Description
This book covers nearly all essential aspects of thermodynamics, incorporating elements of statistical physics where appropriate. Special emphasis is placed on developing a deep understanding of fundamental concepts such as entropy, internal work, chemical potential, and related principles. The content and presentation feature numerous innovations, and the author's original insights and findings are integrated throughout. This book is intended for undergraduate students and researchers at leading universities worldwide, either as a textbook or a reference book. We hope these perspectives will help readers understand physics from fresh and enlightening viewpoints.Key highlights include: Historical context and anecdotes that illuminate the conceptual and logical development of thermal physics. To maintain narrative flow, these stories are included as reading material in the endnotes of each section.;Introduction of a "principle of virtual heat," by analogy with d'Alembert's principle of virtual work in classical mechanics. This viewpoint reveals the existence of an extensive quantity later identified as entropy.;Identification of an independent variable from the adiabatic process of an ideal gas, with its conjectured form later confirmed to be entropy.;Explanation of the principle of entropy increase through the concept of "internal work.";A microscopic definition of thermal equilibrium and temperature: thermal equilibrium is the state in which molecular velocities follow a Gaussian distribution, with the width of that distribution corresponding to temperature.;Introduction of the concept of an "ideal van der Waals gas" and the existence of a second equation of state.;Exploration of Bose–Einstein condensation from the perspective of non-conservation of particle number and zero chemical potential.;A formal derivation of energy quantization, distinct from Planck's original approach.;We believe that these insightful perspectives will significantly enhance readers' interest in and understanding of thermal physics.