How to teach statistical thermal physics in the introductory physics course

The laws of thermodynamics were formulated long before we knew the existence of atoms and molecules. The formal thermodynamics curriculum based on the empirical laws have been replaced by courses based on physical and statistical foundation of the subject in the intermediate courses in undergraduate curriculum for some time now. In these courses they show how the properties of macroscopic system are simple consequences of the behaviors of their elementary constituents. Unfortunately, however, in the introductory physics courses the “traditional” exposition of the subject following the historical sequence of events is still prevailing. In the age when a single atom can be trapped and manipulated teaching thermal physics starting from the empirical laws of thermodynamics is a pedagogical scandal. It is a high time to reform the style of teaching the thermal physics in the introductory college physics course. In most of introductory college physics text books authors introduce the laws of thermodynamics before going on some brief exposition on the statistical basis of subject if they mention it at all. They introduce the concept of entropy nearly at the end of thermal physics part using Clausius’ definition