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Science, Maths & Technology
60 Second Adventures in Astronomy: Large Hadron Collider
Turns out the Large Hadron Collider is not as dangerous as we thought
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Science, Maths & Technology
From space to laboratory in four days
Here Dr Natalie Starkey catches up with PhD student Ross Findlay about being the first person to make laboratory analyses of the Winchcombe meteorite.
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Society, Politics & Law
Professor John Naughton On Using Systems Thinking In Practice
Prof. John Naughton, the technology columnist for The Observer, speaks with Prof. Simon Bell about systems thinking.
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Science, Maths & Technology
Vertical high pressure die casting
Molten metal is poured slowly into a shot chamber situated at the top of a drive cylinder that’s slightly tilted off vertical. The drive cylinder is moved back to vertical, and raised to a position at the base of the die. Pressure is applied to the shot piston so that the molten metal is forced vertically into the die cavity, and left to ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
What do scientists really do? My experience interviewing researchers
Inka Maskiewicz, a Year 11 student, interviews scientists at AstrobiologyOU and the School of Physical Sciences at The Open University. These videos explain what they research and do at the university...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Physical vapour deposition (PVD)
Evaporated atoms from the coating material are transported, in the form of a pressurised vapour under vacuum, to the workpiece to be coated. Vapour is deposited onto the surface of the workpiece, where it condenses forming very thin layers of coating at nanometre thickness. Multilayer coatings can be built up.
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level 1: introductory icon
Nature & Environment
Neighbourhood nature
There is a fascinating world of nature all around us which we can see if we know how to look for it. Wherever you live, be it in a city or the countryside, you will find areas that support a range of wildlife. This free course, Neighbourhood nature, will provide you with basic scientific and observational skills so that you can go into your ...
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Science, Maths & Technology
Energy policy and climate change
The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen presents a new focus for international debate and decisions about energy and its use. What are the countries of Western Europe and Scandinavia doing to promote sustainable energy production? Just how different will the future energy map of Europe look? And is energy policy ...
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level 1: introductory icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Introducing vectors for engineering applications
Applied mathematics is a key skill for practicing engineers and mathematical modelling is an ever-increasing field within engineering. This free course, Introducing vectors for engineering applications, covers one aspect of a Level 1 engineering module, the application of vectors and vector algebra, using examples inspired by engineering ...
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level 2: intermediate icon
Science, Maths & Technology
An introduction to web applications architecture
This free course, An introduction to web applications architecture, provides an overview of the design and implementation of computer software that runs on web servers, instead of those running solely on desktop computers, laptops or mobile devices.
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Science, Maths & Technology
How long would it take to colonise the galaxy?
With habitable planets so far apart, is it mathematically feasible to believe that humankind could ever spread across the universe?
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level 2: intermediate icon
Science, Maths & Technology
Dynamics
This free course is concerned with moving objects, that is, dynamics. Section 1 introduces concepts like position, velocity and acceleration, which describe the way an object moves. Section 2 discusses Newton’s laws of motion, which predict the motion of an object when the forces acting on it are known. Section 3 shows how Newton’s second law of...