Thermal Properties of Matter (IOP Concise Physics)

The ancient Greeks believed that all matter was composed of four elements: earth, water, air, and fire. By a remarkable coincidence (or perhaps not), today we know that there are four states of matter: solids (e.g. earth), liquids (e.g. water), gasses (e.g. air) and plasma (e.g. ionized gas produced by fire). The plasma state is beyond the scope of this book and we will only look at the first three states. Although on the microscopic level all matter is made from atoms or molecules, everyday experience tells us that the three states have very different properties. The aim of this book is to examine some of these properties and the underlying physics.

Joe Khachan is an Associate Professor in the School of Physics at The University of Sydney, Australia. His field of research is experimental plasma physics with a focus on the generation of clean and sustainable energy from the fusion of atomic nuclei in the plasma. He obtained his PhD from the University of New South Wales, Australia, and has been actively involved in research and education for more than 20 years. His fields of research have covered both the solid and plasma states of matter.