The course aims to introduce to the basic principles of microphysics from an elementary formal point of view, and to show its profound cultural influence on artistic expression such as cinema and theater, underlining the communicative value of their symbolic language with respect to the clarification of these principles.

The distinctive features of the course will be the great attention to the critical analysis of the concepts and methodologies involved. The introductory approach to the logical and mathematical concepts used during lessons will make the course self-contain.
 

The program focuses on the non classical logical structure of uncertainty, superposition and complementarity principles, as well as in their representation and transfiguration in theatrical and movie languages. It will be shown that these languages can not only be a tool of understanding and clarification that makes the concepts of science more accessible, but also an important support for scientific language. This will be especially noteworthy in the case of movie language, allowing a visualization of the dualistic behavior of atomic objects, considered unobservable in the complementary language of quantum mechanics.

There are no strict pre-requisites for this course.

Knowledge and understanding:

After the course students should be able to understand and explain texts by history of logic, discuss some of the classical problems in mechanization of reasoning and philosophy of computing, use the bibliographical tools and repertories available in this field. 

Applying knowledge and understanding:

After the course students should be able to discuss and evaluate various claims and arguments both in the specialistic debate and in the general contemporary cultural debate. 

Making judgements:

After the course students should be able to make autonomous and original judgements about the arguments in the debate. To this end discussions in the classroom will be encouraged. Originality and autonomous judgement will be part of the final evalution of the student's performance.

Communication skills:

After the course students should be able to explain and discuss the relevant topics with conceptual and linguistic exactness, and to offer efficacious  and synthetic accounts of the subject matter. To this end, verbal interaction in the classroom and a careful reading and analysis of the relevant texts will be encouraged.

Learning skills:

After the course students should be acquainted with the subject matter and the method of research enough to be able to proceed on their own  in gathering further knowledge from the literature in the field and in contiguous fields. To this end they should also improve their ability to read English texts in the field.

The teaching material prepared by the lecturer in addition to recommended textbooks (such as for instance slides, lecture notes, exercises, bibliography) and communications from the lecturer specific to the course can be found inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Lectures: Lectiones Commandinianae
The teaching material and specific communications from the lecturer can be found, together with other supporting activities, inside the Moodle platform › blended.uniurb.it

Teaching

Classroom lectures offering general frameworks, analyses of particular topics and exercises, comments to the relevant literature. Before, during and after the lecture questions, comments and discussions by the students are encouraged. Of course personal study at home will be equally important

Attendance

Students should attend classes regularly and actively, since the very beginning. Because of the analytic and often abstract character of the subject matter, active participation in classroom discussion will be very useful. In order to do that, and in general to follow the lectures successfully, it is strongly advised to do every day the homework suggested as preparation for the following lecture.

Course books

- Michel Frayn, Copenhagen, Sironi, Milan, (2009)

- Franco Pollini and Gino Tarozzi, “Presentazione: teatro e scienza, scienza e teatro”, in Quanti Copenaghen?, ed. by Isabella Tassani, Accademia Nazionale di Scienze, Lettere e Arti, Editrice Il Ponte Vecchio, Cesena (2004)

- Franco Selleri and Gino Tarozzi, "Is Nondistributivity for Microsystems Empirically Founded?”, Nuovo Cimento 43B, 31-40 (1978)

- Pierluigi Graziani “Tarozzi on Change of Logic”, in Gino Tarozzi Philosopher of Physics, ed. by Vincenzo Fano, Franco Angeli, Milan (2014); pp. 124-133

- Clelia Sedda and Gino Tarozzi, “To See or not to See the Dual Nature of Quantum Objects? Self-Interference of Electrons in Motion Pictures as a proof of of the Realist Interpretation of the Schrödinger Wave Function” with C. Sedda, in Proceedings XXX conference SISFA. ed. by R. Mantovani, Argalia, Urbino, pp. 231-238 (2012)

- Flavia Marcacci, “Illusions, Ghost and Movies in the History of Scientific Instruments”, in Gino Tarozzi Philosopher of Physics, ed. by Vincenzo Fano, Franco Angeli, Milan (2014); pp. 148-160

Assessment

Oral examinations.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.

Teaching

They will study on their own (individually or with others) according to the directions of this vademecum and if possible with the help which can be given by the teacher during office hours or through e-mail, Skype, etc. 

Attendance

In order to make up for the impossibility of attending classes, a hard and careful study is required. One should already possess good skills of autonomous learning and some capacity to read and understand logic and philosophical texts, at least at a basic level. Whenever possible, it is advisable to work with other students. 

Course books

- Gino Tarozzi, “Microfisica e metafisica. Le anomalie causali e ontologiche della meccanica quantistica”, Nuova Secondaria, 4, pp. 25-37 (2013)

- Vincenzo Fano and Gino Tarozzi, “Introduzione”, in F. Pollini, L’arca di Gödel. Testi per un teatro di argomento scientifico, Carocci, Roma (2015); pp. 9-14.

- Clelia Sedda and Gino Tarozzi, Vedere e rivedere l’inosservabile doppia natura della realtà quantistica”. Isonomia, vol. X, pp. 1-19 (2010)

Assessment

Oral examinations.

Disability and Specific Learning Disorders (SLD)

Students who have registered their disability certification or SLD certification with the Inclusion and Right to Study Office can request to use conceptual maps (for keywords) during exams.

To this end, it is necessary to send the maps, two weeks before the exam date, to the course instructor, who will verify their compliance with the university guidelines and may request modifications.