27996 - General Physics T-1

Learning outcomes

Maturation of the basic concepts of general physics (with particular regard to 'Mechanics and the Principles of Thermodynamics) in the language of' calculus, integral calculus and vector. Acquisition of scientific-technical methodology needed to address in quantitative terms the problems of physics.

Course contents

MECHANICS

Vectors. Directed line segment. Opposite vector and null vector. Vector addition and its properties. Vector subtraction. Scalar multiplication of a vector and its properties. Scalar products between two vectors and its properties. Square and magnitude of a vector. Versors (unit vectors). Orthogonal axis tern. Coordinate system. Cartesian, cylindrical and intrinsic coordinate systems. Versor bases. Cartesian, cylindrical and intrinsic (Frenet-Serret) versor bases. Cartesian, cylindrical, spherical and intrinsic representation of the vectors. Representation of position vectors. Vector operations in the cartesian representation.

Particle Kinematics. Point particle. Reference frames and Cartesian coordinate triads. Short history of the time unit. Short history of the length unit. The vector law of motion in a cartesian, cylindrical and intrinsic base. Average and instantaneous velocity. Instantaneous velocity in a cartesian, cylindrical and intrinsic base. Average and instantaneous acceleration. Instantaneous acceleration in a cartesian, cylindrical and intrinsic base. Change of reference frames. Translation and rotation. Transformation of the position vector. Poisson’s formula. Transformation of the velocity. Drag velocity. Transformation of the acceleration. Drag acceleration and Coriolis acceleration.

The Static Force. Dynamometer. The vector nature of a force. Force units in International System of Units. Weight-force. Calibration of a Dynamometer. Active and constraint forces. Friction forces. Sliding friction. Static and kinetic sliding friction. Limiting friction. Rolling friction.

Particle Dynamics. Dynamics and its principles. Frame of reference. Particle subject to null net force. Inertial and non-inertial reference frames. Approximatively inertial reference frame. The physics origin of the inertiality. Mach’s principle and strong equivalence principle. The Newton’s first law of motion (law of inertia). The Newton’s second law of motion. Dynamic measure of the force. Weight units and dynamics. Momentum and impulse. Impulse-momentum theorem. Weight-force. Elastic-force. Friction-force. Constraint-force. Gravitational-force: Kepler's laws. Newton's law of universal gravitation: Inertial mass and gravitational mass. Pseudo-forces: change of reference frame. Rectilinear uniform translating reference frame. Accelerated reference frame. Drag pseudo-force and Coriolis pseudo-force. Centrifugal pseudo-force and Euler pseudo-force.

Work and energy. Elementary work. Exact differentials and differential forms. Line integral of a vector field. Work done by a force on a point particle moving on a curve. Examples of work calculation. Kinetic energy. The work-energy theorem. Positional forces and conservative forces. Differential operators: gradient, divergence and curl. Properties of conservative force fields. Potential, potential energy and total mechanical energy. Conservation of mechanical energy.

Dynamics of particle systems and of rigid bodies. Action-reaction law. Resultant and resultant moment of internal forces. Closed systems. Angular momentum. Cardinal equations of dynamics. Conservation of momentum and of angular momentum. Centre of mass. Properties of the centre of mass. The centre of mass theorem. Rigid bodies. Angular momentum of rigid bodies: case of a rigid body rotating around a fixed axis and case of a roto-translating rigid body with the rotation axis parallel to itself. Moment of inertia. Moment of inertia of homogeneous bodies. Huygens–Steiner theorem. Dynamics of systems. König's theorem for a system of particle points and for a rigid body.

THERMODYNAMICS

The language of thermodymics. Thermodynamic systems, macroscopic and microscopic description. Intensive and extensive quantities. Thermodynamical equilibrium. Adiabatic and diathermic walls. Thermal contact. Thermal equilibrium between two thermodynamical systems. Thermometers: thermometric properties and thermometric functions. Zeroth law of thermodynamics. Thermometer calibration. Fixed points: normal melting point, normal boiling point and triple point. Ideal gas thermometer. Units of measurement of the temperature. International temperature scale. Thermodynamic transformations. Quasi-statics thermodynamic processes. Equation of state of an ideal gas. Mole and Avogadro’s number.

First principle of the thermodynamics. Average molecular kinetic energy. The work in a quasi-static transformations of a fluid. Adiabatic work. Internal energy. Amount of heat. The first principle of the thermodynamics. Heat capacity, specific heat and molar heat. Ideal gases. Property of ideal gases. Quasi-static adiabatic transformations of an ideal gas: Poisson's formulae.

Second principle of the thermodynamics. Reversible and irreversible transformations. Heat engines. Efficiency of a heat engine. Carnot's cycle. Refrigerating systems. Second principle of the thermodynamics: Kelvin-Planck and Clausius statements and their equivalence. The Carnot's theorem. Absolute thermodynamic temperature. The Clausius's theorem. Entropy. The law of the increase of the entropy. Example of calculations of entropy variation in a reversible or irreversible thermodynamic process.

Readings/Bibliography

FISICA GENERALE - Meccanica e Terodinamica

S. Focardi, I. Massa, A. Uguzzoni, M. Villa

Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

 

ESERCIZI DI FISICA - Meccanica, Come risolvere i Problemi

A. Uguzzoni, M. Villa

Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

ESERCIZI DI FISICA - Termodinamica,Fluidi Onde e Relatività

A. Uguzzoni, M. Villa, M. Sioli

Casa Editrice Ambrosiana

- FISICA per Scienze ed Ingegneria - Sesta Edizione

Serway Jewett - EdiSES edizioni - two volumes

- A.Bertin, M. Poli, A. Vitale, Fondamenti di Termodinamica, Esculapio Editore (Progetto Leonardo), Bologna

Slides  PPT on Virtuale

Teaching methods

Frontal lessons. A part of the lessons is dedicated to the discussion of questions and exercises of Thermodynamics and Mechanics

Assessment methods

L 'exam consists of a written test and an oral examination, usually after a week from the script. The access to the oral exam is permitted only after passing the written test. The written test consists of about 30 to 40 multiple choice questions about the whole program. Some quizzes concerning topics of theory, others are numeric and provide calculations to express an answer, and others to assess the purely formal understanding of the topics. It is not strictly necessary to complete all of the quizzes to get an estimate of the sufficiency, as the results are normalized to fit the range 18-30: Admitted to the oral.
Each task is customized for each student enrolled in the exam, so every student will have the specific task to be delivered in each case. The correctly crossed quizzes will add a positive value to the overall result of the written while the quizzes not crossed out will not give any contribution, quizzes crossed incorrectly give a negative contribution.
The dates of the oral are visible on the site of Almaesami and each student can choose the date of his oral to which he has access.

Who does not get a sufficient evaluation or does not show up to the oral must repeat the written exam.

Each exam, written or oral, can not be repeated within 30 days thereafter. The student who sees more available written exams in short intervals, may register only one of them. If a student book and then do not show up, it is evaluated as: Not Admitted to the oral.

Teaching tools

On AMS Campus are filed several handouts support files, as complement material to the lectures

Links to further information

http://www.bo.infn.it/~gabriell/

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Gabrielli

See the website of Virginia Cuciti