LEARNING OUTCOMES

The specific training objective is to provide the student with the ability to solve elementary but concrete problems in thermodynamics and electromagnetism. This implies that the student must know how to distinguish between fundamental concepts (temperature, heat, entropy, electric and magnetic fields and forces, potential energy, Gauss's, Ampere's and Faraday's laws) and more specific issues (heat transport, efficiency of engines, motion of charges in electromagnetic fields, inductance, emf generators) demanding a thorough understanding of fundamental concepts.

AIMS AND LEARNING OUTCOMES

The teaching unit aims to provide the basic concepts of thermodynamics and electromagnetism, both to deepen the cultural background of the students, and to provide the technical tools relevant for their future work activity. The students will learn to apply the basic concepts to the solution of simple problems modelling concrete situations that could occur in the maritime workplace and ship management.

The eaching unit provides the necessary theoretical tools to achieve the skills listed in the STCW convention, in particular the skills detailed in the Funtions 1,2,3 of Table A-III/6 (electrotechnical officer).

PREREQUISITES

The basic mathematical knowledge necessary to follow the lectures is

• Calculus, first and second order (quadratic) equations

• Basic trigonometry

• Functions of a real variable and their derivatives

• Basic planar and solid geometry

Other mathematical tools will be introduced or recalled during the lectures.

Knwoledge of the basic physical principles introduced in the Physics I course will also be assumed:

• the dynamics of points and rigid bodies
• basics of electromagmetism: Coulomb's law, electric field and potential, currents and circuits

TEACHING METHODS

Lessons comprising both theory and exercises. Lectures can be attended in class or online, both live or registered.

Didactic material, including guided exercises from the Pearson catalogue, will be made available on AulaWeb.

Working students and students with certified SLD (Specific Learning Disorders), disability or other special educational needs, are advised to contact the teacher at the beginning of the course to agree on teaching and examination arrangements so to take into account individual learning patterns, while respecting the teaching objectives.

SYLLABUS/CONTENT

Thermodynamics

• Thermodynamic systems.
• Temperature: operational definition, thermometric scales.
• Heat: operational definition, specific heat, latent heat.
• Heat transmission.
• Equation of state of perfect gases and real gases.
• Work in thermodynamic transformations with volume variation.
• Internal energy.
• First law of thermodynamics.
• Specific heats and gas molars.
• Second law of thermodynamics.
• Thermal machines and refrigeration machines.
• Entropy and second principle.
• Carnot's theorem. Absolute thermodynamic temperature.

Electromagnetism

• A review of basic electromagnetism: Coulomb's law,  Electric field and potential. Capacitors. Currents and circuits. 
• Gauss’ law and its application to the computation of the electric field generated by simmetric charge
•  Energy of a point charge and of a system of charges in an electric field. Energy density of the electric field. 
• Definition of the magnetic field through the Lorentz force. Forces on a current-carrying conductor. Mechanical moment acting on a current conducting loop. Magnetic moment of a spire.
• Methods for determining the magnetic field produced by currents: Ampère’s law.
• Flux of the magnetic field through a closed surface and through an open surface bounded by a closed line. Faraday's law. Self-induction. RL and RLC circuits. Energy density of the magnetic field.

The course is instrumental in the development of the soft skills, in particolar the literacy competence. 

RECOMMENDED READING/BIBLIOGRAPHY

Any "General Physics" book at university level discusses the subject of the course.

For definitness, the main reference for the course is:

D. Halliday, R. Resnick, J. Walker, Fundamentals of Physics 10E – Theory