EdX

Cellular Solids Part 3: Applications in Nature (edX)

Offered by MIT, MITx,
Cellular Solids Part 3: Applications in Nature (edX)

Learn how to apply models for cellular materials to natural materials such as wood, cork, monocotyledon leaves, skulls, palm and bamboo.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see EdX's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

In this engineering course, we will explore sandwich structures and cellular solids that occur in nature, and we will consider examples of engineering design inspired by natural materials.
This course should be taken with Cellular Solids 1 for a complete survey of the structure, properties, and engineering applications of cellular solids that occur in nature.

What you'll learn:

  • How to apply models for honeycombs to the mechanics of wood and cork
  • The behavior of natural sandwich structures such as the leaves of monocotyledon plants and animal skulls
  • How to analyze the mechanics of natural cellular solids with density gradients, such as palm stems and bamboo
  • Examples of engineering design inspired by natural cellular solids
Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Water and Wastewater Treatment Engineering: Biochemical Technology (edX) EdX
Tsinghua University,TsinghuaX

Water and Wastewater Treatment Engineering: Biochemical Technology (edX)

Engineering Sci: Energy & Earth Sciences

Learn the basic principles and characteristics of biochemical technology in water and wastewater treatment engineering. Biochemical technology in water and wastewater treatment engineering is essential in the field of water treatment. In this environmental studies course you will learn the basic principles and characteristics of biochemical technology.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Water Engineering Wastewater
Details
Introduction to Water and Climate (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

Introduction to Water and Climate (edX)

Engineering Sci: Energy & Earth Sciences

Water is a crucial element in climate and for society. Find out about the latest engineering interventions for water management in rivers, coasts and the urban environment. Water is essential for life on Earth and of crucial importance for society. Water also plays a major role in affecting climate. Its natural cycle, from ocean to atmosphere by evaporation, then by precipitation back to land returning via rivers and aquifers to the oceans, has a decisive impact on regional and global climate patterns.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Water Engineering Climate
Details
水力学 | Hydraulics (edX) EdX
Tsinghua University,TsinghuaX

水力学 | Hydraulics (edX)

Engineering Sci: Mathematics

This Hydraulics course explores the science of hydraulics and focuses on hydrodynamic laws and their applications, which are indispensable and a critical factor in the development and utilization of water resources. 水，是人类生活不可或缺的资源。水力学是人类开发利用水资源的有力工具。本课教你认识和掌握水流静止和运动的力学规律，了解在相关领域的工程应用。

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Engineering Hydrodynamics Hydraulics
Details
Forensic Engineering: Learning from Failures (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

Forensic Engineering: Learning from Failures (edX)

Engineering Health & Society

Don’t let good failures go to waste! Identify the causes of failure and use this knowledge to enhance safety and improve performance. What do collapsed buildings, infected hospital patients, and crashed airplanes have in common? If you know the causes of these events and conditions, they can all be prevented. In this course, you will learn how to use the TU Delft mind-set to investigate the causes of such events so you can prevent them in the future.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Engineering Safety Forensic Science
Details
Caer o No caer. El secreto de las estructuras (edX) EdX
Universidad Carlos III de Madrid - UC3M,UC3Mx

Caer o No caer. El secreto de las estructuras (edX)

Engineering

Las estructuras están presentes en todos los sistemas que nos rodean. Descubrirlas y comprender cómo funcionan es sencillo y fascinante. Las estructuras están implicadas en nuestras vidas: las plantas, los animales, casi todo lo que fabrica el ser humano, incluso nuestro propio cuerpo, deben soportar una serie de fuerzas sin romperse, y por lo tanto prácticamente cualquier elemento de nuestro entorno es una estructura de una clase u otra.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Engineering Structures Building
Details
The Basics of Transport Phenomena (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

The Basics of Transport Phenomena (edX)

Sci: Biology & Life Sciences Engineering

Learn the basic framework to work on a broad spectrum of engineering problems concerning transfer of heat, mass and momentum. Learn through examples of everyday processes at home, in the lab and in industry. Have you ever wondered why ventilation helps to cool down your hot chocolate? Do you know why a surfing suit keeps you warm? Why iron feels cold, while wood feels warm at room temperature? Or how air is transferred into aqueous liquids in a water treatment plant? How can we sterilize milk with the least amount of energy? How does medicine spread in our tissue? Or how do we design a new cooling tower of a power plant? All these are phenomena that involve heat transfer, mass transfer or fluid flow.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Physics Engineering Heat Transfer
Details
Railway Engineering: An Integral Approach (edX) EdX
Delft University of Technology,DelftX

Railway Engineering: An Integral Approach (edX)

Engineering

Discover the science and complexity behind the exciting world of metro, tram and railway systems. Have you ever wondered what it takes to get your train on the right platform at the scheduled time every day? Understanding the complexity behind today’s sophisticated railway systems will give you a better insight into how this safe and reliable transportation system works. We will show you the many factors which are involved and how multiple people, behind the scenes, have a daily task that enables you to get from home to work. Journey with us into the world of rail - a complex system that connects people, cities and countries.

Oct 14th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Engineering Railway Engineering Railway
Details
The Engineering of Structures Around Us (edX) EdX
DartmouthX,Dartmouth College

The Engineering of Structures Around Us (edX)

Engineering

Explore how engineers design bridges and buildings in our communities and iconic structures around the world. In this introductory course, you’ll learn some engineering principles that can be applied to structural systems everywhere: in nature, in furniture, in mechanical and aerospace systems, and in any solid object that resists a load. Together we’ll explore how structures work, why they were designed the way they were designed, how they support loads, and where forces flow through them.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Innovation Engineering Structures
Details
Viscoelasticidad y comportamiento mecánico-dinámico de materiales poliméricos. Modelización (edX) EdX
Universitat Politècnica de València,UPValenciaX

Viscoelasticidad y comportamiento mecánico-dinámico de materiales poliméricos. Modelización (edX)

Engineering

Aprende sobre el comportamiento viscoelástico de polímeros para el diseño de componentes con materiales poliméricos. Los materiales poliméricos se caracterizan por tener un comportamiento viscoelástico lo cual implica que sus propiedades mecánicas surgen de la combinación de unas propiedades elásticas y viscosas.

Self Paced
Self-Paced
Engineering Modeling Viscoelasticity
Details