Getting ready to have fun with Physics! New free online course

A new free online course helps students prepare for their university studies. Watch the video and spread the word.

As you’ve probably realised, Physics, similar to Calculus, is a crucial subject in many engineering studies, applicable across programs and faculties. But although the laws and principles of physics do not change once a student arrives at university, it can be tough to understand a more formal approach and abstract language. 

To help high-school students bridge the gap between their knowledge and the way this is presented and used at university, a new online course – Pre-University Physics – is launching on 7 June. Check out the video!

Formal doesn’t mean boring
This new online course makes university level physics approachable and fun. The exercises and examples draw from a variety of real-life situations that students can easily relate to. For example, how the boundary conditions of waves lead to different tones in various musical instruments.

The MOOC consists of three modules: Mechanics, Electricity & Magnetism, and Waves.

Students get used to the new language but also learn a new way to understand and apply physics: not to take things for granted, but to ask questions about particular situations. “Students come to appreciate that the meaning of a certain symbol – for example m for mass ­– is not defined globally, but refers to a particular object in a given situation. Asking, “what does m mean?” may at first sound dumb, but it’s often an excellent question”, says Sander Otte, the Professor of Physics at the Faculty of Applied Sciences behind the MOOC.

A winning combo
TU Delft also offers a MOOC on Pre-University Calculus that prepares high-school students for university level mathematics, showing them how it is used in different engineering and science disciplines.

Do you have a friend or know a high-school student who could be interested in these preparatory courses? Tell them to check them out.