This course is part of the Question Reality! Science, philosophy, a search for meaning Specialization

Offered By

Question Reality! Science, philosophy, a search for meaning SpecializationDartmouth College

About this Course

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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.

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Course 1 of 3 in the

Question Reality! Science, philosophy, a search for meaning Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 1 of 3 in the

Question Reality! Science, philosophy, a search for meaning Specialization

Beginner Level

Approx. 13 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Marcelo Gleiser

Professor of Physics and Astronomy

Physics and Astronomy

786 Learners

3 Courses

Offered by

Dartmouth College

Founded in 1769, Dartmouth is a member of the Ivy League and consistently ranks among the world’s greatest academic institutions. Dartmouth has forged a singular identity for combining its deep commitment to outstanding undergraduate liberal arts and graduate education with distinguished research and scholarship in the Arts and Sciences and its four leading graduate schools—the Geisel School of Medicine, the Guarini School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business.

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Week1

Week 1

3 hours to complete

Module 1: Cosmos: Part 1

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 43 min), 8 readings, 1 quiz

9 videos

Course Introduction3mIntrodução do Curso em Português3mCosmos and Reality Part I From Religion to the Pre-Socratics8mPlato's Cave5mCosmos and Reality, Part II: Aristotle4mCosmos and Reality, Part III: Copernicus3mConversation with David Kaiser2mPhysics of the Skies Part I6mPhysics of the Skies Part II5m

8 readings

Welcome Reading10mModule 1 Reading List20mWhat Do You Know? 2mWhat is Reality?5mSummary|Sumário15mIllustrate Plato's Cave2mSummary Outline2mDiscussion Topic3m

1 practice exercise

Cosmos: Part 130m

Week2

Week 2

4 hours to complete

Module 2: Cosmos: Part 2

4 hours to complete

3 videos (Total 24 min), 9 readings, 1 quiz

3 videos

Scientific Method4mInvestigating Pendulums1mModule Weekly Wrap-Up Video17m

9 readings

Scientific Method Introduction5mInvestigating Pendulums Introduction3mStep 1: Building a Pendulum20mStep 2: Getting to Know a Pendulum20mStep 3: Investigation 1: String Length and Bob Weight20mTest Your Experiment10mStep 3: Investigation 1: String Length and Bob Weight10mChallenge Questions: Directions30m Wrap-Up Activities15m

1 practice exercise

Cosmos: Part 230m

Week3

Week 3

6 hours to complete

Module 3: Cosmos Part 3

6 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 124 min), 11 readings, 1 quiz

12 videos

Island of Knowledge Part I2mIsland Of Knowledge Part II9mWhat Is Light Part I7mWhat Is Light Part II9mEinstein's Muse5mGeneral Theory of Relativity6mThe Universe6mUniverse or Multiverse5mConversation with David Kaiser: The Multiverse7mConversation with Mary-Jane Rubenstein The Multiverse14mConversation with Matthew Kleban: The Multiverse11mWrap-Up Video36m

11 readings

Module 3 Reading List20mIsland of Knowledge Intro5mWhat Is Light Introduction2mWhat Is Space? Time? Intro2mEinstein's Muse2mDiscussion Topics10mThe Universe Intro15mDiscussion Topics15mChallenge Questions: Directions30mWeekly Wrap-Up Activities3mAdditional Translated Text2m

1 practice exercise

Cosmos: Part 330m

About the Question Reality! Science, philosophy, a search for meaning Specialization

How much can we know of the physical world? Can we know everything? Or are there fundamental limits to how much we can explain? If there are limits, to what extent can we explain the nature of physical reality? RealityX investigates the limits of knowledge and what we can and cannot know of the world and ourselves.

We will trace the evolution of ideas about the nature of reality in philosophy and the natural sciences through the ages. Starting with the philosophers of Ancient Greece and ending with cutting edge theories about the universe, quantum physics, and the nature of consciousness. Join world-renowned physicist and author Marcelo Gleiser and leading experts as we explore how philosophers and physicists from Plato to Einstein and many others have attempted to explain the nature of the world and of reality.

Question Reality! Science, philosophy, a search for meaning

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Question Reality: Cosmos

About this Course