Italy Secondaria di secondo grado – classe 5ª (esame di Stato) Physics (liceo scientifico)

1. Electromagnetism and modern physics

Electromagnetic induction and Maxwell · Electromagnetic waves · Special relativity · Quantum physics · Topics of choice

• Electromagnetic Induction – When the magnetic flux through a coil changes, an emf is produced in it: ε = −N dΦ/dt (Faraday). The minus sign is Lenz's law: the induced current always opposes the change that made it. Moving a rod in a field gives motional emf ε = Blv. A changing current makes an emf in its own coil (self-induction, L) and in a nearby coil (mutual induction, M).
• Force on a Current-Carrying Conductor, Motor and Induction – A wire carrying current inside a magnetic field feels a push. The push is biggest when the wire is at 90° to the field and zero when it is parallel. Fleming's left-hand rule gives its direction. A motor uses this push to spin a coil; a generator does the reverse and makes current by moving a coil or magnet.
• Electromagnetic Waves – A changing electric field acts like a current, called the displacement current, and it makes a magnetic field. A changing magnetic field makes an electric field. Together they travel as an electromagnetic (EM) wave at c = 3 × 10⁸ m/s, even through empty space. E and B are at right angles to each other and to the direction of travel, so EM waves are transverse. Sorted by wavelength, they form the spectrum: radio, microwave, infrared, visible, ultraviolet, X-rays and gamma rays.
• Special Relativity – Special relativity (Einstein, 1905) rests on two postulates: the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames, and the speed of light in a vacuum, c ≈ 3.00 × 10⁸ m/s, is the same for every observer. It follows that moving clocks run slow (t = γt₀), moving objects are shorter along their motion (L = L₀/γ), and mass is a form of energy (E = mc²), with γ = 1/√(1 − v²/c²). At everyday speeds γ ≈ 1, so Newton's mechanics works; near c it fails.
• Photoelectric Effect and Einstein's Equation – When light of high enough frequency falls on a metal, electrons jump out at once. Light comes in packets called photons, each with energy E = hν. One photon gives all its energy to one electron: hν = φ + KEmax, where φ is the work function. Below the threshold frequency ν₀ = φ/h no electron comes out, however bright the light.
• Modern Physics: Quantum Theory and Relativity – Modern physics began around 1900, when classical physics failed for the very small and the very fast. Quantum theory says energy comes in packets: a photon has E = hf. The photoelectric effect shows light acts as particles, while interference shows particles such as electrons act as waves (λ = h/p). Special relativity says the speed of light is the same for all observers, so moving clocks run slow (t = γt₀), moving lengths shrink, and mass is energy (E = mc²). These ideas power lasers, solar cells, electron microscopes, GPS and nuclear energy.