Free MIT Aerodynamics Courses (Start 9 Sept 2013)

Discussion in 'Education' started by Leo Lazauskas, Aug 11, 2013.

  1. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    Mystified by the science behind those bizarre America's Cup boats?
    Here are some free high quality online courses that might help...

    Flight Vehicle Aerodynamics
    https://www.edx.org/course/mit/16-110x/flight-vehicle-aerodynamics/871

    Presented by MIT Prof. Mark Drela (who is most famous for posting on boatdesign.net.)

    Discover the concepts, theories, models, and methods used in the
    aerodynamic analysis and design of modern aircraft.

    Also...

    Introduction to Aerodynamics
    https://www.edx.org/course/mit/16-101x/introduction-aerodynamics/890
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2013
    1 person likes this.
  2. sele
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posts: 50
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 39
    Location: türkiye

    sele High School Student

    Are these helpful for boat design too?!
     
  3. yipster
    Joined: Oct 2002
    Posts: 3,486
    Likes: 97, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 1148
    Location: netherlands

    yipster designer

    Thanks Leo, put it in the agenda and try not to mis the presentations
     
  4. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    Yes. For example, you will be able to apply some of the lessons to sails, fins
    and rudders, and to the lifting surfaces of foilers.
    It might be a bit tough for high school students. (The MIT Intro to Biology course that finished recently was tough going, well beyond high school level).

    Both courses will require about 12 hours per week each in terms of watching lectures
    and doing assignments. That might be a bit too much on top of your school
    commitments.
     
    Last edited: Aug 11, 2013
  5. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    As I have said, some of these courses can be quite demanding, but you
    should give them a try and remember that there is no cost to "dropping out".

    The quality of the universities participating in these free courses is quite
    staggering. And the possible benefits to developing nations having access to
    that standard is enormous.

    There is a great story about a Mongolian teacher who guided her class
    through a course on Artificial Intelligence. After the exams, one of the
    lecturers said that he couldn't stress how tough the exam was, and he was
    extremely surprised that one of the students nearly aced it. The young
    Mongolian "prodigy" was offered a place at MIT.
     
  6. sele
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posts: 50
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 39
    Location: türkiye

    sele High School Student

    No I mean like even if one studies aerospace he could find himself dealing with boats.
     
  7. J Feenstra
    Joined: Jan 2012
    Posts: 79
    Likes: 6, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 100
    Location: The Netherlands

    J Feenstra Junior Member

    Is this course a frequently returning event? Sounds very interesting indeed.
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2013
  8. daiquiri
    Joined: May 2004
    Posts: 5,371
    Likes: 258, Points: 93, Legacy Rep: 3380
    Location: Italy (Garda Lake) and Croatia (Istria)

    daiquiri Engineering and Design

    Thanks for the info, Leo. Aero and hydrodynamics share many things in common, so the course will certainly be useful for people involved in boat design too.
     
  9. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    I'm not sure. The whole thing is very new, only about 3 years old at most.
    The MIT Intro to Biology class my wife tried is being repeated after
    6 months.
    (It was brilliant and taught by the Eric Lander, one of the leaders of the
    Human Genome project. The course is the same as the one taken by all MIT
    engineering students)

    The best three collections of courses are.
    Coursera: https://www.coursera.org/courses
    EdX: https://www.edx.org/course-list/allschools/allsubjects/allcourses
    and
    Udacity, which is more Maths and Computing oriented:
    https://www.udacity.com/?utm_expid=55211281-1.iRgFPz8LSRyJfApyQiAx1g.0

    There is something for everyone there, from cooking to Classics, and
    Aerodynamics to Zoology. :)
     
    Last edited: Aug 12, 2013
  10. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    Of course. And maths is the great unifying concept!
     
  11. yipster
    Joined: Oct 2002
    Posts: 3,486
    Likes: 97, Points: 58, Legacy Rep: 1148
    Location: netherlands

    yipster designer

    best thing in aerodynamics i try'd so far -after probing other more complicated trials- is Autodesk falcon
    witch preview will operate until August 30, 2013 http://labs.autodesk.com/utilities/falcon

    falcon is easy installed and to start with. i've been trying falcon out, not to any commercial extend
    and answered a questionaire, suggested waterdrag and even lift and a free or low cost price when purchasing

    only now i see autodesk technology already is asociated with MIT and when asked frendly
    Autodesk may perhaps extend the Falcon trial again to be used with the MIT courses..
     

    Attached Files:

  12. Leo Lazauskas
    Joined: Jan 2002
    Posts: 2,696
    Likes: 155, Points: 63, Legacy Rep: 2229
    Location: Adelaide, South Australia

    Leo Lazauskas Senior Member

    I would not try the course seriously yet because you do not have a sufficient
    grasp of calculus and differential equations. Wait until after you finish your final
    year of high school maths.
    By "seriously" I mean doing the tests and taking the exams. You might enjoy
    seeing how the concepts are developed.
     
  13. DCockey
    Joined: Oct 2009
    Posts: 5,229
    Likes: 634, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 1485
    Location: Midcoast Maine

    DCockey Senior Member

    Last edited: Aug 12, 2013
  14. sele
    Joined: Jul 2011
    Posts: 50
    Likes: 1, Points: 0, Legacy Rep: 39
    Location: türkiye

    sele High School Student

    I don't think of taking such classes before graduating but what I wanted to say was that I am surprised by the fact that aerospace and naval engineering fields may have common study fields like one who studies Aero may work on a field asseciated with boat building.Am I correct?
     

  15. DCockey
    Joined: Oct 2009
    Posts: 5,229
    Likes: 634, Points: 113, Legacy Rep: 1485
    Location: Midcoast Maine

    DCockey Senior Member

    Hydrodynamics and aerodynamics have a great deal in common. The major differences are aerodynamics does not include free surface waves, and hydrodynamics does not include very high speed with shock waves.

    There are a number of other areas where aerospace engineering and naval architecture have a great deal in common including controls, dynamics and structures.

    It is very possible to study aerospace engineering and then work in boat and ship building and design.
     
    1 person likes this.
Loading...
Similar Threads
  1. isslam akkilah
    Replies:
    3
    Views:
    2,189
  2. dgerr
    Replies:
    0
    Views:
    2,272
  3. dgerr
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    2,198
  4. dgerr
    Replies:
    0
    Views:
    2,234
  5. dgerr
    Replies:
    0
    Views:
    2,347
  6. dgerr
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    2,339
  7. dgerr
    Replies:
    2
    Views:
    4,395
  8. dgerr
    Replies:
    1
    Views:
    2,348
  9. dgerr
    Replies:
    0
    Views:
    2,483
  10. dgerr
    Replies:
    0
    Views:
    2,107
Forum posts represent the experience, opinion, and view of individual users. Boat Design Net does not necessarily endorse nor share the view of each individual post.
When making potentially dangerous or financial decisions, always employ and consult appropriate professionals. Your circumstances or experience may be different.