Selected parts of Physics - MFOE017
Title: Vybrané kapitoly z fyziky
Czech title: Vybrané kapitoly z fyziky
Guaranteed by: Faculty of Matematics and Physics, CU (31-MFF)
Faculty: Faculty of Science
Actual: from 2025 to 2025
Semester: both
E-Credits: 5
Hours per week, examination: 4/0, Ex [HT]
Capacity: 80
Min. number of students: unlimited
4EU+: no
Virtual mobility / capacity: no
State of the course: taught
Language: Czech
Explanation: od 2025/26 nově zařazena prerekvizita
Note: enabled for web enrollment
you can enroll for the course in winter and in summer semester
Guarantor: RNDr. Vojtěch Kapsa, CSc.
Teacher(s): RNDr. Vojtěch Kapsa, CSc.
RNDr. Tomáš Kekule, Ph.D.
Mgr. Václava Kopecká
doc. Mgr. Vojtěch Patkóš, Ph.D.
Mgr. Filip Šebesta, Ph.D.
Pre-requisite : {at least one of MS710P73, MS710P77, MS710P52, MS710P56}
Is co-requisite for: MFOE021
Opinion survey results   WS schedule   SS schedule   
Annotation -
Basic course of physics for biologists. Main concepts and ideas. Applications in biology.

Last update: Kapsa Vojtěch, RNDr., CSc. (31.03.2026)
Literature -

Basic:

  • D.Halliday, R.Resnick, J.Walker: Physics, VUTIUM, Brno and PROMETHEUS, Prague 2001 (any Czech and English edition).

Advanced:

  • R. A. Serway, J. W. Jewett, Jr.: Physics for Scientists and Engineers with Moder Physics, 10th edition, Cengage, 2019 (any edition).
  • K. Franklin, P. Muir et al.: Biological Physics for the Health and Life Sciences, 2.vydání, John Wiley and Sons, 2019 (any edition).
Last update: Kapsa Vojtěch, RNDr., CSc. (17.04.2026)
Requirements to the exam - Czech
  • Zkouška má podobu písemného testu. Část otázek je teoretických, část má podobu jednoduchých příkladů.
  • Podmínkou pro připuštění ke zkoušce je zapsat se na vyhlášený termín.
  • U zkoušky může mít student jedny tabulky vzorců a funkcí , kalkulačku (přístroj, nikoli ale aplikaci kalkulačky v mobilním telefonu, tabletu nebo notebooku či PC) nebo logaritmické pravítko.
Last update: Kapsa Vojtěch, RNDr., CSc. (11.05.2026)
Syllabus -

Mechanics:

  1. Basic concepts of Newtonian mechanics: time, space, position, velocity, acceleration, momentum.

  2. Newton's laws of motion and the law of gravity. Inertial and non-inertial coordinate systems.

  3. Conservative, non-conservative and inertial forces.

  4. Inertial and gravitational mass and their equality.

  5. Vector product, angular momentum and moment of inertia.

  6. First and second momentum laws. 

  7. Energy: work, kinetic and potential energy. 

  8. Law of conservation of energy. Energy storage. 

  9. Oscillations and waves. Resonance.

Electricity and magnetism:

  1. Electric charge, Coulomb's law, electric dipole, electric field intensity.

  2. Gauss's law of electrostatics, electric potential and voltage, capacitor and capacitance.

  3. Electric current, resistance and resistivity, power of electric current. 

  4. Magnetic field, magnetic induction, motion of a charged particle in a magnetic field, force acting on a conductor with current, magnetic dipole, Hall effect.

  5. Magnetic field of electric current, Ampere's law, magnetic field around a long straight conductor, magnetic field of a solenoid.

  6. Electromagnetic induction, Lenz's law, induction and energy transfer, induced el. field, coil and inductance, self-induction.

  7. Electromagnetic oscillations and alternating current, damped oscillations, forced oscillations, RLC series circuit, power in alternating current circuits, resonance, transformers.

  8. Magnetic field in matter, magnetic substances, induced magnetic field, Maxwell's equations.

  9. Electromagnetic waves, progressive EM wave, Poynting vector, polarized light, reflection and refraction, total reflection and critical angle.

  10. Interference, Huygens' principle, constructive and destructive interference, diffraction at a slit and a circular hole, interference at a thin film.

  11. Images, spherical mirrors, image and image equations, transverse magnification, lenses, magnifying glass

Extensions that are not part of the exam:

Natural scientific theories: their falsifiability and axiomatic form. Symmetry and conservation laws, Emma Noether's theorem. Fourier transform.

Last update: Kapsa Vojtěch, RNDr., CSc. (01.04.2026)
Learning outcomes -

Mechanics

Objective: The student applies Newton's laws and conservation laws to the motion of mass points and bodies.

  • Define the difference between an inertial and non-inertial reference frame and give examples of inertial forces.
  • Explain the physical meaning of the angular momentum theorem (2nd momentum theorem) for rotational motion.
  • Calculate the kinetic and potential energy of the system and prove the validity of the law of conservation of mechanical energy.
  • Graphically depict the amplitude of damped oscillations as a function of time and explain the conditions for the occurrence of resonance. 

Electricity and magnetism

Objective: The student analyzes the electromagnetic field and its interaction with matter and electrical circuits.

  • Describe the distribution of electric potential around an electric dipole.
  • Apply Gauss's law to determine the electric field intensity of symmetrical charged bodies.
  • Calculate the magnetic induction in the axis of a solenoid given the number of turns and current.
  • Explain Lenz's law as a consequence of the law of conservation of energy in electromagnetic induction.
  • Analyze a series RLC circuit and determine its resonant frequency.
  • Interpret Maxwell's equations as a comprehensive theory of the electromagnetic field. 

Optics

Objective: The student will explain the propagation of light and the principles of image formation by optical systems.

  • Distinguish between constructive and destructive interference in a thin film.
  • Calculate the position and magnification of the image of a thin lens using the imaging equation.
  • Explain the principle of total internal reflection and indicate its practical application in medicine/biology.
Last update: Kapsa Vojtěch, RNDr., CSc. (17.04.2026)