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structuralism.","prerequisites":["ma-logic-proof-theory","ma-set-theory"],"related":["ma-foundations-philosophy"],"unlocks":[],"order":28,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"ma-philosophy-of-mathematics-1","name":"Platonism"},{"id":"ma-philosophy-of-mathematics-5","name":"Logicism"},{"id":"ma-philosophy-of-mathematics-2","name":"Formalism"},{"id":"ma-philosophy-of-mathematics-3","name":"Intuitionism"},{"id":"ma-philosophy-of-mathematics-4","name":"Structuralism"},{"id":"ma-philosophy-of-mathematics-6","name":"Nominalism and fictionalism"},{"id":"ma-philosophy-of-mathematics-7","name":"Mathematical practice and explanation"}]},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics","name":"History of Mathematics","category":"History, Philosophy & Education","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"How mathematics developed from ancient number systems to modern abstraction, and the people behind it.","prerequisites":["ma-calculus"],"related":["ma-foundations-philosophy"],"unlocks":[],"order":35,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-1","name":"Ancient mathematics"},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-4","name":"Greek mathematics"},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-5","name":"Indian, Chinese and Islamic mathematics"},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-6","name":"Renaissance algebra and the birth of calculus"},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-2","name":"Development of mathematical ideas"},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-7","name":"Nineteenth-century rigour and abstraction"},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-8","name":"Twentieth-century mathematics"},{"id":"ma-history-of-mathematics-3","name":"Biographies of mathematicians"}]},{"id":"ma-mathematics-education","name":"Mathematics Education","category":"History, Philosophy & Education","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"How mathematics is learned and taught: learning theories, pedagogy, curriculum design and assessment.","prerequisites":["ma-calculus","ma-introduction-to-proofs"],"related":["ph-physics-education"],"unlocks":[],"order":36,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ma-mathematics-education-4","name":"Learning theories"},{"id":"ma-mathematics-education-1","name":"Pedagogy"},{"id":"ma-mathematics-education-2","name":"Curriculum development"},{"id":"ma-mathematics-education-3","name":"Assessment methods"},{"id":"ma-mathematics-education-5","name":"Technology in mathematics teaching"}]}]},{"id":"physics","name":"Physics","icon":"⚛️","color":"#60c5f8","prefix":"ph","description":"Physics studies matter, energy, space and time, from everyday motion to quantum fields and the large-scale structure of the Universe. This map runs from introductory, algebra-based physics through the classical and quantum core to condensed matter, AMO, nuclear, particle and plasma physics, a deep astronomy and astrophysics track, and applied and interdisciplinary fields.","categories":["Introductory Physics","Mechanics, Waves & Fluids","Electromagnetism","Thermal & Statistical Physics","Quantum Physics","Relativity & Gravitation","Mathematical & Computational Methods","Optics & Photonics","Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics","Nuclear & Particle Physics","Condensed Matter Physics","Plasma Physics","Nonlinear Dynamics & Complex Systems","Astronomy Foundations","Observational Astronomy & Data","Stars, the Sun & Interstellar Medium","Planetary Science & Exoplanets","Galaxies & Cosmology","High-Energy & Multi-Messenger Astrophysics","Experimental Physics & Instrumentation","Applied Physics","Interdisciplinary Physics","Foundations, History & 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physics.","prerequisites":["ph-measurement-units-vectors"],"related":["ph-physics-education"],"unlocks":["ma-classical-mechanics","ma-fluid-mechanics","ph-classical-mechanics","ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics","ph-introductory-waves-sound-light","ea-geomorphology","ea-structural-geology","cs-computer-animation-simulation","ai-actuators-sensors","me-statics","ae-principles-of-flight","ae-rocketry-basics","ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance"],"order":3,"stage":3,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"ph-introductory-mechanics-1","name":"Motion in one dimension: displacement, velocity and acceleration"},{"id":"ph-introductory-mechanics-2","name":"Constant-acceleration equations and free fall"},{"id":"ph-introductory-mechanics-3","name":"Motion in two dimensions and projectile motion"},{"id":"ph-introductory-mechanics-4","name":"Relative motion"},{"id":"ph-introductory-mechanics-5","name":"Newton's laws of 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transformers"},{"id":"ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism-14","name":"Alternating current and household electricity"},{"id":"ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism-15","name":"Electrical safety"}]},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics","name":"Introductory Heat & Thermodynamics","category":"Introductory Physics","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"Algebra-based introduction to temperature, heat, gases and the laws of thermodynamics.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ma-thermodynamics","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ea-meteorology","el-thermal-management","me-engineering-thermodynamics"],"order":6,"stage":4,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-1","name":"Temperature, thermometers and temperature scales"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-2","name":"Thermal expansion"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-3","name":"Heat, specific heat capacity and calorimetry"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-4","name":"Phase changes and latent heat"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-5","name":"Heat transfer: conduction, convection and radiation"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-6","name":"The ideal gas law"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-7","name":"Kinetic theory: the molecular picture of pressure and temperature"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-8","name":"The first law of thermodynamics"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-9","name":"Thermodynamic processes and PV diagrams"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-10","name":"Heat engines, refrigerators and heat pumps"},{"id":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics-11","name":"The second law and entropy (introductory)"}]},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light","name":"Introductory Waves, Sound & Light","category":"Introductory Physics","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"Algebra-based introduction to oscillations, waves, sound, and geometric and wave optics.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-modern-physics","ch-quantum-chemistry","ea-remote-sensing","mt-crystallography-diffraction"],"order":7,"stage":4,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-1","name":"Simple harmonic motion: springs and pendulums"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-2","name":"Damped and driven oscillations and resonance (qualitative)"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-3","name":"Wave properties: wavelength, frequency, speed and amplitude"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-4","name":"Transverse and longitudinal waves"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-5","name":"Superposition, interference and standing waves"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-6","name":"Sound: speed, intensity and the decibel scale"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-7","name":"Musical instruments, harmonics and beats"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-8","name":"The Doppler effect"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-9","name":"The electromagnetic spectrum"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-10","name":"Reflection and refraction of light (Snell's law)"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-11","name":"Total internal reflection"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-12","name":"Mirrors and thin lenses: image formation"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-13","name":"Optical instruments: the eye, cameras, microscopes and telescopes"},{"id":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light-14","name":"Wave optics: double-slit interference, gratings and polarization"}]},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics","name":"Classical Mechanics","category":"Mechanics, Waves & Fluids","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Calculus-based mechanics from Newton's laws through the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations used throughout physics.