'The text is an excellent read. Every paragraph contains reflective insights on the physical significance of the formulae and their underlying motivation. This makes a subject that is notorious for its difficulty seem simple. … the simplicity, depth of insight and the unusual range of topics in Benjamin Widom's Statistical Mechanics should make it compulsory reading for educators and students alike when they seek to go beyond the first steps of statistical mechanics.' Trevor Rayment, The Times Higher Education Supplement

Statistical mechanics is the theoretical apparatus used to study the properties of macroscopic systems - systems made up of many atoms or molecules - and relates those properties to the system's microscopic constitution. This book is an introduction to statistical mechanics, intended to be used either by advanced undergraduates or by beginning graduate students. The first chapter deals with statistical thermodynamics and aims to quickly derive the most commonly used formulas in the subject. The remainder of the book then illustrates the application of these formulas in traditional areas such as the ideal gas and less traditional areas such as the quantum ideal gas. Highly illustrated with numerous exercises and worked solutions, it provides a concise treatise of statistical mechanics ideal for use on an 8-12 lecture course.

1. The Boltzmann Distribution Law and statistical thermodynamics
2. The ideal gas
3. Chemical equilibrium in ideal-gas mixtures
4. Ideal harmonic solid and black-body radiation
5. Third law
6. Non-ideal gas
7. The liquid state
8. Quantum ideal gas.

Subject Areas: Thermochemistry & chemical thermodynamics [PNRW], Physical chemistry [PNR]