Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life
For a sample of what this course will include, see the video "Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life MOOC with University of Illinois Professor David Ruzic" - http://go.citl.illinois.edu/Energy-MOOC This course teaches you everything you need to know about energy, the environment, and at least a number of things in everyday life. It starts by talking about energy itself and where it comes from. This includes how much we have, who has it, who uses it, and what that all means.
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- Level Foundation
- Duration 47 hours
- Course by University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
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Offered by
About
This course teaches you everything you need to know about energy, the environment, and at least a number of things in everyday life. It starts by talking about energy itself and where it comes from. This includes how much we have, who has it, who uses it, and what that all means. The video clips are produced in a fast-paced multimedia format during which Professor Ruzic throws in fun and demonstrations. There are multiple-choice questions to check your understanding and some more in-depth exercises to guide you deeper into the subject. After explaining the main things we use energy for " our cars and electronics! " fossil fuels are examined in detail. Want to really learn about fracking or pipelines? Watch these segments. The environmental effects of fossil fuels are taught as well. Global warming, acid rain, and geoengineering all are in this part of the course. Part of their solution is too. Renewables follow, with clips on solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, biofuels, etc. You'll even see Professor Ruzic in a corn field and in the middle of a stream showing how you could dam it up. Finally, nuclear power is taught in detail " how it really works and what happens when it doesn't work, as in Three Mile Island, Chernobyl, and Fukushima, as well as how we are making it today, which is shown here without political preconceptions. In this course, economics takes center stage. People will ultimately do whatever costs the least, so energy policy is most effective when it is targeted at the user's wallet. Throughout the course there are 24 segments on "How Things Work." These guides to everyday life are tremendously varied, covering everything from fireworks to making beer to what happens backstage at a theater. The course is designed to be enjoyable as well as informative. We hope you will take a look!Modules
About the Course
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1
Videos
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2
Readings
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2
Assignment
2
Assignment
- Orientation Quiz
- Demographics Survey
1
Videos
- Course Introduction and Guidelines
2
Readings
- Syllabus
- About the Discussion Forums
About Your Classmates
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2
Readings
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1
Discussion
1
Discussions
- Getting to Know Your Classmates
2
Readings
- Updating Your Profile
- Social Media
Topic 1: Energy Basics
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3
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 1 Practice Quiz
3
Videos
- What Is Energy?
- Nothing New under the Sun
- How Things Work: Fireworks
Topic 2: Chemistry and the Nucleus
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3
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 2 Practice Quiz
3
Videos
- We Are All Star Material
- Disappearing Mass
- How Things Work: Big Bells and Bad Beats
Topic 3: Global Energy Use
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7
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 3 Practice Quiz
7
Videos
- Measure Up
- Energy Around the World
- Where Does It Come From?
- How Is It Used?
- How Things Work: Voice Change and Sound Proofing - What Is Sound?
- How Things Work: Voice Change and Sound Proofing – Getting Rid of Sound
- How Things Work: Voice Change and Sound Proofing – Do Silencers Really Work
Week 1 Activities
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 1 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- Compare Chemical and Nuclear Energy
Topic 4: Thermodynamics and Physics of Energy
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 4 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- What Goes Up...
- What Is Temperature?
- Fun and Facts with Liquid Nitrogen
- How Things Work: Airport behind the Scenes
- Energy from Chemistry?
Topic 5: How Does a Car Work and What Goes In It?
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 5 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- Heat Engines
- How Things Work: The Engine in Your Car…
- Diesel Is Different
- Octane and Other Numbers at the Pump
- Hybrid Cars?
Topic 6: Electricity and the Grid
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4
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 6 Practice Quiz
4
Videos
- Electricity: What and How
- Electricity: Where and When
- The Smart Grid
- How Things Work: Shock and Awe-some Lightning
Week 2 Activities
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 2 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- How Much of a “Horse” Are You?
Topic 7: Coal - The Most Abundant Fossil Fuel
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7
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 7 Practice Quiz
7
Videos
- What Is Coal?
- Coal: Who Has It, Wants It, and Uses It
- What's Up with the Water?
- Burning Coal through the Decades
- What Goes Up in Smoke?
- The University's Power (Plant)
- How Things Work: A Coal (and Gas) Power Plant
Topic 8: The Effects of Coal
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4
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 8 Practice Quiz
4
Videos
- Acid Rain
- Trading Smoke Works
- Cleaning Coal (I.e., Dropping Acid)
- How Things Work: What Happens to Our Garbage
Topic 9: The Global Warming Greenhouse
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7
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 9 Practice Quiz
7
Videos
- How the Greenhouse Works
- Which Gasses Are Bad?
- The Earth's Getting Warmer – How Do We Know?
- Effects of Global Warming
- How to Cool the Planet
- Geoengineering – Possible? Desirable?
- How Things Work: What Happens When You Flush Your Toilet?
Week 3 Activities
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1
Videos
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 3 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- The Climate “Game”
1
Videos
- Climate Change Assignment Introduction
Topic 10: Oil from the Ground
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6
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 10 Practice Quiz
6
Videos
- How Does Oil Form?
