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 Wed 10/16
Day 17 Thurs 10/17
Changing entropy
Heat and Work
Day 18 Fri 10/18
Day 19 Mon 10/21
Day 20 Tues 10/22
The Rubber Band Lab
You will be collecting data to quantify the decrease in entropy when a rubber band is isothermally stretched.
Day 21 Wed 10/23
Day 22 Thurs 10/24
Day 23 Fri 10/25
Day 24 Mon 10/28
Topic for Monday
Interstellar medium
Day 25 Tues 10/29
Day 26 Wed 10/30
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.