Complements of classical mechanics and thermodynamics

Period of duration of course
‌‌
Course info
Number of course hours
80
Number of hours of lecturers of reference
80
Number of hours of supplementary teaching
0
CFU 12
‌‌

Modalità esame

Written and oral exam

Lecturer

View lecturer details

Lecturer

View lecturer details

Lecturer

View lecturer details

Prerequisiti

Course of general physics for 1st year students in Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics.

Programma

  • Vectors. Reference systems. Equations of motion and time law. Units of measurement and dimensional analysis. Particle kinematics and kinematics of the rigid body. Forces and torques.
  • Statics. Friction forces. Tensions. Balancing forces and torques. Newton's laws.
  • Oscillations: harmonic oscillator, driven oscillator, damped oscillator. Coupled oscillators.
  • Non-inertial reference systems. Fictitious forces. 
  • Conservation of energy in one dimension, conservative forces, work and potential energy. Small oscillations. Conservation of energy in three dimensions. Gravity. Tides. 
  • Momentum conservation. Variable masses. Center of mass. Kinetic energy. Collisions in one and two dimensions.
  • Central forces. Angular momentum. Effective potential. Kepler's laws. Angular momentum with fixed direction. Case of a two-dimensional object. Non-planar objects.
  • Moment of inertia. Torques. Angular momentum general case. Angular velocity. Tensor of inertia. Principal axes. Euler equations. Spinning tops and gyroscopes.
  • Kinetic theory of gases. Pressure, temperature and kinetic energy, the ideal gas law, Boltzmann law, distribution of molecular velocities. Specific heat.
  • Temperature and heat. First and second law of thermodynamics. Entropy. Free energy.

Obiettivi formativi

Learn how to tackle and solve mechanical problems of medium and high difficulty even using more advanced mathematical techniques than is typically done in a first-year university course of general physics.

Riferimenti bibliografici

  • Landau Lev D., Lifšits Evgenij M, Fisica Teorica 1 Meccanica. (link)
  • Goldstein H., Poole C.P., Safko J.L., Classical Mechanics, 3rd edition. (link or Italian version by Zanichelli here)
  • Morin D., Introduction to Classical Mechanics. (link)
  • Fermi E., Thermodynamics. (link)