MIT OpenCourseWare: New Archived Courses

6.041 Probabilistic Systems Analysis and Applied Probability (MIT)

Bertsekas, Dimitri — 2012-05-17T03:34:33+05:00

This course is offered both to undergraduates (6.041) and graduates (6.431), but the assignments differ. 6.041/6.431 introduces students to the modeling, quantification, and analysis of uncertainty. Topics covered include: formulation and solution in sample space, random variables, transform techniques, simple random processes and their probability distributions, Markov processes, limit theorems, and elements of statistical inference.

6.253 Convex Analysis and Optimization (MIT)

Bertsekas, Dimitri — 2012-05-07T01:48:35+05:00

6.253 develops the core analytical issues of continuous optimization, duality, and saddle point theory, using a handful of unifying principles that can be easily visualized and readily understood. The mathematical theory of convex sets and functions is discussed in detail, and is the basis for an intuitive, highly visual, geometrical approach to the subject.

20.109 Laboratory Fundamentals in Biological Engineering (MIT)

Engelward, Bevin — 2012-05-07T01:48:17+05:00

This course introduces experimental biochemical and molecular techniques from a quantitative engineering perspective. Rigorous quantitative data collection, statistical analysis, and conceptual understanding of instrumentation design and application form the underpinnings of this course. The four discovery based modules include DNA Engineering, Protein Engineering, Systems Engineering, and Biomaterials Engineering. Additional information is available on the course Wiki (hosted on OpenWetWare.) Teaching Fellows Reshma Shetty Maria Foley Eileen Higham Yoon Sung Nam

6.042J Mathematics for Computer Science (SMA 5512) (MIT)

Nagpal, Radhika — 2012-04-30T06:53:53+05:00

This is an introductory course in Discrete Mathematics oriented toward Computer Science and Engineering. The course divides roughly into thirds: Fundamental concepts of Mathematics: definitions, proofs, sets, functions, relations. Discrete structures: modular arithmetic, graphs, state machines, counting. Discrete probability theory. This course was also taught as part of the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) programme as course number SMA 5512 (Mathematics for Computer Science). Contributors Srinivas Devadas Lars Engebretsen David Karger Eric Lehman Thomson Leighton Charles Leiserson Nancy Lynch Santosh Vempala

2.093 Computer Methods in Dynamics (MIT)

Bathe, Klaus-Jürgen — 2012-04-12T02:54:38+05:00

Formulation of finite element methods for analysis of dynamic problems in solids, structures, fluid mechanics, and heat transfer. Computer calculation of matrices and numerical solution of equilibrium equations by direct integration and mode superposition. Effective eigensolution techniques for calculation of frequencies and mode shapes. Digital computer coding techniques and use of an existing general purpose finite element analysis program. Modeling of problems and interpretation of numerical results.

MAS.836 Sensor Technologies for Interactive Environments (MIT)

Paradiso, Joseph — 2012-03-22T05:46:18+05:00

This course is a broad introduction to a host of sensor technologies, illustrated by applications drawn from human-computer interfaces and ubiquitous computing. After extensively reviewing electronics for sensor signal conditioning, the lectures cover the principles and operation of a variety of sensor architectures and modalities, including pressure, strain, displacement, proximity, thermal, electric and magnetic field, optical, acoustic, RF, inertial, and bioelectric. Simple sensor processing algorithms and wired and wireless network standards are also discussed. Students are required to complete written assignments, a set of laboratories, and a final project.

MAS.963 Special Topics: Computational Camera and Photography (MIT)

Raskar, Ramesh — 2012-03-22T05:46:03+05:00

A computational camera attempts to digitally capture the essence of visual information by exploiting the synergistic combination of task-specific optics, illumination, sensors and processing. In this course we will study this emerging multi-disciplinary field at the intersection of signal processing, applied optics, computer graphics and vision, electronics, art, and online sharing through social networks. If novel cameras can be designed to sample light in radically new ways, then rich and useful forms of visual information may be recorded — beyond those present in traditional photographs. Furthermore, if computational process can be made aware of these novel imaging models, them the scene can be analyzed in higher dimensions and novel aesthetic renderings of the visual information can be synthesized. We will discuss and play with thermal cameras, multi-spectral cameras, high-speed, and 3D range-sensing cameras and camera arrays. We will learn about opportunities in scientific and medical imaging, mobile-phone based photography, camera for HCI and sensors mimicking animal eyes. We will learn about the complete camera pipeline. In several hands-on projects we will build physical imaging prototypes and understand how each stage of the imaging process can be manipulated.

