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Fundamentals of medical physics
academic year 2020-2021
1st semester

elective course

COURSE DATA

Course title: Fundamentals of medical physics

Credits: 1

Course code: AOK-OASZV191

Assessment: report (five-scale)

Large-group seminar: 16 periods/semester, in blocks

 

AIM OF THE COURSE

To complete the course Medical physics successfully, students are supposed to be conversant with the secondary-school minimum material in physics, since 25% of the questions will test the general physics background on which the lectures rely.

To check students’ background in physics, we shall set an online written test in CooSpace, open from 0:00 on 11th September 2020 till 23:55 on 17th September 2020, which reflects what we expect in fundamental physics. We recommend taking this course based on the results of this test.

REQUIREMENTS FOR THE SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE COURSE

The course is held in onlone blocks: 2 periods every second week, alternating with the physics lectures. The format of the lectures is a YouTube stream, accessible at the links we shall publish in CooSpace.

Teaching materials for the course will be available in the respective CooSpace scene.

The course is worth 1 credit. Assessment is in the form of a five-scale report. The evaluation of students’ semester work is based on the results of 5 mid-term CooSpace tests and an end-semester test also set in CooSpace. Both the mid-term tests and the end test count 50% towards the total. Marks for the five-scale report are awarded on the basis of the percentiles of student scores as follows:

  • lowest 20%:failed (1)
  • above 20%:passed (2)
  • above 40%:accepted (3)
  • above 60%:good (4)
  • best 20%:excellent (5)

We offer a single chance to improve your mark. This time, the thresholds previously obtained on the basis of percentiles will remain static, which means, for example, that people formerly falling in the lowest 20% will all have a chance to get a passing mark (or better).

SYLLABUS

Class 1 (24th September 2020)

Mathematical foundations. Normal form of numbers. The SI system of units: base units and prefixes. The use of symbols. Angles. Functions: linear functions, powers, exponential, logarithmic and trigonometric functions. Derivative and integral. Geometry: circumference, area, surface area and volume.

Kinematics and dynamics. Vectors. Kinematics: uniform motion and circular motion. Dynamics: interactions, Newton’s laws, inertial systems, types of forces.

Energy. Work. Kinetic energy. Potential energy: gravitational, elastic. Mechanical energy and its conservation. Power.

Class 2 (8th October 2020)

Oscillations. Fundamental concepts: amplitude, period, frequency, angular frequency. Harmonic oscillations. Damped oscillations. Natural angular frequency. Driven oscillations and resonance.

Waves. Fundamental concepts: wavelength, (angular) wave number, speed of propagation. Types of waves: longitudinal and transverse. Wave propagation: reflection and refraction (Snell’s law). Interference, standing waves. Diffraction. Linear polarisation. Fundamentals of acoustics.

Class 3 (22nd October 2020)

Optics. Reflexion and refraction: dispersion and total internal reflexion. Polarisation. Image formation of mirrors and lenses.

Hydrostatics. Density. Pressure. Hydrostatic pressure.

Class 4 (5th November 2020)

Thermodynamics. Heat and temperature. Temperature scales. Thermal expansion. Heat capacity, specific heat and latent heat. Determination of the thermal equilibrium. The equation of state for an ideal gas. Thermodynamic processes. Equipartition theorem. The first law of thermodynamics.

Electricity. Stationary charges, electrostatics: Coulomb’s law, electric field, electric field lines. Electric potential and voltage. Dipole. Accumulating charges: capacitance, capacitors in series and in parallel. Moving charges, electric current: Ohm’s law, resistance and conductance, resistors in series and in parallel, Kirchhoff’s laws. Electric power. Direct current and alternating current, capacitors in alternating current circuits.

Class 5 (19th November 2020)

Magnetism. Magnetic field and magnetic field vector. Interaction between moving charges (currents) and the magnetic field (Lorentz force). Magnetic properties of matter: permanent magnets, ferro-, para- and diamagnetic substances. Magnetic moment, intrinsic magnetic moment of charged particles (electron and proton spin). Magnetic effects of currents. Electromagnetic induction: magnetic flux, Faraday’s law, Lenz’s law. Electric motor and electric generator. Self-inductance, inductors in an alternating current circuit.

RECOMMENDED READING

  • course handouts
  • lecture notes