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Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell, Second Edition

Series: In a Nutshell
Brief Description
The essential introduction to modern statistical mechanics, now completely updated and expanded. Statistical mechanics is one of the most exciting areas of physics today and has applications to subjects ranging from economics and social behaviour to algorithmic theory and evolutionary biology. Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell... Read More
Format: Hardback
$17000
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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

The essential introduction to modern statistical mechanics, now completely updated and expanded.

Statistical mechanics is one of the most exciting areas of physics today and has applications to subjects ranging from economics and social behaviour to algorithmic theory and evolutionary biology. Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell provides a self-contained introduction to this rapidly developing field. Starting with the basics of kinetic theory and requiring only a background in elementary calculus and mechanics, this concise book discusses the most important developments of recent decades and guides readers to the very threshold of today's cutting-edge research.

Features include:

  • A new chapter on stochastic thermodynamics with an introduction to the thermodynamics of information, the first treatment of its kind in an introductory textbook.
  • A more detailed account of numerical simulations, including simulated annealing and other accelerated Monte Carlo methods.
  • An accessible introduction to the replica theory of spin glasses and the Hopfield theory of neural networks in the chapter on complex systems, with an emphasis on applications.
  • A new discussion of defect-mediated transitions and their implications for two-dimensional melting.
  • An invaluable resource for graduate students and advanced undergraduates seeking a compact primer on the core ideas of statistical mechanics.
  • Solutions manual (available only to instructors).

Series: In a Nutshell

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  • Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell, Second Edition
    The essential introduction to modern statistical mechanics, now completely updated and expanded. Statistical mechanics is one of the most exciting areas of physics today and has applications to subjects ranging from economics and social behaviour to algorithmic theory and evolutionary biology. Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell provides a self-contained introduction to this rapidly developing field. Starting with the basics of...
    Hardback
    $17000
    Available
    Ships in 4-6 weeks
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    A concise and authoritative introduction to one of the central theories of modern physics. For a theory as genuinely elegant as the Standard Modelβ€”the current framework describing elementary particles and their forcesβ€”it can sometimes appear to students to be little more than a complicated collection of particles and ranked list of interactions. The Standard Model in a Nutshell provides a...
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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780691248424

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 06 August 2024

Country: United States

Imprint: Princeton University Press

Edition: 2nd edition

Illustration: 74 line illus. 6 tables.

Contributors:

  • Foreword by Anthony Zee

Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 178.0mm

Height: 254.0mm

Weight: 250g

Pages: 576

About the Author

Luca Peliti is deputy director of the Santa Marinella Research Institute and professor emeritus of statistical mechanics at the University of Naples Federico II. He is the author (with Simone Pigolotti) of Stochastic Thermodynamics: An Introduction (Princeton).

Also by Luca Peliti

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  • Stochastic Thermodynamics
    The first comprehensive graduate-level introduction to stochastic thermodynamics. Stochastic Thermodynamics is a well-defined subfield of statistical physics that aims to interpret thermodynamic concepts for systems ranging in size from a few to hundreds of nanometers. The behaviour of these systems is inherently random due to thermal fluctuations. This growing field, therefore, describes the nonequilibrium dynamics of small systems, such as...
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