21W.784 Becoming Digital: Writing About Media Change (MIT)

Evens, Aden — 2012-03-22T05:45:33+05:00

The computer and related technologies have invaded our daily lives, have changed the way we communicate, do business, gather information, entertain ourselves. Even technology once considered distinctly "modern" - photography, the telephone, movies, television - has been altered or replaced by faster and more dynamic media that allow more manipulation and control by the individual. Anyone can now create stunning photographic images without a processing lab; and film no longer earns its name, as the cinema often presents images that were never filmed to begin with, but created or doctored in the digital domain. What are the consequences of these changes for the media and arts they alter? How does digitizing affect the values, ethical and aesthetic, of images, texts, and sounds? How do these technologies change the way we spend our time and relate to other people? In the age of the digital, what becomes of property, of history, of identity? Through a series of careful comparisons of images, texts, movies, games, and music - pre-digital versus post-digital - this course will analyze the ways in which these media and our responses to them have changed in the digital era; and we will ask about the value of these changes.

MAS.962 Autism Theory and Technology (MIT)

Breazeal, Cynthia — 2012-03-22T05:45:46+05:00

This course will lay a foundation in autism theory and autism technology that significantly leverages and expands the Media Lab's ability to pioneer new technology. Students will not only develop new technologies, but also understand, help, and learn from people with autism, a fast-growing group that the CDC identified in the year 2005 as involving an estimated 1 in 150 school-age children ages 6-21. Students will gain an understanding of the basic challenges faced by people diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders, together with their families and caregivers, and an understanding of the fundamental theories that inform therapies and technologies for improving the autistic experience. The course will also explore the converging challenges and goals of autism research and the development of technologies with people sense. We will advance ways technology can be used for early detection and intervention in autism. We will enable new technologies for people diagnosed with autism to use to better communicate, and to help them achieve their desired level of independent and inter-dependent living skills. Throughout the course, we will consider ways technology can help inform autism research and improve opportunities for people diagnosed with autism.

11.701 Introduction to Planning and Institutional Processes in Developing Countries (MIT)

Sanyal, Bishwapriya — 2012-03-09T00:11:45+05:00

This introductory course is structured to cultivate the key sensibilities necessary for effective planning practice in newly industrializing countries. The word "sensibility" refers to an awareness of key developmental issues, interdependent causalities, and anticipated as well as unanticipated consequences of social action which mark most planning efforts. In cultivating such sensibilities, this course will use examples from varying institutional settings, ranging from the local to the international levels, and probe how the particularities of each setting call for an awareness of particular institutional opportunities and constraints that planners need to account for when devising planning strategies.

11.013J American Urban History I (MIT)

Fogelson, Robert — 2012-03-09T00:11:34+05:00

This course is a seminar on the history of institutions and institutional change in American cities from roughly 1850 to the present. Among the institutions to be looked at are political machines, police departments, courts, schools, prisons, public authorities, and universities. The focus of the course is on readings and discussions.

11.364 International Environmental Negotiation (MIT)

Susskind, Lawrence — 2012-03-09T00:11:20+05:00

The class will explore the obstacles to achieving sustainability; in particular, the difficulties of managing common resources, achieving transboundary pollution control, making tradeoffs between economic and social development needs and environmental resource protection, and harmonizing environmental protection standards. At their core, these problems must be addressed through international or multi-lateral negotiations. We will focus especially on problems of representation and voting, issue linkage, balancing science and politics, and monitoring and enforcement in negotiations of these kinds. We will also examine these issues in light of actual treaty negotiations especially the on-going efforts to implement the Climate Change Convention. The class will operate as a research seminar. Each student will be expected to prepare and present an analysis of a specific international environmental negotiation which is heavily prescriptive.

STS.010 Neuroscience and Society (MIT)

Schüll, Natasha — 2012-03-09T00:07:32+05:00

This class explores the social relevance of neuroscience, considering how emerging areas of brain research reflect and reshape social attitudes and agendas. Topics include brain imaging and popular media; neuroscience of empathy, trust, and moral reasoning; new fields of neuroeconomics and neuromarketing; ethical implications of neurotechnologies such as cognitive enhancement pharmaceuticals; neuroscience in the courtroom; and neuroscientific recasting of social problems such as addiction and violence. Guest lectures by neuroscientists, class discussion, and weekly readings in neuroscience, popular media, and science studies.

