D1 – Knowledge and understanding. The goal of the course is to provide a robust knowledge of the principles of classical mechanics and of the appropriate mathematical formalism.

D2 – Ability in applying the acquire knowledge Students are expected to be able to solve problems of mechanics.

D3 – Independent thinking. Students are expected to develop a physical intuition and be able to recognize the feature characterizing a physical system or a phenomenon.

D4 – Communication skills. Students are expected to convey the acquired knowledge with a proper terminology.

D5 – Learning skills. Students are expected to be able to read and understand a generic textbook about the introduction to classical mechanics and solve the related exercises

Trigonometry. Fundamentals of differential and integral calculus.

Physical quantities and measurement. Vector calculus. Kinematics of point particles. Dynamics of point particles. Work and Energy. Dynamics of mechanical systems. Dynamics of rigid bodies. Newtonian gravity. Waves and oscillations. Special Relativity.

Main Textbook:
D. Kleppner, R. Kolenkow, An introduction to classical mechanics, 2nd
edition, Cambridge University Press, 2014
Other textbooks:
R. P. Feynman, R. B. Leighton, M. Sands, La fisica di Feynman. Ediz.
bilingue. Vol. 1: Meccanica, radiazioni, calore. Zanichelli, 2007
J. Walker, D. Halliday, R. Resnick Fundamentals of physics - 10th edition, John Wiley & Sons, 2014

I - INTRODUCTION TO PHYSICS. Scientific method, experimental physics, theoretical physics, mathematical physics, measurement, errors, physical quantities, error propagation, significant figures, orders of magnitude of lengths.

II - GEOMETRY AND KINEMATICS. Properties of physical space, coordinate systems, scalars, vectors, tensors, Cartesian representation of vectors, position vector, displacement vector, time scale, kinematics in one dimension, velocity, acceleration, formal solution of the kinematics equations.

III - NEWTON'S LAWS. Galilean relativity, force, Newton's first law, Newton's second law, inertial mass, momentum, Newton's third law, pseudo-forces, and inertial reference systems.

IV - FORCES AND EQUATIONS OF MOTION. Fundamental interactions, Coulomb force, Lorentz force, Newtonian gravity, gravitational mass, equivalence principle, Einstein’s elevator, contact forces, molecular forces, Hooke's law, viscosity, Stokes' law.

V - MOMENTUM. Multi-body systems, center of mass, conservation of momentum, center of mass coordinates, two-body systems, variable mass motion, rocket propulsion equation, elastic and inelastic collisions.

VI - ENERGIA. Work-energy theorem, kinetic energy, potential energy, conservation of mechanical energy, conservative forces, work of a central force, gravitational potential energy, energy-distance diagrams.

VII - ANGULAR MOMENTUM AND ROTATION. Angular momentum, fixed axes, rigid body, moment of inertia, parallel axis theorem, torsional moment, angular acceleration, spin and orbital angular momentum, work -energy theorem and rotational motion, non-rigid and non-symmetric bodies.

VIII - MOTIONS IN A CENTRAL FORCE FIELD. Kepler's laws, two-body problem, reduced mass, equations of motion in plane polar coordinates, effective potential, classification of conics in plane polar coordinates, eccentricity, planetary motion, geosynchronous and geostationary orbits.

IX - HARMONIC OSCILLATOR. Simple harmonic oscillator, damped harmonic oscillator, complex plane, weak damping, quality factor, over-damping, critical damping, forced damped oscillator, stationary solution, resonance, transient.

X - WAVES IN ELASTIC MEDIA. Transverse waves in one dimension, superposition principle, phase velocity, wave equation, power and intensity, interference, standing waves, harmonics and resonances, interference.

XI – ACOUSTIC AND ELECTROMAGNETIC WAVES. Speed of sound, beats, Doppler effect, sonic boom, Mach number, electromagnetic wave spectrum, Fizeau experiment, Young experiment, Michelson-Morley experiment.

XII - SPECIAL RELATIVITY. Lorentz transformations, principle of relativity, constancy of the speed of light, addition of velocities, twins’ paradox, relativistic dynamics, relativistic work-energy theorem, mass-energy equivalence, relativistic Doppler effect, Lorentz group, spacetime intervals, four-vectors, gravitational red shift, Pound-Rebka experiment, Hafele-Keating experiment.

Lectures and recitations.

Any changes from what is described in this syllabus will be announced promptly via e-mail and Microsoft Teams.

The exam consists of a written test divided into two parts: the first part includes verification questions (open-ended and/or multiple-choice) on the course content, while the second part consists of problems similar to those carried out during the recitations. The multiple-choice questions are evaluated based on the correctness of the provided answers, with points assigned for each correct answer and no penalties for incorrect responses. Each problem and each open-ended question are assessed according to criteria of clarity and correctness on a four-level scale: exemplary, good, sufficient, and insufficient. To pass the exam with a minimum grade of 18/30, a score of at least 60% must be achieved in each section. The total score for questions and problems is above 30 points. To receive the highest grade (30/30 cum laude), a favourable decision from the committee is required. Further details regarding the evaluation criteria and awarding of bonus points will be announced at the beginning of the course.