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Statistical Mechanics, 3e
'This is an excellent book from which to learn the methods and results of statistical mechanics.' Nature 'A well written graduate-level text for scientists and engineers... Highly recommended for graduate-level libraries.' Choice This highly successful text, which first appeared in the year 1972 and has continued to be popular ever since, has now been brought up-to-date by incorporating the remarkable developments in the field of 'phase transitions and critical phenomena' that took place over the intervening years. This has been done by adding three new chapters (comprising over 150 pages and containing over 60 homework problems) which should enhance the usefulness of the book for both students and instructors. We trust that this classic text, which has been widely acclaimed for its clean derivations and clear explanations, will continue to provide further generations of students a sound training in the methods of statistical physics.
Paperback
First published September 1, 1972
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About the author
R.K. Pathria
2 books5 followersProfessor Raj Kumar Pathria is a theoretical physicist and an Urdu poet. Pathria is known for his work on Superfluidity in liquid helium, Lorentz transformation of thermodynamic quantities, a rigorous evaluation of lattice sums and finite-size effects in phase transitions.
Pathria is also the author of a well-known graduate text book on Statistical Mechanics, which has recently appeared in its third edition. He also wrote a book on Relativity that has been published in a Dover edition.
Pathria is also the author of a well-known graduate text book on Statistical Mechanics, which has recently appeared in its third edition. He also wrote a book on Relativity that has been published in a Dover edition.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
May 15, 2011
Most would probably agree that finding a good graduate-level textbook on statistical mechanics is a near-impossible endeavor. However, your quest may be at an end, because this is probably the best graduate-level textbook out there to date.
Graduate texts, in my experience, rarely attempt to provide physical insight. Rather, they are focused on rigorously deriving the laws and equations that you need in order to perform physical calculations. I'm not saying I agree with this methodology, but it does seem to be the case more often than not. And this book is no exception.
Prerequisite knowledge for this text would include at least an undergraduate class in quantum mechanics (familiarity with the operator notation, the operator version of Schrodinger's equation, as well as choice of space and momentum representations) and an acquaintance with Hamilton's canonical equations (mainly the q and p variables). Without this background, much of the latter chapters might be hard to follow.
This book covers a complete list of topics, though I found it lacking in a couple of ways. The most glaring omission is that there is no mention of the Boltzmann Transport Equation. And there is no in-depth treatment of the Debye theory of phonons, though I have to admit the treatment here is as good as any I've seen in other books.
Many of Pathria's derivations (for example, deriving the conditions for Bose-Einstein condensation) are much shorter and simpler than those in other texts. It is assumed you already know how to do the mathematics, and stat mech is by nature a very mathematical subject, though Pathria did delegate much of the mathematical stuff -- like Guassian integrals, Gamma functions, etc -- to a few concise appendices. Compared to the dense morass of mathematics you'll find in some graduate texts, Pathria is a breath of fresh air.
If you are looking for a gentler introduction to statistical mechanics, I can't recommend enough "Thermal Physics" by Kittel and Kroemer. This is the de facto standard for an undergraduate course in statistical mechanics. The only drawback I see with Kittel and Kroemer is that it is an entirely quantum-based approach to statistical mechanics, and that's not what everyone is looking for. Perhaps surprisingly, or perhaps not, the quantum approach does make the mathematics easier to follow (assuming a very passing acquaintance with quantum mechanics), since you deal only with sums rather than the more complicated integrals over phase space that are required for a classical treatment.
Overall, I think this is the best graduate level book in statistical mechanics that I've come across, far superior to Huang or Reichl. Feynman's and Landau's books, though dated, are also worth looking into, because it's hard to beat the master instructors of physics. From my conversations with graduate students, I think most agree that this is one of the best graduate level stat mech books out there.
Graduate texts, in my experience, rarely attempt to provide physical insight. Rather, they are focused on rigorously deriving the laws and equations that you need in order to perform physical calculations. I'm not saying I agree with this methodology, but it does seem to be the case more often than not. And this book is no exception.
Prerequisite knowledge for this text would include at least an undergraduate class in quantum mechanics (familiarity with the operator notation, the operator version of Schrodinger's equation, as well as choice of space and momentum representations) and an acquaintance with Hamilton's canonical equations (mainly the q and p variables). Without this background, much of the latter chapters might be hard to follow.
This book covers a complete list of topics, though I found it lacking in a couple of ways. The most glaring omission is that there is no mention of the Boltzmann Transport Equation. And there is no in-depth treatment of the Debye theory of phonons, though I have to admit the treatment here is as good as any I've seen in other books.
Many of Pathria's derivations (for example, deriving the conditions for Bose-Einstein condensation) are much shorter and simpler than those in other texts. It is assumed you already know how to do the mathematics, and stat mech is by nature a very mathematical subject, though Pathria did delegate much of the mathematical stuff -- like Guassian integrals, Gamma functions, etc -- to a few concise appendices. Compared to the dense morass of mathematics you'll find in some graduate texts, Pathria is a breath of fresh air.
If you are looking for a gentler introduction to statistical mechanics, I can't recommend enough "Thermal Physics" by Kittel and Kroemer. This is the de facto standard for an undergraduate course in statistical mechanics. The only drawback I see with Kittel and Kroemer is that it is an entirely quantum-based approach to statistical mechanics, and that's not what everyone is looking for. Perhaps surprisingly, or perhaps not, the quantum approach does make the mathematics easier to follow (assuming a very passing acquaintance with quantum mechanics), since you deal only with sums rather than the more complicated integrals over phase space that are required for a classical treatment.
Overall, I think this is the best graduate level book in statistical mechanics that I've come across, far superior to Huang or Reichl. Feynman's and Landau's books, though dated, are also worth looking into, because it's hard to beat the master instructors of physics. From my conversations with graduate students, I think most agree that this is one of the best graduate level stat mech books out there.
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May 25, 2016I've already skimmed through the book in my Masters last year. Its mathematically rigorous comparing with other textbooks and certainly one of the best books out there.
February 26, 2021
Molt bon llibre per treure un 5,2 a una assignatura que t'has d'autoensenyar perquè a la Universitat de Barcelona són uns inútils.
March 11, 2015
This is a great book - it's long, but it reads well and flows with good explanatory text. The only downside is that it doesn't provide much in the way of quantum annotation or explanations (includes some quantum mechanics and wavefunctions (in performing statistical situations, such as classical phase systems versus wavefunction/conjugate systems)). Very fun read, linking thermodynamics to statistics.
February 1, 2010
this book is exceptionally good for studying the statistics
Currently reading
October 31, 2011Keep there
April 21, 2016
Now, clearly...
November 5, 2007
AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAgh! Stat Mech sucks!
Read
January 6, 2008Had to read this for grad school, but its not bad. I'd still recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews