# Ae/ME/APh 218

**Source**: https://aph.caltech.edu/academics/courses/aemeaph-218
**Parent**: https://aph.caltech.edu/academics/courses

Ae/ME/APh 218\

Statistical Mechanics

9 units (3-0-6) 
|
third term

Prerequisites: Ae/ME 118, or equivalent.

Overview of probability and statistics, and the Maxwell-Boltzmann distribution. Overview and elements of Quantum Mechanics, degenerate energy states, particles in a box, and energy-state phase space. Statistics of indistinguishable elementary particles, Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein statistics, partition functions, connections with classical thermodynamics, and the Law of Equipartition. Examples from equilibrium in fluids, solid-state physics, and others.
Not offered 2025-26.