OU on the BBC: Battle of the Geeks - Taking it further

Production team

If you feel inspired by the Battle of the Geeks, why not explore some of our specially selected weblinks and suggested courses for further study?

Weblinks
Beginner's guide to aerodynamics - an explanation of how aerodynamics influences everything from baseballs to jet airliners as they make their ways from A to B

Rockets - NASA produced guides to the history and science of rockets, aimed at various age groups

The Whittle Jet Propulsion Gas Turbine - pdf of the original 1945 article from The Engineer magazine explaining the newly invented jet engine

How do missiles turn? - explanation of aerodynamics of weapons systems from Aerospaceweb

The A380 - explore the largest passenger plane the world has yet seen

How do planes fly? - NASA guide for young children explaining the basics of aeronautics

The BBC and the Open University are not responsible for the content of external websites

Courses
If you want to become your own science expert, the Open University has a number of courses which may interest you.

If you want to get to grips with maths or need a refresher:
Starting with maths (Y162)
Starting with maths will help you feel more confident in using maths in a variety of different situations – at home, in work or in your other studies. You'll improve your mathematical skills, develop problem-solving strategies to help you when you get stuck and practise general study skills to help you become an effective learner.

If you're fascinated by the power of computers to process facts and figures:
Data, computing and information (M150)
The focus of this course is the transformation of data into information; you'll learn how data is captured, processed, stored, displayed and shared, and get an introduction into computer programming.

To get an overview of studying science, maths and technology:
Breakthrough to mathematics, science and technology (Y153)
Starting from an assumption that you have an interest but no specialist background, Breakthrough introduces you to some of the concepts you'll come across studying at degree level, while helping you develop the skills you'll need.

If you'd like to make a start in science:
Discovering science (S103)
What happened when the universe was created? How do drugs work? What is radioactive decay? Why do earthquakes occur where they do? These and many other awesome questions are explored across twelve blocks of study.

If the engineering of the plane and rocket was what caught your imagination:
Engineering the future (T173)
This course equips you to understand the wide range of endeavour which comes under the term 'engineering' - how it has evolved with the discovery of new techniques, and even where it might take us in the future.

If you'd like to learn more about the role ICT plays in our everyday lives:
Networked living: Exploring Information and Communication Technologies (T175)
Do you ever wonder how networked systems work? How can an email message find its way to the other side of the world in seconds? How can you browse the web while you are out-and-about? This course looks inside these technologies, explores how they work in a range of situations (including entertainment, transport and health) and considers where they might take us next.

Battle of the Geeks in more depth: