With the aim of presenting thermodynamics in as simple and as unified a form aspossible this textbook starts with an introduction to the first and secondlaws an... » 

With the aim of presenting thermodynamics in as simple and as unified a form aspossible this textbook starts with an introduction to the first and secondlaws and then promptly addresses the complete set of the potentials in asubsequent chapter and as a central theme throughout. Before discussing modernlaboratory measurements the book shows that the fundamental quantities soughtin the laboratory are those which are required for determining the potentials.Since the subjects of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics are a seamlesswhole statistical mechanics is treated as integral part of the text. Other keytopics such as irreversibility the ideas of Ilya Prigogine chemical reactionrates equilibrium of heterogeneous systems and transitionstate theory serveto round out this modern treatment. An additional chapter covers quantumstatistical mechanics due to active current research in BoseEinsteincondensation. Endofchapter exercises chapter summaries and an appendixreviewing fundamental prerequisites supply students with helpful reinforcementand practice with key concepts. «