The structure of this book is designed to facilitate coherent development of classical and statistical thermodynamic principles. The book begins with coverage of microscale energy storage mechanisms from a modern quantum mechanics perspective. This information is then incorporated into a statistical thermodynamics analysis of many-particle systems with fixed internal energy, volume, and number of particles. From this analysis emerges the definitions of entropy and temperature, the extremum principle form of the second law, and the fundamental relation for the system properties. The third chapter takes the concepts derived from the statistical treatment and uses mathematical techniques to expand the macroscopic thermodynamics framework. By the end of the third chapter, the full framework of classical thermodynamics is established, including definitions of all commonly used thermodynamic properties, relations among properties, different forms of the second law, and the Maxwell relations.

In the fourth chapter, statistical ensemble theory is covered, building on the initial statistical treatment in Chapter 2 and the expanded macroscopic framework developed in Chapter 3. The canonical ensemble and grand canonical ensemble formalisms are developed, and the relations developed from these formalisms are used to explore the significance of fluctuations in thermodynamics systems. By the end of the fourth chapter all the fundamental elements of classical and statistical thermodynamics have been established. Chapters 5–7 deal with applications of equilibrium statistical thermodynamics to solid, liquid, and gas phase systems.

The final three chapters of the text cover thermal phenomena that involve nonequilibrium and/or noncontinuum effects.