Liceo Scientifico Statale “Ettore Majorana” Isernia

1. Liceo Scientifico Statale “Ettore Majorana” Isernia

2. History Founded in the schol year 1961 – 62 as attached building, as a branch of the high school Liceo Classico “O. Fascitelli” of Isernia, the “Liceo Scientifico Majorana” has gradually developed reaching the stability of two courses. A few years after the constitution of the Province of Isernia, in 1976, it acquired its autonomy taking the name of LICEO SCIENTIFICO “ETTORE MAJORANA” in honour of the famous physicist. In the last fifteen years it has promoted a marked renewal of the structure of the didactics through several experimentations and it has found such a constant increase of enrolments that today they amount to over 800 students. The gradual but constant movement of the pupils from the technical schools towards the “licei” (high schools with both classical and scientific studies) means that students request a more flexible and not excessively vocational formation. Students attending our Liceo want to continue their studies at university , with the awareness of the consequent difficulties due to the multiplications of several degree courses at university . On the other hand they demand to come into possession of those skills and competences that allow them to interact with the territory.

3. Ettore Majorana Ettore Majorana was born on the 5th August . His name became an international diplomatic incident because of his sudden disappearance, which occurred in 1938. His death became a national mystery still unsolved today. The hypotheses were many: who said he had committed suicide, who suggested that he was kidnapped by some fanciful Countries that were interested in atomic studies, while others felt that he had taken refuge in a monastery or had even become, voluntarily, a beggar . From the family of the Majorana-Calatabiano, his family was illustrious descendant of the cadet branch of the Majorana Nicchiara. Hector is the last of five brothers, all of them were distinguished in any particular field, who in law, who in the administration of the state, who even in physics. Ettore Majorana is definitely the outsider of the group, a true genius of physics. Very early but also eccentric and disturbing character imbalances that play a role in his escape from the world. Hector is permeated with misanthropy and is also rooted perennial shady, lazy and edgy character. Even his college career is not entirely straightforward. After a first approach to engineering, he graduated in physics in 1929 with a thesis on the quantum theory of radioactive nuclei. The most important research of Ettore Majorana is a theory about the forces that provide stability to the atomic nucleus he first advanced the hypothesis that protons and neutrons, only components of the atomic nucleus, interact through forces of exchange. The theory is however known by the German physicist Werner Heisenberg who arrived independently at the same results and gave them to the press before Majorana. In the field of elementary particle Majorana formulated a theory that assumes the existence of particles with arbitrary spin, identified experimentally only many years later.

4. The School There are 34 classes divided into seven different sides( from A to G ) . The presence of the experimental courses has consolidated over the years the articulation of our high school into 4 distinct courses of scientific studies : two course of ordinary secondary school, one maxi-experimentation so called "Brocca" based on the reinforcement of the scientific subjects , two courses whose main school subjects are mathematics and physics and two courses whose main school subjects are mathematics and natural science. • - The school has got two buildings , the head office and a detached one with 6 classes, overall;- The curriculum of studies scientifically designed Pitcher differs slightly from the original. The lessons timetable is from 8.15 to 13.45( from Monday to Saturday) actually used for commuting 33/34 hours per week. The main purpose of the Scientific high school “E.Majorana” is to respond to the demand posed by a rapidly developing society:Training of man and citizen, to meet the individual educational needs and new requirements posed by cultural, economic and social development;Training of students with a broad framework of cultural references and self-employment, in view of integrability of knowledge, which also allows the use of intelligent and aware of new technology and the mastery of languages.This results in actions:Guidance and training school-raising the educational success and the pursuit of excellence at every evel-integration with the territory.

5. The courses of scientific studies The actual articulation consists of four separate courses of scientific high- school :- maxi-experimentation "Brocca"- Mathematics-physics course- Maths-natural science studies -Ordinary scientific high-school .