Online courses directory (81)

Calculating change in motion is a very important concept to master in physics. When change happens in one dimension it is relatively easy to calculate the variable. However, change rarely happens in just one direction so you need to learn how to manage more than one variable. This free online physics course explains how to visually represent each change in a dimension as a vector so that it can be easily understood. You will learn how to add two vectors together and calculate all the relevant information for the resulting third vector. Working through various examples, including different elevations and inclines, you will learn how to solve for any variable through the use of the right-angled triangle and then use trigonometry and quadratic equations to calculate the relevant variables. This free online physics course will be of great interest to students who are studying physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics and to any individual who wants to learn more about the movement of objects in two dimensions.<br />

In physics the study of movement and the motion of objects is called kinematics and is a branch of mechanics. The study of the motion of objects focuses on topics such as acceleration, position and velocity. In this free online course you will investigate the movement of objects by looking at the real-world application of kinematics. You will see how to answer interesting questions such as what distance does the Airbus A380 need for take-off, how long it takes for an FA-18 Hornet to take off from an aircraft carrier, and do race cars accelerate when cornering even if travelling at a constant speed. The course will walk you through a number of formulae, demystifying them by explaining and rearranging them in a clear and easy to understand way. This course will be of great interest to students who are studying physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics, to students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences or engineering fields, and to the learner who wants to see how science can answer real-world questions.<br />

Motion, speed and time are three fundamental concepts in basic physics and they are important building blocks for understanding more advanced topics. This free online course introduces you to how distance, speed, time and mass are combined to give displacement, velocity, force and acceleration. Newton’s 3 Laws of Motion, which are the bedrock of much of our understanding of physics today, are also introduced and explained in a clear and concise manner. Along with explanations of the formulae used, a number of examples are worked through, giving a full understanding of the subject. References are also made as to how these formulae are used in real-world situations. By studying this course you will gain a clearer knowledge and understanding of important topics in basic physics. This course will be of great interest to students who are studying physics, chemistry, engineering, mathematics and some medical sciences, and to students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences or engineering fields, and to the individual who wants to understand how the world around us works.<br />

This Stanford Continuing Studies course is the second of a six-quarter sequence of classes exploring the essential theor

Zinc Copper cell (reduction-oxidation). How to Measure?. Battery Meter (Galvanometer). How Many Turns?. Electrolyte Test (pure water vs. vinegar). Reverse Electrodes (polarity). Electrolyte (strong acid test). Electrolyte (salt test). Electrode (distance test). Electrolyte (temperature test). Electrode (surface area test). Standard Cell. How much electrolyte does a single cell need?. What's Next?.

Discovery of Electromagnetism. Experiment: Electromangetism. Electromagnetic Field (above vs. below). Electromagnetic Field (forward vs. reverse). Electromagnetic Field (loop). Right-Hand Rule. Battery Meter (Galvanometer).

Magnet near Compass. Tracing a Magnetic Field. Tracing a magnetic field. Discovery of Magnetic Fields. Magnet and iron filings. Magnetic field. 3D magnet with field. Magnetic Permeability. Increase Strength of Magnet. What's Next?.

Understanding the concept of force and the effects various forces have on objects are very important topics in physics. For example, when you try to move a heavy object it takes more effort to get it moving than to keep it moving because of gravity and the different types of friction involved. In this free online physics course you will learn more about the force of gravity and its counterpart the normal force, and why some objects do not move even when they are on a slope. The force of friction is also discussed, including static and kinetic types, and as friction is dependent on types of the materials involved the course also looks at the coefficient of static friction relative to kinetic friction. Examples of each type of force are worked through giving the learner a clear insight into how forces work together and how to calculate their respective values. This free online physics course will be of great interest to students who are studying physics, chemistry, engineering and mathematics, to students who wish to pursue a career in any of the sciences or engineering fields, and to anybody wanting to understand the dynamics of moving objects on specific surfaces.<br />

Physics 101 is the first course in the Introduction to Physics sequence. In general, the quest of physics is to develop descriptions of the natural world that correspond closely to actual observations. Given this definition, the story behind everything in the universe, from rocks falling to stars shining, is one of physics. In principle, the events of the natural world represent no more than the interactions of the elementary particles that comprise the material universe. In practice, however, it turns out to be more complicated than that. As the system under study becomes more and more complex, it becomes less and less clear how the basic laws of physics account for the observations. Other branches of science, such as chemistry or biology, are needed.  In principle, biology is based on the laws of chemistry, and chemistry is based on the laws of physics, but our ability to understand something as complex as life in terms of the laws of physics is well beyond our present knowledge. Physics is, however, the…

