Thermodynamics is the foundation of many-body physics and thus of physical chemistry and material science as well. Today new sources of useful energy, energy storage, transport and conversion, requiring development of novel technology, are of rapidly increasing importance. This development strongly affects modern industry. Thus thermodynamics will have to be given more prominence in the science curriculum in colleges and universities - something that is attempted in this book.
The structure of this text is simple and transparent, enabling the easy mapping of the text onto a one-semester course syllabus and the attendant study. There are 8 chapters total and one three-part appendix. Throughout the text the student finds numerous examples (solved problems) reaching from cosmic to molecular evolution or from cloud formation to Bose condensation.

Reinhard Hentschke got his PhD degree in 1987 at the University of Maine, Orono, Maine, USA. Since 1999 he has been Professor of theoretical physics (statistical mechanics of soft matter/chemical physics) at the Bergische Universität, Wuppertal, Germany. His research interests have frequently straddled the boundary between physics and chemis­try. As a group leader at the Max-Planck Institute for Polymer Research he has concen­trated on computer modelling of polymers.

Two Fundamental Laws of Nature.- Thermodynamic Functions.- Equilibrium and Stability.- Simple Phase Diagrams.- Microscopic Interactions.- Thermodynamics and Molecular Simulation.- Non-equilibrium Thermodynamics.