Coursera

Statistical Thermodynamics: Molecules to Machines (Coursera)

Offered by Carnegie Mellon University,

Modern engineering research focuses on designing new materials and processes at the molecular level. Statistical thermodynamics provides the formalism for understanding how molecular interactions lead to the observed collective behavior at the macroscale. This course will develop a molecular-level understanding of key thermodynamic quantities like heat, work, free energy and entropy. These concepts will be applied in understanding several important engineering and biological applications.

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Syllabus

Week 1: Theory: Classical Thermodynamics
Week 2: Theory: Introduction to Statistics and Statistical Thermodynamics
Week 3: Theory: Non-interacting systems
Week 4: Theory: Interacting systems
Week 5: Applications: Water, Polymer and Photosynthesis
Week 6: Applications: Photosynthesis, Liquids
Week 7: Application: Adsorption, Electrolytes
Week 8: Thank You

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