- How Do You Find It?
- How to Get It Out
- How to Get Even More Out!
- Refining: Crude Conversion
- How Things Work: Gateway to the Heavens
Topic 11: Oil in Action
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 11 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- Oil Producers and Consumers
- Tar Sands
- Pipeline Controversies
- Oil Economics
- How Things Work: How Does a Cell Phone Find You?
Topic 12: Natural Gas and Fracking
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6
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 12 Practice Quiz
6
Videos
- From the Well to You
- How Hydraulic Fracturing (Fracking) Works
- Fracking and the Environment: Myth and Reality
- Who Produces and Consumes Natural Gas
- Combined Cycle and Converting Coal to Run It
- How Things Work: Laser Light Shows
Week 4 Activities
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 4 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- Pipelines and Fracking
Topic 13: Solar Energy
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 13 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- The Magic in a Solar Cell
- The Cost of Sunshine
- What Is “Passive” Solar?
- How Things Work: Ice Rinks
- How Does a Salt Pond Work?
Topic 14: Wind Power
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 14 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- How Things Work: Windmills
- What's in a Windmill
- Blowing in the Wind
- There Is Always a Cost
- Fuel Cells and Hydrogen Economy
Topic 15: Biofuels and Biomass
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6
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 15 Practice Quiz
6
Videos
- Making Moonshine
- How Things Work: How Is Beer Made?
- What Goes into Making Biofuels?
- Economics of Biofuels
- Growing Stuff to Burn
- Energy from Garbage
Week 5 Activities
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 5 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- Solar Experiments
Topic 16: Hydropower and Geothermal Energy
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7
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 16 Practice Quiz
7
Videos
- Small-Scale Hydropower
- Large-Scale Hydropower
- The Power of Water
- Hot Rocks
- Heat for Homes?
- Home Improvements!
- How Things Work: Walking on Water
Topic 17: Radiation
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6
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 17 Practice Quiz
6
Videos
- How Things Work: Why Is the Sky Blue?
- ABCs of Radiation
- The World around You
- How Much Is Too Much?
- What Makes Something Radioactive?
- Food Irradiation
Topic 18: Nuclear Fission
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 18 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- Energy from Atoms?
- Nuclear Fission
- What Is in a Nuclear Reactor?
- The Biggest Bangs!
- How Things Work: Movie Theaters in the Modern Age
Week 6 Activities
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 6 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- Home Improvement
Topic 19: Nuclear Safety and Three Mile Island
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4
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 19 Practice Quiz
4
Videos
- How TMI Started
- How TMI Ended
- What We Learned from TMI
- How Things Work: What You Can Do with an MRI
Topic 20: Chernobyl and Fukushima
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 20 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- Chernobyl: Worst Accident Ever
- Xenon Can Be a Problem
- Health Effects of Chernobyl
- An Earthquake and Tsunami Hit Fukushima
- How Things Work: Backstage at a Theater
Topic 21: Nuclear Fuel - On the Way In
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5
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 21 Practice Quiz
5
Videos
- Uranium from the Ground
- Getting to the Good Stuff (Uranium Enrichment)
- What Is Left Over (Depleted Uranium)
- Economics of Nuclear Power
- How Things Work: Behind the Scenes at a Football Stadium
Week 7 Activities
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1
PeerReview
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 7 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- It Can Not Happen Here
Topic 22: Nuclear Fuel - On the Way Out
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6
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 22 Practice Quiz
6
Videos
- Natural Nuclear Reactor
- The Real Bad Stuff (High-Level Wastes)
- Moving Nuclear Waste Around
- Contaminated Things (Low-Level Wastes)
- After It Is All Over (Decommissioning)
- How Things Work: Grilling/Cooking
Topic 23: Nuclear Power and the Future
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6
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 23 Practice Quiz
6
Videos
- How to Be Allowed to Build
- The Newest Reactors (Generation III)
- Making More Than You Use (Breeder Reactors)
- Dealing with the Used Fuel (Reprocessing)
- Reactors of the Future (Generation IV)
- How Things Work: Super Computers
Topic 24: Plasma and Fusion
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6
Videos
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Topic 24 Practice Quiz
6
Videos
- How Things Work: Microwave Ovens
- What Is a Plasma?
- What Is Fusion and How Do You Get It to Work?
- Magnetic Fusion's Progress
- Inertial Confinement's Progress
- What Plasmas Have to Do with Computer Chips
Week 8 Activities
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1
Discussion
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1
PeerReview
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1
Plugin
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1
Assignment
1
Assignment
- Week 8 Quiz
1
Peer Review
- The Nuclear Option
1
Discussions
- Final Reflections
Auto Summary
"Energy, Environment, and Everyday Life" is a dynamic course in Science & Engineering, led by Professor Ruzic. It explores energy sources, usage, and their environmental impact, including fossil fuels, renewables, and nuclear power. The course features engaging multimedia content, demonstrations, and practical exercises. With 24 segments on everyday applications, it is both informative and fun. Ideal for foundation-level learners, it spans 2820 minutes and is available via Coursera's Starter subscription.
David N. Ruzic