KINETIC THEORY
by Stephen G Brush
Category: Science

This book introduces physics students and teachers to the historical development of the kinetic theory of gases, by providing a collection of the most important contributions by Clausius, Maxwell and Boltzmann, with introductory surveys explaining their significance. In addition, extracts from the works of Boyle, Newton, Mayer, Joule, Helmholtz, Kelvin and others show the historical context of ideas about gases, energy and irreversibility. In addition to five thematic essays connecting the classical kinetic theory with 20th century topics such as indeterminism and interatomic forces, there is an extensive international bibliography of historical commentaries on kinetic theory, thermodynamics, etc. published in the past four decades. The book will be useful to historians of science who need primary and secondary sources to be conveniently available for their own research and interpretation, along with the bibliography which makes it easier to learn what other historians have already done on this subject. Contents:The Nature of Gases and of Heat (Boyle, Newton, Bernoulli, Gregory, Mayer, Joule, von Helmholtz, Clausius, Maxwell)Irreversible Processes (Maxwell, Boltzmann, Thomson, Poincaré, Zermelo)Historical Discussions by Stephen G BrushA Guide to Historical Commentaries: Kinetic Theory of Gases, Thermodynamics, and Related Topics Readership: Graduate and research students, teachers, lecturers and historians of physics. Keywords:Kinetic Theory;Gases;Boyle's Law;Gas Laws;Viscosity;Diffusion;Forces between Atoms and Molecules;Interatomic Forces;Ergodic Theorem;Ergodicity;Heat Conduction;Irreversibility;Indeterminism;Thermodynamics;First Law of Thermodynamics;Second Law of Thermodynamics;Third Law of Thermodynamics;Law of Conservation of Energy;Maxwell Velocity Distribution;Boltzmann's H Theorem;Boltzmann's (Transport) Equation;Reversibility Paradox;Recurrence Paradox;Statistical MechanicsReviews:“One of the most important contributions of this volume is the bibliography in Part IV … This is a useful book and should be on the shelves of all kinetic theorists and statistical mechanics.” Journal of Statistical Physics “This book will be useful both for historical research and for students studying the history of physics.”Notes and Records of the Royal Society “It is valuable to have the work in print again, since some of the originals are not always easily accessible and all who have struggled, for example, with Boltzmann's German will welcome accurate translations … The whole book is to be welcomed as an aid to those undertaking research or otherwise interested in exploring these fields.”AMBIX