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MITx: Introduction to Aerodynamics

Discover the basic fluid dynamic concepts behind aircraft analysis and design.
15 weeks
10–14 hours per week
Instructor-paced
Instructor-led on a course schedule
This course is archived

About this course

Skip About this course

This aerodynamics course focuses on the study of the flow of air about a body, and the “body” will be an airplane, but many of the concepts explored are relevant to a wide variety of applications from sailboats to automobiles to birds. Learners completing this aerodynamics course will gain a fundamental understanding of concepts and models used to aerodynamically analyze and design subsonic, transonic, and supersonic aircraft.

While the course is an introduction to aerodynamics, it is an advanced subject typically taken as a third or fourth year undergraduate subject in aerospace engineering.

At a glance

  • Institution: MITx
  • Subject: Engineering
  • Level: Advanced
  • Prerequisites:

    Physics, vector calculus, and differential equations (all at a first-year university level). Some familiarity with introductory gas dynamics (in particular control volume analysis) is also assumed, though additional, optional background material will be provided as part of the course content discussing the necessary gas dynamics.

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Aircraft Analysis

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • Basics of aerodynamics
  • Fundamentals of potential flows from subsonic to supersonic speeds
  • Viscous flows including laminar and turbulent boundary layers
  • Aerodynamic models of airfoils and wings

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