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General Science · Year 1 · Foundations
S1 Refresher and first languages
Consolidate algebra and functions, learn to program in Python, and discover general chemistry and biology.
192hours of coursework
20weeks at 10 h
6steps
17new courses
4universities
Target skills
- Equations, inequalities, functions, polynomials and roots
- Exponentials, logarithms, trigonometry and modelling
- Python programming: variables, loops, functions, files, web, SQL
- Measurement, units, stoichiometry, atomic structure, bonding and solutions
- Introductory cells, energy, genetics, evolution and ecology
Semester project
A chemistry calculator in Python: it reads a periodic table from a CSV file, computes molar masses, balances amounts of substance and plans dilutions.
Courses this semester
- 1Johns Hopkins UniversityBeginner
Show the 3 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Algebra: Elementary to Advanced - Equations & Inequalities Beginner 10 h 4.8 (654) Algebra: Elementary to Advanced - Functions & Applications Beginner 6 h 4.8 (198) Algebra: Elementary to Advanced - Polynomials and Roots Beginner 9 h 4.9 (176) - 2Johns Hopkins UniversityBeginnerR
Stated prerequisites: Some high school algebra and function basics
Show the 3 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Precalculus: Relations and Functions Beginner 12 h 4.7 (231) Precalculus: Periodic Functions Beginner 9 h 4.7 (110) Precalculus: Mathematical Modeling Beginner 10 h 4.8 (98) - 3University of MichiganBeginnerPython, SQL, SQLite
Stated prerequisites: No prerequisites; designed as an on-ramp to programming
Show the 5 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Programming for Everybody (Getting Started with Python) Beginner 17 h 4.8 (233,775) Python Data Structures Beginner 20 h 4.9 (97,365) Using Python to Access Web Data Beginner 19 h 4.8 (44,591) Using Databases with Python Beginner 14 h 4.8 (21,659) Capstone: Retrieving, Processing, and Visualizing Data with Python Beginner 9 h 4.7 (14,483) - 4Duke UniversityBeginner
Stated prerequisites: Strong algebra foundation
- 5Duke UniversityBeginner
- 6University of Colorado BoulderBeginner
Show the 4 courses
Course Level Length Rating (reviews) Biology Everywhere Foundations Beginner 5 h 4.5 (249) The Little Stuff: Energy, Cells, and Genetics Beginner 6 h 4.7 (127) The Big Stuff: Evolution and Ecology Beginner 4 h 4.6 (48) Specialty Topics: Biology Across Disciplines Beginner 7 h 4.4 (43)
Reading
Precalculus 2eOpenStaxWorked exercises on algebra and functions, alongside the two Johns Hopkins specializations.Free, CC BY 4.0
Python for EverybodyCharles R. SeveranceThe specialization's official textbook, one chapter per week.Free, CC BY 4.0
Chemistry 2eOpenStaxChapters 1 to 8 for the two Duke courses: measurement, atoms, stoichiometry, bonding.Free, CC BY 4.0
Biology 2eOpenStaxUnits 1 to 3 (chemistry of life, the cell, genetics) for Biology Everywhere.Free, CC BY 4.0
Things to watch
- Start with Algebra: the Duke chemistry courses require solid algebra.
- Precalculus uses R for some exercises; installing R and RStudio is enough.
With Coursera Plus
This semester takes 192 hours, about 4 months at 10 hours a week. A Coursera Plus subscription gives access to most of its courses during that time.