100 Best Thermodynamics Books of All Time

Belgian philosopher Isabelle Stengers and Ilya Prigogine, winner of the Nobel Prize in 1977 for his work on the thermodynamics of non-equilibrium systems, make their ideas accessible to a wide audience in this book, which has engendered massive debate in Europe and America. Stengers and Prigogine show how the two great themes of classic science, order and chaos, which coexisted uneasily for centuries, are being reconciled in a new and unexpected synthesis.

It has been 140 years since Clausius coined the term entropy ; almost 50 years since Shannon developed the mathematical theory of information subsequently renamed entropy. In this book, the author advocates replacing entropy by information, a term that has become widely used in many branches of science.

The author also takes a new and bold approach to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. Information is used not only as a tool for predicting distributions but as the fundamental cornerstone concept of thermodynamics, held until now by the term entropy.

The topics covered include the fundamentals of probability and information theory; the general concept of information as well as the particular concept of information as applied in thermodynamics; the re-derivation of the Sackur Tetrode equation for the entropy of an ideal gas from purely informational arguments; the fundamental formalism of statistical mechanics; and many examples of simple processes the driving force for which is analyzed in terms of information.

Contents: Elements of Probability Theory; Elements of Information Theory; Transition from the General MI to the Thermodynamic MI; The Structure of the Foundations of Statistical Thermodynamics; Some Simple Applications.

Wallace and Hobbs’ original edition of Atmospheric Science helped define the field nearly 30 years ago, and has served as the cornerstone for most university curriculums. Now students and professionals alike can use this updated classic to understand atmospheric phenomena in the context of the latest discoveries and technologies, and prepare themselves for more advanced study and real-life problem solving.

Atmospheric Science, Second Edition, has been completely revamped in terms of content and appearance. It contains new chapters on atmospheric chemistry, the Earth system,climate, and the atmospheric boundary layer, as well as enhanced treatment of atmospheric dynamics, weather forecasting, radiative transfer, severe storms, and human impacts, such as global warming. The authors illustrate concepts with colorful state-of-the-art imagery and cover a vast amount of new information in the field. They have also developed several online materials for instructors who adopt the text.

With its thorough coverage of the fundamentals, clear explanations, and extensive updates, Wallace & Hobbs' Atmospheric Science, Second Edition, is the essential first step in educating today's atmospheric scientists.

* Full-color satellite imagery and cloud photographs illustrate principles throughout
* Extensive numerical and qualitative exercises emphasize the application of basic physical principles to problems in the atmospheric sciences
* Biographical footnotes summarize the lives and work of scientists mentioned in the text, and provide students with a sense of the long history of meteorology
* Companion website encourages more advanced exploration of text topics: supplementary information, images, and bonus exercises

Thermodynamics in Materials Science, Second Edition is a clear presentation of how thermodynamic data is used to predict the behavior of a wide range of materials, a crucial component in the decision-making process for many materials science and engineering applications. This primary textbook and ongoing reference accentuates the integration of principles, strategies, and thermochemical data to generate accurate “maps” of equilibrium states, such as phase diagrams, predominance diagrams, and Pourbaix corrosion diagrams. It also recommends which maps are best suited for specific real-world scenarios and thermodynamic problems.

The second edition yet. Each chapter presents its subject matter consistently, based on the classification of thermodynamic systems, properties, and derivations that illustrate important relationships among variables for finding the conditions for equilibrium. Each chapter also contains a summary of important concepts and relationships as well as examples and sample problems that apply appropriate strategies for solving real-world problems.

The up-to-date and complete coverage ofthermodynamic data, laws, definitions, strategies, and tools in Thermodynamics in Materials Science, Second Edition provides students and practicing engineers a valuable guide for producing and applying maps of equilibrium states to everyday applications in materials sciences.

Concise yet thorough, accessible, authoritative, and affordable. These are the hallmarks of books in the remarkable Physics and its Applications series.

Thermodynamics is an essential part of any physical sciences education, but it is so full of pitfalls and subtleties, that many students fail to appreciate its elegance and power. In Thermal Physics, the author emphasizes understanding the basic ideas and shows how the important thermodynamics results can be simply obtained from the fundamental relations without getting lost in a maze of partial differentials.

In this second edition, Dr. Finn incorporated new sections on scales of temperature, availability, the degradation of energy, and lattice defects. The text contains ample illustrations and examples of applications of thermodynamics in physics, engineering, and chemistry.