An Introduction into Thermodynamics

The book presents Boltzmann's original probabilistic theory of heat for bodies with many degrees of freedom, which is known as Thermodynamics. The natural character of the concepts of temperature and maximum of entropy is emphasized, and a straightforward derivation of the Gibbs distribution is given. The thermodynamic potentials are introduced and their role in thermodynamic transformations is discussed. A special attention is given to fluctuations and dissipation. The book includes many applications, those implying special formulations being presented in detail. In particular, a few examples of phase transitions are given, and an extended discussion of the magnetocaloric effect is included. A special example of statistical distributions for earthquakes is given. The book is addressed to students and researchers who are interested in exploring new ways of investigation in the old discipline of Thermodynamics.