New Curriculum Materials for Upper Level Undergraduate Courses on Thermal and Statistical Physics

*9801878古尔德热力学和统计力学在许多科学和工程领域都很重要。这些科目在最近几年发展得特别快，应该是本科物理课程的核心。这项活动将确定一套热物理的核心概念和技能，并开发新的课程材料，以更新和加强该领域的本科生教学。这些材料将鼓励学生比传统教科书和讲课更积极地参与，并将包括链接到实验和模拟数据表的超文本，用于数据分析的计算机工具，用于编写简短计算机程序的模板，使学生能够超越理想化的代数计算，以及关于当代应用的独立模块。提出的贡献包括重振经典热力学，更加强调对概率、熵、最大功和自由能的概念性理解，以及将热力学和统计力学的基本思想应用于当代问题。这些材料将通过一个万维网分发给物理界，该网站还将作为联合首席调查员的平台，帮助物理界不断改进他们的热学和统计物理课程，并鼓励学生使用自成一体的应用单元。他们还将编辑《美国物理杂志》关于热物理的特刊，举办AAPT研讨会，并组织一个关于热物理教学的研讨会。***

*** 9801878 Gould Thermodynamics and statistical mechanics are important in many areas of science and engineering. These subjects have evolved especially rapidly during the recent past and should be central to the undergraduate physics curriculum. This activity will define a core set of concepts and skills for thermal physics and develop new curricular materials to update and strengthen undergraduate instruction in this area. These materials will encourage more active student involvement than do traditional textbooks and lectures, and will include hypertext linked to tables of experimental and simulation data, computer tools for the analysis of data, templates for the writing of short computer programs to enable students to go beyond idealized algebraic calculations, and self-contained modules on contemporary applications. The proposed contributions include a reinvigoration of classical thermodynamics, an increased emphasis on the conceptual understanding of probability, entropy, maximum work, and free energy, and the application of basic ideas in thermodynamics and statistical mechanics to contemporary problems. These materials will be disseminated to the physics community via a World Wide Web site, which will also serve as a platform for the co-principal investigators to help the physics community to continually improve their thermal and statistical physics courses and to encourage students to use the self-contained application modules. They will also edit a special issue of the American Journal of Physics devoted to thermal physics, give an AAPT workshop, and organize a symposium on teaching thermal physics. ***