3 Basics of Thermodynamics and Statistics

Abstract

After having introduced some central concepts, results, and equations from quantum mechanics, we will now present the main definitions and laws of phenomenological thermodynamics and of thermostatistics. The aim is not at all to give a complete overview of the concepts of classical thermodynamics, but a brief introduction and summary of this old and useful theory. For a complete exposition of the subject we refer to some standard textbooks [24, 65, 108, 131]. (A timeline of notable events ranging from 1575 to 1980 can be found in [13].)