66682 - Physics

Academic Year 2018/2019

  • Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
  • Campus: Ravenna
  • Corso: First cycle degree programme (L) in Chemistry and Technologies for the Environment and Materials (cod. 8515)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course the student knows the meaning of the main quantities of classical physics, their units and relative relations. The student knows the concepts of measurement uncertainty and error propagation, the mechanics of single points and of composite systems, the elementary theory of classical electromagnetism in vacuum and in matter. The student has also basic knowledge of geometric and wave optics.

Course contents

Dimensional formulae and physical units, error propagation, scalar and vector fields.


Kinematics and dynamics for a point mass, dynamics of systems, angular momentum and rotating objects, harmonic motion.

Electrostatics, continuous currents, magnetostatics, time varying electromagnetic fields.

Geometrical optics: Snell laws, light propagation in presence of spherical mirrors and thin lenses. Wave optics: interference and diffraction of light, diffraction gratings.

Readings/Bibliography

D.Halliday, R.Resnick, J.Walker, "Fundamentals of Physics", Wiley

Teaching methods

Lectures and classroom exercises.

Assessment methods

The knowledge of elementary mechanics and electromagnetism will be verified by means of a written test with exercises at a level of difficulty similar to those in the textbook and to those solved in the classroom. An oral exam might follow with more "theoretical" questions regarding the topics of the lectures.

Teaching tools

Blackboard, projector, pc, auxiliary material available on the web.

Office hours

See the website of Francesco Minardi