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-mechanics","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","ma-multivariable-calculus"],"related":["ma-classical-mechanics","me-dynamics","ma-symplectic-geometry"],"unlocks":["ph-celestial-mechanics","ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics","ph-fluid-mechanics","ph-modern-physics","ph-special-relativity","ph-waves-oscillations","ea-solid-earth-geophysics","me-advanced-dynamics-multibody","ae-aerospace-dynamics","ae-orbital-mechanics"],"order":9,"stage":4,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-1","name":"Kinematics (motion analysis without forces)"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-2","name":"Dynamics (forces and their effects)"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-4","name":"Newtonian mechanics"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-3","name":"Statics (equilibrium systems)"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-5","name":"Work, energy, power"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-6","name":"Momentum and collisions"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-9","name":"Oscillations and harmonic motion"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-21","name":"Non-inertial reference frames and fictitious forces"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-19","name":"Central force problems"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-11","name":"Gravitation"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-7","name":"Rotational motion"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-8","name":"Rigid body dynamics"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-18","name":"Variational principles"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-20","name":"Constraints and generalized coordinates"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-12","name":"Lagrangian mechanics"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-22","name":"Small oscillations and normal modes"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-13","name":"Hamiltonian mechanics"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-23","name":"Canonical transformations and Poisson brackets"},{"id":"ph-classical-mechanics-24","name":"Hamilton-Jacobi theory and action-angle 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solids"},{"id":"ph-waves-oscillations-14","name":"Electromagnetic waves from Maxwell's equations"},{"id":"ph-waves-oscillations-15","name":"Interference and diffraction as wave phenomena"},{"id":"ph-waves-oscillations-16","name":"Nonlinear waves and shock fronts (introduction)"}]},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics","name":"Fluid Mechanics","category":"Mechanics, Waves & Fluids","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The motion of liquids and gases, from hydrostatics to the Navier-Stokes equations, turbulence and compressible 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flow"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-9","name":"Aerodynamics"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-10","name":"Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD)"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-11","name":"Geophysical fluid dynamics"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-12","name":"Continuum mechanics"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-13","name":"Non-Newtonian fluids"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-14","name":"Vortex dynamics"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-15","name":"Cavitation"},{"id":"ph-fluid-mechanics-16","name":"Multiphase flow"}]},{"id":"ph-acoustics","name":"Acoustics","category":"Mechanics, Waves & Fluids","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The physics of sound in air, water and solids, and its uses in music, buildings, medicine and sensing.","prerequisites":["ph-waves-oscillations","ph-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["me-acoustics-noise-control"],"unlocks":[],"order":45,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ph-acoustics-1","name":"Physical acoustics (sound wave properties)"},{"id":"ph-acoustics-2","name":"Musical 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waves.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","ma-vector-calculus"],"related":["ma-electromagnetism","el-electromagnetics","el-electromagnetic-waves"],"unlocks":["ph-accelerator-physics","ph-advanced-electrodynamics","ph-classical-optics","ph-energy-physics","ph-plasma-physics","ph-quantum-field-theory-qft","ph-radiative-processes","ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism","el-electromagnetics","mt-optical-photonic-materials","ae-electric-propulsion"],"order":11,"stage":5,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-16","name":"Vector calculus for electromagnetism"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-1","name":"Electrostatics"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-17","name":"Laplace's equation, boundary conditions and the method of images"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-18","name":"Multipole expansion"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-11","name":"Dielectrics and polarization"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-2","name":"Magnetostatics"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-12","name":"Magnetic materials"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-19","name":"Electromagnetic induction and Faraday's law"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-3","name":"Electrodynamics"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-7","name":"AC/DC circuits"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-4","name":"Maxwell's equations"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-20","name":"Conservation laws: Poynting's theorem and the Maxwell stress tensor"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-5","name":"Electromagnetic waves"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-8","name":"Waveguides and transmission lines"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-13","name":"Electromagnetic potentials"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-14","name":"Gauge transformations"},{"id":"ph-classical-electromagnetism-15","name":"Retarded potentials and Jefimenko's 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method"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-13","name":"Sturm-Liouville theory and orthogonal functions"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-7","name":"Special functions"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-2","name":"Complex analysis"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-9","name":"Integral transforms (Fourier, Laplace)"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-8","name":"Green's functions"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-14","name":"Calculus of variations"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-15","name":"Asymptotic methods and the saddle-point approximation"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-3","name":"Tensor analysis"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-4","name":"Differential geometry"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-5","name":"Topology in physics"},{"id":"ph-mathematical-physics-6","name":"Functional analysis"}]},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory","name":"Symmetry & Group Theory","category":"Mathematical & Computational Methods","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Group theory and representations as the language of symmetry in quantum mechanics, particles and crystals.","prerequisites":["ph-quantum-mechanics","ma-representation-theory"],"related":["ma-symmetries-groups-in-physics","ma-lie-theory","ma-representation-theory","ch-symmetry-group-theory"],"unlocks":[],"order":44,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-7","name":"Finite groups, point groups and crystallographic symmetry"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-1","name":"Lie groups and Lie algebras"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-2","name":"Representation theory"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-3","name":"Symmetry in quantum mechanics"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-8","name":"SU(2), SU(3) and the quark model"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-9","name":"The Lorentz and Poincare groups"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-5","name":"Discrete symmetries (C, P, T)"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-4","name":"Gauge symmetries"},{"id":"ph-symmetry-group-theory-6","name":"Spontaneous symmetry