The universities were not free from prohibitions or strict regulations: the students were not only under strict scientific superintendance, but also under the close surveillance of the police (this might have been a means to controlling the ideas of the intellectuals). No student was allowed to choose his dwelling or leave it without permission of the prefect, who often appointed the place where the student was to lodge and board. Whoever wished to receive students into his house had to undertake the responsibility for their observance of the laws which regulate their going to mass and confession, fasting, and even their clothes and their beards. Neglect of these rules was punished by exclusion from the examinations, or from the university itself.
Mossotti read physics and mathematics at the University of Pavia. Warmly
recommended by the secondary school he had attended, he was admitted directly
to the second year
, thus skipping the three basic courses
of the first year: Elements of Geometry and Algebra, Italian and Latin
Eloquence, Analysis of the Ideas. He proceeded to complete his degree in three
years, attending the following courses: Introduction to
Sublime
Calculus, Theoretical Physics, Experimental Physics, Natural History in the
second year; Applied Mathematics I, Sublime Mathematics I, Civil and Military
Architecture I, Agronomy in the third year; Applied Mathematics II, Sublime
Mathematics II, Civil and Military Architecture II in the fourth
year. Mossotti obtained his degree in mathematical physics with the highest possible mark and further
distinctions on 6 June 1811. It is worth noting that while Ferrucci reports in
X16 that Mossotti studied with Volta, Brugnatelli and Brunacci as an
undergraduate, the layout of his degree courses (M40) contradicts part of this
assertion: of the three scientists mentioned only Brunacci actually taught
Mossotti. In fact, among his tutors Brunacci was the one who appreciated him
most: in 1813, after Mossotti had published his first paper, Brunacci said
``Two years ago he was here as a student, and now he could well be here as a
teacher". Mossotti's tutors insisted for him to come back to the university as
an auditor after his degree, which he did during 1812 and 1813.
Figure 3: Mossotti's degree (M41).
There has been some controversy as to whether Mossotti also attended
some engineering course at some stage of his university studentship, mainly
because of the topics of his early papers and because both
in London and Buenos Ayres he worked with the local Hydrographical Offices.
Researches conducted in Pavia and Milan Universities have given negative
results in this sense, and it is more than likely that his knowledge of
engineering came from the courses of Architecture and Agronomy Mossotti had
attended in Pavia. In fact his degree did not gain him the title of ``Doctor",
but that of ``Engineer and Architect". However, in all scientific
correspondence or publications, his titles are always those of ``physicist"
and ``mathematician" and never of ``engineer", which indicates that he
considered himself more a mathematician than an engineer, and indeed all his
works are highly theoretical. His interest and ability in engineering come
from the fact that in the 19th century the difference between mathematics,
physics and engineering was very weak. According to Zanobi
Bicchierai, in 1814 Mossotti wanted to ``dedicate himself to
the art of engineering" and abandon physics, enraged by the fact that the
university of Pavia promised him a job as a research assistant and never gave
him one; Brunacci however insisted that he remained a physicist, and Mossotti
gave in to his teacher's desires.