Perturbation Theories for the Thermodynamic Properties of Fluids and Solids

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Introduction

1.1 AGGREGATION STATES OF MATTER

Everybody is familiar with the three classical aggregation states of matter: gas, liquid,

and solid, and everybody knows some of the characteristics that differentiate each

other. Gases are easily compressible and do not have a fixed shape nor volume,

so that they tend to occupy the whole volume of the container; liquids are hardly

compressible and do not have a fixed shape, so that they are easily deformable, but

have a well-defined volume which only varies slightly with temperature and pressure;

solids are hardly compressible and deformable and, similarly to liquids, their volume

is nearly constant with ...