Course Name
Paradigms in Physics: Energy and Entropy
Course Number
ph423
Year/Term
Winter-2026
Course Credits
3
Class meeting times
7 hours of lecture per week for five weeks
Prerequisites
Recommended PH 213
Course description
Thermodynamics and canonical statistical mechanics.
Topic/Day
Activities
Resources
Homework Due
Day 1 W1 D1
Day 2 W1 D2
Interpreting derivatives
Day 3 W1 D3
Ice calorimetry lab
Textbook reading: Schroeder section 1.6 "Heat Capacities".
Day 4 W2 D1
Math Bits:
Derivatives and differentials
Day 5 W2 D2
Day 6 W2 D3
New Row
New Row
Day 7 W3 D1
Math Bits:
PDM Dictionary
Day 8 W3 D2
Math Bits:
Partial Derivatives (activity with surface)
Math Bits:
Other multivariable systems
Isolength and Isoforce Stretchability on the PDM
Day 9 W4 D1
Day 10 W4 D2
Day 11 W4 D3
Day 12 W5 D1
Midterm review
Day 13 W5 D2
Symmetry of partial derivatives
Day 14 W5 D3
Discussion of free expansion worksheet
Day 15 W6 D1
Day 16 W6 D2
Day 17 W6 D3
Day 18 W7 D1
Day 19 W7 D2
Day 20 W7 D3
Day 21 W8 D1
Day 22 W8 D2
Math Bits
Legendre transformations
Day 23 W8 D3
Day 24 W9 D1
The Rubber Band Lab
You will be collecting data to quantify the decrease in entropy when a rubber band is isothermally stretched.
Day 25 W9 D2
Day 26 W9 D3
Day 27 W10 D1
Topic for Monday
Interstellar medium
Day 28 W10 D2
Boltzmann Statistics
Day 29 W10 D3
Boltzmann Statistics
Day 27 Thurs 10/31
Thermodynamic properties from Boltzmann Stats
Day 28 Fri 11/1
Final - Mon 16 March
Final exam
7:00pm - 9:00pm on Monday evening.