Lecture-3 Microscopic vs Macroscopic View

A K Kapoor

June 19, 2022

1998TH-Lec-03

1 Microscopic vs macroscopic systems

Theoretical study can be done from two points of view.

1. Macroscopic point of view

2. Microscopic point of view

Macroscopic view Microscopic view

1. No spectral assumptions about 1. Assumptions are made about

the structure of matter. structure of matter.
N ≈ 1023 molecules
2. System is described in terms of
a small number of variables. 2. Large number of variables are
pressure, volume, composition required energy of N molecules.
magnetic moment, dipole mo-
3. Not suggested by experience.
ment.
4. The variables used cannot be
3. Variables are suggested by expe-
measured directly.
rience.
5. Kinetic Theory statistical me-
4. Variables can be measured di-
chanics.
rectly.

5. Thermodynamics.

The two descriptions are related in the sense that the macroscopic quantities
such as pressure, dipole moments etc. averages over large number of similar systems
are averages over a period of time.

Ultimate objectives of the two approaches are the same but they employ different
methods and tools to arrive at their results.

2 States of system, Thermodynamic Coordinates

Thermodynamics takes a macroscopic point of view. The system is described in

terms of small number of quantities which reflect internal state of the system.

For human beings:

blood pressure, pulse rate,

1
 heart beat, temperature,
color of tongue, etc.

For a thermodynamic system coordinates are such that they determine the internal
energy of system.
(metal bar being heated energy
is being supplied where does it go??)

3 Scope and aim

Aim of thermodynamics is to derive relations between these thermodynamic coor-

dinates (+variables?) starting from Laws of thermodynamics.

STATE OF SYSTEM −→
REFERENCE: ZEEMANSKY & DITTMAN,
“Heat and Thermodynamics”.

Thermodynamic coordinates:
In mechanics the system is described in terms of a set of variables. For example,
for a point particle the variables, which are used to describe the point particle, are
its position and velocity or momentum.
Knowing the position and momentum we can compute other properties of are
system such as kinetic energy, potential energy or the angular momentum.
The aim of Mechanics is to compute the coordinates at all times from the knowl-
edge of

(a) Coordinates at initial time.

(b) Laws of mechanics.

(c) Interactions of the system (or forces).

Similarly in thermodynamics, a system is described in terms of small number of

variables such as pressure, temperature, volume etc.
For a thermodynamic system knowledge of some of these variables is sufficient
to compute others (e.g. pressure and volume for a gas)
The aim of thermodynamics is the compute the thermodynamic coordinates from
the knowledge of

(a) thermodynamic coordinates at initial times.

(b) laws of thermodynamics.

(c) interaction of the system with another system/environment.

2
 The coordinates must be independent variables. It should be possible to vary
each one independently.
For the present discuss we assume that system under discussion can be described
in terms of two coordinates which we call X, Y . Sample-Share-File3

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