STS.042J Einstein, Oppenheimer, Feynman: Physics in the 20th Century (MIT)

Kaiser, David — 2012-03-09T00:07:19+05:00

This class explores the changing roles of physics and physicists during the 20th century. Topics range from relativity theory and quantum mechanics to high-energy physics and cosmology. The course also examines the development of modern physics within shifting institutional, cultural, and political contexts, such as physics in Imperial Britain, Nazi Germany, U.S. efforts during World War II, and physicists' roles during the Cold War.

15.389 G-Lab: Global Entrepreneurship Lab (MIT)

Morse, Kenneth — 2012-03-09T00:07:44+05:00

Entrepreneurship in the 21st century is evolving. Because of global changes in technology, communications, and capital markets, today's innovative startups are building successful companies in countries around the globe, in many instances with investors, vendors, customers, and employees located thousands of miles away. The challenges these leading-edge companies face, particularly in emerging markets, are some of the most sophisticated issues both for businesses and governments alike. These challenges are the focus of G-Lab.

17.100J Political Economy I: Theories of the State and the Economy (MIT)

Piore, Michael — 2012-03-09T00:07:01+05:00

Political Economy I explores the major social science paradigms for analyzing relations among state, economy, and society. Through readings, lectures and discussion of original texts in political liberalism and individualism, neo-classical economics, Marxism, sociological and cultural theories, and neo-institutionalism, the seminar examines the fundamental assumptions on which our understanding of the social world and our research are based. All participants in the seminar are required to do the weekly readings before class meetings. The course also requires two 12-15 page essays on assigned topics. The seminar is open to graduate students in all departments and also to undergraduates with prior course work in economics or political science and with permission of the instructors.

17.582 Civil War (MIT)

Petersen, Roger — 2012-03-09T00:01:05+05:00

This course surveys the social science literature on civil war. It studies the origins of civil war, discusses variables affecting duration, and examines termination of conflict. This subject is highly interdisciplinary and covers a wide variety of cases, although with concentration on various Balkan civil wars.

15.431 Entrepreneurial Finance (MIT)

Scharfstein, David — 2012-01-27T00:15:28+05:00

This class examines the elements of entrepreneurial finance, focusing on technology-based start-up ventures, and the early stages of company development. It addresses key questions which challenge all entrepreneurs: how much money can and should be raised; when should it be raised and from whom; what is a reasonable valuation of the company; and how funding should be structured. The subject aims to prepare students for these decisions, both as entrepreneurs and venture capitalists.

6.045J Automata, Computability, and Complexity (MIT)

Lynch, Nancy — 2012-01-24T00:23:19+05:00

This course is offered to undergraduates and introduces basic mathematical models of computation and the finite representation of infinite objects. The course is slower paced than 6.840J/18.404J. Topics covered include: finite automata and regular languages, context-free languages, Turing machines, partial recursive functions, Church's Thesis, undecidability, reducibility and completeness, time complexity and NP-completeness, probabilistic computation, and interactive proof systems.

16.31 Feedback Control Systems (MIT)

How, Jonathan P. — 2012-01-24T00:22:40+05:00

This course covers the fundamentals of control design and analysis using state-space methods. This includes both the practical and theoretical aspects of the topic. By the end of the course, the student should be able to design controllers using state-space methods and evaluate whether these controllers are robust.

6.830 Database Systems (MIT)

Madden, Samuel — 2012-01-24T00:22:58+05:00

This course relies on primary readings from the database community to introduce graduate students to the foundations of database systems, focusing on basics such as the relational algebra and data model, schema normalization, query optimization, and transactions. It is designed for students who have taken MIT course 6.033 (or equivalent); no prior database experience is assumed though students who have taken an undergraduate course in databases are encouraged to attend. Topics related to the engineering and design of database systems, including: data models; database and schema design; schema normalization and integrity constraints; query processing; query optimization and cost estimation; transactions; recovery; concurrency control; isolation and consistency; distributed, parallel, and heterogeneous databases; adaptive databases; trigger systems; pub-sub systems; semi structured data and XML querying.

16.888 Multidisciplinary System Design Optimization (MIT)

Willcox, Karen — 2012-01-11T01:27:31+05:00

This course is mainly focused on the quantitative aspects of design and presents a unifying framework called "Multidisciplinary System Design Optimization" (MSDO). The objective of the course is to present tools and methodologies for performing system optimization in a multidisciplinary design context, focusing on three aspects of the problem: (i) The multidisciplinary character of engineering systems, (ii) design of these complex systems, and (iii) tools for optimization. There is a version of this course (16.60s) offered through the MIT Professional Institute, targeted at professional engineers.

