Courses tagged with "Calculus I" (279)

This course is the third and last term of the quantum field theory sequence. Its aim is the proper theoretical discussion of the physics of the standard model. Topics include: quantum chromodynamics; the Higgs phenomenon and a description of the standard model; deep-inelastic scattering and structure functions; basics of lattice gauge theory; operator products and effective theories; detailed structure of the standard model; spontaneously broken gauge theory and its quantization; instantons and theta-vacua; topological defects; introduction to supersymmetry.

This course, which concentrates on special relativity, is normally taken by physics majors in their sophomore year. Topics include Einstein's postulates, the Lorentz transformation, relativistic effects and paradoxes, and applications involving electromagnetism and particle physics. This course also provides a brief introduction to some concepts of general relativity, including the principle of equivalence, the Schwartzschild metric and black holes, and the FRW metric and cosmology.

The study of the night sky instilled wonder in our ancestors. Modern astronomy extends the human view to previously unexplored regions of space and time. In this course, you will gain an understanding of these discoveries through a focus on relativity—Einstein's fascinating and non-intuitive description of the physical world. By studying relativity and astronomy together, you will develop physical insight and quantitative skills, and you’ll regain a profound sense of wonder for the universe we call home.

FAQ

• What topics will the course cover?
  • Section One—Introduction
  • Section Two—3, 2, 1 … Launching the journey into spacetime
  • Section Three—Special relativity: from light to dark
  • Section Four—General relativity: from flat to curved

• Is there a required textbook?

  • No textbook is required. Notes will be posted weekly. A list of supplemental resources, including textbooks, will be provided.​​

• What are the learning outcomes of this course?

  • Explain the meaning and significance of the postulates of special and general relativity.

  • Discuss significant experimental tests of both special and general relativity.

  • Analyze paradoxes in special relativity.

  • Apply appropriate tools for problem solving in special relativity.

  • Describe astrophysical situations where the consequences of relativity qualitatively impact predictions and/or observations.

  • Describe daily situations where relativity makes a difference.

During each week of this course, chefs reveal the secrets behind some of their most famous culinary creations — often right in their own restaurants. Inspired by such cooking mastery, the Harvard team will then explain the science behind the recipe.

Topics will include:

• How molecules influence flavor
• The role of heat in cooking
• Diffusion, revealed by the phenomenon of spherification, the culinary technique pioneered by Ferran Adrià.

You will also have the opportunity to become an experimental scientist in your very own laboratory — your kitchen. By following along with the engaging recipe of the week, taking precise measurements, and making skillful observations, you will learn to think like both a cook and a scientist. The lab is certainly one of the most unique components of this course — after all, in what other science course can you eat your experiments?

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HarvardX pursues the science of learning. By registering as an online learner in an HX course, you will also participate in research about learning. Read our research statement: http://harvardx.harvard.edu/research-statement to learn more.

Harvard University and HarvardX are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and work environment in which no member of the community is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination or harassment in our program. All members of the HarvardX community are expected to abide by Harvard policies on nondiscrimination, including sexual harassment, and the edX Terms of Service. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact harvardx@harvard.edu and/or report your experience through the edX contact form: https://www.edx.org/contact-us.

In Part 2 of Science and Cooking (Part 1 is available here), we will be visited by more world-famous chefs who use a number of different styles and techniques in their cooking.  Each chef will demonstrate how he or she prepares delicious and interesting creations, and we will explore how fundamental scientific principles make them possible.

Topics will include:

• How cooking changes food texture
• Making emulsions and foams
• Phase changes in cooking

You will also have the opportunity to become an experimental scientist in your very own laboratory — your kitchen! By following along with the recipes of the week, taking precise measurements, and making skillful observations, you will learn to think like both a chef and a scientist.  This practice will prepare you for the final project, when you will design and perform an experiment to analyze a recipe of your choice from a scientific perspective.

The lab is certainly one of the most unique components of this course — after all, in what other science course can you eat your experiments?

This course focuses on the physical changes that occur during cooking.  If you are interested in signing up for “Part 1,” which focuses more on the chemistry of cooking, you can do so here.

This course is an introduction to branes in string theory and their world volume dynamics. Instead of looking at the theory from the point of view of the world-sheet observer, we will approach the problem from the point of view of an observer which lives on a brane. Instead of writing down conformal field theory on the world-sheet and studying the properties of these theories, we will look at various branes in string theory and ask how the physics on their world-volume looks like.

This short course teaches students and industry professionals how to design integrated optical devices and circuits, using a hands-on approach with commercial tools. We will fabricate your designs using a state-of-the-art ($5M) silicon photonic rapid-prototyping 100 keV electron-beam lithography facility. We will measure your designs using an automated optical probe station and provide you the data. You will then analyze your experimental data.

