Online courses directory (272)

Explore the many facets of mining engineering from exploration to production and mine closure.

6.002 is designed to serve as a first course in an undergraduate electrical engineering (EE), or electrical engineering

Discover the world of mobile robots - how they move, how they interact with the world, and how to build them!

This course models multi-domain engineering systems at a level of detail suitable for design and control system implementation. Topics include network representation, state-space models; multi-port energy storage and dissipation, Legendre transforms; nonlinear mechanics, transformation theory, Lagrangian and Hamiltonian forms; and control-relevant properties. Application examples may include electro-mechanical transducers, mechanisms, electronics, fluid and thermal systems, compressible flow, chemical processes, diffusion, and wave transmission.

This course is the first of a two term sequence in modeling, analysis and control of dynamic systems. The various topics covered are as follows: mechanical translation, uniaxial rotation, electrical circuits and their coupling via levers, gears and electro-mechanical devices, analytical and computational solution of linear differential equations, state-determined systems, Laplace transforms, transfer functions, frequency response, Bode plots, vibrations, modal analysis, open- and closed-loop control, instability, time-domain controller design, and introduction to frequency-domain control design techniques. Case studies of engineering applications are also covered.

This course develops and applies scaling laws and the methods of continuum and statistical mechanics to biomechanical phenomena over a range of length scales, from molecular to cellular to tissue or organ level.

Learn how MOS transistors work, and how to model them. The understanding provided in this course is essential not only for device modelers, but also for designers of high-performance circuits.

This course presents a rational basis for the preliminary design of motion-sensitive structures. Topics covered include: analytical and numerical techniques for establishing the optimal stiffness distribution, the role of damping in controlling motion, tuned mass dampers, base isolation systems, and active structural control. Examples illustrating the application of the motion-based design paradigm to building structures subjected to seismic excitation are discussed.

Multi-scale systems (MuSS) consist of components from two or more length scales (nano, micro, meso, or macro-scales). In MuSS, the engineering modeling, design principles, and fabrication processes of the components are fundamentally different. The challenge is to make these components so they are conceptually and model-wise compatible with other-scale components with which they interface. This course covers the fundamental properties of scales, design theories, modeling methods and manufacturing issues which must be addressed in these systems. Examples of MuSS include precision instruments, nanomanipulators, fiber optics, micro/nano-photonics, nanorobotics, MEMS (piezoelectric driven manipulators and optics), X-Ray telescopes and carbon nano-tube assemblies. Students master the materials through problem sets and a project literature critique.

Parallel treatments of photons, electrons, phonons, and molecules as energy carriers, aiming at fundamental understanding and descriptive tools for energy and heat transport processes from nanoscale continuously to macroscale. Topics include the energy levels, the statistical behavior and internal energy, energy transport in the forms of waves and particles, scattering and heat generation processes, Boltzmann equation and derivation of classical laws, deviation from classical laws at nanoscale and their appropriate descriptions, with applications in nano- and microtechnology.

Nanotechnology is an emerging area that engages almost every technical discipline – from chemistry to computer science – in the study and application of extremely tiny materials.  This short course allows any technically savvy person to go one layer beyond the surface of this broad topic to see the real substance behind the very small.

Explore the complexity and challenges of infrastructure systems (Transport, Energy, IT/Telecom and Water) in the 21st century.

This graduate-level course provides a unified treatment of nonlinear oscillations and wave phenomena with applications to mechanical, optical, geophysical, fluid, electrical and flow-structure interaction problems.

This class introduces elementary programming concepts including variable types, data structures, and flow control. After an introduction to linear algebra and probability, it covers numerical methods relevant to mechanical engineering, including approximation (interpolation, least squares and statistical regression), integration, solution of linear and nonlinear equations, ordinary differential equations, and deterministic and probabilistic approaches. Examples are drawn from mechanical engineering disciplines, in particular from robotics, dynamics, and structural analysis. Assignments require MATLAB^® programming.

This course is an introduction to numerical methods and MATLAB^®: Errors, condition numbers and roots of equations. Topics covered include Navier-Stokes; direct and iterative methods for linear systems; finite differences for elliptic, parabolic and hyperbolic equations; Fourier decomposition, error analysis and stability; high-order and compact finite-differences; finite volume methods; time marching methods; Navier-Stokes solvers; grid generation; finite volumes on complex geometries; finite element methods; spectral methods; boundary element and panel methods; turbulent flows; boundary layers; and Lagrangian coherent structures (LCSs).

Prof. Pierre Lermusiaux is very grateful to the teaching assistants Dr. Matt Ueckermann, Dr. Tapovan Lolla, Mr. Jing Lin, and Mr. Arpit Agarwal for their contributions to the course over the years.

