Solved Problems in Thermodynamics and Statistical Physics

Part I: Thermodynamics.- Equation of state.- The first law.- The second law.- Thermodynamic potentials.- Phase transitions.- Mixtures.- Transport phenomena.- Part II: Statistical physics.- Classical canonical ensemble.- Equation of state.- Entropy.- Quantum canonical ensemble.- Grand canonical ensemble.- Kinetic theory of gases.- A: Steam tables.- B: Metropolis algorithm.

Primoz Ziherl is a professor of physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia, and a scientific councillor at the Department of Theoretical Physics, Jozef Stefan Institute, Slovenia. His expertise covers theoretical soft condensed matter physics, especially structure formation in colloidal suspensions including crystalline and quasicrystalline phases, and theoretical biophysics with a focus on lipid membranes and vesicles as well as on epithelial tissues and early embryonic development.



 He teaches a range of courses at the BS and MS level, mostly those for physics students.  With Antonio Siber, he wrote a textbook on the mechanics of tissues entitled Cellular Patterns (CRC Press, 2017). He served as the training coordinator in Marie-Sklodowska-Curie networks COMPLOIDS and COLLDENSE, co-organizing two summer schools at the International School of Physics "Enrico Fermi" in Varenna, Italy, in 2012 and in 2015 and co-editing the textbook-style proceedings. From 2009 and 2014, he was a member of editorial board of Physical Review E.



In 2008, he was selected an Outstanding Referee of the American Physical Society. In 2009 he received the Golden Plaque award from the University of Ljubljana in recognition of his teaching and research work, and in 2018 he won the national Advisor of the Year award.








Gregor Skacej is assistant professor of physics at the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

His research expertise includes computational soft matter physics, mainly focused on large-scale molecular and lattice simulations of liquid crystalline elastomers (stress-strain behavior, response to thermal and electric external stimuli) and liquid crystal colloids (e.g., topological defects in liquid-crystalline shells).