Ateneo - UPO

Basics of classical physics: physical variables and physical laws, mechanics, thermodynamics, waves, electromagnetism, physics of radiation. Introduction to laboratory measurements.

Wolfson, Fisica, vol. 1 & vol. 2, Pearson Italia. D. Giancoli, Fisica 1 e Fisica 2, third edition, Casa editrice Ambrosiana.

Knowledge of kinematics, of the laws of Newtonian dynamics and of conservation laws. Ability to apply this knowledge to the description of relevant physical systems and to the resolution of specific problems.
Knowledge of the principles of thermodynamics, of the essential elements of fluid dynamics and wave phenomena, as well as an adequate ability to tackle new topics through an autonomous commitment and to undertake more advanced study of the various sectors of physics.
Knowledge of the main electric and magnetic phenomena, of the theory of electromagnetism amd of the theory of radiation.
The student must achieve a certain mastery of the topics covered in the course, that would manifest itself both through the analytical and synthetic exposition of the subject, and through the ability to face and solve numerical problems.

Basics of algebra, geometry, vector calculus and mathematical analysis (derivatives and integrals of functions of one or more variables).

In class lectures.

The slides of the lectures will be made available on DIR.

Students with physical disabilities, Learning Disabilities or Special Education Needs can request
specific services and tools via the Staff Sviluppo e Coordinamento Carriere e Servizi alle Studentesse
e agli Studenti, consulting the University webpage: https://www.uniupo.it/en/services/services-
students-physical-or-learning-disabilities
Students with disabilities, learning disabilities or special education needs, once they have contacted
the University Staff, can refer to the tutor in charge of the course to define the examination
modalities, concerning academic aspects.

Written exam (8 questions to be answered in 1 h). Some examples of written tests are provided on the DIR page.

Mechanics:
Physical quantities, units of measurement. Kinematics of the material point.
Newtonian dynamics. Work, kinetic energy, potential energy. Conservation laws.
Dynamics of extended systems and of rigid bodies.

Thermodynamics
Thermodynamic systems. Definition of pressure in a fluid. Zero-th principle of thermodynamics; thermal expansion and temperature measurement. Thermometers and thermometric scales. The ideal gas and its equation of state; the kinetic theory of gases. Heat, changes of state, phase transitions, specific heat. Heat transmission. Work and thermodynamic transformations.
First Principle of Thermodynamics and its applications. The first Principle and ideal gas transformations. Enthalpy. Thermal and refrigerating machines; Carnot cycle. Efficiency of thermal machines. Postulates of Kelvin and Clausius.
Second Principle of Thermodynamics. Reversible and irreversible transformations. Law of entropy.

Waves:
Elastic properties of solids. Propagation of a perturbation along a bar of elastic material. Vibrating string. D'Alembert's wave equation. Principle of superposition. Transverse and longitudinal waves. Sound waves. Harmonic waves. Stationary waves.

Fluids:
Definition of fluid. Compressible and incompressible fluids. Hydrostatic. Pascal's law. Stevino's law. Archimedes' principle. Hydrodynamics of ideal fluids. Bernoulli's theorem and applications. Elements of hydrodynamics of real fluids. Laminar regime. Viscosity. Turbulent regime. Motion of a body in a fluid.

Electricity:
Electric charge. Quantization and conservation of the electric charge.
Conductors, insulators, semiconductors.
Electric field. Gauss's law for the electric field and applications. Coulomb's force. Electric potential and applications.
Capacitors: capacitance of a capacitor, electrostatic energy of a capacitor.
Electric current. Resistance and Ohm's law. Conductivity and electrical resistivity.
Energy and electrical power. Electric circuits and Kirchhoff's laws. Measurements of voltages, currents and resistances.

Magnetism:
Magnetic field. Magnetic force (of Lorentz). Ampère's law and applications.
Gauss's law for the magnetic field. Motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field. Force between current carrying wires.

Electromagnetism:
Electromagnetic induction: Faraday-Lenz law. Self-induction and inductance. Circuits in alternating current.
Maxwell's equations.

Electromagnetic waves and optics:
General characteristics, spectrum and intensity of an electromagnetic wave. The light. Propagation in a medium and refractive index. Geometrical optics.
Dispersion. Interference and diffraction. Photons. Blackbody radiation.

"Knowledge and understanding": Acquisition of in-depth knowledge on the basic phenomena of physics, of knowledge of the concepts and main applications of the fundamental laws of classical physics (mechanics, thermodynamics, optics and electromagnetism), acquisition of an appropriate scientific language.

“Applied knowledge and understanding”: knowing how to identify the data necessary to characterize a physical phenomenon; ability to interpret data and understand orders of magnitude, ability to apply the fundamental principles and laws of physics to solve problems and describe natural phenomena. Ability to use the provided didactic material for a critical and reasoned study.

"Autonomy of judgment": acquisition of a conscious autonomy of judgment with reference to the evaluation and interpretation of physical phenomena and experimental data, with particular attention to the ability to observe, describe and compare the phenomena of physics, to the ability to propose generalizations and the ability to apply theoretical models to solve problems.

"Communication skills": improvement of the disciplinary lexicon in the field of physics.

"Learning skills": acquisition of the ability to acquire, deepen and update independently, through the reading of scientific texts. Ability to use the didactic material for a critical and reasoned study.