Unit PHYSICS
- Course
- Biotechnology
- Study-unit Code
- GP000517
- Curriculum
- In all curricula
- CFU
- 6
- Course Regulation
- Coorte 2022
- Offered
- 2022/23
- Learning activities
- Base
- Area
- Discipline matematiche, fisiche, informatiche e statistiche
- Academic discipline
- FIS/03
- Type of study-unit
- Obbligatorio (Required)
- Type of learning activities
- Attività formativa monodisciplinare
PHYSICS - Canale A
| Code | GP000517 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Teacher | Luca Gammaitoni |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Base |
| Area | Discipline matematiche, fisiche, informatiche e statistiche |
| Academic discipline | FIS/03 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | The experimental method, physical quantities and units of measure. Elements di mechanics, elettricity and magnetism. Elements di experimental methods and error analysis. |
| Reference texts | Walker, Fondamenti di Fisica (Casa Editrice Pearson) |
| Educational objectives | The student is expected to acquire a basic knowledge about dynamics of a point mass, statics and dynamics of fluids, electricity, magnetism and theory of errors. The lectures are devoted to provide the students with the theoretical basis of the different arguments. Numerical exercises are proposed in order to make the student autonomous in both finding the best conceptual solutions and acquiring the capability for numerical evaluation. |
| Prerequisites | Mandatory prerequisites. Basic knowledge of algebra: manipulation of numerical and formal expressions, solution of first and second degree equations. Basic knowledge of mathematical analysis: elementary functions such as polynomials, trigonometric functions, exponential and logarithmic functions. Important prerequisites. Basic knowledge of mathematical analysis: derivative of elementary functions, derivation rules for composite functions, the concept of integration and integrals of elementary functions. Basic knowledge of vectorial analysis: the concept of vector, scalar product and vector product. |
| Teaching methods | The whole body of the program is presented in face-to-face lectures. Part of the lectures is devoted to the solution of selected exercises, with the aim of providing the students with the necessary tools and methods to face specific physical problems. The proposed exercises are solved by the teacher with a direct involvement of the students, with respect to both the solution process and the execution of specific numerical applications. |
| Other information | The results of the written exams and some exercises are available on UniStudium. |
| Learning verification modality | The student's evaulation is done by means of a written test. Each test is composed of 23 questions, that encompasses theoretical questions and numerical exercises. The questions range over the whole program of the lectures. During the written exam, it is only allowed to use the questionnaire sheet, paper sheets provided by the teacher, a calculator. It is not allowed the use of mobile phones, personal notes, textbooks. |
| Extended program | Introduction to the course and practical information. Physics and the experimental method. Physical quantities and units of measurement. International System. Dimensional equations. Scalars and vectors. Basic elements of vectorial analysis. Measurement methods: direct and indirect measurements. Systematic errors, statistical errors, instrumental sensitivity. Mean value as best estimate of a measured quantity. Variance, standard deviation and standard deviation of the mean. Distribution about the mean value of repeated measurements. Event count measurements, Poisson distribution and standard deviation. Independent errors, gaussian distribution, standard deviation and confidence intervals. Error propagation. Remarkable examples: sum and difference, product and quotient. Squared propagation for independent errors. Kinematics of the point mass. Average and instantaneous speed. Average and instaneous Acceleration. Calculation of the law of motion starting from the knowledge of the time dependence of the instantaneous velocity: general references to integral calculus and its physical-geometric significance. Law of motion for uniform linear motion and uniformly accelereted linear motion. Uniform circular motion, centripetal acceleration, law of motion. Causes of motion. Mass, second principle of dynamics and force. Gravitational force. Weight. Elastic force. Static and dynamic friction forces. Viscous friction forces. General problem of dynamics. Motion under the action of an elastic force. Definition of work in the case of constant force. Considerations and examples on positive work, negative work, null work. Unit