breaking"}]},{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods","name":"Advanced Theoretical Methods","category":"Mathematical & Computational Methods","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Advanced tools of theoretical physics: perturbative and variational methods, S-matrix, effective theories, RG and CFT.","prerequisites":["ph-mathematical-physics","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ph-advanced-statistical-mechanics","ma-asymptotic-methods"],"unlocks":[],"order":69,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods-1","name":"Perturbation theory"},{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods-2","name":"Variational methods"},{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods-3","name":"Scattering theory"},{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods-4","name":"S-matrix theory"},{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods-5","name":"Effective theories"},{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods-6","name":"Renormalization group"},{"id":"ph-advanced-theoretical-methods-7","name":"Conformal field theory"}]},{"id":"ph-classical-optics","name":"Classical Optics","category":"Optics & Photonics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Light as rays and waves: imaging, interference, diffraction, polarization, coherence and Fourier optics.","prerequisites":["ph-classical-electromagnetism","ph-waves-oscillations"],"related":["ma-optics"],"unlocks":["ph-laser-physics","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes","bi-microscopy-bioimaging","ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing"],"order":23,"stage":6,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ph-classical-optics-1","name":"Geometrical optics (ray optics)"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-6","name":"Optical instruments"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-7","name":"Aberrations"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-2","name":"Wave optics"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-3","name":"Interference"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-11","name":"Multiple-beam interference, thin films and the Fabry-Perot interferometer"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-4","name":"Diffraction (Fresnel, Fraunhofer)"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-5","name":"Polarization"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-8","name":"Dispersion"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-10","name":"Coherence theory"},{"id":"ph-classical-optics-9","name":"Fourier optics"}]},{"id":"ph-laser-physics","name":"Laser Physics","category":"Optics & Photonics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How lasers work, from stimulated emission and optical cavities to pulsed operation and laser types.","prerequisites":["ph-classical-optics","ph-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ph-modern-optics","el-optoelectronic-devices"],"unlocks":["ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling","ph-modern-optics","ph-quantum-optics"],"order":35,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ph-laser-physics-1","name":"Absorption, spontaneous and stimulated emission (Einstein coefficients)"},{"id":"ph-laser-physics-2","name":"Population inversion and pumping 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adaptive optics.","prerequisites":["ph-laser-physics"],"related":["el-optoelectronic-devices","el-photonics-silicon-photonics","ma-optics","el-optical-fiber-communications","mt-optical-photonic-materials"],"unlocks":["ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics","ph-ultrafast-physics"],"order":56,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ph-modern-optics-1","name":"Lasers and laser physics"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-2","name":"Nonlinear optics"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-3","name":"Fiber optics"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-4","name":"Holography"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-5","name":"Photonic crystals"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-6","name":"Photonic bandgap materials"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-7","name":"Ultrafast optics"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-8","name":"Adaptive optics"},{"id":"ph-modern-optics-9","name":"Optical engineering"}]},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics","name":"Quantum Optics","category":"Optics & Photonics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The quantum nature of light and its interaction with matter: photons, coherent and squeezed states, cavity QED.","prerequisites":["ph-laser-physics","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-quantum-communication-networks"],"order":76,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-1","name":"Single photons"},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-2","name":"Coherent states"},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-3","name":"Quantum coherence"},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-4","name":"Squeezed light"},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-5","name":"Quantum entanglement in optics"},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-6","name":"Cavity QED"},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-7","name":"Photon statistics"},{"id":"ph-quantum-optics-8","name":"Light-matter interactions"}]},{"id":"ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics","name":"Nanophotonics & Plasmonics","category":"Optics & Photonics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Controlling light below the wavelength scale with nanostructures, plasmons and metamaterials.","prerequisites":["ph-modern-optics","ph-solid-state-physics"],"related":["ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","ch-nanochemistry","el-photonics-silicon-photonics","mt-metamaterials"],"unlocks":[],"order":91,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics-1","name":"Nanophotonics"},{"id":"ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics-2","name":"Plasmonics"},{"id":"ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics-3","name":"Near-field optics"},{"id":"ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics-4","name":"Surface plasmon polaritons"},{"id":"ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics-5","name":"Light-matter interactions at nanoscale"},{"id":"ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics-6","name":"Optical metamaterials"}]},{"id":"ph-ultrafast-physics","name":"Ultrafast Physics","category":"Optics & Photonics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Femtosecond and attosecond light pulses and what they reveal about electron and molecular motion.","prerequisites":["ph-modern-optics","ph-atomic-physics"],"related":["ch-ultrafast-nonlinear-spectroscopy"],"unlocks":[],"order":95,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-ultrafast-physics-1","name":"Attosecond science"},{"id":"ph-ultrafast-physics-2","name":"Femtosecond physics"},{"id":"ph-ultrafast-physics-3","name":"Ultrafast spectroscopy"},{"id":"ph-ultrafast-physics-4","name":"High harmonic generation"}]},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics","name":"Atomic Physics","category":"Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The structure and spectra of atoms, from hydrogen fine structure to multi-electron atoms in external fields.","prerequisites":["ph-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ch-quantum-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling","ph-molecular-physics","ph-ultrafast-physics"],"order":30,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-1","name":"The hydrogen atom revisited: energy levels and wavefunctions"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-2","name":"Fine structure: spin-orbit coupling and relativistic corrections"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-3","name":"The Lamb shift and QED corrections (overview)"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-4","name":"Hyperfine structure and the 21-cm line"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-5","name":"Atoms in magnetic fields: Zeeman and Paschen-Back effects"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-6","name":"Atoms in electric fields: the Stark effect"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-7","name":"Helium and two-electron atoms"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-8","name":"Multi-electron atoms: central-field approximation and Hartree-Fock"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-9","name":"LS and jj coupling, term symbols and Hund's rules"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-10","name":"Radiative transitions, selection rules and lifetimes"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-11","name":"Alkali spectra and