1. Overview of The Structure of Physics: Where do Statistical &Thermal Physics fit in to the structure & organization?

2. The Structure of Physics
Classical Physics is The Foundation
of pure & applied (macroscopic) physics & engineering!
Newton’s Laws + Electromagnetism
+ Statistical Mechanics + Thermodynamics.
(The Latter Topics are what this course is about!)
These together give a good description of most of the macroscopic world.

3. The Structure of Physics
Classical Physics is The Foundation
of pure & applied (macroscopic) physics & engineering!
Newton’s Laws + Electromagnetism
+ Statistical Mechanics + Thermodynamics.
(The Latter Topics are what this course is about!)
These together give a good description of most of the macroscopic world.
Classical Mechanics
(Newton, Lagrange, Hamilton,..)
The Physics of the 17th & 18th Centuries.
Still useful in the 21st Century!!

4. Physics Structure
1. Classical Electromagnetism & Optics
(Newton, Coulomb, Gauss, Ampere, Faraday, Maxwell,..)
The Physics of the 18th & 19th centuries.
Still useful in the 21st Century!

5. Special (& General) Relativity
Physics Structure
1. Classical Electromagnetism & Optics
(Newton, Coulomb, Gauss, Ampere, Faraday, Maxwell,..)
The Physics of the 18th & 19th centuries.
Still useful in the 21st Century!
2. High Speeds (v ≤ ~ c) 
Special (& General) Relativity
(Einstein, ..) 20th & 21st Century Physics!

6. (Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg….)
Physics Structure
3. Small Size (atomic & smaller):
Quantum Mechanics
(Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg….)
20th & 21st Century physics!

7. Physics Structure Quantum Mechanics Quantum Field Theory
3. Small Size (atomic & smaller):
Quantum Mechanics
(Bohr, Schrödinger, Heisenberg….)
20th & 21st Century physics!
4. Relativity + Quantum Mechanics:
Relativistic Quantum Mechanics
(Dirac,…) 20th & 21st Century physics!
Quantum Field Theory
(Feynman, Schwinger, ..) 20th & 21st Century physics!

8. “Mechanics” The 4 Fundamental
HOW objects move (behave) under given forces.
(Usually) Does not deal with the sources of forces.
Answers the question:
Given the forces, how do objects move?
Forces in the universe are classified into 4 types:
The 4 Fundamental
Forces Of Nature!
Some version of Mechanics
applies to all four!

9. The 4 Fundamental Forces of Nature The sources of the forces, in order of decreasing strength

10. The Strong Nuclear Force:
The 4 Fundamental Forces of Nature The sources of the forces, in order of decreasing strength
The Strong Nuclear Force:
Binds nuclei together. Explained by the “Standard Model” & Quantum Chromodynamics. Still being researched.

11. The Electromagnetic Force:
The 4 Fundamental Forces of Nature The sources of the forces, in order of decreasing strength
The Strong Nuclear Force:
Binds nuclei together. Explained by the “Standard Model” & Quantum Chromodynamics. Still being researched.
The Electromagnetic Force:
E&M phenomena. Chemical forces. Most everyday forces. Maxwell, Coulomb, Ampere, Faraday, ...

12. The Electromagnetic Force: The Weak Nuclear Force:
The 4 Fundamental Forces of Nature The sources of the forces, in order of decreasing strength
The Strong Nuclear Force:
Binds nuclei together. Explained by the “Standard Model” & Quantum Chromodynamics. Still being researched.
The Electromagnetic Force:
E&M phenomena. Chemical forces. Most everyday forces. Maxwell, Coulomb, Ampere, Faraday, ...
The Weak Nuclear Force:
Nuclear decay. Fermi, Bethe, others. Electroweak Theory.

13. The Strong Nuclear Force: The Electromagnetic Force:
The 4 Fundamental Forces of Nature The sources of the forces, in order of decreasing strength
The Strong Nuclear Force:
Binds nuclei together. Explained by the “Standard Model” & Quantum Chromodynamics. Still being researched.
The Electromagnetic Force:
E&M phenomena. Chemical forces. Most everyday forces. Maxwell, Coulomb, Ampere, Faraday, ...
The Weak Nuclear Force:
Nuclear decay. Fermi, Bethe, others. Electroweak Theory.
The Gravitational Force:
Newton (classical mechanics),
Einstein (general relativity), Hawking….

14. The 4 Fundamental Forces of Nature The sources of the forces, in order of decreasing strength

15. The Four Fundamental Forces
The “Electro-Weak” Force
Since ~ the late 1960’s, in some sense,
the 4 fundamental forces
have been reduced to 3!
The Electromagnetic Force & the Weak Nuclear Force were combined into one theory. This was done by S. Weinberg & A. Salaam. For this work, they received the
1979 Nobel Prize in Physics!

16. The Standard Model of Particle Physics
“Periodic Table for Elementary Particles”! Quantum Chromodynamics (QCD) & the Electroweak Theory
Protons & Neutrons consist of 3 Quarks each.

17. The Standard Model

18. The Standard Model

19. The Standard Model

21. The Rest of Physics! Statistical Mechanics (& Thermodynamics)
What we’ve mentioned so far is  all of physics except:
Statistical Mechanics (& Thermodynamics)
(This course ≡ “Stat Mech” )
“Stat Mech” is the mechanics of systems of huge numbers (>> ~ 1023) of particles.
Stat Mech:
1. Uses Probability & Statistics to calculate macroscopic properties from microscopic force laws.
2. Applies to BOTH the Classical & the Quantum worlds!
3. Is the major link between microscopic & macroscopic physics!
4. Contains Thermodynamics as a sub-theory!

22. Statistical Mechanics is important because it is the major link
The Most Important Point:
Statistical Mechanics is
important because it is
the major link
between microscopic & macroscopic physics!