Equilibrium Statistical
Physics
With Computer
Simulations in Python
by
Leonard M. Sander
Professor of Physics
& Complex Systems
University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Paperback,
334 pages.
Published
by Createspace. Available at Amazon.com
This book is intended
primarily as a graduate textbook for students of Physics. Students in other
fields such as Biophysics, Materials Science, Chemical Engineering, or
Chemistry may also find much to interest them here. It is based on the author's
many years of experience teaching in the Physics department of the University
of Michigan, Ann Arbor. It can also serve as a reference for interested
students and researchers.
The book is based a point of
view which is quite different from most texts in the field: the author is
persuaded that the best way to learn this subject is to do hands-on computer
simulations as part of learning the subject. Accordingly, computer algorithms
are integrated in the book as exercises, and computer results in the text.
There is a set of programs at the end of the book, and they are also available
in machine-readable form, below.
This book is self-published
using the print-on-demand facilities at Createspace.com. The primary reason is
to keep the price down; this author has been disturbed by the out-of-control inflation
of textbooks. Another advantage of print-on-demand is to allow rapid
corrections of any errors that are found. A record of the changes will be
posted on this website.
Physics Today talks about this book and self-publishing in the November 2013 issue.
Sample
chapters:
Information
for instructors: if you are interested in adopting this book for a course,
contact me,
lsander at umich.edu,
for
a (partial) set of problem solutions. Also, I would be very interested in your
reactions to this experiment in using computers this way (and also in using
print-on-demand). Contact me with your comments.