Energy: Perspectives, Problems, and Prospects

The course provides an historical account of the evolution of the modern energy system, from early dependence on human and animal power, to the subsequent use of wind and water, to more recent reliance on fossil fuels—coal, oil and natural gas—and even more recently to the development of the ability to tap the energy contained in the nucleus. It discusses the important historical advances in the applications of energy, notably in the production and distribution of electricity and in the transportation sector—where oil-derived products provide the motive force for cars, trucks, trains, ships, and planes. It highlights the energy related problems we confront today, with particular emphasis on air pollution, on the threat of global climate change, on the hazards of nuclear proliferation, and on the risks to national security imposed by our increasing reliance on imported sources of oil. It concludes with a discussion of options for a more sustainable energy future. The recorded lectures are from Harvard Faculty of Arts and Sciences course Science of the Physical Universe 25. Prerequisite: background of high school algebra and trigonometry. (4 credits)