PHYSICS 1
Academic Year 2025/2026 - Teacher: ANTONINO SCANDURRAExpected Learning Outcomes
The course aims to provide students with:
• The language and methodology of the physical sciences
• A good understanding of the fundamental laws of mechanics, fluid dynamics, electromagnetism, and thermodynamics;
• The ability to analyze simple physical situations and evaluate or calculate the quantities involved.
Furthermore, with reference to the so-called Dublin Descriptors, this course contributes to the acquisition of the following transversal skills:
Knowledge and understanding:
• Inductive and deductive reasoning skills.
• Ability to schematize a natural phenomenon in terms of scalar and vector physical quantities.
• Ability to formulate a problem using appropriate relationships between physical quantities (algebraic, integral, or differential) and solve it with analytical or numerical methods.
Ability to apply knowledge:
• Ability to apply acquired knowledge to the description of physical phenomena using the scientific method rigorously.
Making judgments:
• Critical reasoning skills.
• Ability to self-assess and self-correct.
Communication skills:
• Ability to orally present a scientific topic, illustrating rationale and results, using appropriate language and terminology.
• Ability to write a scientific topic, illustrating rationale and results, using appropriate language and terminology.
Course Structure
The course includes 7 CFU of lectures (49 hours) and 1 CFU (12 hours) of classroom exercises.
The lectures will focus on the methodological contents of the discipline, applicative contents and the
problem solving.
If the teaching is given in mixed or remote mode, they can be introduced
necessary changes with respect to what was previously stated, in order to comply with the program
provided and reported in the syllabus.
Required Prerequisites
Attendance of Lessons
Attendance is mandatory.
The attendance to the lessons, and the consequent study, will be of great use for the understanding of the various ones
subjects. In the classroom, the resolution of exercises similar to those contained in the test will also be addressed
written.
Detailed Course Content
THE DESCRIPTION OF THE MOTION: Vectors displacement, speed and acceleration, motion with constant speed, motion with constant acceleration, motion in two dimensions.
DYNAMICS, LAWS OF MOTION: Force, First, Second and Third Newton's law, gravitational force, motion of a projectile, forces of friction, dynamics of circular motion; motion in the presence of speed-dependent retarding forces.
WORK AND ENERGY: Work of a force - Kinetic energy theorem - Conservative forces - Potential - Conservation of mechanical energy - Conservation of momentum.
ROTATIONAL MOTION: Rotational kinematics - Moment of forces - Conservation of angular momentum - Gravitational and electrostatic field - Gauss' theorem and its applications.
MECHANICS OF FLUIDS: Properties of fluids - Statics of fluids: laws of Pascal, Stevino and Archimedes - Ideal fluids and Bernoulli's theorem - Laminar motion of a viscous fluid: Poiseuille's law - Blood circulation and work of the heart - Turbulent flow - Sedimentation - Surface phenomena: Laplace's law and capillarity phenomena.
THERMODYNAMICS: Thermometry and calorimetry - Specific heat of substances - Elements of kinetic theory of gases - State of a thermodynamic system - Joule's experience - Equivalence between heat and work - Internal energy and first law of thermodynamics - Generalities of thermodynamic transformations - Reversible and irreversible - Thermal machines - Second law of thermodynamics - Entropy.
ELECTRIC CHARGE, ELECTROSTATIC FIELD AND POTENTIAL: Electric charge - - Conductors and insulators - Coulomb's law - Electrostatic field - Lines of force, potential and electrostatic potential energy - Capacitors - Dielectric - Energy density of the electric field.
ELECTRIC CURRENT: Electric current - Resistance and Ohm's law - Electric currents in conductors and electrolytes - Model for electrical conduction - Electricity and power - Conduction of impulses in the nervous system.
MAGNETIC FIELDS: Magnetic field - Motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field - Magnetic force on a current-carrying conductor - Magnetic field produced by a current - Biot-Savart's law, - Ampere's law - Induced electromotive force - Faraday's law and induction - Lenz's law - Maxwell's equations - Electromagnetic waves.