The physics of the universe appears to be dominated by the effects of four fundamental forces: gravity, electromagnetism, weak nuclear forces, and strong nuclear forces.  These forces control how matter, energy, space, and time interact to produce our physical world.  All other forces, such as the force you exert in standing up, are ultimately derived from these fundamental forces. We have direct daily experience with two of these forces: gravity and electromagnetism.  Consider, for example, the everyday sight of a person sitting on a chair.  The force holding the person on the chair is gravitational, and that gravitational force balances with material forces that “push up” to keep the individual in place.  These forces are the direct result of electromagnetic forces on the nanoscale.  On a larger stage, gravity holds the celestial bodies in their orbits, while we see the universe by the electromagnetic radiation (light, for example) with which it is filled.  The electromagnetic force also makes…

In ASTR101, you will be introduced to our current understanding of the universe and how we have come to this understanding.  We will start with the ancient Greeks and their belief that the universe was an orderly place capable of being understood.  We will continue through history, as we acquired more information on the nature of the universe and our models of the universe changed to reflect this.  This will take us through several different worldviews. As noted above, we will begin with the Greek worldview, which was characterized by the belief that the earth was the immovable center of the universe; this was known as the “geocentric” model.  Although this worldview is wrong in many of its details, it was a very important first step.  It explained the universe well enough that it lasted almost two thousand years.  By 1600, this belief was beginning to be challenged by such people as Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo; finally, it was completely done away with by the physics of Newton.  By 1700, the…

Discovery of Magnetism. Compass: which way is north?. Floating Magnet. Compass Build (stroke direction). Compass Build (magnet orientation). Neutralize a Compass. Compass Interactions. Magnetising materials. What's Next?.

Series Load. Pencil Resistor. Variable Resistor (Pencil). Listen to Variable Resistance. What's Next?.

Spinning Compass. Build your own motor. What's Next.

Electromagnet (construction tip). Electromagnet (penny powered). Understanding Force.

Discovery of Triboelectric effect. Pith Ball Electroscope. Foil Leaf Electroscope. What's Next?.

This course is designed to introduce you to the study of Calculus.  You will learn concrete applications of how calculus is used and, more importantly, why it works.  Calculus is not a new discipline; it has been around since the days of Archimedes.  However, Isaac Newton and Gottfried Leibniz, two 17th-century European mathematicians concurrently working on the same intellectual discovery hundreds of miles apart, were responsible for developing the field as we know it today.  This brings us to our first question, what is today's Calculus?  In its simplest terms, calculus is the study of functions, rates of change, and continuity.  While you may have cultivated a basic understanding of functions in previous math courses, in this course you will come to a more advanced understanding of their complexity, learning to take a closer look at their behaviors and nuances. In this course, we will address three major topics: limits, derivatives, and integrals, as well as study their respective foundations and a…

This course is the second installment of Single-Variable Calculus.  In Part I (MA101 [1]), we studied limits, derivatives, and basic integrals as a means to understand the behavior of functions.  While this end goal remains the same, we will now focus on adapting what we have learned to applications.  By the end of this course, you should have a solid understanding of functions and how they behave.  You should also be able to apply the concepts we have learned in both Parts I and II of Single-Variable Calculus to a variety of situations. We will begin by revisiting and building upon what we know about the integral.  We will then explore the mathematical applications of integration before delving into the second major topic of this course: series.  The course will conclude with an introduction to differential equations. [1] http:///courses/ma101/…

Differential equations are, in addition to a topic of study in mathematics, the main language in which the laws and phenomena of science are expressed.  In its most basic sense, a differential equation is an expression that describes how a system changes from one moment of time to another, or from one point in space to another.  When working with differential equations, the ultimate goal is to move from a microscopic view of relevant physics to a macroscopic view of the behavior of a system as a whole. Let’s look at a simple differential equation.  From previous math and physics courses, we know that a car that is constantly accelerating in the x-direction, for example, obeys the equation d2x/dt2 = a, where a is the applied acceleration.  This equation has two derivations with respect to time, so it is a second-order differential equation; because it has derivations with respect to only one variable (in this example, time), it is known as an  ordinary differential equation, or an ODE. Let’s say t…

This survey chemistry course is designed to introduce students to the world of chemistry.  Chemistry was born in ancient Egypt, when the principles of chemistry were first identified, studied, and applied in order to extract metal from ores, make alcoholic beverages, glaze pottery, turn fat into soap, and much more.  What began as a quest to build better weapons or create potions capable of ensuring everlasting life has since become the foundation of modern science.  Take a look around you: chemistry makes up almost everything you touch, see, and feel, from the shampoo you used this morning to the plastic container that holds your lunch. In this course, we will study chemistry from the ground up, learning the basics of the atom and its behavior.  We will apply this knowledge to understand the chemical properties of matter and the changes and reactions that take place in all types of matter.