Introduction to Statistical Physics
This MIT OpenCourseWare course lays out the foundations of statistical physics, covering qualitative and quantitative definitions of entropy, the laws of thermodynamics, and the Boltzmann distribution for systems at finite temperature. Materials include lecture notes, problem sets, and short programming exercises where students simulate random events to connect probability with physical behavior. The course was originally taught as part of MITES Summer, MIT's six-week residential STEM program for rising high school seniors, so the pace assumes strong precalculus and physics background rather than prior coursework in thermodynamics. Students finish able to work with entropy and temperature quantitatively and to write simple simulations that model statistical systems. All materials are freely available online under MIT's open license, with no certificate offered. It suits a motivated high school or early undergraduate student looking for a first rigorous pass at statistical mechanics.