Have you ever wondered what’s inside your mobile phone case? Why batteries aren’t lighter and have to be recharged? How different colors can be shown on your computer screen? Or why glass shatters when you hit it with a hammer? These, along with other questions of how atoms and molecules combine to make macroscopic materials with desired properties, are at the heart of countless challenges addressed by chemists and engineers every day.This course is not a standard introductory chemistry course. In this course, you will learn by doing, and you will be helped along the way with instant visual and audio feedback. You will simultaneously learn the language of chemistry and how to think like a chemist by exploring the chemistry embedded in four key engineering challenges:
- Why don't we build everything out of glass?
- What are the fuels of the future?
- Can battery technology solve the energy crisis?
- How will modern materials shape tomorrow?
The course introduces general chemistry topics and explains directly how these concepts are related to engineering. You will develop the language and chemistry skills necessary to work as an engineer in a team with chemists.
What you’ll learn
- Solve engineering challenges using tools from chemistry.
- Apply molecular ideas to understanding the properties of materials and functionality of modern devices.
- Predict chemical and physical properties from molecular or material structures.
- Evaluate suitability of chemicals and materials for applications like batteries or fuel cells based on chemical and physical properties.
What to expect in class
Video and Audio Lectures, Readings, Quizzes, Labs, ALICE Problems, and exams.
Exams and grading
- 18% - Quizzes (7)
- 28% - Labs and Lab Questions
- 5% - ALICE Questions
- 10% - Midterm Exam
- 39% - Final Exam