Why take this course?

• To get hands on design experience with integrated optics
• To learn how to use advanced optical design tools
• To get your design fabricated, and obtain experimental data

The focus of this course is a design project, guided by lectures, tutorials and activities. As a first-time designer, you will design an interferometer, which is a widely used device in many applications such as communications (modulation, switching) and sensing. Specifically, it is Mach-Zehnder Interferometer, consisting of fibre grating couplers, two splitters, and optical waveguides. For advanced designers, this course is an opportunity to design many other devices, such as directional couplers, ring, racetrack and disk resonators, Bragg gratings including grating assisted contra-directional couplers, photonic crystals, multi-mode interference (MMI) couplers, polarization diversity components, mode-division multiplexing (MDM) components and circuits, novel waveguides such as sub-wavelength grating (SWG) and metamaterial waveguides, slot waveguides, etc.

Commercial software tool licenses are provided in this course (Lumerical Solutions, Mentor Graphics, and MATLAB). Open-source alternatives are provided. Mentor Graphics tools are accessed remotely via a cloud service; the others can be run on your own computer.

You will earn a professional certificate from the University of British Columbia and edX upon successful completion of this course. Certificates can be uploaded directly to your LinkedIn profile.

In the third edition of Solar Energy, you will learn to design a complete photovoltaic system. This course introduces the technology that converts solar energy into electricity, heat and solar fuels with a main focus on electricity generation. Photovoltaic (PV) devices are presented as advanced semiconductor devices that deliver electricity directly from sunlight. The emphasis is on understanding the working principle of a solar cell, fabrication of solar cells, PV module construction and the design of a PV system. You will gain a greater understanding of the principles of the photovoltaic conversion— the conversion of light into electricity. This course explores the advantages, limitations and challenges of different solar cell technologies, such as crystalline silicon solar cell technology, thin film solar cell technologies and the latest novel solar cell concepts as studied on lab-scale. We will discuss the specifications of solar modules and demonstrate how to design a complete solar system for any particular application.

Education Method

The class will consist of a collection of eight to twelve minute lecture videos, exercises, assignments and exams. Specified assignments and the three exams will determine the final grade. The new textbook on “Solar Energy, basics, technology and systems” from the Delft University of Technology will be available for the students on-line and free of charge. Your course staff will encourage and challenge you to learn from, and interact with, your fellow students by helping each other and sharing ideas and best practices, in the course forum. We were happy to see the incredible number of interesting student videos on solar energy systems from all over the world in the previous edition of this course. 

Professor Smets was the first ever recipient of the edX Prize for Exceptional Contributions to Online Teaching and Learning. His previous online courses attracted over 150,000 students worldwide, who were inspired to take their first steps in the transition to renewable energy. 

LICENSE

The course materials of this course are Copyright Delft University of Technology and are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike (CC-BY-NC-SA) 4.0 International License.

Use the knowledge of Photovoltaic technology, systems and microgrids to design your own engineering project.

This project-based course finalizes the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters program and focuses on applying the knowledge you gained to a solar energy project. You will work on either your own project or on a project provided by the course team. These projects can be focused on design, analysis, monitoring or integration of any photovoltaic application.

First, you will write a short project plan describing the project and the orientation of your work. After approval, you will execute your project.

Your final product is a written paper on the results of your project. This paper will be peer reviewed and assessed by a professor. You will also defend your project in an oral presentation. You will be assessed on your ability to justify design choices, to critically analyze the performance of systems, to find creative solutions and to show the potential of your solution.

Finding a sponsor for your project within a company, institute or university is encouraged.

This is the last course of the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters Program designed to cover all physics and engineering aspects of photovoltaics: photovoltaic energy conversion, technologies and systems.

You can start the capstone project after completing PV1x, PV2x and PV3x. However, you will need the knowledge and skills gained in PV4x to complete the final module of this course, the oral presentation.

Note: The capstone project is only accessible for ID verified MicroMasters learners.

Photovoltaic systems are often placed into a microgrid, a local electricity distribution system that is operated in a controlled way and includes both electricity users and renewable electricity generation. This course deals with DC and AC microgrids and covers a wide range of topics, from basic definitions, through modelling and control of AC and DC microgrids to the application of adaptive protection in microgrids. You will master various concepts related to microgrid technology and implementation, such as smart grid and virtual power plant, types of distribution network, markets, control strategies and components. Among the components special attention is given to operation and control of power electronics interfaces.

You will familiarize yourself with the advantages and challenges of DC microgrids (which are still in an early stage). You will have the opportunity to master the topic of microgrids through an exercise in which you will evaluate selected pilot sites where microgrids were deployed. The evaluation will take the form of a simulation assignment and include a peer review of the results.