quantum defects"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-12","name":"X-ray spectra and inner-shell processes"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-13","name":"Rydberg atoms"},{"id":"ph-atomic-physics-14","name":"Exotic atoms: positronium and muonic atoms"}]},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics","name":"Molecular Physics & Spectroscopy","category":"Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How atoms bind into molecules and how rotational, vibrational and electronic spectra reveal their structure.","prerequisites":["ph-atomic-physics"],"related":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ch-molecular-spectroscopy","ch-quantum-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry"],"order":57,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-1","name":"The Born-Oppenheimer approximation"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-2","name":"The hydrogen molecular ion and covalent bonding"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-3","name":"Molecular orbitals and diatomic molecules"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-4","name":"Rotational spectroscopy: rigid rotor and centrifugal distortion"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-5","name":"Vibrational spectroscopy: harmonic and anharmonic oscillators"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-6","name":"Rovibrational spectra"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-7","name":"Electronic transitions and the Franck-Condon principle"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-8","name":"Raman scattering and spectroscopy"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-9","name":"Molecular symmetry and group theory in spectroscopy"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-10","name":"Polyatomic molecules and normal modes"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-11","name":"Intermolecular forces and molecular collisions"},{"id":"ph-molecular-physics-12","name":"Molecules in astrophysics and the atmosphere"}]},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling","name":"Atom-Light Interaction & Laser Cooling","category":"Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The quantum theory of atoms driven by laser light and its use to cool, trap and control atoms and ions.","prerequisites":["ph-atomic-physics","ph-laser-physics"],"related":["ph-quantum-optics"],"unlocks":["ph-cold-atom-physics","ph-quantum-sensing-metrology"],"order":71,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-1","name":"The two-level atom and the rotating-wave approximation"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-2","name":"Rabi oscillations and dressed states"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-3","name":"Optical Bloch equations and the density matrix"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-4","name":"Spontaneous emission, linewidths and line broadening"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-5","name":"Saturation spectroscopy and Doppler-free techniques"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-6","name":"Optical pumping"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-7","name":"Radiation pressure and Doppler cooling"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-8","name":"Sub-Doppler (polarization-gradient) cooling"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-9","name":"Magneto-optical traps and optical dipole traps"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-10","name":"Ion trapping and laser cooling of ions"},{"id":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling-11","name":"Electromagnetically induced transparency and coherent population trapping"}]},{"id":"ph-cold-atom-physics","name":"Cold Atom Physics","category":"Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Atoms cooled to nanokelvin: Bose-Einstein condensates, degenerate Fermi gases and quantum simulation.","prerequisites":["ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":87,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ph-cold-atom-physics-1","name":"Bose-Einstein condensates (BEC)"},{"id":"ph-cold-atom-physics-2","name":"Optical lattices"},{"id":"ph-cold-atom-physics-3","name":"Fermi gases"},{"id":"ph-cold-atom-physics-4","name":"Atom interferometry"},{"id":"ph-cold-atom-physics-5","name":"Ultracold molecules"},{"id":"ph-cold-atom-physics-6","name":"Quantum simulation"}]},{"id":"ph-quantum-sensing-metrology","name":"Quantum Sensing & Metrology","category":"Atomic, Molecular & Optical Physics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Using quantum systems to measure time, fields and gravity with record precision, and how the SI is defined.","prerequisites":["ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling","ph-quantum-information-science"],"related":["el-advanced-sensing","el-quantum-technologies"],"unlocks":[],"order":94,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ph-quantum-sensing-metrology-1","name":"Atomic clocks"},{"id":"ph-quantum-sensing-metrology-2","name":"Quantum magnetometry"},{"id":"ph-quantum-sensing-metrology-3","name":"Quantum 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drop)"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-4","name":"Radioactivity"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-3","name":"Nuclear decay (alpha, beta, gamma)"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-14","name":"Interaction of radiation with matter"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-8","name":"Nuclear reactions"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-5","name":"Nuclear fission"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-6","name":"Nuclear fusion"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-9","name":"Nuclear reactors"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-10","name":"High-energy nuclear collisions"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-11","name":"Stellar nucleosynthesis"},{"id":"ph-nuclear-physics-12","name":"Nuclear astrophysics"}]},{"id":"ph-particle-physics","name":"Particle Physics","category":"Nuclear & Particle Physics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The elementary particles and forces of the Standard Model and the search for what lies beyond it.","prerequisites":["ph-quantum-mechanics","ph-special-relativity"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-astroparticle-physics","ph-high-energy-experimental-physics"],"order":39,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ph-particle-physics-16","name":"Relativistic kinematics, cross-sections and decay rates"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-17","name":"Symmetries and conservation laws: isospin, strangeness and the quark model"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-2","name":"Quarks and leptons"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-10","name":"Hadron physics (mesons, baryons)"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-3","name":"Gauge bosons (photon, W, Z, gluons)"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-1","name":"Standard Model"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-6","name":"Strong interactions"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-7","name":"Weak interactions"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-5","name":"Electroweak unification"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-4","name":"Higgs mechanism and Higgs boson"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-8","name":"Neutrino physics (oscillations, masses)"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-9","name":"CP violation"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-14","name":"Flavor physics"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-15","name":"Antimatter"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-11","name":"Quark-gluon plasma"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-12","name":"Collider physics"},{"id":"ph-particle-physics-13","name":"Beyond Standard Model (supersymmetry, grand unification)"}]},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics","name":"Solid State Physics","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Crystals, electrons and phonons in solids, and how they explain metals, semiconductors, magnets and superconductors.","prerequisites":["ph-quantum-mechanics","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":["el-semiconductor-physics","mt-electronic-properties","ch-structural-methods-diffraction","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ph-engineering-physics","ph-materials-physics","ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics","ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","ph-quantum-many-body-theory","ph-spintronics","ph-superconducting-quantum-circuits","ph-topological-phases-of-matter","el-quantum-technologies"],"order":29,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-1","name":"Crystal