Get Started with Course 1: Forces and Kinematics

Explore our forces and kinematics course, a truly dynamic experience awaits

This first course in the Specialization serves as an introduction to the physics of force and motion. Learners will gain experience in solving physics problems with tools such as graphical analysis, algebra, vector analysis, and calculus while covering 1D Kinematics, 2D Kinematics, and Newton's Laws. May the kinematics be with you.

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DESCRIPTION

Image of professor Jason Hafner sitting on top of a statue.

Forces and Kinematics (Course 1)

Upon completion, learners will understand how mathematical laws and conservation principles describe the motions and interactions of objects around us. Each of the modules contain reading links to a free textbook, complete video lectures, conceptual quizzes, and a set of homework problems. This comprehensive course is similar in detail and rigor to those taught on-campus at Rice. It will thoroughly prepare learners for their upcoming introductory physics courses or more advanced courses in physics.

Who should attend:

Individuals seeking a greater understanding of forces and kinematics
People interested in a college-level online physics course
Students preparing for a physics or mechanics course or career

You will be able to:

Describe the nature of forces and how they influence motion
Learn how to use energy and momentum to solve mechanics problems
Explain interactions and energies of gravitational interactions

LECTURE SAMPLES

MEET YOUR RICE PROFESSOR

Professor Jason Hafner

Jason Hafner earned his Ph.D. from Rice University in 1998 under Richard Smalley for work on carbon nanotubes, and pursued postdoctoral studies at Harvard University. He returned to Rice in 2001 to join the faculty where his lab studies nanophotonics and interfacial biology. Hafner was named a Beckman Young Investigator in 2002, and won the Norman Hackerman Award for Chemical Research from the Welch Foundation in 2011. He is currently a Professor of Physics and Astronomy and of Chemistry.

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