Suggestions for graduate stat-mech book

[NFuller]

I'm taking a graduate level statistical mechanics course this fall. The instructor does not use any particular textbook and told us to use whatever we like. The problem is, I have no idea what textbook would be a good choice for this class. Does anyone here have any suggestions?

 

[Vanadium 50]

That's inexcusably lazy on the part of the instructor. If he doesn't want to pick one, he should give suggestions. Since we don't know what he's going to teach, we'd just be guessing.

 

[NFuller]

That's inexcusably lazy on the part of the instructor. If he doesn't want to pick one, he should give suggestions. Since we don't know what he's going to teach, we'd just be guessing.

I'm well aware. I'm really just hoping for a good reference text of common formulas and methods. I assume guesses from people who have taken a similar course in the past may be better than mine though.

 

[ZapperZ]

I'm well aware. I'm really just hoping for a good reference text of common formulas and methods. I assume guesses from people who have taken a similar course in the past may be better than mine though.

Aren't there other graduate students who have taken the same course? Have you asked them?

Zz.

 

[PAllen]

I'm taking a graduate level statistical mechanics course this fall. The instructor does not use any particular textbook and told us to use whatever we like. The problem is, I have no idea what textbook would be a good choice for this class. Does anyone here have any suggestions?

Does the professor make standardized notes avaialable? I remember an undergrad math course with no textbook or suggestion to get one. But standard notes were passed out to supplement your own class notes. That plus homework was fully sufficient preparation for the tests, as well as general understanding. So, I'm wondering, do you need a textbook at all?

 

[DrClaude]

To answer the original question, Landau and Lifshitz is, as always, a good choice. For more recent topics, you can have a look at Plischke and Bergersen, Equilibrium Statistical Physics (World Scientific).

 

[saybrook1]

We used Pathria; I think that it's an extremely thorough text and pretty commonly used. I really enjoyed my stat-mech course with this book. Alternatively, my friend suggests Huang and I did reference his book from time to time while taking stat-mech. I agree that it's extremely bizarre that the professor wouldn't provide a text or a list of suggested texts - if you can figure out where he or she draws homework and/or exam material from somehow, that would obviously be to your advantage. In the case that your professor is writing obscure notes during class and teaching this way, I would recommend copying those notes exactly and using the Pathria/Huang texts to further reinforce whatever topic is covered in a given lecture.

Good luck!

 

[Vanadium 50]

I assume guesses from people who have taken a similar course in the past may be better than mine though.

The problem is we're guessing as to contents. Book X might do a great job on Topic Y...but your professor may not cover it or cover it in depth.

A better way is to do what my 8.06 professor did with mechanics - he said Symon was too simple, Goldstein was too hard, and Landau was too terse, and then left it up to us. (I bought all three)