CHEM C123B
Classical and Statistical Thermodynamics
Description: Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Requisite: course 110B or 156. Recommended: course 113A. Rigorous presentation of fundamentals of classical thermodynamics. Principles of statistical thermodynamics: probability, ensembles, partition functions, independent molecules, and perfect gas. Applications of classical and statistical thermodynamics selected from diatomic and polyatomic gases, solid and fluid states, phase equilibria, electric and magnetic effects, ortho-para hydrogen, chemical equilibria, reaction rates, imperfect gas, nonelectrolyte and electrolyte solutions, surface phenomena, high polymers, gravitation. May be concurrently scheduled with course C223B. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2017 - I really don't recommend taking this class unless if you're a post-doc or a professor. If you sign up for this class, be prepared to learn nothing and be expected to know the material already. I quote from Professor Levine: "I know it's bad to assume what you don't know, so therefore I'll assume you already know how to do this [high level mathematical concept]." He likes to "teach" by showing off what he knows. I'm not sure what in his life made him so insecure that he needs students to stroke his ego, but he has a terrible teaching ethic. He also one time said in lecture: "this exponent value is called the engineering exponent because it's wrong and engineers are dumb. Hey, that's fun to say: engineers are dumb." Honestly, the only students that got along with Alex are those who painfully lack basic social skills (e.g. being polite) and disgustingly elistist. I realize that work life outside of school will destroy this kind of student demographic, but I hate to see our students with potential be discouraged by this teacher-peer combo. Advice: stay strong and rise above!
Winter 2017 - I really don't recommend taking this class unless if you're a post-doc or a professor. If you sign up for this class, be prepared to learn nothing and be expected to know the material already. I quote from Professor Levine: "I know it's bad to assume what you don't know, so therefore I'll assume you already know how to do this [high level mathematical concept]." He likes to "teach" by showing off what he knows. I'm not sure what in his life made him so insecure that he needs students to stroke his ego, but he has a terrible teaching ethic. He also one time said in lecture: "this exponent value is called the engineering exponent because it's wrong and engineers are dumb. Hey, that's fun to say: engineers are dumb." Honestly, the only students that got along with Alex are those who painfully lack basic social skills (e.g. being polite) and disgustingly elistist. I realize that work life outside of school will destroy this kind of student demographic, but I hate to see our students with potential be discouraged by this teacher-peer combo. Advice: stay strong and rise above!
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Most Helpful Review
Winter 2022 - Compared to 123A this class is apparently harder and less organized. Everything after the Boltzmann transport equation and correlation function seemed all over the place and disconnected from each other. Even though Prof. Schwartz's exams are usually fair, the final was horrendously hard, maybe partly because of the disorganized materials.
Winter 2022 - Compared to 123A this class is apparently harder and less organized. Everything after the Boltzmann transport equation and correlation function seemed all over the place and disconnected from each other. Even though Prof. Schwartz's exams are usually fair, the final was horrendously hard, maybe partly because of the disorganized materials.
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