Online courses directory (19947)

The neuropharmacology course will discuss the drug-induced changes in functioning of the nervous system. The specific focus of this course will be to provide a description of the cellular and molecular actions of drugs on synaptic transmission. This course will also refer to specific diseases of the nervous system and their treatment in addition to giving an overview of the techniques used for the study of neuropharmacology.

This course is offered during the Independent Activities Period (IAP), which is a special 4-week term at MIT that runs from the first week of January until the end of the month.

This course is offered to undergraduates and introduces students to the formulation, methodology, and techniques for numerical solution of engineering problems. Topics covered include: fundamental principles of digital computing and the implications for algorithm accuracy and stability, error propagation and stability, the solution of systems of linear equations, including direct and iterative techniques, roots of equations and systems of equations, numerical interpolation, differentiation and integration, fundamentals of finite-difference solutions to ordinary differential equations, and error and convergence analysis. The subject is taught the first half of the term.

This subject was originally offered in Course 13 (Department of Ocean Engineering) as 13.002J. In 2005, ocean engineering became part of Course 2 (Department of Mechanical Engineering), and this subject was renumbered 2.993J.

This class assesses current and potential future energy systems, covering resources, extraction, conversion, and end-use technologies, with emphasis on meeting regional and global energy needs in the 21st century in a sustainable manner. Instructors and guest lecturers will examine various renewable and conventional energy production technologies, energy end-use practices and alternatives, and consumption practices in different countries. Students will learn a quantitative framework to aid in evaluation and analysis of energy technology system proposals in the context of engineering, political, social, economic, and environmental goals. Students taking the graduate version, Sustainable Energy, complete additional assignments.

This subject provides an introduction to modeling and simulation, covering continuum methods, atomistic and molecular simulation, and quantum mechanics. Hands-on training is provided in the fundamentals and applications of these methods to key engineering problems. The lectures provide exposure to areas of application based on the scientific exploitation of the power of computation. We use web based applets for simulations, thus extensive programming skills are not required.

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.

We will explore the mathematical strategies behind popular games, toys, and puzzles. Topics covered will combine basic fundamentals of game theory, probability, group theory, and elementary programming concepts. Each week will consist of a lecture and discussion followed by game play to implement the concepts learned in class.

This course provides a foundation in the following four areas: evolutionary and population genetics; comparative genomics; structural genomics and proteomics; and functional genomics and regulation.

This course applies the concepts of reaction rate, stoichiometry and equilibrium to the analysis of chemical and biological reacting systems, derivation of rate expressions from reaction mechanisms and equilibrium or steady state assumptions, design of chemical and biochemical reactors via synthesis of chemical kinetics, transport phenomena, and mass and energy balances. Topics covered include: chemical/biochemical pathways; enzymatic, pathway, and cell growth kinetics; batch, plug flow and well-stirred reactors for chemical reactions and cultivations of microorganisms and mammalian cells; heterogeneous and enzymatic catalysis; heat and mass transport in reactors, including diffusion to and within catalyst particles and cells or immobilized enzymes.

This course covers fundamentals of thermodynamics, chemistry, flow and transport processes as applied to energy systems. Topics include analysis of energy conversion in thermomechanical, thermochemical, electrochemical, and photoelectric processes in existing and future power and transportation systems, with emphasis on efficiency, environmental impact and performance. Systems utilizing fossil fuels, hydrogen, nuclear and renewable resources, over a range of sizes and scales are discussed. Applications include fuel reforming, hydrogen and synthetic fuel production, fuel cells and batteries, combustion, hybrids, catalysis, supercritical and combined cycles, photovoltaics, etc. The course also deals with different forms of energy storage and transmission, and optimal source utilization and fuel-life cycle analysis.

This course introduces dynamic processes and the engineering tasks of process operations and control. Subject covers modeling the static and dynamic behavior of processes; control strategies; design of feedback, feedforward, and other control structures; and applications to process equipment.

Dedication

In preparing this material, the author has recalled with pleasure his own introduction, many years ago, to Process Control. This OCW course is dedicated with gratitude, to Prof. W. C. Clements of the University of Alabama.

