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Almost perfect lecture notes

Customer Rating:

This slim volume offers an introduction into the laws of thermodynamics. No funny stuff, just plain and basic explaining. If you simply want to know the principles of this branch of physics, this book will lift your grasp of the matter from highschool to college level in an admirable way. Only when at the end of the book, in the process of explaining the third law, he introduces the spin of an electron, does Peter Atkins stray away from the until then crystal clear reasoning. Cleaning up the non-intuitive steps in this chapter would have made the book truly perfect.

clarity depth and economy

Customer Rating:

Introduction This remarkably slim volume primer for basic principles of `Thermodynamics' shows great clarity and economy in its descriptions. If you saw this on a shelf you might consider its of a low academic quality, but i.m.h.o this is a mistake. However please note, this does not contain explicit mathematical descriptions, such as Partial derivatives equations using Vector Calculus e.g. DIV, GRAD, Curl or anything approaching this, so please bear this in mind. What does it cover? The Prof. begins by defining energy principles that allow for the quickest, clearest comprehension. The mathematical supporting these statements is largely removed to give an orientating guide to understanding of the reader in the main features of this topic. Topics described with superb clarity are the 'Zeroth Law', and the concept of temperature and work, the conservation of energy, descriptive features about the second law with regard to entropy and work in `Carnot heat engines', and finishing with the unattainably nature of zero k and how this follows into basic quantum theory. Summary For what's its worth I have seen a Dr. Engineering (I will not name) use this book as the basis for his lectures. He regarded this volume possessing "deep understanding for a new students perspective" and "is the model of clarity often used by senior tutors to compare their own teaching styles".