structures and crystallography"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-2","name":"Reciprocal lattice and Brillouin zones"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-3","name":"X-ray diffraction"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-20","name":"Free-electron models (Drude and Sommerfeld)"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-5","name":"Phonons and lattice dynamics"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-4","name":"Band theory of solids"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-10","name":"Metals and Fermi surfaces"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-9","name":"Insulators"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-8","name":"Semiconductors (intrinsic, extrinsic, p-n junctions)"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-6","name":"Electrical conductivity"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-7","name":"Thermal conductivity"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-17","name":"Electron-phonon interactions"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-14","name":"Dielectrics"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-13","name":"Magnetism (ferro-, antiferro-, ferri-, para-, dia-)"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-11","name":"Superconductivity (BCS theory, Type I/II)"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-12","name":"High-temperature superconductivity"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-15","name":"Defects and dislocations"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-16","name":"Surface physics"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-18","name":"Hall effect and quantum Hall effect"},{"id":"ph-solid-state-physics-19","name":"Topological insulators"}]},{"id":"ph-cryophysics","name":"Cryophysics","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Physics near absolute zero: superfluid helium, quantum fluids and the techniques for reaching millikelvin temperatures.","prerequisites":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ph-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems","mt-cryogenic-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":48,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ph-cryophysics-1","name":"Low-temperature physics"},{"id":"ph-cryophysics-2","name":"Cryogenics"},{"id":"ph-cryophysics-3","name":"Quantum fluids (superfluid helium)"},{"id":"ph-cryophysics-4","name":"Dilution refrigeration"}]},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics","name":"Soft Matter Physics","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Polymers, colloids, liquid crystals, foams and active matter: materials governed by thermal fluctuations.","prerequisites":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":["mt-soft-materials","ch-polymer-physical-chemistry","ch-colloid-interface-science"],"unlocks":["ph-biophysics"],"order":50,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-1","name":"Polymers and polymer physics"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-2","name":"Colloids and dispersions"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-3","name":"Liquid crystals"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-4","name":"Gels and foams"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-5","name":"Complex fluids"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-6","name":"Biological materials"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-7","name":"Active matter"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-8","name":"Self-assembly and self-organization"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-9","name":"Mechanobiology"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-10","name":"Surfactants and membranes"},{"id":"ph-soft-matter-physics-11","name":"Granular materials"}]},{"id":"ph-materials-physics","name":"Materials Physics","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The physics behind engineered materials: thin films, alloys, glasses, 2D materials and metamaterials.","prerequisites":["ph-solid-state-physics"],"related":["ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","ch-solid-state-chemistry","ch-high-performance-materials","el-electrical-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":64,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ph-materials-physics-1","name":"Nanomaterials"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-2","name":"Metamaterials"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-2-1","name":"Metasurfaces","depth":1,"parent":"ph-materials-physics-2"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-2-2","name":"Active and tunable metamaterials","depth":1,"parent":"ph-materials-physics-2"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-2-3","name":"Electromagnetic metamaterials","depth":1,"parent":"ph-materials-physics-2"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-2-4","name":"2D metamaterials","depth":1,"parent":"ph-materials-physics-2"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-3","name":"Thin films"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-4","name":"Alloys"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-5","name":"Ceramics"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-6","name":"Composites"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-7","name":"Graphene and 2D materials"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-8","name":"Phase transitions and critical phenomena"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-9","name":"Glass and glass transition"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-10","name":"Amorphous materials"},{"id":"ph-materials-physics-11","name":"Smart materials (piezoelectric, shape memory)"}]},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory","name":"Quantum Many-Body Theory","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Field-theoretic methods for interacting electrons and bosons in solids and quantum fluids.","prerequisites":["ph-solid-state-physics","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ph-quantum-field-theory-qft"],"unlocks":["ph-quantum-materials"],"order":75,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-1","name":"Second quantization for fermions and bosons"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-2","name":"Hartree-Fock theory and the homogeneous electron gas"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-3","name":"Many-body Green's functions and propagators"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-4","name":"Feynman diagrams at zero and finite temperature"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-5","name":"Linear response, the dielectric function and screening"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-6","name":"Fermi-liquid theory"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-7","name":"Collective excitations: plasmons, phonons and magnons"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-8","name":"Microscopic theory of superconductivity (BCS)"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-9","name":"Interacting bosons: superfluidity and Bogoliubov theory"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-10","name":"The Hubbard model and strong correlations (introduction)"},{"id":"ph-quantum-many-body-theory-11","name":"Numerical many-body methods: exact diagonalization, quantum Monte Carlo, DMRG"}]},{"id":"ph-spintronics","name":"Spintronics","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Using the electron spin, not just its charge, to store and process information.","prerequisites":["ph-solid-state-physics"],"related":["el-nanoelectronics","mt-magnetic-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":78,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ph-spintronics-1","name":"Spin transport"},{"id":"ph-spintronics-2","name":"Spin-orbit coupling"},{"id":"ph-spintronics-3","name":"Magnetic semiconductors"},{"id":"ph-spintronics-4","name":"Spin Hall effect"},{"id":"ph-spintronics-5","name":"Spin qubits"}]},{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter","name":"Topological Phases of Matter","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Phases of matter classified by topology: topological insulators, Weyl semimetals, Majoranas and topological order.","prerequisites":["ph-solid-state-physics","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ph-quantum-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":80,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter-1","name":"Topological insulators"},{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter-2","name":"Topological superconductors"},{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter-3","name":"Quantum spin Hall effect"},{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter-4","name":"Majorana