Title Physics
Lesson Code 321-2050
Semester 1
ECTS 5
Hours (Theory) 3
Hours (Lab) 2
Faculty Kofinas Georgios

Syllabus

Scalar, vector quantities. Kinematics. Relative motion, rotation of the earth. Forces, torques, centre mass, equilibrium of rigid body. Dynamics, friction in a liquid, bodies with changing mass, angular momentum. Work, energy, potential, conservative forces, central forces. Dynamics of a system of particles, two body problem, collisions. Gravity, motion in the gravitational field. Electrostatics: Coulomb’s law, electric field, potential, flux, Gauss’s law, Poisson equation, potential energy, boundary conditions, method of images, electric dipole, multipole expansion, conductors, capacity, dielectrics, polarization, electrical displacement. Electric current, continuity equation, steady current, Ohm’s law. Magnetostatics: Laplace’s force, Lorentz, force on a current-carrying wire, magnetic dipole, Biot-Savart’s law, Ampere’s law, vector potential, field of a magnetic dipole, magnetic materials, magnetization. Ampere-Maxwell’s equation, Faraday’s equation, scalar potential of EM field, mutual inductance, self inductance, RL, RC, RLC circuits, Maxwell’s equations, energy/momentum conservation theorems, equations of potentials in Coulonb, Lorentz gauges, elements of electromagnetic waves.

Learning Outcomes

The course in an intense and quick manner covers and expands topics in mechanics and electromagnetism which are known in a small degree from high school but using higher mathematics. After the successful fulfilment of the course, the student:

  • will have the knowledge to use the differential and integral calculus, elements of vector analysis and simple differential equations for the description of the laws of physics,
  • will have the knowledge of the basic laws of Newtonian mechanics in inertial and non-inertial reference frames,
  • will have the knowledge of the various theorems and equations of electromagnetism (e.g. Gauss, Biot-Savart, Ampere, Faraday, Maxwell’s equations) in their general form and not just in their simplified versions exposed in high school textbooks,
  • will have the ability to compute the kinematical quantities of an arbitrary motion in a straight line, in a general curvilinear motion or to find the orbit of a point particle from Newton’s law, e.g. inside a Keplerian gravitational field,
  • will have the ability to determine if a given force field is conservative or not and to find the potential energy when this exists,
  • will have the ability to compute the centre-mass, the moments of inertia and the gravitational field of an extended body,
  • will have the ability using integrals to compute the electric field and potential of various distributions of charge or respectively the magnetic field of moving charges and currents,
  • will have the skills to treat more sophisticated notions of electricity and magnetism, such as the method of images, the electric dipole, the dielectrics, the magnetic materials, the scalar and vector potentials of electromagnetism, the energy/momentum conservation theorems and elements of electromagnetic waves.

Prerequisite Courses

Not required.

Basic Textbooks

1. Fundamentals of Physics, Electromagnetism, Halliday, Rensick, Walker.
2. Instructor’s notes.

Additional References

1. Physics for Scientists and Engineers,Vol ΙΙ, Electromagnetism, R. Serway, translated by L. Resvani.
2. Fundamental university physics, Vol ΙI, Electromagnetism, Alonso,Finn, translated by L.Resvani and T. Filippa.
3. Berkeley physics course, Vol 2, Electricity and Magnetism, Physics labs NTUA.

Teaching and Learning Methods

Activity Semester workload
Lectures 39 hours
Review-Problem Session hours 26 hours
Personal study 56 hours
Exam 1 hour
Final exams 3 hours
Course total 125 hours (5 ECTS)

 

Student Performance Evaluation

Presentation of the theory through examples, solutions of exercises in the teaching hours and in the problem session hours.

Language of Instruction and Examinations

Greek, English (for Erasmus students)

Delivery Mode

Face-to-face.