Introduction to the Properties of Condensed Matter

This book covers the basic, mainly classical, physics of the properties of solids and liquids. The main emphasis is on macroscopic characteristics of materials, although their is some discussion of the atomic or molecular phenomena that underlie the macroscopic effects. Topics that are discussed in detail include the elastic properties of solids, with applications to acoustic waves and the deformation and stability of rods and struts; static and dynamic properties of liquids, with applications to interfacial phenomena and fluid flow characteristics; and diffusion in solids and liquids, with applications to Brownian motion, heat conduction and creep. The coverage combines treatments of the more traditional aspects of these topics with details of developments, such as novel materials, catastrophe theory and soliton propagation. This textbook will be suitable for second- and third-year undergraduates in universities and polytechnics taking courses in the properties of condensed matters in departments of physics, materials science and to some extent in engineering.