This course is part of the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters program designed to cover all physics and engineering aspects of photovoltaics: photovoltaic energy conversion, technologies and systems.

The key factor in getting more efficient and cheaper solar energy panels is the advance in the development of photovoltaic cells. In this course you will learn how photovoltaic cells convert solar energy into useable electricity. You will also discover how to tackle potential loss mechanisms in solar cells. By understanding the semiconductor physics and optics involved, you will develop in-depth knowledge of how a photovoltaic cell works under different conditions. You will learn how to model all aspects of a working solar cell. For engineers and scientists working in the photovoltaic industry, this course is an absolute must to understand the opportunities for solar cell innovation.

This course is part of the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters Program designed to cover all physics and engineering aspects of photovoltaics: photovoltaic energy conversion, technologies and systems.

We recommend that you complete this course prior to taking the other courses in this MicroMasters program.  

In this course you will learn how to turn solar cells into full modules; and how to apply full modules to full photovoltaic systems.

The course will cover design of photovoltaic systems, such as utility scale solar farms or residential scale systems (on/off the grid). You will learn about the function and operation of various components including inverters, batteries, DC-DC converters and the grid. After learning about the components, you will gain an understanding of the main design decisions to be taken when planning a real PV installation with excellent performance and reliability.

Finally, you will practice modelling the performance of a PV system for different solar energy applications, and estimating the energy production of a client's potential system.

This course is part of the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters Program designed to cover all physics and engineering aspects of photovoltaics: photovoltaic energy conversion, technologies and systems.

The technologies used to produce solar cells and photovoltaic modules are advancing to deliver highly efficient and flexible solar panels. In this course you will explore the main PV technologies in the current market. You will gain in-depth knowledge about crystalline silicon based solar cells (90% market share) as well as other up and coming technologies like CdTe, CIGS and Perovskites. This course provides answers to the questions: How are solar cells made from raw materials? Which technologies have the potential to be the major players for different applications in the future?

This course is part of the Solar Energy Engineering MicroMasters Program designed to cover all physics and engineering aspects of photovoltaics: photovoltaic energy conversion, technologies and systems.

Space exploration is truly fascinating. From Sputnik to the Apollo, followed by the assembly and exploitation of the International Space Station and the successful operation of the Hubble Space Telescope and other space observatories, we are uncovering many mysteries of our universe. We also made huge progress learning how to work and be productive in outer space!

This course builds on university level physics and mechanics to introduce and illustrate orbital dynamics as they are applied in the design of space missions. You will learn from the experiences of Claude Nicollier, one of the first ESA astronauts, specifically through his role in the maintenance of the Hubble Space Telescope on two occasions.

The course focuses on conceptual understanding of space mechanics, maneuvers, propulsion and control systems used in all spacecraft. You will gain knowledge of the challenges related to the use of the space environment as a scientific and utilitarian platform.

Have we reached the boundaries of what can be achieved in sports and building design? The answer is definitely “NO”. This course explains basic aspects of bluff body aerodynamics, wind tunnel testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations with application to sports and building aerodynamics. It is intended for anyone with a strong interest in these topics. Key fields addressed are urban physics, wind engineering and sports engineering.

Super-Earths And Life is a course about alien life, how we search for it, and what this teaches us about our place in the universe.

Statistical Mechanics is a probabilistic approach to equilibrium properties of large numbers of degrees of freedom. In this two-semester course, basic principles are examined. Topics include: Thermodynamics, probability theory, kinetic theory, classical statistical mechanics, interacting systems, quantum statistical mechanics, and identical particles.

This is the second term in a two-semester course on statistical mechanics. Basic principles are examined in this class, such as the laws of thermodynamics and the concepts of temperature, work, heat, and entropy. Topics from modern statistical mechanics are also explored, including the hydrodynamic limit and classical field theories.

In this course you will learn a whole lot of modern physics (classical and quantum) from basic computer programs that you will download, generalize, or write from scratch, discuss, and then hand in. Join in if you are curious (but not necessarily knowledgeable) about algorithms, and about the deep insights into science that you can obtain by the algorithmic approach.

This course offers an introduction to probability, statistical mechanics, and thermodynamics. Numerous examples are used to illustrate a wide variety of physical phenomena such as magnetism, polyatomic gases, thermal radiation, electrons in solids, and noise in electronic devices.

This course is an elective subject in MIT’s undergraduate Energy Studies Minor. This Institute-wide program complements the deep expertise obtained in any major with a broad understanding of the interlinked realms of science, technology, and social sciences as they relate to energy and associated environmental challenges.