of measure of work. General definition of work in the case of variable force. Definition of power and its unit of measure. Kinetic energy and kinetic energy theorem. Example of application of the kinetic energy theorem to a mass under the action of weight along three paths of remarkable interest. Work done by some important forces along a closed path: weight, elastic force, friction. Conservative and non-conservative forces. Definition of potential energy. Definition of mechanical energy and theorem of conservation of mechanical energy. Momentum of a point particle. Conservation principles. Rotational motion. Angular momentum. Conservation principles. Periodic motion. Pendulum. Fluids. Density and pressure in a fluid. Continuity equation and flow rate. Bernoulli's equation and some of its consequences: hydrostatic paradox, Archimedes' force, Venturi effect. Electrostatic phenomena. Power and electrical charges. Microscopic electric structure of matter and atoms. Additivity of electric charges. Insulators and conductors. Coulomb law. Dielectric constant of vacuum and relative dielectric constant. Comparison between Coulomb force and gravitational force. Electric field. Superposition principle (additivity electrical force and electric field). Exercise on the superposition principle: field of an electric dipole. Flux of a vector through a surface. Solid angle. Gauss theorem. Some applications of the Gauss theorem: field of a uniformly charged insulating sphere, field of a uniformly charged infinite plane, field of a double charged plane. Work of the electrostatic force generated by a point charge. Electrostatic potential energy. Electrical potential. Potential energy and electrical potential of a parallelel-plates capacitor. Electrostatics in conductors. Electromotive force and electric current. Ohm's law, resistance and conductivity. Resistors in series and resistors in parallel. Joule effect. Resistivity. Alternating current and effective power. Elementary magnetic phenomena. Oersted's and Ampère's experiments. Second Laplace law and Lorentz force. Magnetic induction field. Motion of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic field. Mass spectrometer. Biot and Savart law. Magnetic permeability of vacuum and relative magnetic permeability: diamagnetic, paramagnetic and ferromagnetic materials. Ampere's law. Magneti field and magnetic moment of a current loop. Field of a solenoid. Magnetic induction and Faraday's law. Maxwell's equations. Electric circuits in AC Electromagnetic waves. The radio. |
PHYSICS - Canale B
| Code | GP000517 |
|---|---|
| CFU | 6 |
| Teacher | Silvia Corezzi |
| Teachers |
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| Hours |
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| Learning activities | Base |
| Area | Discipline matematiche, fisiche, informatiche e statistiche |
| Academic discipline | FIS/03 |
| Type of study-unit | Obbligatorio (Required) |
| Language of instruction | Italian |
| Contents | 1) Introduction to the experimental method 2) Introduction to the study of uncertainties in physical measurements 3) Elements di mechanics: kinematics and dynamics of material points 4) Elements of electrostatics and magnetism 5) Fluids: statics and dynamics |
| Reference texts | 1) FISICA GENERALE-Principi e applicazioni Autore: Alan Giambattista 3a Edizione italiana a cura di P. Mariani, A. Orecchini, F. Spinozzi McGraw-Hill (2021), ISBN 9788838699368 2) Lecture notes made available by the teacher |
| Educational objectives | The course of PHYSICS aims at providing the student with scientific knowledge preparatory to other disciplines included in the course of study, through: (1) the knowledge of the basic principles of physics that are needed to understand natural phenomena at the macroscopic and microscopic level; (2) the knowledge bases for a conscious application of the scientific method during any activity of the university training course. The student is expected to acquire: (1) a basic knowledge of the laws of motion, of the main electric and magnetic phenomena, and the behavior of fluids; (2) the fundamentals of the theory of errors in the physical measurements. The lectures are devoted to provide the students with the theoretical basis of the different arguments, and are supported by numerical and conceptual exercises. The course is expected to make the student autonomous in both finding the best conceptual solutions and acquiring the capability for numerical evaluation, going beyond notionism. The student is expected to develop logical skills, and demonstrate an ability to apply the knowledge acquired to the understanding of physical processes in biological systems. |
