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Physics And Astronomy Courses - Page 8

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Introduction to Acoustics (Part 2)
Learners might have learned the basic concepts of the acoustics from the ‘Introduction to Acoustics (Part 1).’ Now it is time to apply to the real situation and develop their own acoustical application. Learners will analyze the radiation, scattering, and diffraction phenomenon with the Kirchhoff –Helmholtz Equation. Then learners will design their own reverberation room or ducts that fulfill the condition they have set up.
Confronting The Big Questions: Highlights of Modern Astronomy
An introduction to modern astronomy's most important questions. The four sections of the course are Planets and Life in The Universe; The Life of Stars; Galaxies and Their Environments; The History of The Universe.
Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
Learn about the origin and evolution of life and the search for life beyond the Earth.
Semiconductor Physics
This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5630, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. This course introduces basic concepts of quantum theory of solids and presents the theory describing the carrier behaviors in semiconductors. The course balances fundamental physics with application to semiconductors and other electronic devices. At the end of this course learners will be able to: 1. Understand the energy band structures and their significance in electric properties of solids 2. Analyze the carrier statistics in semiconductors 3. Analyze the carrier dynamics and the resulting conduction properties of semiconductors
Physics 101 - Energy and Momentum
This course serves as an introduction to the physics of energy and momentum. Upon completion, learners will have an understanding of how mathematical laws and conservation principles describe the motions and interactions of objects all around us. They will gain experience in solving physics problems with tools such as graphical analysis, algebra, vector analysis, and calculus. The course follows the typical progression of topics of a first-semester university physics course: Kinematics, Newton’s Laws, Energy, and Momentum. Each of five modules contains reading links to a free textbook, complete video lectures, conceptual quizzes, and a set of homework problems. Once the modules are completed, the course ends with an exam. With 100 brief lectures and over 100 problems, this comprehensive course is similar in detail and rigor to those taught on-campus. It will thoroughly prepare learners for their upcoming introductory physics courses, or more advanced courses in physics.
Flight mechanics - The basis
More than one century after the Wright brothers' first flight, the flight still defy our intuition. You will learn here how to name the different parts of the airplane and how to describe and quantify its geometry. For that, we need now to share a precise vocabulary to describe the airplane's movement and attitude in space, and a refresher on basic general mechanic principles. You will remind how Newton's 2nd law allows you to determine what force must be applied on an apple - or on an airplane, to modify the magnitude and direction of its speed. Coming back on the concepts of kinetic energy and potential energy, you will discover the very useful concept of total height and you will be able to explain how an airplane can quickly exchange speed for altitude, while changes in total height are much slower. In the end, you will discover that only a very small number of forces apply on an airplane in flight and that you will be able to classify those that change its energy state and those that modify its trajectory. You will discover the concept of load factor and understand why the pilot of a combat aircraft can feel a weight nine-time greater than his actual weight! Finally, we will establish the lift and propulsion equations, that form the basis of flight mechanics, and you will be able to compute the lift and thrust necessary to follow a given trajectory at a given speed. This course is for anybody interested in learning more about how planes work, the physics of flying, or flight mechanics. It will be of particular interest to undergraduate students in aerospace engineering, trainees as well as senior pilots, journalists, and professionals in the aeronautics sector. Although some mathematical formalism may be present sometimes. It is always doubled by sketches, figures, and hands-explanations. So that, anybody can skip the formulas without losing the core understanding of the concepts. No apples were harmed in the making of this course... This course is only a foretaste of the mechanics of flight. ISAE-SUPAERO and Eric Poquillon will offer you other courses and the first specialization in autumn 2021. Initially, three courses will be published to answer several questions: Can we fly as high as we want? What is a stall? Why do some planes have propellers and others have jet engines? Is an airplane always stable? How do you control an airplane following an engine failure? All this and more will be covered in this series of flight mechanics courses. This course is a part of the specialization "Fundamentals of Flight mechanics".
Statistical Mechanics: Algorithms and Computations
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.
Approximation Methods
This course can also be taken for academic credit as ECEA 5612, part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Electrical Engineering degree. This course teaches commonly used approximation methods in quantum mechanics. They include time-independent perturbation theory, time-dependent perturbation theory, tight binding method, variational method and the use of finite basis set. In each case, a specific example is given to clearly show how the method works. At the end of this course learners will be able to: 1. use time-dependent perturbation theory to obtain first- and second -order corrections to energies and wavefunctions, 2. use time-dependent perturbation theory and obtain transition rates, and 3. use tight binding method, variational method and finite basis set to obtain approximate solutions of various quantum mechanics problems.
Physics of silicon solar cells
The first MOOC “Photovoltaic solar energy” is a general presentation of the solar photovoltaics technologies in the global energetic context, without extensive details. In particular the description of the solar cell operation is restricted to the ideal case In contrast this second MOOC allows a deep understanding of the properties of solar cells based on crystalline semiconductors. It consists in a general presentation of the physics of the photovoltaics devices with a particular emphasize on the silicon technology that currently represents more than 90% share of the market. Photovoltaic applications of III-V semiconductors are also mentioned. Indeed from a fundamental point of view, a solar cell can be considered as a semiconductor device (a diode) exposed to the sunlight. An introduction to the semiconductor physics is given, followed by the electron transport phenomena in a diode device. A detailed description of the solar cell operation is then provided, including the conversion efficiency limitations. A description of the solar spectrum and the optical properties of the cells are also presented. Finally the crystalline silicon technology is described from the bulk crystalline growth up to the preparation of heterojunctions combining crystalline and amorphous materials.