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This is the website for PY 410, Statistical and Thermal Physics.
This website will be updated with lecture notes and homework assignments.
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Course information and syllabus pdf
Office Hours: Pankaj Mehta: Wed 3:30-4:30pm, SCI 323. Ching-Hao Wang: TBD
Instructor: Pankaj Mehta
Grader: Ching-Hao Wang (chinghao@bu.edu)
Textbook: Entropy, Order Parametes, and Complexity by Jim Sethna. Available free
here.
The corresponding website is also a great
resource we will use.
Programming:We will perform programming exercises Programming exercises will be performed in python.
For Python (the preferred language for the class), I recommend the Anaconda distribution with the spyder IDE which can be downloaded
here Please bring Laptops to class.
You can get mathematica here.
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Week 1-2
Notebook 1 Central Limit Theorem as python notebook and html
Homework 1: Probability I. Due February 7th. Please start early. pdf
Suggested Readings: Chapter 1, Chapter 2.1, any set of good notes on probability theory.
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Week 3-4
Homework 2: Diffusion and Random Walks. Due February 23rd. Please start early. pdf
Suggested Readings: Chapter 2 of Sethna.
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Week 4-7
Homework 3: Microcannical Ensemble, Entropy, Fundamental Thermodynamic Relation UPDATED. Due March 23 (new date). Please start early. This HW is long: 6 problems.
There will be extra office hours March 20 from 10:00am-noon. pdf
Suggested Readings: Chapter 3,5 of Sethna.
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Week 7-8
Homework 4: Free Energy and Thermodynamics UPDATED. Due March 30 pdf
Suggested Readings: Chapter 3,5,6 of Sethna.
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Week 9-10
Homework 5: Partition Function Fun. Due April 13 pdf
Suggested Readings: Chapter 7 of Sethna and Chapter 6 of
Gould and Tobochnik. Note all problems are from later readings this week.
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Week 11-13
Homework 6: Monte-Carlo Methods pdf
Suggested Readings: Chapter 8 of Sethna and notes from Harvard.
Notebook for section. Metropolis-Hastings
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