PHYSICS for Biotechnology

Detailed program 2021-2022

- For each topic the paragraphs of the Physics textbook, Giancoli - Ed. Ambrosiana are indicated
- The underlined parts concern the arguments concerning the exercises



1. Models, theories, laws, measures and uncertainties. Unit of measurement (International System)

1.4-Measurements and uncertainties. Significant figures
1.5-Unit of measurement. International system
1.6-Unit of measurement conversion
1.7-Estimates by order of magnitude
1.8-Dimensional analysis


2. The carriers
3.2, 3, 3 - operations between vectors
3.4 - decomposition of vectors and operations by components

3. Definition of vector position, velocity and acceleration
2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5, 2.6, 2.7 - Straight motion - uniform and uniformly accelerated - free fall

4. Dynamics
The 3 laws of dynamics
4.4 Definition of force and the law of dynamics, the inertial mass.
4.5 Law of action and reaction
4.6, 4.7, 4.8 Frictional applications and forces

Periodic motions
8.1 Linear and angular quantities
5.1, 5.2 Centripetal force: Uniform circular motion
11.1, 11.2, 11.3 Hooke's law: Harmonic motion
11.4 The simple pendulum

5. Energy
6.2, 6.3 Work. Kinetic energy,
6.10 Power
6.4, 6.5, 6.6, 6.7, 6.8, 6.9 Conservative forces. Potential energy. Conservation of mechanical energy.

6. Collisions and momentum
7.1 - 7.7 Elastic and inelastic collisions, conservation of momentum

7. Rotational dynamics
8.2, 9.1, 9.2 Moment of a force
8.3 Rotational inertia
8.4 Kinetic energy of rotation
8.5 Angular momentum and its conservation




8. Fluids
10.3, 10.4 Pressure, Stevino's law
10.5 Pascal's principle
10.7 Archimedes' principle
10.8 Fluids in motion
10.9, 10.10 Bernoulli equation
10.13 Surface tension and capillarity

9. Waves
11.6 Wave motion and propagation of mechanical waves
11.7 wave characteristics
11.8 energy carried by waves
11.9 Reflection and interference of waves
11.10, 11.11 Superposition of waves and standing waves
11.12 Refraction of light
12.1, 12.2, 12.3 Sound and its characteristics

10. Temperature and kinetic energy
13.2 Thermometric scales
13.3 Zero principle of thermodynamics
13.4 Thermal expansion
13.5 Gas law and absolute temperature
13.6, 13.7 ideal gas law
13.9 kinetic theory of gases

11. The heat
14.1 Heat as a transfer of energy
14.2 Internal energy
14.3, 14.4 Specific heat
14.5 Changes of state and latent heat
14.6, 14.7, 14.8 heat transfer


12. Thermodynamics
15.1 First law of thermodynamics
15.2 Thermodynamic transformations
15.4 second law of thermodynamics
15.5 thermal machines
15.7, 15.8, 15.9 Entropy
15.10 Statistical interpretation of entropy (notes)

13. Electric field
16.2, 16.3, 16.4 Electric charges and atom structure
16.5 interaction between electric charges, Coulomb's law
17.1, 17.2, 17.3, 17.4, 17.5, 17.6 Electric potential energy, electric potential and electric field
17.7 Electric capacity, energy associated with an electric field
17.8 Dielectrics (outline)

14. Electricity
18.2 Electric currents
18.3, 18.4 Ohm's laws
18.5 Joule effect
19.1 fem
19.2 resistors in series and parallel


15. Magnetic field
20.1, 20.2, 20.5, 20.6, 20.7 Origin and characteristics of the magnetic field
20.3, 20.4 Lorentz force
10.10 Mass spectrometer and speed selector
20.9 magnetic dipole moment and its interaction with the magnetic field

16. Electromagnetic induction and Faraday's laws
21.1, 21.2, 21.3 induced emf: Faraday Neumann's law and Lenz's law
21.4 time-varying electric and magnetic fields
21.6 Transformers
Magnetic properties of matter (outline)


17. Electromagnetic waves and their spectrum
22.1 Maxwell's equations (physical meaning)
22.2, 22.3 em waves and spectrum
22.5 energy of the em field

18. Light: geometric optics
23.1, 23.2, 23.3, 23.4, 23.5 Reflection and refraction of light
23.6, 23.7, 25.3, 25.5 thin lenses and optical instruments

19. Wave nature of light
24.1 Waves and particles
24.2, 24.5 interference, diffraction, Huygens principle
24.3 double slit
24.6 Diffraction gratings
24.7 hints of spectroscopy

20. Quantum mechanics
27.2 black body radiation
27.3 Photoelectric effect
27.4 Energy, mass and momentum of a photon
27.7, 27.8, 27.13 wave-particle duality, de Broglie wavelength
27.10, 27.11, 27.12 Atomic models: Thomson, Rutherford, Bohr
28.3 Heisenberg uncertainty principle

21. Radioactivity
30.1 Structure and properties of the core
30.2 Binding energy and nuclear forces
30.3, 30.4, 30.5, 30.6 Radioactivity: alpha, beta, gamma
30.8, 30.9 Radioactive decay



The teacher
Bruno Olivieri

Douglas C. Giancoli
Fisica con fisica moderna
Terza edizione
Editore Ambrosiana Zanichelli