2st module

2st semester

Dott. Luigi Gratton

A.A. 1998/99

PROGRAMME

 Mechanics and Astronomy:

- Study of various kinds of motion, from a kinematics point of view, by means of different techniques: multiflash photography, tape timer, time of flight by means of on line computer, etc..
- Inertial reference frames. Newton’s laws of the dynamics.
- The conservation of momentum. The uniform circular motion and harmonic motion.
- The work done by a force. The mechanical energy. Transformation and conservation of the mechanical energy.
- The heat as a sort of energy exchange. The first and the second law of thermodynamics.
- Astronomy with the naked eye. The most important astronomical measurements of the ancients and their view on the world. The geocentric model of Ptolomeus. The Copernicus revolution. Kepler, Galileo and Newton. The determination of the Mars’s orbit by means of theKepler method.
- Observations with binoculars and telescopes. Determination of Jupiter mass from the third law of Kepler. Computer simulation: the orbit of a comet and slingshot effect.
- Relevant topics in modern astronomy: the apparent and the absolute stellar magnitude, color index, methods for the measurements of the distances in the Universe, stellar spectra, Stefan-Boltzman’s law and the surface temperature of the sun, fundamental parameters of the stars and their relationships, the Doppler effect and the expansion of the Universe.
 

REFERENCE TEXTS

V. ZANETTI, Teoria ed esperimenti di fisica, Zanichelli Editore, 1993
THE PROJECT PHYSICS COURSE, Moto nei cieli, Zanichelli Editore, 1974
 PROGRAMMAZIONE MATEMATICA