The theoretical frameworks of Hartree-Fock theory and density functional theory are presented in this course as approximate methods to solve the many-electron problem. A variety of ways to incorporate electron correlation are discussed. The application of these techniques to calculate the reactivity and spectroscopic properties of chemical systems, in addition to the thermodynamics and kinetics of chemical processes, is emphasized. This course also focuses on cutting edge methods to sample complex hypersurfaces, for reactions in liquids, catalysts and biological systems.

This course provides an introduction to the chemistry of biological, inorganic, and organic molecules. The emphasis is on basic principles of atomic and molecular electronic structure, thermodynamics, acid-base and redox equilibria, chemical kinetics, and catalysis.

In an effort to illuminate connections between chemistry and biology, a list of the biology-, medicine-, and MIT research-related examples used in 5.111 is provided in Biology-Related Examples.

Acknowledgements

Development and implementation of the biology-related materials in this course were funded through an HHMI Professors grant to Prof. Catherine L. Drennan.

This course takes a deep look at a big subject. We ask where Fairy Tales come from and we examine the structure of Fairy Tales. We'll also look at how Fairy Tales are conditioned by oral transmission and inherited story-telling techniques.

This course is an introduction to many of the central issues in a branch of philosophy called philosophy of mind.

This course explores the nature of meaning and truth, and their bearing on the use of language in communication. No knowledge of logic or linguistics is presupposed.

5.112 is an introductory chemistry course for students with an unusually strong background in chemistry. Knowledge of calculus equivalent to MIT course 18.01 is recommended. Emphasis is on basic principles of atomic and molecular electronic structure, thermodynamics, acid-base and redox equilibria, chemical kinetics, and catalysis. The course also covers applications of basic principles to problems in metal coordination chemistry, organic chemistry, and biological chemistry.

This subject deals primarily with equilibrium properties of macroscopic systems, basic thermodynamics, chemical equilibrium of reactions in gas and solution phase, and rates of chemical reactions.

Acknowledgements

The material for 5.60 has evolved over a period of many years, and therefore several faculty members have contributed to the development of the course contents. The following are known to have assisted in preparing the lecture notes available on OpenCourseWare: Emeritus Professors of Chemistry: Robert A. Alberty, Carl W. Garland, Irwin Oppenheim, John S. Waugh. Professors of Chemistry: Moungi Bawendi, John M. Deutch, Robert W. Field, Robert G. Griffin, Keith A. Nelson, Robert J. Silbey, Jeffrey I. Steinfeld. Professor of Bioengineering and Computer Science: Bruce Tidor. Professor of Chemistry, Rice University: James L. Kinsey. Professor of Physics, University of Illinois: Philip W. Phillips.

This course presents an introduction to quantum mechanics. It begins with an examination of the historical development of quantum theory, properties of particles and waves, wave mechanics and applications to simple systems—the particle in a box, the harmonic oscillator, the rigid rotor and the hydrogen atom. The lectures continue with a discussion of atomic structure and the Periodic Table. The final lectures cover applications to chemical bonding including valence bond and molecular orbital theory, molecular structure, and spectroscopy.

Acknowledgements

The material for 5.61 has evolved over a period of many years, and, accordingly, several faculty members have contributed to the development of the course contents. The original version of the lecture notes that are available on OCW was prepared in the early 1990's by Prof. Sylvia T. Ceyer. These were revised and transcribed to electronic form primarily by Prof. Keith A. Nelson. The current version includes additional contributions by Professors Moungi G. Bawendi, Robert G. Griffin, Robert J. Silbey, and John S. Waugh, all of whom have taught the course in the recent past.

This course covers elementary statistical mechanics, transport properties, kinetic theory, solid state, reaction rate theory, and chemical reaction dynamics.

Acknowledgements

The staff for this course would like to acknowledge that these course materials include contributions from past instructors, textbooks, and other members of the MIT Chemistry Department affiliated with course #5.62. Since the following works have evolved over a period of many years, no single source can be attributed.

5.73 covers fundamental concepts of quantum mechanics: wave properties, uncertainty principles, Schrödinger equation, and operator and matrix methods. Basic applications of the following are discussed: one-dimensional potentials (harmonic oscillator), three-dimensional centrosymmetric potentials (hydrogen atom), and angular momentum and spin. The course also examines approximation methods: variational principle and perturbation theory.