Statistical Mechanics in a Nutshell
arXiv:physics/9805024
Abstract
I give a concise introduction to some essential concepts of statistical mechanics: 1. Probability theory (constrained distributions, concentration theorem, frequency estimation, hypothesis testing); 2. Macroscopic systems in equilibrium (macrostate, thermodynamic variables, entropy, first law, thermodynamic potentials, correlations); 3. Linear response (Kubo formula).
Lecture Notes (Part I of a course on "Transport Theory" taught at Dresden University of Technology, Spring 1997), 23 pages; more info at http://www.mpipks-dresden.mpg.de/~jochen/transport/intro.html