The course aims to provide students with an understanding of the fundamental phenomena of physics and their connections with other scientific disciplines and research areas, including chemistry, biology, and geology. Within this framework, the course is designed to provide:
1. a solid foundation in the core topics of general physics, ranging from Newtonian mechanics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics to electrostatics, magnetism, and modern physics, including electromagnetic waves, an introduction to quantum physics, and nuclear physics;
2. the ability to formulate, contextualize, and solve basic problems in general physics;
3. a critical approach to scientific inquiry and the development of problem-solving skills through the application of fundamental physical models (for example, diffusion models applied to the spread of viruses);
4. the essential scientific and conceptual tools required for the study of the physical, chemical, and natural sciences.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will have acquired a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of physics, their practical applications, and their relevance to the natural sciences. They will also be able to solve problems related to the topics covered in the course and will have developed a critical and analytical approach to scientific problems.
1. a solid foundation in the core topics of general physics, ranging from Newtonian mechanics, fluid dynamics, and thermodynamics to electrostatics, magnetism, and modern physics, including electromagnetic waves, an introduction to quantum physics, and nuclear physics;
2. the ability to formulate, contextualize, and solve basic problems in general physics;
3. a critical approach to scientific inquiry and the development of problem-solving skills through the application of fundamental physical models (for example, diffusion models applied to the spread of viruses);
4. the essential scientific and conceptual tools required for the study of the physical, chemical, and natural sciences.
Upon successful completion of the course, students will have acquired a solid understanding of the fundamental principles of physics, their practical applications, and their relevance to the natural sciences. They will also be able to solve problems related to the topics covered in the course and will have developed a critical and analytical approach to scientific problems.
Canali
teacher profile teaching materials
Introduction: units of measurement; coordinate systems in space; scalar and vector quantities; operations with vectors.
Kinematics of a particle: position as a function of time and trajectory; scalar and vector velocity and acceleration.
Motion with constant acceleration (free fall).
Circular motion. Angular velocity and angular acceleration.
Dynamics of a particle: Newton's first law and inertial reference frames; definition of force and inertial mass; Newton's second and third laws; momentum; weight force.
Elastic force and the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator. Constraint forces. Tension. Simple pendulum.
Frictional forces.
Conservation laws: conservation of linear momentum. Definition of work, power, and kinetic energy.
Potential energy and conservative forces. Conservation of total mechanical energy. Conservation of angular momentum. Torque. Central forces.
Collisions and impulsive forces: impulse of a force.
Conservation of linear momentum in collisions. Elastic and inelastic collisions.
2. Fluid Mechanics
Pressure and density; hydrostatics and the laws of fluid statics (Stevin's law, Pascal's principle, and Archimedes' principle).
Fluid flow and flow rate; steady and turbulent flow; Bernoulli's theorem.
3. Electrostatics, Electric Currents and Electromagnetism
Electrostatics of stationary charges: Coulomb's law. Electric field. Principle of superposition. Electric field produced by a wire and by a plane sheet.
Flux of a vector field. Gauss's theorem.
Electric potential. Electrostatic potential energy of a system of charges.
Electrostatics of conductors: conductors and insulators. Electrostatic induction and electrostatics of conductors.
Faraday cages. Capacitors.
Steady electric current. Electrical resistance. Dissipative phenomena.
Lorentz force on charged particles and on current-carrying wires. Mass spectrometer.
Magnetism in matter.
4. Thermodynamics
System and surroundings. Definition of thermodynamic variables and thermodynamic state.
Heat and heat capacity; energy transfer; heat transfer; phase transitions.
Ideal gases.
First and second laws of thermodynamics. Microscopic and statistical interpretation of entropy. Entropy changes and spontaneity of thermodynamic processes.
Textbook
The recommended textbook for the course is:
David Halliday, Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker, Fundamentals of Physics – Mechanics, Waves, Thermodynamics, Electromagnetism, Optics, Zanichelli edition.
Additional notes, exercises, and supplementary teaching materials that may be used during the semester will be uploaded to the course's Microsoft Teams channel.
Programme
1. MechanicsIntroduction: units of measurement; coordinate systems in space; scalar and vector quantities; operations with vectors.
Kinematics of a particle: position as a function of time and trajectory; scalar and vector velocity and acceleration.
Motion with constant acceleration (free fall).
Circular motion. Angular velocity and angular acceleration.
Dynamics of a particle: Newton's first law and inertial reference frames; definition of force and inertial mass; Newton's second and third laws; momentum; weight force.
Elastic force and the one-dimensional harmonic oscillator. Constraint forces. Tension. Simple pendulum.
Frictional forces.
Conservation laws: conservation of linear momentum. Definition of work, power, and kinetic energy.
Potential energy and conservative forces. Conservation of total mechanical energy. Conservation of angular momentum. Torque. Central forces.
Collisions and impulsive forces: impulse of a force.
Conservation of linear momentum in collisions. Elastic and inelastic collisions.
2. Fluid Mechanics
Pressure and density; hydrostatics and the laws of fluid statics (Stevin's law, Pascal's principle, and Archimedes' principle).
Fluid flow and flow rate; steady and turbulent flow; Bernoulli's theorem.
3. Electrostatics, Electric Currents and Electromagnetism
Electrostatics of stationary charges: Coulomb's law. Electric field. Principle of superposition. Electric field produced by a wire and by a plane sheet.
Flux of a vector field. Gauss's theorem.
Electric potential. Electrostatic potential energy of a system of charges.
Electrostatics of conductors: conductors and insulators. Electrostatic induction and electrostatics of conductors.
Faraday cages. Capacitors.
Steady electric current. Electrical resistance. Dissipative phenomena.
Lorentz force on charged particles and on current-carrying wires. Mass spectrometer.
Magnetism in matter.
4. Thermodynamics
System and surroundings. Definition of thermodynamic variables and thermodynamic state.
Heat and heat capacity; energy transfer; heat transfer; phase transitions.
Ideal gases.
First and second laws of thermodynamics. Microscopic and statistical interpretation of entropy. Entropy changes and spontaneity of thermodynamic processes.
Textbook
The recommended textbook for the course is:
David Halliday, Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker, Fundamentals of Physics – Mechanics, Waves, Thermodynamics, Electromagnetism, Optics, Zanichelli edition.
Additional notes, exercises, and supplementary teaching materials that may be used during the semester will be uploaded to the course's Microsoft Teams channel.
Core Documentation
David Halliday, Robert Resnick, Jearl Walker, Fundamentals of PhysicsAttendance
mandatoryType of evaluation
During the course, there will be a series of midterm tests that will divide the course into three sections. At the end of the three tests, each test will be considered passed individually if the grade is above 15, and the three tests will be considered passed overall if the average grade is above 18. Students who pass all three tests will then take an oral examination covering the entire course syllabus.