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Dartmouth College

Question Reality: Cosmos

Dartmouth College via Coursera

Overview

This course explores the concept of reality and the physics of the sky. You will travel through the philosophies and worldviews of early civilizations to the time of early scientists such as Plato, Aristotle, and Copernicus. You will learn how Galileo's findings with the telescope challenged the Aristotelian interpretation of the cosmos, about Galileo’s revolutionary conclusions on gravity, and Newton's universal law of gravitation. This course will also introduce you to the scientific methods and their limitations. You will also explore the properties and behaviors of homemade pendulums. Next, you will explore modern ideas of cosmology, of the Big Bang, and even recent speculations that our universe is not all there is. Mysteries and properties of light and how they were discovered, questioned, and confirmed through experiments over the past few hundred years through the present will also be discussed.

Syllabus

  • Module 1: Cosmos: Part 1
    • This module explores the concept of reality and physics of the sky.
  • Module 2: Cosmos: Part 2
    • This module will introduce you to the scientific methods. You will also explore the properties and behaviors of homemade pendulums.
  • Module 3: Cosmos Part 3
    • This module explores modern ideas of cosmology, of the Big Bang, and even recent speculations that our universe is not all there is. It further examines various mysteries and properties of light and how they were discovered, questioned, and confirmed through experiments over the past few hundred years through the present.

Taught by

Marcelo Gleiser

Reviews

4.9 rating at Coursera based on 21 ratings

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