Displacements of a one-dimensional chain, and coarse-graining. (Image by Prof. Mehran Kardar.)
Course Highlights
Course Description
This is the second term in a two-semester course on statistical mechanics. Basic principles are examined in 8.334, such as the laws of thermodynamics and the concepts of temperature, work, heat, and entropy. Topics from modern statistical mechanics are also explored including the hydrodynamic limit and classical field theories.