Fundamentals of physics by Alessio Mangoni

This book aims to provide solid bases for the study of physics for the university and it is divided into four parts, each dedicated to a fundamental branch of physics: quantum mechanics, theoretical physics, particle physics and condensed matter physics. In the first part we start with the concept of wave function, until the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. In the second part, after recalling the basic concepts of relativity, we treat the elementary particles and the hadrons, arriving to the notions of scattering and cross section. The third part is dedicated to the theoretical physics, where we analyze the field theory and the concepts of Lagrangian and Hamiltonian, introducing the quantum electrodynamics (QED), passing through the Klein-Gordon, Dirac and Maxwell fields. In the last part of the book we expose the basics of the condensed matter physics, including diffusion and Brownian motion, Drude and Sommerfeld models, the calculation of specific heat and the principal mechanical properties of solids, with references to lattice defects and semiconductors.