fermions"},{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter-5","name":"Weyl and Dirac semimetals"},{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter-6","name":"Berry phase and Berry curvature"},{"id":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter-7","name":"Topological order"}]},{"id":"ph-quantum-materials","name":"Quantum Materials","category":"Condensed Matter Physics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Frontier materials dominated by strong correlations: Mott insulators, heavy fermions and quantum spin liquids.","prerequisites":["ph-quantum-many-body-theory"],"related":["ph-topological-phases-of-matter","ch-emerging-frontiers","mt-2d-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":97,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ph-quantum-materials-1","name":"Strongly correlated systems"},{"id":"ph-quantum-materials-2","name":"Heavy fermion systems"},{"id":"ph-quantum-materials-3","name":"Mott insulators"},{"id":"ph-quantum-materials-4","name":"Quantum spin liquids"}]},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics","name":"Plasma Physics","category":"Plasma Physics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The physics of ionized gases, the most common state of visible matter in the Universe, from lab to stars.","prerequisites":["ph-classical-electromagnetism","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":["ph-space-physics"],"unlocks":["ph-fusion-energy","ph-sun-heliophysics"],"order":41,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-1","name":"What is a plasma: Debye shielding and the plasma parameter"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-2","name":"Plasma frequency and collective behaviour"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-3","name":"Single-particle motion: gyration and guiding-centre drifts"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-4","name":"Adiabatic invariants and magnetic mirrors"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-5","name":"Plasmas as fluids: the two-fluid equations"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-6","name":"Magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) and frozen-in flux"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-7","name":"Waves in plasmas: Langmuir, ion-acoustic, Alfven and electromagnetic waves"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-8","name":"Collisions, diffusion and transport"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-9","name":"MHD equilibrium and instabilities"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-10","name":"Kinetic theory: the Vlasov equation"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-11","name":"Landau damping"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-12","name":"Nonlinear effects: sheaths, solitons and shocks"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-13","name":"Plasma diagnostics: Langmuir probes, interferometry and spectroscopy"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-14","name":"Low-temperature and industrial plasmas"},{"id":"ph-plasma-physics-15","name":"Space and astrophysical plasmas (overview)"}]},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy","name":"Fusion Plasma Physics & Energy","category":"Plasma Physics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The physics and engineering challenges of harnessing nuclear fusion in magnetically or inertially confined plasmas.","prerequisites":["ph-plasma-physics","ph-nuclear-physics"],"related":["ph-energy-physics"],"unlocks":[],"order":73,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-1","name":"Fusion reactions, cross-sections and the Lawson criterion"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-2","name":"Magnetic confinement: tokamaks and stellarators"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-3","name":"Plasma heating and current drive"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-4","name":"Tokamak equilibrium, stability and disruptions"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-5","name":"Turbulent transport and confinement scaling"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-6","name":"Inertial confinement fusion: lasers, NIF and ignition"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-7","name":"Plasma-wall interaction and fusion materials"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-8","name":"Burning plasmas, ITER and the road to fusion power plants"},{"id":"ph-fusion-energy-9","name":"Alternative confinement concepts"}]},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics","name":"Chaos Theory & Nonlinear Dynamics","category":"Nonlinear Dynamics & Complex Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How simple deterministic systems produce chaos, fractals, bifurcations, solitons and patterns.","prerequisites":["ph-classical-mechanics"],"related":["ma-dynamical-systems","ma-solitons-integrable-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":18,"stage":5,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-1","name":"Dynamical systems"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-2","name":"Strange attractors"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-3","name":"Deterministic chaos"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-4","name":"Lyapunov exponents"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-5","name":"Bifurcation theory"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-6","name":"Fractals in physics"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-7","name":"Solitons"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-8","name":"Pattern formation"},{"id":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics-9","name":"Applications to weather and climate"}]},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks","name":"Complex Systems & Network Physics","category":"Nonlinear Dynamics & Complex Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Statistical-physics tools for systems of many interacting parts: networks, emergence, criticality and collective behaviour.","prerequisites":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ma-graph-theory"],"related":["ma-network-science","ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics"],"unlocks":["ph-econophysics","ph-sociophysics"],"order":47,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-1","name":"Complexity, emergence and self-organization"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-2","name":"Networks: degree distributions, clustering and path lengths"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-3","name":"Random graphs, small-world and scale-free networks"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-4","name":"Percolation and network robustness"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-5","name":"Spreading processes and epidemics on networks"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-6","name":"Synchronization and the Kuramoto model"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-7","name":"Self-organized criticality and power laws"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-8","name":"Cellular automata and agent-based models"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-9","name":"Collective behaviour: flocking and swarming"},{"id":"ph-complex-systems-networks-10","name":"Information-theoretic measures of complexity"}]},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy","name":"Introductory Astronomy","category":"Astronomy Foundations","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"A first tour of the sky and the Universe: sky motions, the Solar System, stars, galaxies and the Big Bang.","prerequisites":["ph-measurement-units-vectors"],"related":["ph-history-of-physics"],"unlocks":["ph-astrophysics","ph-celestial-mechanics","ph-positional-astronomy","ph-sky-observing-amateur-astronomy","ea-comparative-planetology"],"order":4,"stage":3,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-1","name":"The scale of the Universe: AU, light-years and parsecs"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-2","name":"The celestial sphere, constellations and star names"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-3","name":"Daily and annual motions of the sky"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-4","name":"Sky coordinates: altitude-azimuth and right ascension-declination"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-5","name":"The seasons and the Earth's axial tilt"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-6","name":"Phases of the Moon, tides and eclipses"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-7","name":"History of astronomy: from geocentric models to Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo and Newton"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-8","name":"Kepler's laws and gravity"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-9","name":"Light and spectra: what starlight tells us"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-10","name":"Telescopes and how astronomers observe"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-11","name":"A tour of the Solar System"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-12","name":"The Sun as a star"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-13","name":"Stars: brightness, colour, distance and the HR diagram"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-14","name":"Life cycles of stars"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-15","name":"The Milky Way and other galaxies"},{"id":"ph-introductory-astronomy-16","name":"The expanding Universe and the Big Bang (overview)"}]},{"id":"ph-sky-observing-amateur-astronomy","name":"Sky Observing & Amateur Astronomy","category":"Astronomy Foundations","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Practical observing with eyes, binoculars and telescopes, from finding constellations to astrophotography and citizen science.