Ateneo - UPO

The course illustrates the fundamental elements of classical physics, with particular emphasis on mechanics and thermodynamics (in the first part) and on electromagnetic and optical phenomena (in the second part).

For the first part:
M. Mazzoldi, P. Nigro, C. Voci, “Elementi di Fisica: Meccanica e Termodinamica” vol. 1 (EdiSES)
D. Halliday, R. Resnick, J. Walker, “Fondamenti di Fisica” (Zanichelli)
R. Wolfson, “Fisica” vol. 1 (Pearson)

For the second part:
R. Wolfson, “Fisica” vol. 2 (Pearson)

Both for the first and for the second part the slides of the lectures will be made available on DIR.

Knowledge of kinematics and transformation laws of reference systems. Knowledge of the laws of Newtonian dynamics and of conservation laws, applied to the material point, to systems of points and to rigid bodies. Knowledge of the fundamental properties of the gravitational interaction. 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 and of the theory of electromagnetism. Conceptual and quantitative understanding of the following topics: electric and magnetic field, electromagnetic phenomena, the nature of light and optical phenomena.

The student must achieve a certain mastery of the topics covered in the course, which manifests 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.

Oral exam

Mechanics:
Physical quantities, units of measurement, international system (SI).
Kinematics of the material point.
Dynamics: inertial systems, first, second and third principles of dynamics. Work, kinetic energy, potential energy. Conservation laws.
Dynamics of extended systems: center of mass, first and second cardinal equations of motion. Collision theory. Moments of inertia. Dynamics of the rigid body.
Gravitation: Gravitational field and potential. Kepler's laws.
Thermodynamics
Thermodynamic system: macroscopic and microscopic description. 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. Real gases, Van der Waals law, state diagrams. Heat, changes of state, phase transitions, specific and latent heat. Heat transmission. Work and thermodynamic transformations.
First Principle of Thermodynamics and its applications. The first Principle and ideal gas transformations. Thermal and refrigerating machines; Carnot cycle. Efficiency of thermal machines. Postulates of Kelvin and Clausius.
Second Principle of Thermodynamics. Reversible and irreversible transformations and Carnot's principle. Entropy concept and the second principle of thermodynamics. Entropy and probability.

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. Group speed. Doppler effect.

Fluids
Definition of fluid. Compressible and incompressible fluids. Hydrostatic. Pascal's law: hydraulic press. Stevino's law. Archimedes' principle. Hydrodynamics of ideal fluids. Bernoulli's theorem and applications. Torricelli's theorem. Elements of hydrodynamics of real fluids. Laminar regime. Viscosity. Hagen-Poiseuille's law. Turbulent regime. Pressure loss in a conduct. Reynolds number. Motion of a body in a fluid. Fluid resistance to the motion of immersed bodies.

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.

"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.