30537 - FOUNDATIONS OF PHYSICS I
Department of Decision Sciences
Course taught in English
Go to class group/s: 27
Course Director:
LUCA SAGLIETTI
LUCA SAGLIETTI
Suggested background knowledge
Being familiar with elementary calculus and geometry will be of help for students to better understand the topics, and to solve problems.
Mission & Content Summary
MISSION
Scope of the course is to provide the basic methodological and conceptual tools which are instrumental for modelling physical systems.
Starting from point-like systems in various coordinates systems, the course will cover the fundamental laws of mechanics and thermodynamics,
oscillations and wave equations. An introduction to special relativity concludes the course.
Students are expected to learn problems solving skills.
CONTENT SUMMARY
- particle kinematics
- particle dynamics
- work, potential energy and conservation of energy
- inclined plane, pendulum, harmonic oscillator
- linear differential equations
- kinematics and dynamics of particle systems
- universal law of gravitation
- kinematics and dynamics of rigid bodies
- fluid mechanics
- oscillations and wave mechanics
- basics of kinetic theory of gases and thermodynamics
- special theory of relativity
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILO)
KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Understand the basic laws of classical physics
- Use mathematical tools for modelling systems
- Understand the role of symmetries and conservation principles
APPLYING KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING
At the end of the course student will be able to...
- Solve problems which require creative thinking
- Use geometry and calculus for problem solving
Teaching methods
- Face-to-face lectures
- Online lectures
- Exercises (exercises, database, software etc.)
- Individual assignments
DETAILS
- Online lectures will consist in recorded lectures about key topics
- Exercises will be problem solving assignments to be done in class under the supervision of the Instructor and Teaching Assistants.
- Individual assignments will consist in more advanced modelling and problem solving assignments, which might require also the adoption of numerical techniques.
Assessment methods
| Continuous assessment | Partial exams | General exam | |
|---|---|---|---|
|
x | x |
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
- The exam consists of a conceptual part and a problem solving part.
- The conceptual part will be formed by questions to be answered on paper, and it is used to asses the "knowledge and understanding" learning objectives.
- The problem solving part will be formed by exercises to be worked out on paper. It is used to asses the "applying knowledge and understanding" learning objectives.
- The exam is not open-book: any material outside of what is provided by the instructors is forbidden.
Teaching materials
ATTENDING AND NOT ATTENDING STUDENTS
- D. Kleppner, R.J Kolenkow - An introduction to mechanics, Cambridge University Press (2010)
- D. Halliday, R. Resnick, Jearl Walker - Fundamentals of Physics, Wiley (2010)
- Douglas C. Giancoli - Physics - Principles with Applications, Prentice Hall (2004)
- handouts
Last change 14/02/2022 17:02