19704 - General Physics B

Learning outcomes

This course aims to give the students the knowledge of the basic concepts of the electromagnetism in empty space and the principles of thermodynamics, and how they can be expressed in mathematical form. The students have to reach knowledge of the scientific methods and of the natural laws so that they can solve problems in a quantitative form.

Course contents

Electromagnetism Program

- Electrostatic field in vacuum
Coulomb's law. Superposition principle. Charge conservation. Charge quantization. Millikan experiment. Electrostatic field.  Electric dipole and dipole moment. Electrostatic field calculations: uniformely charged wire, plane distribution, double plane. Electrostatic potential and potential energy. Calculation of electrostatic potentials. Solid angle. Gauss law. Calculations of electrostatic fields with Gauss law. Electrostatic field discontinuity. Poisson's and Laplace's laws. Electric dipole potential. Dipole in electrostatic field. Differential vector calculus.

- Electrostatic field in presence of conducting media
Macroscopic observations: insulator and conducting media. Conductors in electrostatic equilibrium. Curvature and tip effects. Conductors with holes. Electrostatic shields. Electrostatic capacities and calculations: plane, sferical and cilindrical capacitors. Capacitors linked in series and in parallel. Electrostatic energy and density of energy. Basic notations of dielectric materials; dielectric constants.

- Steady charge current
Current intensity and current density. Drift velocity. Conservation of electric charge; continuity equation. Ohm's law: resistance and resistivity. Dissipative forces and Joule effect. Electromotive force generators. Resistors in series and in parallel. Kirchhoff's laws. Charge and discharge of a capacitor.

- Static magnetic field
Magnetic induction field. Lorentz's force. Laplace's laws. Charged particle motion in magnetic fields. Magnetic coils. Magnetic dipole moment. Electric motor. Magnetic field sources. Biot-Savart law. Magnetic permeability. Ampere's law. Calculations of magnetic fields. Solenoids. Forces on parallel wires with current. Velocity selector and mass spectrometer. Classical Hall effect.

- Electromagnetic induction
Induced electromagnetic forces and Faraday-Neumann law. Lenz law. Electric fields produced by time-dependent magnetic fields. Electric current generators. Contraelectromotive forces and parassitic currents. Self inductance and inductors. Magnetic field energy.  LR, LC and LRC circuits.

- Maxwell equations and their consequences.
The D'Alembert equation. Elecromagnetic waves, Energy and the e.m. field. The Poynting vector.

Thermodynamics Program

Thermodynamic systems and their transformations. The zero principle of thermodinamics: temperature and thermometers. Thermodynamic transformations and phase transitions.

- The first law of thermodynamics
Thermodynamic work. Reversibile and irreversibile transformations. Real and ideal gases. Internal energy. The first law of thermodynamics. Heat. Thermal capacity. Transformations of ideal gases. The statistical method. Macroscopic coordinates. Heat and work conversions. Thermostat.

- The second law of thermodynamics.
Thermal engines. The Carnot cycle. Reversibility and Irreversibility. Clausius theorem.

- Entropy.
Entropy and reversibility. Absolute thermodynamic temperature. Law of increasing entropy.

Readings/Bibliography

S. Focardi, I. Massa, A. Uguzzoni FISICA GENERALE - Elettromagnetismo. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana.

S. Focardi, I. Massa, A. Uguzzoni FISICA GENERALE - Termodinamica e Fluidi. Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

Teaching methods

Class lectures supported by PC slides, short film prolections and Java applets. Exercises and problems sessions.

Assessment methods

Written examination to be passed before the final oral examination.
The oral examination must be passed within 6 months from the passed written one. If needed, more trials may be done within this period. The mark obtained following this examinations will be combined with the one of the General Physics A part to give the final mark for the General Physics course.

Teaching tools

Knowledge of basic elements of trigonometry, elementary geometry and mathematical analysis (limits, derivatives, integrals on functions of one or more variables) is required, as well as arguments and concepts learned in a university course of mechanics. Part of the lessons is devoted to exercises. Tutorial activity is foreseen.

Links to further information

http://www.bo.infn.it/herab/people/piccinini/FG_LB.html

Office hours

See the website of Maurizio Piccinini