Physics, statistics and computer science 3

Module Medical physics

The course has the declared objective of providing the appropriate knowledge and understanding of the fundamental physical laws that govern biomedical processes, as well as the skills to apply this knowledge and the ability to comprehend basic scientific language.

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding:

Develop the ability to frame and understand the physical phenomena underlying medical physics, and to recognize, utilize, and apply them in real medical situations.

Judgment autonomy:

The student must be able to frame a problem and independently develop solutions.

Communication skills:

The student will acquire the necessary communication skills and expressive appropriateness in the use of scientific technical language.

Learning skills:

The course aims to provide the student with the necessary knowledge and theoretical methodologies to approach, study, and understand the functioning underlying the various methodologies and situations they will encounter in their professional work

Should the teaching be delivered in mixed or remote mode, necessary variations may be introduced concerning what was previously stated, in order to adhere to the planned program as outlined in the syllabus.

Information for students with disabilities and/or Specific Learning Disorders

In order to guarantee equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students can request a personal meeting to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures based on educational objectives and specific needs.

It is also possible to contact the CInAP (Center for Active and Participated Integration - Services for Disabilities and/or Specific Learning Disorders) representative of our Department

Algebraic calculation, basic trigonometry, geometry (calculating areas and volumes of the main elementary geometric figures, Pythagorean theorem, relationships between angles in triangles, parallel and perpendicular lines and their corresponding angles, etc.), ability to manipulate data (equivalences, unit conversions, scientific notation of numbers such as 6.022×1023, 1.6×10-19, etc.), Cartesian coordinates

mandatory

1. Basic introductory concepts and reminders: reminders of algebraic calculations, units of measurement and dimensional equations. Quantifying a quantity. The concept of error. Units of measurement in the International System (SI): time, mass, length. The prefixes. Derived units. Dimensional equations. Vectors.
2. Rigid body mechanics: the concept of force - Effects on translational and rotational motion - Equations of motion - Newton's laws - Conditions for equilibrium - Levers - The levers of the human body - Elasticity of deformable bodies - Hooke's law - Fractures.
3. Fluids and their applications: Definition of fluid - Characteristic quantities - Pressure - Brief overview of kinetic theory of gases - Use of high-pressure gas cylinders - Pascal’s principle - Blood pressure and the sphygmomanometer - Stevin's law - Hyperbaric chamber - Archimedes’ principle - Moving fluids - Continuity equation and Bernoulli's law - Capillarity - Principle of communicating vessels - IV therapy - Real fluids: blood.
4. Thermal physics, open, closed, and isolated systems, the concepts of heat and temperature, temperature measurement, thermal expansion of bodies, thermometer calibration, basal metabolism, thermoregulation in humans, phase transitions.
5. Electric and magnetic phenomena, electric charges, structure of the atom, methods of charging bodies, electric field, electric potential, capacitors, electric current, electric resistance, effects of electric current on humans, ECG, EEG, magnetic materials, sources of magnetic fields, the effect of a magnetic field on moving charges, magnetic fields produced by currents, defibrillator, magnetic resonance imaging.
6. Waves phenomena, mechanical and electromagnetic waves, ultrasound, characteristic quantities of a wave, Doppler effect, interference, diffraction, refraction, wave reflection, thin lenses and main optical instruments, electromagnetic spectrum, major diagnostic methods (CT, X-rays, etc.).
7. Electromagnetic and corpuscular radiation, ionizing radiation, radioactive decay, principles of dosimetry, radiation protection, effects of ionizing radiation at the cellular level, fields of application of ionizing radiation.

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The topics listed will be covered in the order specified in the program (see the number of individual lessons). The number of each individual lesson may obviously vary based on the progression of the ongoing course or the students' response in class.

D. Scannicchio, E. Giroletti "Elementi di Fisica Biomedica" Ed. EdiSES

F. Borsa, A. Lascialfari ''Principi di Fisica per indirizzo biomedico e farmaceutico'' Ed. EdiSES

A. Giambattista, B. Richardson, R. Richardson "Fisica generale" Ed. Graw Hill

Final Course Assessment

Multiple choice tests, open-ended questions, and/or exercises.

Passing the written exam grants access to the oral exam (optional) . It is also possible to choose to confirm the written exam grade.

The assessment of learning may also be conducted online if the conditions require it.

Essential minimum knowledge required to pass the exam:

• Even before formulas, the student must have a good understanding of various definitions and comprehend the physical meaning of concepts; additionally, they should be able to connect topics and highlight any parallels (examples: different forms of Newton's second law, electric field vs. magnetic field, etc.). It is important not to memorize things but to be able to explain them.

• Be able to recognize (and manipulate) scalar and vector quantities. Be capable of converting from one unit of measurement to another.

• Be able to graphically represent phenomena (examples: motion of bodies, image construction with mirrors and lenses, state transformations, …)

• Understand the basic physics of the main biomedical techniques analyzed during the course.