Numerical methods for solving problems arising in heat and mass transfer, fluid mechanics, chemical reaction engineering, and molecular simulation. Topics: numerical linear algebra, solution of nonlinear algebraic equations and ordinary differential equations, solution of partial differential equations (e.g. Navier-Stokes), numerical methods in molecular simulation (dynamics, geometry optimization). All methods are presented within the context of chemical engineering problems. Familiarity with structured programming is assumed. The examples will use MATLAB®.

Acknowledgements

The instructor would like to thank Robert Ashcraft, Sandeep Sharma, David Weingeist, and Nikolay Zaborenko for their work in preparing materials for this course site.

The subject introduces the principles of ocean surface waves and their interactions with ships, offshore platforms and advanced marine vehicles. Surface wave theory is developed for linear and nonlinear deterministic and random waves excited by the environment, ships, or floating structures.

Following the development of the physics and mathematics of surface waves, several applications from the field of naval architecture and offshore engineering are addressed. They include the ship Kelvin wave pattern and wave resistance, the interaction of surface waves with floating bodies, the seakeeping of ships high-speed vessels and offshore platforms, the evaluation of the drift forces and other nonlinear wave effects responsible for the slow-drift responses of compliant offshore platforms and their mooring systems designed for hydrocarbon recovery from large water depths.

This course was originally offered in Course 13 (Department of Ocean Engineering) as 13.022. In 2005, ocean engineering subjects became part of Course 2 (Department of Mechanical Engineering), and this course was renumbered 2.24.

This course concerns the theory and practice of optical methods in engineering and system design, with an emphasis on diffraction, statistical optics, holography, and imaging. It provides the engineering methodology skills necessary to incorporate optical components in systems serving diverse areas such as precision engineering and metrology, bio-imaging, and computing (sensors, data storage, communication in multi-processor systems). Experimental demonstrations and a design project are included.

This course provides an introduction to optical science with elementary engineering applications. Topics covered in geometrical optics include: ray-tracing, aberrations, lens design, apertures and stops, radiometry and photometry. Topics covered in wave optics include: basic electrodynamics, polarization, interference, wave-guiding, Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction, image formation, resolution, space-bandwidth product. Analytical and numerical tools used in optical design are emphasized. Graduate students are required to complete assignments with stronger analytical content, and an advanced design project.

We live on the surface of a dynamic and yet paradoxically stable planet that experiences a remarkable range of energetic phenomena, from waves and currents in the ocean to wind and thunderstorms in the atmosphere. This course traces how the remarkable concept called energy is the natural way of describing, understanding and unifying these diverse phenomena. The course traces the cascade of energy from sunlight to its final destination in a thermal form, considering differential surface heating, the role of convection and buoyancy and the formation of the Earth’s circulation system, and the links to the ocean circulation system. We consider the curvature and rotation of the Earth as key constraints on a system driven by sunlight and energy transformations.

Before your course starts, try the new edX Demo where you can explore the fun, interactive learning environment and virtual labs. Learn more.

How much time will the course take?

Obviously the answer will depend on your background and motivation to master the course material. Each week will consist of 5 or 6 segments that will each take 5 to 10 minutes to watch or listen to once. There will be some exploratory questions for each lesson and a confirmation quiz for each week. There will be one exploratory activity for each week. The average commitment will be 2-3 hours per week with perhaps 20 hours required for the whole course.

What background does the course assume?

We’ll ask you to pull out a calculator from time to time (but not all the time!) simply as this will help you really master the key ideas. The key thing is to have a curiosity and interest in what makes our planet tick!

What kind of learning activities will the course involve?

The activities are designed to use basic household objects, and our own senses, to engage with observations of the world, and to think about what these mean and lead to. We’ll get you to sense how cold or warm different objects get when left in the sun, and to observe how energy explains things we see and hear.

What difference will the course make to my life?

The course has the conviction that it is hard to care for or value things that we don’t appreciate or have never considered. Although harsh in certain places and times, the Earth’s surface is remarkably habitable. Many forms of life can make their way in many kinds of terrain and climate. What produces these conditions? How are they maintained? We will seek to answer those questions in rudimentary form at least.

What conversations will the course help to perform?

Courses often imagine a context in which the course material is discussed, and this one is no different. It imagines a setting with family or friends where you might have just learned of a news event involving a storm like a hurricane or thunderstorm, or where a community might have experienced a flood or a drought, or merely unusual weather. You might have heard of El Nino or climate change in the news. This course will give you a background to better engage in a conversation about these great matters, and offer a better sense of the complexity, challenge and wonder connected to living on the surface of such an energetic planet.