Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics - BMETE11AP60

Information for semester 2025/26/2

 

Course description 

 

 

Teams page

 

The course will have an associated team in the institutional Microsoft Teams, for which the access code will be distributed to registered students via the Neptun system. We communicate via Neptun and Teams, and you can access most resources (lecture notes, homeworks) there.

 

Recommended reading

 

The course will mainly follow the following textbook: A. Rex: Finn's Thermal Physics (3rd Ed.), CRC Press, 2017

Supplementary lecture notes for topics not covered in the book will be provided on Teams

Additional reading: 

  • R. A. Serway and J. W. Jewett: Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Modern Physics (10th Ed.),  Cengage Learning, 2018. (SJ)

  • R. A. Serway, C. J. Moses and C. A. Moyer: Modern Physics (3rd Ed.),  Thomson Learning, 2005. (SMM) 

Bonus reading covering additional material:

  • Online lecture notes by Michael Fowler (includes interesting details on the history of thermodynamics)

  • Stephen and Katherine Blundell: Concepts in Thermal Physics (textbook covering more than this course with a heavier focus on statistical physics and kinetic theory)

  • E. T. Jaynes' article on the Gibbs paradox (includes some useful discussions on the meaning of entropy)

  • A guide to entropy and the 2nd law (for the more mathematically minded)


Course requirements

 

Midterm exams

 

The course will feature two written problem-solving exams. The planned dates for the two exams are:

  • Exam 1: April 22, Wed., 8:15 - 10:00
  • Exam 2: May 27, Wed., 8:15 - 10:00

There will be a re-take for each exam with a precise date to be announced later. 

Conditions for signature

 

Passing both problem-solving exams (threshold: 40%). 


Final exam 


There will be a written exam covering the contents of the lectures on the week of June 8 with a repeat exam scheduled later during the exam period. The exam will cover all the topic discussed in the lectures, focusing on basic definitions and important statements, without extended derivations. There will also be some bonus questions involving more detailed derivations for bonus points (see below).


Grading


A passing grade requires passing a threshold of 40% on all three tests (two midterms and final exam). Beyond this, the grade will be determined by the total number of points obtained in the three exams with the two midterms counting for 25 points each and the final exam counting for 50 points for a total of 100 points maximum (without bonus points - see below). 

The planned thresholds for the various grades are 

  1. Fail: 0 - 39.9%
  2. Pass: 40 - 54.9%
  3. Average: 55% - 69.9%
  4. Good: 70% - 84.9%
  5. Excellent: 85% or more


Homework and bonus points

 

After each exercise class, solution to selected problems can be submitted at the next exercise class for bonus points. There is no way to submit missed homeworks later. These homeworks will contribute as bonus points towards the problem-solving part of the grade with 2 points for each full solution up to a maximum of 15% of the total points.

The final exam will also have additional bonus questions for extra points not counting towards the 50 point limit.

  

Note: The information above is subject to change. Up-to-date information will be provided on the associated Teams page