About this course: An introduction to physics in the context of everyday objects.
Created by: University of Virginia
Taught by: Louis A. Bloomfield, Professor of Physics
| Level | Intermediate |
| Commitment | 11 hours of videos and assessments |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Arabic, French, Portuguese (European), Chinese (Simplified), Italian, Korean, German, Urdu, Russian, Hebrew, Spanish, Hindi, Japanese |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
Course Introduction
Start here!
1 video, 2 readings, 1 practice quiz
- Reading: Suggested Readings
- Reading: Translations
- Practice Quiz: Preliminary Assessment
WEEK 2
Skating
Professor Bloomfield examines the principle of inertia through skate boarding. Objects at rest tend to remain at rest while objects in motion, tend to remain in motion. Why does a stationary skater remain stationary? Why does a moving skater tend to continue moving? How can we describe the fluid, effortless motion of a coasting skater? How does a skater start, stop, or turn? Why does a skater need ice or wheels in order to skate? Physics concepts covered include Newton's first and second laws and 5 physical quantities: position, velocity, acceleration, force, and mass.
7 videos
- Video: Why Does a Motionless Skater Tend to Remain Motionless?
- Video: Why Does a Moving Skater Tend to Continue Moving?
- Video: How Can We Describe the Fluid, Effortless Motion of a Coasting Skater?
- Video: How Does a Skater Start, Stop, or Turn?
- Video: Why Does a Skater Need Ice or Wheels in Order to Skate?
- Video: Skating Summary
Graded: Skating
WEEK 3
Falling Balls
Professor Bloomfield examines the physics concepts of gravity, weight, constant acceleration, and projectile motion working with falling balls.
8 videos
- Video: Why Does a Dropped Ball Fall Downward?
- Video: How Differently do Different Balls Fall?
- Video: How Would a Ball Fall on the Moon?
- Video: How Does a Falling Ball Move After it is Dropped?
- Video: How Can a Ball Move Upward and Still be Falling?
- Video: How Does a Ball's Horizontal Motion Affect its Fall?
- Video: Falling Balls Summary
Graded: Falling Balls
WEEK 4
Ramps
Professor Bloomfield examines the physics concepts of Newton's third law including conserved quantities, support forces, work, energy, and mechanical advantage working with ramps.
7 videos
- Video: Why Doesn't a Wagon Fall Through a Sidewalk?
- Video: Why Does a Sidewalk Perfectly Support a Wagon?
- Video: How Does a Wagon Move as You Let it Roll Freely on a Ramp?
- Video: Why is it More Exhausting to Lift a Wagon Up Than to Lower a Wagon Down?
- Video: Why is it Easier to Pull a Wagon Up a Ramp Than to Lift it Up a Ladder?
- Video: Ramps Summary
Graded: Ramps
WEEK 5
Seesaws
Professor Bloomfield illustrates the physics concepts of rotational versus translational motion, Newton's law of rotation, and 5 physical quantities: angular position, angular velocity, angular acceleration, torque, and rotational mass using seesaws.
8 videos
- Video: How Does a Balanced Seesaw Move?
- Video: Why Does a Seesaw Need a Pivot?
- Video: Why Does a Lone Seesaw Rider Plummet to the Ground?
- Video: Why do the Riders' Weights and Positions Affect the Seesaw's Motion?
- Video: Why Do the Riders' Distances from the Pivot Affect the Seesaw's Responsiveness?
- Video: How Do the Seesaw's Riders Affect One Another?
- Video: Seesaws Summary
Graded: Seesaws
WEEK 6
Wheels
Professor Bloomfield illustrates the physics concept of frictional forces through experiments with wheels.
8 videos
- Video: Why Does a Wagon Need Wheels?
- Video: Why is Sliding a Box Across the Floor Usually Hardest at the Start?
- Video: How is Energy Wasted as a Box Skids to a Stop?
- Video: How Do Wheels Help a Wagon Coast?
- Video: How do Powered Wheels Propel a Bicycle or Car Forward?
- Video: How is Energy Present in a Wheel?
- Video: Wheels Summary
Graded: Wheels
WEEK 7
Bumper Cars
Professor Bloomfield examines the physics concepts of momentum, impulse, angular momentum, angular impulse, and the relationship between potential energy and force using bumper cars.
7 videos
- Video: Does a Moving Bumper Car Carry a Force?
- Video: How is Momentum Transferred From One Bumper Car to Another?
- Video: Does a Spinning Bumper Car Carry a Torque?
- Video: How is Angular Momentum Transferred From One Bumper Car to Another?
- Video: How Does a Bumper Car Move on an Uneven Floor?
- Video: Bumper Cars Summary
Graded: Bumper Cars
WEEK 8
Final
This is the final exam.
1 video
Graded: Final Assessment
FAQs
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Coursework
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Creators
University of Virginia
A premier institution of higher education, The University of Virginia offers outstanding academics, world-class faculty, and an inspiring, supportive environment. Founded by Thomas Jefferson in 1819, the University is guided by his vision of discovery, innovation, and development of the full potential of students from all walks of life. Through these courses, global learners have an opportunity to study with renowned scholars and thought leaders.
Pricing
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| Access to course materials | Available |
| Access to graded materials | Available |
| Receive a final grade | Available |
| Earn a shareable Course Certificate | Available |
Ratings and Reviews
The instructor does a great job of explaining physical concepts without using much math. It allows the student to learn how things work without getting side-tracked by math issues. It's a good course. Easy to understand, but not simplistic.
I think this is a very good introductory class for physics. The explanations are clear, detailed, and examples shown in the videos are very useful. I genuinely recommend this class. However, one thing that must be improved: after each quizzes, there are no correct answers or explanations given. One only knows which question was correct, without the details of which answers was accurate and why. This caused me troubles in understanding some parts of the class that I did not understand at first: I had hoped that a correction of the quizzes would be given to truly master the contents of the class, but it was not the case, and it is something that would have tremendously helped me.
Very informative and lectures are engaging!
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Great course! I am 50 today and I had about forgotten all my college education in mechanical physics. Prof Lou is a fantastic teacher! I love his enthousiam and his teaching skills!
I highly recommend this course