This text is a major revision of An Introduction to Thermodynamics, Kinetic Theory, and Statistical Mechanics by Francis W. Sears. The general approach has been unaltered and the level remains much the same, perhaps being increased somewhat by greater coverage. The text is still considered useful for advanced undergraduates in physics and engineering who have some familiarity with calculus.
This book has developed out of the author's experience in teaching the first year of the physics program. The book opens with several chapters on statics on statics in order that kinematics may be postponed until the student has acquired some familiarity with the concepts and notation of calculus.
Based on the author's many years of experience in practicing safety assessment in industry and teaching students or professionals in this area, Francis Stoessel adopts a unique systematic how-to-do approach: each chapter beginning with a case history illustrating the topic and presenting the lessons learned from the incident.