Entropy and the Time Evolution of Macroscopic Systems by Walter T. Grandy, Jr. (

Description: Entropy and the Time Evolution of Macroscopic Systems by Walter T. Grandy, Jr. The book explicates the concept of entropy, particularly its governance of all of thermal physics, over a broad range of equilibrium and nonequilibrium phenomena. Historical development and modern research are presented in the context of entropy as a fundamental element of probability theory and its relation to the notion of information. FORMAT Hardcover LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description This book is based on the premise that the entropy concept, a fundamental element of probability theory as logic, governs all of thermal physics, both equilibrium and nonequilibrium. The variational algorithm of J. Willard Gibbs, dating from the 19th Century and extended considerably over the following 100 years, is shown to be the governing feature over the entire range of thermal phenomena, such that only the nature of the macroscopic constraints changes.Beginning with a short history of the development of the entropy concept by Rudolph Clausius and his predecessors, along with the formalization of classical thermodynamics by Gibbs, the first part of the bookdescribes the quest to uncover the meaning of thermodynamic entropy, which leads to its relationship with probability and information as first envisioned by Ludwig Boltzmann. Recognition of entropy first of all as a fundamental element of probability theory in mid-twentieth Century led to deep insights into both statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, the details of which are presented here in several chapters. The later chapters extend these ideas to nonequilibrium statistical mechanics inan unambiguous manner, thereby exhibiting the overall unifying role of the entropy. Author Biography Walter T. Grandy, Jr.Professor of Physics, EmeritusUniversity of WyomingProfessor of Physics, University of Wyoming, 1963-1998.Visiting Professor: University of Sao Paulo, Brazil; University of TÜbingen, Germany; University of Sydney, Australia. Table of Contents 1: Introduction2: Some Clarification from Another Direction3: The Probability Connection4: Equilibrium Statistical Mechanics and Thermodynamics5: The Presumed Extensivity of Entropy6: Nonequilibrium States7: Steady-State Processes8: Sources and Time-Dependent Proceses9: Thermal Driving10: Application to Fluid Dynamics11: Irreversibility, Relaxation, and the Approach to Equilibrium12: Entropy Production and Dissipation RatesA: Perturbation TheoryB: Dissipative Currents and Galilean InvarianceC: Analytic Continuation of Covariance Functions Review `In his delightful little book, Entropy and the Time Evolution of Macroscopic Systems, Walter T. Grandy Jr aims to bring a wider appreciation for the meaning of entropy from the probability-based point of view....Written in an accessible style, the book makes numerous little-known connections between macroscopic and microscopic expressions for entropy and entropy production...Filled with many examples, Grandys thought-provoking exposition will be ofinterest for years to come. I would recommend it to any serious student of statistical physics.P. Salamon, Physics Today`The book addresses matters which are often poorly dealt with in other standard texts on statistical mechanics. I think that many advanced researchers in the field may well want to buy it in order to broaden their own perhaps incomplete view of the subject.John Cardy, University of Oxford`When I was first asked to review this manuscript, I did not know what to expect. Many people who decide to base statistical mechanics on information theory seem to choose this path because it supplies an easily applied algorithm leading directly to the distribution functions needed for calculations. By blindly accepting PME (which some other authors call "maxent"), one can avoid a lot of difficult reasoning about the relation between macroscopicmeasurements and microscopic theory. It was a pleasure to find that this was not the approach of the present manuscript. Rather Grandy has taken a very scholarly approach. He does, indeed, present the "maxent"algorithm, but only after preparing the ground by going over the historical background, the logical background, and to an extent appropriate to a physics book, the philosophical background.Robert Mazo, University of Oregon Promotional Explicates the concept of entropy, particularly its governance of all of thermal physics, over a broad range of equilibrium and nonequilibrium phenomena. Long Description This book is based on the premise that the entropy concept, a fundamental element of probability theory as logic, governs all of thermal physics, both equilibrium and nonequilibrium. The variational algorithm of J. Willard Gibbs, dating from the 19th Century and extended considerably over the following 100 years, is shown to be the governing feature over the entire range of thermal phenomena, such that only the nature of the macroscopic constraints changes.Beginning with a short history of the development of the entropy concept by Rudolph Clausius and his predecessors, along with the formalization of classical thermodynamics by Gibbs, the first part of the book describes the quest to uncover the meaning of thermodynamic entropy, which leads to its relationshipwith probability and information as first envisioned by Ludwig Boltzmann. Recognition of entropy first of all as a fundamental element of probability theory in mid-twentieth Century led to deep insights into both statistical mechanics and thermodynamics, the details of which are presented here in several chapters. The later chapters extend these ideas to nonequilibrium statistical mechanics in an unambiguous manner, thereby exhibiting the overall unifying role of the entropy. Review Text `In his delightful little book, Entropy and the Time Evolution of Macroscopic Systems, Walter T. Grandy Jr aims to bring a wider appreciation for the meaning of entropy from the probability-based point of view....Written in an accessible style, the book makes numerous little-known connections between macroscopic and microscopic expressions for entropy and entropy production...Filled with many examples, Grandys thought-provoking exposition will be ofinterest for years to come. I would recommend it to any serious student of statistical physics.P. Salamon, Physics Today`The book addresses matters which are often poorly dealt with in other standard texts on statistical mechanics. I think that many advanced researchers in the field may well want to buy it in order to broaden their own perhaps incomplete view of the subject. John Cardy, University of Oxford`When I was first asked to review this manuscript, I did not know what to expect. Many people who decide to base statistical mechanics on information theory seem to choose this path because it supplies an easily applied algorithm leading directly to the distribution functions needed for calculations. By blindly accepting PME (which some other authors call "maxent"), one can avoid a lot of difficult reasoning about the relation between macroscopicmeasurements and microscopic theory. It was a pleasure to find that this was not the approach of the present manuscript. Rather Grandy has taken a very scholarly approach. He does, indeed, present the "maxent" algorithm, but only after preparing the ground by going over the historical background, the logicalbackground, and to an extent appropriate to a physics book, the philosophical background.Robert Mazo, University of Oregon Review Quote Written in an accessible style, the book makes numerous little-known connections between macroscopic and microscopic expressions for entropy and entropy production...Filled with many examples, Grandys thought-provoking exposition will be of interest for years to come. I would recommend it to any serious student of statistical physics. Feature Summarizes the maximum-entropy approach to statistical mechanics.Presents an up-to-date description of the unambiguous extension of entropy to time-dependent processes.Brings a unique blending of probability, information, and physics to the subject.Provides an authoritative reference and corrects published mis-information about entropy and the foundations of both statistical mechanics and thermodynamics. Details ISBN0199546177 Short Title ENTROPY & THE TIME EVOLUTION O Series International Series of Monographs on Physics Language English ISBN-10 0199546177 ISBN-13 9780199546176 Media Book Format Hardcover DEWEY 536.73 Series Number 141 Illustrations Yes Year 2008 Imprint Oxford University Press Place of Publication Oxford Country of Publication United Kingdom DOI 10.1604/9780199546176 UK Release Date 2008-06-26 AU Release Date 2008-06-26 NZ Release Date 2008-06-26 Edited by Gil Loescher Birth 1953 Affiliation Visiting Professor, Refugee Studies Centre, University of Oxford and Emeritus Professor, University of Notre Dame Position Professor of English and the Sara Hart Kimball Professor in the Humanities Qualifications Ph.D. Author Walter T. Grandy, Jr. Pages 224 Publisher Oxford University Press Publication Date 2008-06-26 Alternative 9780199655434 Audience Postgraduate, Research & Scholarly We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. 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