Engineering Physics 2
| Structure Type: | Study unit |
|---|---|
| Code: | FY00BV04 |
| Curriculum: | KT 2025 |
| Level: | Bachelor of Engineering |
| Year of Study: | 2 (2026-2027) |
| Semester: | Autumn |
| Credits: | 5 cr |
| Responsible Teacher: | Pyhälahti, Onni |
| Language of Instruction: | Finnish |
Learning Outcomes
After the course, the student will be familiar with the central concepts of electricity and thermodynamics.
In the first part of the course, they will be taught the fundamental quantities, units, and calculation formulas related to electrostatics and electric current. They will learn the most common electrical components and their main characteristics. They will learn how to solve problems related to direct current circuits using Kirchhoff's laws. They will understand why metals, semiconductors, and insulators conduct electricity differently. The student will gain an understanding of electrical power and learn to consider the temperature dependence in solving problems related to resistance, electric current, and electrical power. They will learn the basics of electromagnetism, providing insight into the natural laws governing electromagnetic phenomena. The course will teach a field-theoretical approach to describe force fields (electric, magnetic, and gravitational fields). They will learn to calculate the magnetic field generated by a straight current conductor and by a solenoid. Additionally, the student will learn to calculate the direction and magnitude of the magnetic force acting on an electrically charged particle in a magnetic field. Furthermore, electromagnetic induction will be studied with application examples.
In the second part of the course, they will learn about quantities and units related to thermal energy. They will gain an understanding of quantities, units, and natural laws related to heat storage, phase changes, and the behavior of gases. Examination of gases (thermodynamics) will lead to an understanding of the operating principles of heat engines (internal combustion engines, refrigerators, heat pumps).
In addition to theoretical studies, the course will include laboratory work, during which the student will become familiar with the phenomena and natural laws covered in the course through experimental measurements. They will learn to evaluate the accuracy of measurements and to perform thorough error calculations and analysis. The measurements result in two reports that will be evaluated.
Student's Workload
135 h, which includes 45-60 h of contact teaching.
Prerequisites / Recommended Optional Courses
Engineering Physics 1
Contents
Electrostatic quantities and devices: voltage, voltage source, electric field, capacitor, capacitance; quantities and devices related to electric current: electric current, resistance, resistivity, resistor; quantities and devices related to electromagnetism: magnetic flux density, coil, solenoid, inductance. Thermal energy and temperature, specific heat capacity, phase changes, isothermal, isochoric, and isobaric thermodynamic processes, ideal gas state equation, adiabatic process, heat engine.
Recommended or Required Reading and Other Learning Resources/Tools
Lectures, homework exercises, laboratory exercises.
Assessment Criteria
Grade 5: The student knows all the quantities and units discussed on the course, and she understands how they are reltated with each other. The student is able to independently apply the natural laws discussed on the course while solving complicated problems related with the contents of the course.
Grade 3: The student knows most of the quantities and units discussed on the course, and she understands a significant amount of the relationships between them. The student is able to apply the natural laws discussed on the course while solving medium-level problems related with the contents of the course.
Grade 1: The student knows the most important quantities and units discussed on the course, and she understand the most important relationships between them. The student is able to apply the natural laws discussed on the course while solving basic problems related with the contents of the course.
Assessment Methods
Course examination (or two midterm examinations), homework exercise activity, laboratory exercise performance