An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics

The first chapter derives the ensembles from the quantum perspective.
This has the advantage of generality and the disadvantage that
it requires some rudimentary knowledge of quanta and is less
expedient for the scientist who is only concerned with classical
stat-mech.

Once the foundations are laid, the book is divided into
applications to non-interacting and interacting systems. In the
latter category is the virial expansion for imperfect gases. This
derivation makes an unnecessary effort to introduce a relative
activity. The derivation in Jackson's book is more transparent
and shorter without sacrificing rigor. The Mayer expansion for
hard spheres is treated in useful detail.

Chapter 18 includes a good description of the Debye-Hueckel theory
of electrolytes. The derivation of the Flory-Huggins theory of
polymer solutions in Chapter 21 is excellent - more concise and
effortless than all others that I have seen. Chapter 14 covers the
solution of the one-dimensional Ising magnet but I still have trouble
understanding this one. The appendices are useful and include
the maximum term method and method of undetermined multipliers
which are the cornerstone of the fundamental theorems.


No better place to start with Stat Mech   July 5, 2000
Ernest Boehm (Des Plaines, IL United States)
14 out of 16 found this review helpful

If you are intrested with studing statistical mechanics then start here. Hill starts from the defintions and postulates of thermodynamics and then moves into applications and problems. You will need to understand Diff EQ for this book.

The first chapter took me a week to read and work out the math but then I red the rest in 4 weeks. It is a hard start because Hill develops your background before starting with applications of the theory. I really began to grasp the subject after reading this book. Ohter books will not lay the mathout as well as Hill does. It is a hard read because Hill is so thorough, but the rewasd is well worth the struggle. It is a great introduction and I suggest all of Hill's Stat mech book. Another great bargin from DOVER PRESS.

At the price I recomend it to all graduate chemical engineers and chemists


An Introduction to Statistical Thermodynamics- Terrel L.Hill   August 31, 2005
S. Padmanbhan (Bochum, Germany)
2 out of 3 found this review helpful

An excellent text book for Physical Chemist who want to get sound footing in Statistical Thermodynamics.Inorder to really get a good view of the basics of statistical mechanics the reader really needs to spend an adequate amount of time in digesting the contents of the initial chapter. However, after spending some amount of time in reading those initial chapters, one can grasp the latter parts of the book in a quite interesting fashion.In my opinion, this book is a must for those who want to master the statstical thermodynamics. Infact, one would be really amazed at the standard of the book considering the fact that it is reasonably old. No new standard books on ' Statistical Mechanics' can provide such an adequate foundations as it in this book. I would strongly recommend this book along with the other book 'Statistical Mechanics' by the same author.
Sasisanker Padmanabhan


great handbook   September 30, 2007
Meriou (Colombia)
i'm a student of applied chemistry and this book has everything you need too know as undergraduate of statistical thermodynamics


Very good introduction to the field   July 29, 2008
Lehmann Jean (New York)
The authors takes time to explain the basic hypotheses of statistical mechanics. I believe that it is an excellent introduction to this field.