| Prerequisites | (1) Mandatory pre-requisites: Basic knowledge of algebra: manipulation of numerical and formal expressions, solution of first and second degree equations. Basic knowledge of mathematical analysis: elementary functions such as polynomials, trigonometric functions, exponential and logarithmic functions. (2) Important pre-requisites. Basic knowledge of mathematical analysis: derivative of elementary functions, derivation rules for composite functions, the concept of integration and integrals of elementary functions. Basic knowledge of vectorial analysis: the concept of vector, scalar product and vector product. |
| Teaching methods | The whole body of the program of PHYSICS is presented in face-to-face lectures. Part of the lectures is devoted to the solution of selected exercises, with the aim of providing the students with the necessary tools and methods to face specific physical problems. The proposed exercises are solved by the teacher with a direct involvement of the students. Short notes prepared by the teacher can be downloaded from the Unistudium website, together with collections of exercises on the different arguments. Part of the proposed exercises includes a full explanation of the solution process and references to the theoretical knowledge imparted with the lessons. |
| Other information | Attendance of lessons in facultative but strongly encouraged. |
| Learning verification modality | The student's evaluation is done by means of a written examination on the telematics platform LibreEOL. The written test is a multiple-choice test consisting of around 30 exercises, about one third as theoretical questions and the other two thirds as numerical exercises. The arguments cover the entire program of the course. The answers are considered valid only if the student has given trace of the solution process. Each exercise is given the same score. Wrong answers are worth zero points. The test is passed if the total score is not lower than 18/30. During the written test, students are only allowed to use the questionnaire sheet, the writing instruments, and a scientific calculator. The use of personal notes, textbooks and any information source is strictly forbidden. For information about DSA-student support services visit the website http://www.unipg.it/disabilita-e-dsa |
| Extended program | - INTRODUCTION TO THE STUDY OF PHYSICS The scientific method. Physical quantities and units of measurement. International System. Dimensional equations. - INTRODUCTION TO ERROR ANALYSIS Measurement methods: direct and indirect measurements. Types of experimental uncertainties: systematic errors, statistical errors, instrument resolution uncertainty. How to represent and use the errors: notation, significant digits, relative error and precision. Estimate of uncertainty by readout of a graduated scale. The estimate of errors in repeated measurements. Statistical analysis of random errors: mean value as the best estimate of a measured quantity; standard deviation from the mean as the best estimate of the uncertainty of a single measurement; standard deviation of the mean (standard error) as the best estimate of the uncertainty of the mean, with a 68% confidence level. Gaussian distribution of repeated measurements affected by random and independent errors. Error propagation through sum and difference, product and quotient. Squared propagation for independent random errors. - VECTORS AND THEIR OPERATIONS Scalar and vector quantities. Graphical representation of vectors. Identifying a vector by means of its components along the axes of a reference system. Decomposition of a vector into component vectors. Basic elements of vector analysis: sum, product by a scalar quantity, scalar and vectorial product. - KINEMATICS: HOW DO THINGS MOVE? The concept of motion. The trajectory. The fundamental kinematic quantities: position vector, velocity vector (average velocity and instantaneous velocity), acceleration vector (tangential and centripetal acceleration). Motion in the plane as the composition of linear motions along the axes of the chosen Cartesian reference system. Kinematics of the liner motion: time law and space-time diagram. Kinematic laws of special linear motions: uniform linear motion and uniformly accelerated linear motion. Graphical representation of the laws of linear motions. Example of downward uniformly accelerated motion: the free-fall motion of a body near the earth’s surface. Two case studies: unidimensional motion of vertical free-fall; fall motion in the vertical plane. Circular motion: description by means of angular position, angular velocity, and angular acceleration. Uniform circular motion: centripetal acceleration and period of motion. - DYNAMICS: WHY DO THINGS MOVE? The concept of force in physics. First principle