IPhO thermodynamics and statistical physics

First-law modelling, engines and cycles, and statistical intuition for distributions and scaling for olympiad preparation.

International Physics Olympiad preparation
6 lessons

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Before you begin

Thermodynamic laws connect energy transfers and equilibrium states, while statistical models explain pressure, heat capacity and populations. These lessons develop the choices that make the calculation valid: system boundary, process constraint, degeneracy, transport regime and the limits of an approximation.

Be comfortable with: A-Level thermal physics, university thermodynamics, the Boltzmann distribution function and the IPhO problem-solving framework.

Learning goals

Apply thermodynamics & statistical physics models and problem-solving methods in competition settings.

Lessons

Work through them in order.

Build the bridge

First-law problem patternsChoose the system, fix sign conventions and apply the first law to common process patterns.

Build the official core

Transfer to unfamiliar problems

Optional: extend your toolkit

Thermodynamic potentials and Maxwell relationsChoose the right thermodynamic potential and use Maxwell relations to find useful derivatives.

Practise and check

All practice for this topic

Topic reference

What you should be able to do

Define the thermodynamic system, sign convention, constraints and process before applying the first law.
Use entropy production or a reversible comparison to test feasibility and bound performance.
Connect microscopic distributions and collisions to macroscopic pressure, heat capacity and transport scales.

Official scope: Stages official thermodynamics and kinetic/statistical-physics ideas; thermodynamic potentials are presented as an optional extension method.

Training habits

For any process, write the system, constraints and sign convention before any equations.
Do one limit check per solution: high or low temperature, large or small volume.