WAVING PHENOMENA: Wave motion - Equation of waves - Longitudinal and transverse waves - Plane waves and spherical waves - Monochromatic waves - Doppler effect - Sound and its characteristics - Physics of the ear - Ultrasound.
ELEMENTS OF OPTICS: Reflection and refraction - Snell's law - Huygens' principle - Approximation of geometric optics - Spherical diopter - Thin lenses - Geometric construction of images - Microscope - Physical optics - Coherent sources - Interference - Diffraction - Diffraction grating - Resolution of an optical instrument - Polarization.
Textbook Information
Course Planning
| Subjects | Text References | |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction and vectors | Textbook 1.: ch. 1; Textbook 2.: ch. 1, par. 3.1-3.5 |
| 2 | Motion description | Textbook 1: ch. 2, ch.3; Textbook 2.: ch. 2, ch.3 |
| 3 | Laws of dynamics | Textbook 1: ch.5; Textbook 2.: ch.4 |
| 4 | Frictional forces and dynamics of circular motion | Textbook 1: ch.4; Textbook 2: par.4.8; ch.5 |
| 5 | Energy and Work | Textbook 1: ch.6; Textbook 2.: par. 6.1-6.3 |
| 6 | Conservation of momentum | Textbook 1: par. 8.1, 8.2; Textbook 2.: par 7.1, 7.2 |
| 7 | Conservative fields - Potential - Energy Mechanics | Textbook1:ch.7; Textbook 2.:par 6.4-6.10 |
| 8 | Rotational motion | Textbook 1: ch.10; Textbook 2.: ch.8 |
| 9 | Fluid Mechanics | Textbook 1: ch.15; Textbook 2.: ch.10 |
| 10 | Temperature and kinetic theory of gases | Textbook 1: chp.16; Textbook 2.: ch.13 |
| 11 | Principles of Thermodynamics | Textbook 1: ch.17, ch.18; Textbook 2.: ch.14, 15 |
| 12 | Electric Forces and Electric Fields | Textbook 1: ch.19; Textbook 2.: ch.16 |
| 13 | Electric Potential and Capacity | Textbook 1: ch. 20; Textbook 2.: ch.17 |
| 14 | Electric current and Ohm's law | Textbook 1: par. 21.1-21.4; Textbook 2.: ch.18 |
| 15 | Forces and Magnetic Fields | Textbook 1: ch.22; Textbook 2.: ch.20 |
| 16 | Faraday's law and inductance | Textbook 1: ch.23; Textbook 2.: par. 21.1-21.3, 22.1 |
| 17 | Electromagnetic waves | Textbook 1: par 24.7; Textbook 2.: ch.22 |
Learning Assessment
Learning Assessment Procedures
- Regular exam
The exam consists of two tests: a written test and an oral test.
The written test, which is considered passed if the score is 18 or higher, will be evaluated for admission to the oral exam.
The oral exam score constitutes the final grade.
Students may choose to take the oral exam in the same exam session as the written exam or in a subsequent exam within the same session.
After passing the written test, which consists of solving a few exercises (usually 5), the oral exam will test their knowledge, understanding, and presentation of the topics covered in class.
- Mid-term tests
Students who attend classes may take mid-term tests.
Two mid-term tests will be administered: the first at the mid-term, covering the section of the program up to fluid dynamics, and the second at the end of the course, covering the remaining topics. Students who pass the ongoing tests with a grade greater than or equal to 18, calculated as the average of the grades obtained in the two tests, are exempt from taking the written final exam, provided this is taken within the First Exam Session.
The ongoing tests consist of multiple-choice and closed-ended questions and/or exercises.
The learning assessment may also be conducted online, if circumstances require it.
Examples of frequently asked questions and / or exercises
The laws of dynamics, forces of friction, conservative forces, work and energy, acoustic waves, theorem of
Bernoulli, sedimentation velocity, electric field and electric potential, Faraday's law, waves
electromagnetic, optical fibers, motion of a charge in a magnetic field.