examples of nonequilibria. Although one should rightfully consider this situation shameful, the amount of effort invested testifies to the degree of difficulty of the problems. In Volume I it was emphasized strongly that the traditional exposition of equilibrium theory lacked a certain cogency which tended to impede progress with extending those considerations to more complex nonequilibrium problems. The reasons for this were adduced to be an unfortunate reliance on ergodicity and the notions of kinetic theory, but in the long run little harm was done regarding the treatment of equilibrium problems. On the nonequilibrium level the potential for disaster increases enormously, as becomes evident already in Chapter 1.