Discover new ways to think about—and appreciate—history and science with this two-course set created in partnership with the Smithsonian. First, explore the extraordinary treasures of the nation’s capital, from iconic sights to little-known cultural gems, in The Great Tours: Washington D.C. Then, examine the incomparable holdings of the National Air and Space Museum as a way to better understand the inner workings of airplanes, rockets, spacecraft, and other flying machines in The Science of Flight.
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Taught by Professor James Gregory of Ohio State University, with commentary by Smithsonian curators and examples from the National Air and Space Museum, this course is a treasure trove for all who wonder where lift comes from, how a pilot flies a plane, what air traffic controllers do, and many other things about flight, including how rockets and orbits work. Extensive graphics make the concepts clear.
In this course you will explore ideas that-when society has been willing to pursue them-have helped form the foundation of modern life. You'll discover there is no sharp distinction between ideas that are classified as scientific and those that are classified as philosophical or mathematical, or even between scientific ideas and political, religious, or aesthetic ideas. In each lecture, you also will examine the content of a single idea that is fundamental for science, how that idea arose, and what its impact has been throughout the centuries.
Probe the scientific and philosophical background of popular science-fiction stories with this revealing two-course set. First, in How Science Shapes Science Fiction, a noted physicist and science fiction fan reveals the true scientific principles that inspire and support everything from rocket science to time travel to alien encounters. Then, embark on a 24-lecture exploration of the final frontiers of philosophy across several decades of science fiction in film and television in Sci-Phi: Science Fiction as Philosophy.
Dig into some of the most fascinating and important scientific advancements in recent years. Unexpected, consequential, and often counterintuitive, 12 Revolutionary Discoveries That Could Change Everything offers an inspiring introduction to science in the 21st century.
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