9797190 - PRINCIPLES OF THE HUMAN MATTER
Modulo Applied physics

By the end of the course, students are expected to:

·        Demonstrate increased knowledge and understanding of the fundamentals of physics.

·        Acquire knowledge of fundamental physical laws and techniques applicable to the comprehension of physiological, biological, and medical processes.

·        INTRODUCTION: Physical quantities, units of measurement, significant digits, measurement error, scalar quantities and vector quantities, operations with vectors, components of a vector.

·        MECHANICS: One-dimensional and two-dimensional motion. Tangential and radial acceleration. Laws of dynamics. Examples of forces. Motion of rigid bodies. Moment of a force. Vector product. Barycenter. Equilibrium conditions. Levers. Statics of body joints. Examples of physiological levers. Hooke's law and Young's modulus. Fractures. Friction. Dynamics of circular motion. Centrifugal force. Work. Kinetic energy theorem. Conservative and non-conservative forces. Potential energy. Conservation of energy. Moment of inertia and rotational energy. Momentum. Elastic and inelastic shocks.

·        FLUID MECHANICS: Density and pressure in fluids. Stevin's law. Pascal's principle. Archimedes' principle and buoyancy. Continuity equation. Bernoulli's theorem. Viscous fluids. Laminar flow. Poiseuille's formula. Turbulent flow. Blood flow rate and velocity. Blood viscosity. Blood Pressure and resistance of vessels. Aneurysm and stenosis. Sphygmomanometer. Stokes' law. Viscous drag. Centrifuges. Cohesion. Surface tension. Laplace's law. Erythrocyte sedimentation rate, centrifugation.

·        THERMODYNAMICS: Thermometers and temperature scales. Thermal expansion of solids and liquids. Ideal gases. Elements of kinetic theory of gases. Heat and work. Specific vs latent heat. Heat transmission. Thermoregulation. Laws of thermodynamics. Molecular diffusion.

·        ELECTROMAGNETISM: Charge. Coulomb's law. Electric field. Field of an electric dipole. Uniform electric field. Electric potential. Capacity. Capacitors. Effect of dielectrics. Electric current. Ohm's law. Power dissipation and Joule effect. Resistors in series and in parallel. Electromotive force. RC circuit and pacemaker. Bioelectric phenomena. Action potential. Propagation of nerve impulses. Magnetic fields. Force acting on a charge. Solenoid. Electromagnetic induction. Faraday's law. AC generator. Transformer. Defibrillator. Effects of current. Nuclear magnetic resonance. 

·      WAVES AND OPTICS: Wave phenomena. Acoustic Waves. Ultrasound and applications. Spectrum of electromagnetic waves. Effects on human health. Polarization. Law of Malus. Lasers and applications. Light reflection. Refraction of light. Snell's law. Light scattering. Total internal reflection. Optical fibers and endoscopes. Image formations from mirrors and lenses. Optical microscope.

·        Bacchetta, Scannicchio – Introduction to Medical Physics – CEA

The assessment of acquired knowledge is conducted by an oral examination. The grade is expressed on a scale of thirty, up to a maximum of 30/30 cum laude (with honors). The final grade is determined by the weighted average of the scores obtained in the course subjects.

The oral examination consists of an interview during which questions will cover at least three different topics from the course curriculum. The assessments aim to evaluate: i) the level of knowledge in the disciplines; ii) the ability to apply this knowledge to solve specific problems related to the disciplines (autonomous problem-solving); iii) clarity of expression; iv) proficiency in medical-scientific language. The assessment of learning can also be conducted remotely if the conditions necessitate it.

For the assignment of the final grade, the following parameters will be considered:

·        Score 29-30 with honors: The student demonstrates an in-depth knowledge of the topics, promptly and correctly integrates and critically analyzes presented situations, independently solving even highly complex problems. They possess excellent communication skills and command medical-scientific language proficiently.

·        Score 26-28: The student has a good understanding of the topics, is able to integrate and critically and logically analyze presented situations, can fairly independently solve complex problems, and presents topics clearly using appropriate medical-scientific language.

·        Score 22-25: The student has a fair understanding of the topics, although it may be limited to the main areas. They can integrate and critically analyze presented situations, although not always in a linear fashion, and present topics fairly clearly with moderate language proficiency.

·        Score 18-21: The student has minimal knowledge of the topics, possesses modest ability to integrate and critically analyze presented situations, and presents topics sufficiently clearly, although their language proficiency may be underdeveloped.

·        Exam not passed: The student lacks the minimum required knowledge of the core content of the course. Their ability to use specific language is minimal or nonexistent, and they are unable to independently apply acquired knowledge.

·        Equilibrium conditions

·        Examples of levers in the human body

·        Hooke's law and Young's modulus

·        Energy conservation

·        Stevin's law

·        Continuity equation and applications to blood flow

·        Bernoulli's theorem and application to blood flow

·        Poiseuille's law

·        Thermometers and thermal expansion

·        Latent heat and phase changes

·        Thermoregulation

·        Coulomb's law

·        Electric field and potential

·        Ohm's law

·        Action potential

·        AC generator

·        Ultrasound and applications

·        Spectrum of electromagnetic waves

·        Total internal reflection and applications