Thermodynamics forms an essential part of any physical sciences degree yet it is so full of pitfalls and subtleties that many students fail to appreciate its elegance and power. In Thermal Physics the author lays emphasis on understanding the fundamental ideas. He shows that the thermodynamic results can be obtained from the fundamental relations without getting lost in partial differentials, just by reading the thermodynamic signposts. In this second edition Dr Finn has introduced new sections on scales of temperature, availability, the degredation of energy and lattice defects. The text is illustrated and contains worked examples, including applications to physics, engineering, chemistry and biology. There are useful appendices and an extensive section of exercises (with answers) for the student. This book should be of interest to first year students of physics and applied physics at universities/polytechnics/colleges of FE; also of relevance to engineering and chemistry students.