21W.780 Communicating in Technical Organizations (MIT)

Barrett, Edward C. — 2012-01-11T01:27:42+05:00

This class offers students an opportunity to experiment with various forms and practices of cellphone communication and, most importantly, to propose and develop a semester-long project using advanced A780 cellphones donated by Motorola along with access to J2ME™ source code for programming cellphone applications. Class size is limited. Students in small collaborative groups will propose, implement and report on a semester-long project.

ESD.864 Systems Modeling and Assessment for Policy (MIT)

Selin, Noelle — 2012-01-11T01:27:59+05:00

This course explores how scientific information can be used to inform policy decision-making processes through the use of quantitative modeling techniques. It incorporates both hands-on analysis and practice using models as well as evaluation of the use and effectiveness of models in decision-making. The course assesses the full spectrum of model complexity from simple box model calculations to complex, global systems models. Issues addressed include scientific assessment processes; integrated assessment modeling; model frameworks; and scenarios. Examples focus on models and information used for earth system governance, with selected examples from other areas of application.

15.083J Integer Programming and Combinatorial Optimization (MIT)

Bertsimas, Dimitris — 2011-12-22T03:04:30+05:00

The course is a comprehensive introduction to the theory, algorithms and applications of integer optimization and is organized in four parts: formulations and relaxations, algebra and geometry of integer optimization, algorithms for integer optimization, and extensions of integer optimization.

6.251J Introduction to Mathematical Programming (MIT)

Tsitsiklis, John — 2011-12-22T03:03:50+05:00

This course offers an introduction to optimization problems, algorithms, and their complexity, emphasizing basic methodologies and the underlying mathematical structures. The main topics covered include: Theory and algorithms for linear programming Network flow problems and algorithms Introduction to integer programming and combinatorial problems

15.093 Optimization Methods (SMA 5213) (MIT)

Bertsimas, Dimitris — 2011-12-14T08:14:47+05:00

This course introduces the principal algorithms for linear, network, discrete, nonlinear, dynamic optimization and optimal control. Emphasis is on methodology and the underlying mathematical structures. Topics include the simplex method, network flow methods, branch and bound and cutting plane methods for discrete optimization, optimality conditions for nonlinear optimization, interior point methods for convex optimization, Newton's method, heuristic methods, and dynamic programming and optimal control methods. This course was also taught as part of the Singapore-MIT Alliance (SMA) programme as course number SMA 5213 (Optimisation Methods).

4.42J Fundamentals of Energy in Buildings (MIT)

Glicksman, Leon — 2011-12-08T05:06:00+05:00

This subject provides a first course in thermo-sciences for students primarily interested in architecture and building technology. It introduces the fundamentals important to energy, ventilation, air conditioning and comfort in buildings. It includes a detailed treatment of different forms of energy, energy conservation, properties of gases and liquids, air-water vapor mixtures and performance limits for air conditioning and power producing systems. Heat transfer principles are introduced with applications to energy losses from a building envelope. The subject is a prerequisite for more advanced thermo-science subjects in Architecture and Mechanical Engineering.

20.441 Biomaterials-Tissue Interactions (BE.441) (MIT)

Yannas, Ioannis — 2011-12-08T05:06:52+05:00

This course is an introduction to principles of materials science and cell biology underlying the design of medical implants, artificial organs, and matrices for tissue engineering. Topics include methods for biomaterials surface characterization and analysis of protein adsorption on biomaterials. Molecular and cellular interactions with biomaterials are analyzed in terms of unit cell processes, such as matrix synthesis, degradation, and contraction. It also covers mechanisms underlying wound healing and tissue remodeling following implantation in various organs. Other areas include tissue and organ regeneration; design of implants and prostheses based on control of biomaterials-tissue interactions; comparative analysis of intact, biodegradable, and bioreplaceable implants by reference to case studies. Also addressed are criteria for restoration of physiological function for tissues and organs.

6.301 Solid-State Circuits (MIT)

Roberge, James — 2011-12-08T05:05:18+05:00

This course covers analog circuit analysis and design, focusing on the tools and methods necessary for the creative design of useful circuits using active devices. The class stresses insight and intuition, applied to the design of transistor circuits and the estimation of their performance. The course concentrates on circuits using the bipolar junction transistor, but the techniques that are studied can be equally applied to circuits using JFETs, MOSFETs, MESFETs, future exotic devices, or even vacuum tubes.