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-astronomy"],"related":["ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes"],"unlocks":[],"order":8,"stage":4,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ph-sky-observing-amateur-astronomy-1","name":"Naked-eye observing: dark adaptation, constellations and bright stars"},{"id":"ph-sky-observing-amateur-astronomy-2","name":"Star 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sites"},{"id":"ph-sky-observing-amateur-astronomy-12","name":"Variable stars, occultations and citizen-science projects"}]},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy","name":"Positional Astronomy & Timekeeping","category":"Astronomy Foundations","level":2,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Spherical astronomy: celestial coordinate systems, time scales and computing where objects appear in the sky.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-astronomy"],"related":["ma-mathematical-aspects-of-astronomy","ph-celestial-mechanics"],"unlocks":[],"order":10,"stage":4,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-1","name":"Spherical trigonometry for astronomy"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-2","name":"Horizon, equatorial, ecliptic and galactic coordinate systems"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-3","name":"Coordinate transformations"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-4","name":"Sidereal time, hour angle and rising and setting times"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-5","name":"Precession, nutation and epochs"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-6","name":"Refraction, aberration and parallax corrections"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-7","name":"Proper motion and astrometric reference frames (ICRS, Gaia)"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-8","name":"Time scales: UT, UTC, TAI and TDB; Julian dates"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-9","name":"Calendars and the equation of time"},{"id":"ph-positional-astronomy-10","name":"Ephemerides and predicting planetary positions"}]},{"id":"ph-astrophysics","name":"Astrophysics","category":"Astronomy Foundations","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"A physics-based survey of the Universe, from stars and stellar remnants to galaxies and high-energy phenomena.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-astronomy","ph-modern-physics"],"related":["ph-compact-objects","ma-mathematical-aspects-of-astronomy"],"unlocks":["ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics","ph-cosmology","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes","ph-planetary-science","ph-radiative-processes","ch-astrochemistry"],"order":22,"stage":6,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ph-astrophysics-15","name":"The astronomer's toolkit: light, magnitudes and distances"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-16","name":"Stellar spectra, classification and the HR diagram"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-17","name":"Binary stars and stellar masses"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-1","name":"Stellar structure"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-2","name":"Stellar evolution"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-3","name":"White dwarfs"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-4","name":"Neutron stars and pulsars"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-7","name":"Supernovae"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-5","name":"Black holes"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-6","name":"Accretion disks"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-18","name":"The interstellar medium"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-19","name":"The Milky Way"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-8","name":"Galaxy formation and evolution"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-9","name":"Active galactic nuclei and quasars"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-11","name":"Astrophysical plasmas"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-12","name":"High-energy astrophysics"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-13","name":"Cosmic rays"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-14","name":"Gamma-ray bursts"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-10","name":"Astroparticle physics"},{"id":"ph-astrophysics-20","name":"The cosmic distance ladder"}]},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes","name":"Observational Astronomy & Telescopes","category":"Observational Astronomy & Data","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How professional astronomers collect and calibrate light: telescopes, detectors, photometry, spectroscopy and observatories.","prerequisites":["ph-astrophysics","ph-classical-optics","ph-data-analysis-statistics"],"related":["ph-sky-observing-amateur-astronomy","ph-detector-physics"],"unlocks":["ph-astrostatistics","ph-exoplanets","ph-radio-astronomy"],"order":38,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-1","name":"The magnitude system, fluxes and photometric bands"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-2","name":"Telescope optics: focal ratio, plate scale and resolution"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-3","name":"Telescope designs and mounts"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-4","name":"Atmospheric seeing, extinction and observatory sites"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-5","name":"Detectors: CCDs, CMOS and infrared arrays"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-6","name":"CCD image reduction: bias, dark and flat-field calibration"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-7","name":"Aperture and PSF photometry"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-8","name":"Astronomical spectroscopy and spectrographs"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-9","name":"Astrometry"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-10","name":"Adaptive optics"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-11","name":"Optical and infrared interferometry"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-12","name":"Multi-wavelength astronomy: infrared, ultraviolet, X-ray and gamma-ray observing"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-13","name":"Space telescopes: Hubble, JWST, Gaia and Euclid"},{"id":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-14","name":"Planning observations and writing proposals"}]},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics","name":"Astrostatistics & Astronomical Data Analysis","category":"Observational Astronomy & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Statistical and computational methods for turning survey data, images and light curves into astrophysical results.","prerequisites":["ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["ma-bayesian-statistics","ma-time-series-analysis","ai-ai-for-science"],"unlocks":[],"order":59,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-1","name":"Astronomical data formats (FITS) and the Python/Astropy ecosystem"},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-2","name":"Sky surveys and catalogues: SDSS, Gaia and Rubin/LSST"},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-3","name":"Data archives and the Virtual Observatory"},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-4","name":"Bayesian inference and MCMC for astrophysical models"},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-5","name":"Model comparison and hierarchical models"},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-6","name":"Selection effects, Malmquist bias and censored data"},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-7","name":"Time-series