of the dynamics (inertia law). Inertial mass and second principle of the dynamics (Newton’s law). Third principle of the dynamics (action and reaction law). Superposition principle (i.e. independence of simultaneous actions). Recognizing and describing some forces: gravitational force and weight; constraint reaction forces (tension of a wire; normal reaction of a support surface and “weight sensation”); electrostatic force (Coulomb’s law); friction forces: static, dynamic, viscous and non-viscous; elastic force (elastic oscillation motion). - WORK AND ENERGY General definition of work (done by a variable force). Rapidity with which work is done: the concept of power. Work done by a few important forces: weight, elastic force, dynamic friction, normal reaction force by a support surface, tension force in a simple pendulum, gravitational force, electrostatic force. Definition of potential energy: expression of weight potential energy and elastic potential energy; expression of gravitational potential energy and electrostatic potential energy. Definition of kinetic energy. The kinetic energy theorem. Conservative and dissipative forces. Definition of mechanical energy. Theorem of conservation of mechanical energy. - ELECTRIC FORCE Electrostatic phenomena and electric charge. Microscopic electric structure of matter and atoms. Charge quantization and elementary charge. Additivity of charge and charge conservation principle. Superposition principle (the electrostatic force is additive). Conservative nature of electrostatic forces. Electric field and force field lines. Electric potential. Flux of a vector through a surface and Gauss theorem. Some examples of electric field and electric potential: 1) Electric field and potential generated by a single point charge and by a discrete distribution of point charges. 2) Electric field and potential generated by a uniformly charged infinite plane. 3) Electric field and potential generated by a uniformly charged spherical shell. 4) Electric field and potential generated by a uniformly charged sphere. Application of the superposition principle: field generated by an electric dipole; field generated by a system of double-charged parallel planes. An example: the membrane potential. Application of the energy conservation theorem: motion of a charged particle in an electrostatic field. - CONDUCTORS AND INSULATORS Difference between insulating (dielectric) and conductive materials: the mobile charge carriers. Equilibrium condition of a conductor. Application of the Gauss law to determine the distribution of excess charge in a conductor at equilibrium. Conductive body with a cavity inside. Charged conductive sphere. Conductive bodies in contact. Introduction of a conductive body in an external electric field: the electrostatic induction phenomenon. Capacitors. Capacity of a parallel plane capacitor. Introduction of a charged conductor into an uncharged conductor with a cavity. Introduction of an uncharged conductive slab between two planes with opposite charge. Introduction of a dielectric material in an external field: the polarization phenomenon. Introduction of a dielectric slab between two planes with opposite charge. The relative dielectric constant. The concept of polarization charge. Electric conduction in conductive materials. Density of charge carriers. The concept of drift velocity. Intensity of current and density of current. Stationary electric current. The Ohm’s law. Conductivity and resistance. Resistors in series and resistors in parallel. Power dissipated by the current passage through a resistor: the Joule effect. - MAGNETIC FORCE The magnetism. Relationship between electric and magnetic phenomena. The magnetic field as the mediator of the action at a distance between electric charges in motion. Magnetic field effects: force acting on a single charge in motion (Lorentz force); force acting on an infinitesimal wire run by current (2nd elementary Laplace law). Straight wire run by current in a uniform magnetic field. Motion of charged particles in a uniform magnetic field: uniform and circular motion of a charged particle around the field lines of the magnetic field; mass spectrometer; velocity selector. Sources of magnetic field: magnetic field generated by an infinitesimal wire run by current (1st elementary Laplace law); magnetic field generated by a circuit run by current; magnetic field generated by a single charge in motion. Magnetic field of special circuits: straight wire; solenoid. - FLUIDS What’s a fluid. Definition of density and pressure. Fluids at rest: variation of pressure with depth and elevation (Stevino’s law); Archimede’s force and body’s buoyancy. Stationary moving fluids: continuity equation; Bernoulli's equation. |