Learning objectives
To provide the first year students with the basic concepts of Physics
Prerequisites
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Course unit content
Physics and measurements. Vectors. MECHANICS. Displacement, velocity and acceleration. The laws of motion. Newton’s laws. Mass and weight. Gravity force. Force of a spring. Friction force. Circular motion and centripetal force. Moment of a force. Static equilibrium of a rigid body. Work and energy. Work done by a force which varies with position (spring). Potential energy. Conservative forces and conservation of energy. Power. Linear momentum and collisions.Center of mass. WAVES. Oscillatory motion. Wave motion. Equation of waves. Velocity of a wave in a rope. Superposition and standing waves. SOUNDS. Sound waves. Characters of sounds. Doppler effect. FLUIDS. Pressure. Atmospheric pressure. Pascal’s law. Stevino’s law. Archimede’s law. The dynamics of fluids. Continuity equation. Bernoulli’s theorem. Real liquids. Viscosity. THERMODYNAMICS. Temperature, thermal expansion and ideal gases. Heat and the first law of thermodynamics. The kinetic theory of gases. Heat engines, entropy and the second law of thermodynamics. ELECTRICITY AND MAGNETISM. The electric charge. Coulomb’s law. Electric field. Gauss’s law. Electric potential. Capacitance and dielectrics. Current and resistance. Ohm’s laws. Direct currents circuits. Kirchoff’s principles. Magnetic fields. Sources of the magnetic fields. Faraday’s law. Inductance. Magnetic properties of matter. Electromagnetic waves. GEOMETRIC OPTICS. The nature of light and the laws of geometric optics. Mirrors, prism, and lenses. PHYSICAL OPTICS. The colour. Interference. Diffraction. Polarization.
Full programme
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Bibliography
* James S. Walker - "Fondamenti di Fisica" - Zanichelli<br />
* Ezio Ragozzino- "Principi di Fisica" - EdiSES<br />
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* A. Giambattista - "Fisica Generale" - McGraw Hill<br />
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* Giancoli - "Fisica" - Ambrosiana<br />
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* Serway & Jewett - "Principi di Fisica" Vol I – EdiSES
Teaching methods
Frontal lectures and exercises. Final written and oral examination
Assessment methods and criteria
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Other information
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