Recommendation for a classical thermodynamics book

[shihab-kol]

Hello!
I am a high school student and I would need some guidance regarding a thermodynamics book. I am reading and solving through these three:
1.Resnick,Halliday and Walker
2.University Physics- Young and Freedman
3.An introduction to mechanics-Kleppner and Kolenkow(purely for mechanics)
Based on these can the experienced forum members c suggest something?

 

[Daverz]

I'd start with the thermodynamics chapters in RH & W.

 

[BvU]

I liked Y C

 

[Chestermiller]

Fundamentals of Engineering Thermodynamics by Moran et al. A wonderful book. I highly recommend.

 

[shihab-kol]

Thank you for the suggestions .
By the way, Daverz I have finished both Resnick and Halliday and Young and Freedman.
What is 'Y C' though ?I searched the net but found only YVC Rao , is that what you meant ?
Also , I had forgotten but on my physics instructors advice I have been reading through Ilya Prigogine.
Thanks.

 

[BvU]

No, I meant Yunus Cengel. I posted in a challenging manner to find out who was meant with RH&W

[edit] I discover I also read the original post most perfunctorily You want to consider what flavour of thermo suits you best: the one going towards statistical mechanics or some more application orientation.
I (physicist) also found Peter Atkins Physical chemistry very good.

 

[shihab-kol]

No, I meant Yunus Cengel. I posted in a challenging manner to find out who was meant with RH&W
You want to consider what flavour of thermo suits you best: the one going towards statistical mechanics or some more application orientation.
I (physicist) also found Peter Atkins Physical chemistry very good.

Yes I know about Peter Atkins's book, I was just wondering if it was good. Regarding the other question , I would like a book leaning more towards statistical mechanics. If I am not wrong , Cengel's book has more of an engineering centred approach , hasn't it ?

 

[BvU]

Yes. You must be quite ambitious going straight for stat mech !

 

[shihab-kol]

Yes. You must be quite ambitious going straight for stat mech !

It's nothing like that but I would like a deep reading of the subject - after all I would like to choose an academic field rather than an engineering field. Physics, in general, and thermodynamics, in particular, is fascinating and that's why I would like to get an understanding of the subject.

 

[shihab-kol]

So, do you recommend PW Atkins? Or something else ?

 

[BvU]

I'd follow Chestermiller -- Don't know the book, but Chet's command of thermo is exceptional

 

[Andy Resnick]

Hello!
I am a high school student and I would need some guidance regarding a thermodynamics book. I am reading and solving through these three:
1.Resnick,Halliday and Walker
2.University Physics- Young and Freedman
3.An introduction to mechanics-Kleppner and Kolenkow(purely for mechanics)
Based on these can the experienced forum members c suggest something?

Fermi's book is quite good (and inexpensive)

https://www.amazon.com/dp/808783061X/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[vanhees71]

The statistical physics volume of the Berkeley Physics Course is brillant (written by F. Reiff). Another very good book is

H. Callen, Thermodynamics and an introduction to thermostatistics, Wiley (1985)

 

[DrDu]

Are you more interested in classical thermodynamics or in statistical mechanics?
In the first case, I recommend
Thermodynamics and statistical thermodynamics by Peter T. Landsberg, Dover Pubs
It is one of the few books which doesn't rely on engineering science from the 19th century to formulate thermodynamics.
In classical thermodynamics, the difficult part is the definition of quantities like heat, entropy, temperature. The rest, like almost all of statistical mechanics, is shutup and calculate stuff which should be reasonably well explained in almost any book.
I strongly disrecommend Atkins.

 

[vanhees71]

Well, that's what I always hated about phenomenological thermodynamics: You introduce in a quite abstract way quantities like temperature and entropy and than do a lot of Legendre transforms. The math is not very complicated and you can readily solve many standard problems, but I never got a grasp on the physical meaning. Then in the theory course statistical physics was a revelation, particularly since our professor used the modern information-theoretical approach to entropy, and nowadays it becomes clear more and more that this is the right approach to statistical physics. E.g., there are realizations of quantum Maxwell demons precisely showing that the predictions about heat using the information-theoretical approach are correct. A very good book at the advanced undergraduate level is

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0199595070/?tag=pfamazon01-20

 

[shihab-kol]

I am pretty sorry I took so long to post but got a bit caught up.
Any case, thanks for all these suggestions. I will go through the books and enjoy learning !
Thanks !