An understanding of thermal physics is crucial to much of modern physics, chemistry and engineering. This book provides a modern introduction to the main principles that are foundational to thermal physics, thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. The key concepts are carefully presented in a clear way, and new ideas are illustrated with copious worked examples as well as a description of the historical background to their discovery. Applications are presented to subjects as diverse as stellar astrophysics, information and communication theory, condensed matter physics and climate change. Each chapter concludes with detailed exercises. The second edition of this popular textbook maintains the structure and lively style of the first edition but extends its coverage of thermodynamics and statistical mechanics to include several new topics, including osmosis, diffusion problems, Bayes theorem, radiative transfer, the Ising model and Monte Carlo methods. New examples and exercises have been added throughout.

Part I: Preliminaries 1. Introduction 2. Heat 3. Probability 4. Temperature and the Boltzmann factor Part II: Kinetic Theory of Gases 5. The Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution 6. Pressure 7. Molecular effusion 8. The mean free path and collisions Part III: Transport and Thermal Diffusion 9. Transport properties in gases 10. The thermal diffusion equation Part IV: The First Law 11. Energy 12. Isothermal and adiobatic processes Part V: The Second Law 13. Heat engines and the second law 14. Entropy 15. Information theory Part VI: Termodynamics in Action 16. Thermodynamic potentials 17. Rods, bubbles and magnets 18. The third law Part VII: Statistical Mechanics 19. Equipartition of energy 20. The partition function 21. Statistical mechanics of an ideal gas 22. The chemical potential 23. Photons 24. Phonons Part VIII: Beyond the Ideal Gas 25. Relativistic gases 26. Real gases 27. Cooling real gases 28. Phase transitions 29. Bose-Einstein and Fermi-Dirac distributions 30. Quantum gases and condensates Part IX: Special Topics 31. Sound waves 32. Shock waves 33. Brownian motion and fluctuations 34. Non-equilibrium thermodynamics 35. Stars 36. Compact objects 37. Earth's atmosphere

Review from previous edition: \"The best book I have ever encountered at this level ... a winner.\" --Michael C. Mackey, McGill University

\"With so many results derived from so few assumptions, it is important that the presentation be clear and logical. Concepts in Thermal Physics by Stephen J. Blundell and Katherine M. Blundell fulfills that need admirably ... Concepts in Thermal Physics provides an excellent introduction to thermodynamics and statistical mechanics. It deserves serious consideration as a textbook for any undergraduate course on those topics.\" --Physics Today

\"...elementary and admirably clear expositions of a wide range of subjects not often found in introductory texts... many coming to the subject for the first time will want to consult this book.\" --Contemporary Physics