Online courses directory (684)

6.161 offers an introduction to laboratory optics, optical principles, and optical devices and systems. This course covers a wide range of topics, including: polarization properties of light, reflection and refraction, coherence and interference, Fraunhofer and Fresnel diffraction, holography, imaging and transforming properties of lenses, spatial filtering, two-lens coherent optical processor, optical properties of materials, lasers, electro-optic, acousto-optic and liquid-crystal light modulators, optical detectors, optical waveguides and fiber-optic communication systems. Students engage in extensive oral and written communication exercises. There are 12 engineering design points associated with this subject.

The topics covered in this course include:

• Languages and compilers to exploit multithreaded parallelism
• Implicit parallel programming using functional languages and their extensions
• Higher-order functions, non-strictness, and polymorphism
• Explicit parallel programming and nondeterminism
• The lambda calculus and its variants
• Term rewriting and operational semantics
• Compiling multithreaded code for symmetric multiprocessors and clusters
• Static analysis and compiler optimizations

This course is worth 4 Engineering Design Points.

This course uses computer-aided design methodologies for synthesis of multivariable feedback control systems. Topics covered include: performance and robustness trade-offs; model-based compensators; Q-parameterization; ill-posed optimization problems; dynamic augmentation; linear-quadratic optimization of controllers; H-infinity controller design; Mu-synthesis; model and compensator simplification; and nonlinear effects. The assignments for the course comprise of computer-aided (MATLAB®) design problems.

6.863 is a laboratory-oriented course on the theory and practice of building computer systems for human language processing, with an emphasis on the linguistic, cognitive, and engineering foundations for understanding their design.

This course studies fundamental design and implementation ideas in the engineering of operating systems. Lectures are based on a study of UNIX and research papers. Topics include virtual memory, threads, context switches, kernels, interrupts, system calls, interprocess communication, coordination, and the interaction between software and hardware. Individual laboratory assignments involve implementation of a small operating system in C, with some x86 assembly.

This course introduces the concepts, applications, algorithms, programming, and design of recommender systems--software systems that recommend products or information, often based on extensive personalization. Learn how web merchants such as Amazon.com personalize product suggestions and how to apply the same techniques in your own systems!

Metadata is an unsung hero of the modern world, the plumbing that makes the information age possible. This course describes how Metadata is used as an information tool for the Web, for databases, and for the software and computing applications around us.

Data Analysis for Genomics will teach students how to harness the wealth of genomics data arising from new technologies, such as microarrays and next generation sequencing, in order to answer biological questions, both for basic cell biology and clinical applications.

So you’ve heard mobile is kind of a big deal, and you’re not sure how to transform your traditional desktop-focused web apps into fast, effective mobile experiences. This course is designed to teach web developers what they need to know to create great cross-device mobile web experiences. This course will focus on building mobile web apps, which will work across multiple platforms including Android, iOS, and others.

6.637 covers the fundamentals of optical signals and modern optical devices and systems from a practical point of view. Its goal is to help students develop a thorough understanding of the underlying physical principles such that device and system design and performance can be predicted, analyzed, and understood.

Most optical systems involve the use of one or more of the following: sources (e.g., lasers and light-emitting diodes), light modulation components (e.g., liquid-crystal light modulators), transmission media (e.g., free space or fibers), photodetectors (e.g., photodiodes, photomultiplier tubes), information storage devices (e.g., optical disk), processing systems (e.g., imaging and spatial filtering systems) and displays (LCOS microdisplays). These are the topics covered by this course.

This course is broad, covering a wide range of topics that have to do with the post-pc era of computing. It is a hands-on project course that also includes some foundational subjects. Students will program iPAQ handheld computers, cell phones (series 60 phones), speech processing, vision, Cricket location systems, GPS, and more. Most of the programming will be using Python®, but Python® can be learned and mastered during the course.

This course was also taught as part of the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) programme as course number SMA 5508 (Pervasive Computing).

This course examines classical and quantum models of electrons and lattice vibrations in solids, emphasizing physical models for elastic properties, electronic transport, and heat capacity. Topics covered include: crystal lattices, electronic energy band structures, phonon dispersion relatons, effective mass theorem, semiclassical equations of motion, and impurity states in semiconductors, band structure and transport properties of selected semiconductors, and connection of quantum theory of solids with quasifermi levels and Boltzmann transport used in device modeling.

This course is offered to graduates and focuses on understanding the fundamental principles of the "front-end" processes used in the fabrication of devices for silicon integrated circuits. This includes advanced physical models and practical aspects of major processes, such as oxidation, diffusion, ion implantation, and epitaxy. Other topics covered include: high performance MOS and bipolar devices including ultra-thin gate oxides, implant-damage enhanced diffusion, advanced metrology, and new materials such as Silicon Germanium (SiGe).

6.334 examines the application of electronics to energy conversion and control. Topics covered include: modeling, analysis, and control techniques; design of power circuits including inverters, rectifiers, and DC-DC converters; analysis and design of magnetic components and filters; and characteristics of power semiconductor devices. Numerous application examples will be presented such as motion control systems, power supplies, and radio-frequency power amplifiers. The course is worth 6 engineering design points.

In this 5-week course we’ll introduce the fundamentals of programming in Processing, an accessible introduction to combining arts and computing. The course will provide the essentials of programming in a visual context, allowing you to visualize, design, and create generative art with Processing.

This course serves as an introduction to the basic principles that govern all aspects of our networked lives. We will learn about companies like Google and technologies like the Internet in a way that requires no mathematics beyond basic algebra.

Learn how to write composable software that stays responsive at all times by being elastic under load and resilient in the presence of failures. Model systems after human organizations or inter-human communication.

Introduction to the design and implementation of applications for handheld systems, such as smartphones and tablets, running the Android Platform.

This course provides a thorough introduction to the C programming language, the workhorse of the UNIX operating system and lingua franca of embedded processors and micro-controllers. The first two weeks will cover basic syntax and grammar, and expose students to practical programming techniques. The remaining lectures will focus on more advanced concepts, such as dynamic memory allocation, concurrency and synchronization, UNIX signals and process control, library development and usage. Daily programming assignments and weekly laboratory exercises are required. Knowledge of C is highly marketable for summer internships, UROPs, and full-time positions in software and embedded systems development.

Welcome to 6.041/6.431, a subject on the modeling and analysis of random phenomena and processes, including the basics of statistical inference. Nowadays, there is broad consensus that the ability to think probabilistically is a fundamental component of scientific literacy. For example:

• The concept of statistical significance (to be touched upon at the end of this course) is considered by the Financial Times as one of "The Ten Things Everyone Should Know About Science".
• A recent Scientific American article argues that statistical literacy is crucial in making health-related decisions.
• Finally, an article in the New York Times identifies statistical data analysis as an upcoming profession, valuable everywhere, from Google and Netflix to the Office of Management and Budget.

The aim of this class is to introduce the relevant models, skills, and tools, by combining mathematics with conceptual understanding and intuition.