During the first week, we will explore the earth and its seasons. The relationship between the earth and the sun will be scrutinized and the factors on which solar insolation depends on will be thoroughly discussed. After completing the lesson, you will be able to estimate the sun’s position on the sky, the duration of daylight, night time and when the sun will rise and set on a particular day.
Our Energetic Earth
Project Description
Our Energetic Earth was the first MOOC produced by the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering. It ran in October 2013. Currently, it is available as an archived course on the EdX Platform. You can participate in this course by visiting the archived course. If you participate in this course via the archived course, the videos are include a transcript.
Course Learning Outcomes:
- How energy is transformed in its movement around the earth
- How energetic earth systems come to be dispersed or concentrated
- How the earth’s energy systems are connected/related to each other
Course Description: We live on the surface of a dynamic and yet paradoxically stable planet that experiences a remarkable range of energetic phenomena, from waves and currents in the ocean to wind and thunderstorms in the atmosphere. This course traces how the remarkable concept called energy is the natural way of describing, understanding and unifying these diverse phenomena. The course traces the cascade of energy from sunlight to its final destination in a thermal form, considering differential surface heating, the role of convection and buoyancy and the formation of the Earth’s circulation system, and the links to the ocean circulation system. We consider the curvature and rotation of the Earth as key constraints on a system driven by sunlight and energy transformations.
Project Components
OEE – Week 2
The activities are designed to use basic household objects, and our own senses, to engage with observations of the world, and to think about what these mean and lead to. We’ll get you to sense how cold or warm different objects get when left in the sun, and to observe how energy explains things we see and hear.
Project Details
Completed
Copyright/Usage License:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-ShareAlike License
Funding Information:
This course was funded via the Vice Provost’s Office and the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering.