analysis: periodograms and light curves"},{"id":"ph-astrostatistics-8","name":"Spatial 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temperature"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-4","name":"Radiometers, receivers and system noise"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-5","name":"Single-dish observing and mapping"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-6","name":"Interferometry and aperture synthesis"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-7","name":"Calibration, imaging and deconvolution (CLEAN)"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-8","name":"Very long baseline interferometry and the Event Horizon Telescope"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-9","name":"Pulsar observing and timing"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-10","name":"Radio-frequency interference and radio-quiet zones"},{"id":"ph-radio-astronomy-11","name":"Major facilities: VLA, ALMA, FAST, LOFAR and the SKA"}]},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes","name":"Radiative Processes in Astrophysics","category":"Stars, the Sun & Interstellar Medium","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How matter emits, absorbs and scatters radiation: the physics needed to interpret every astronomical observation.","prerequisites":["ph-astrophysics","ph-classical-electromagnetism","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ph-special-relativity"],"related":["ea-atmospheric-radiation"],"unlocks":["ph-radio-astronomy","ph-stellar-astrophysics"],"order":43,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-1","name":"Specific intensity, flux and other radiative quantities"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-2","name":"The radiative transfer equation and optical depth"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-3","name":"Blackbody radiation and thermal equilibrium"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-4","name":"Einstein coefficients and line emission and absorption"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-5","name":"Line profiles and broadening mechanisms"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-6","name":"Radiation from accelerated charges"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-7","name":"Bremsstrahlung (free-free emission)"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-8","name":"Synchrotron radiation"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-9","name":"Compton and inverse-Compton scattering"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-10","name":"Plasma effects: dispersion and Faraday rotation"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-11","name":"Atomic and molecular spectra in astrophysics"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-12","name":"Dust absorption, scattering and emission"},{"id":"ph-radiative-processes-13","name":"Polarization of astrophysical radiation"}]},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics","name":"Astrophysical Fluid Dynamics","category":"Stars, the Sun & Interstellar Medium","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Gas dynamics and MHD applied to stars, discs, winds, explosions and the interstellar medium.","prerequisites":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ph-astrophysics"],"related":["ph-plasma-physics"],"unlocks":["ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation"],"order":54,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-1","name":"Fluid equations with self-gravity"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-2","name":"Sound waves and the Jeans instability"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-3","name":"Shocks, blast waves and the Sedov-Taylor solution"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-4","name":"Spherical accretion (Bondi) and stellar winds (Parker)"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-5","name":"Fluid instabilities: Rayleigh-Taylor, Kelvin-Helmholtz and thermal"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-6","name":"Rotating fluids and stellar and planetary rotation"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-7","name":"Accretion disc theory and angular momentum transport"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-8","name":"Astrophysical MHD and dynamos"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-9","name":"Turbulence in astrophysical flows"},{"id":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics-10","name":"Numerical hydrodynamics in astrophysics"}]},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics","name":"Stellar Structure & Evolution","category":"Stars, the Sun & Interstellar Medium","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The physics of stars: how they are built, how they shine, and how they live and die.","prerequisites":["ph-radiative-processes"],"related":["ph-nuclear-physics"],"unlocks":["ph-compact-objects","ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics","ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation","ph-neutrino-astronomy","ph-sun-heliophysics"],"order":58,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-1","name":"Observed properties of stars and the HR diagram"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-2","name":"Stellar atmospheres and spectral line formation"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-3","name":"Hydrostatic equilibrium and the virial theorem"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-4","name":"The equations of stellar structure"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-4-1","name":"Polytropes and the Lane-Emden equation","depth":1,"parent":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-4"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-4-2","name":"Stellar evolution codes (e.g. MESA)","depth":1,"parent":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-4"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-5","name":"Energy transport: radiation, opacity and convection"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-6","name":"Equation of state and electron degeneracy"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-7","name":"Nuclear energy generation: pp chain, CNO cycle and triple-alpha"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-8","name":"Main-sequence stars and the mass-luminosity relation"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-9","name":"Pre-main-sequence evolution: Hayashi and Henyey tracks"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-10","name":"Post-main-sequence evolution: red giants, helium flash, horizontal branch and AGB"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-11","name":"Mass loss, planetary nebulae and white dwarf cooling"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-12","name":"Evolution of massive stars and core collapse"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-13","name":"Binary stars and mass transfer"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-14","name":"Stellar pulsation, variable stars and asteroseismology"},{"id":"ph-stellar-astrophysics-15","name":"Star clusters, isochrones and stellar populations"}]},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics","name":"The Sun & Heliophysics","category":"Stars, the Sun & Interstellar Medium","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Our nearest star in detail: its interior, magnetic activity, atmosphere, and its influence on the Solar System.","prerequisites":["ph-stellar-astrophysics","ph-plasma-physics"],"related":["ph-space-physics"],"unlocks":["ph-space-physics"],"order":84,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-1","name":"The Sun's basic parameters and internal structure"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-2","name":"Solar fusion and the solar neutrino problem"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-3","name":"Helioseismology"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-4","name":"The photosphere: granulation, limb darkening and the solar spectrum"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-5","name":"The chromosphere and transition region"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-6","name":"The corona and the coronal heating problem"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-7","name":"Solar magnetism, sunspots and active regions"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-8","name":"The solar dynamo and the 11-year cycle"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-9","name":"Solar flares and coronal mass ejections"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-10","name":"The solar wind and the heliosphere"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-11","name":"Solar observatories and missions: SDO, Parker Solar Probe, Solar Orbiter, DKIST"},{"id":"ph-sun-heliophysics-12","name":"The Sun-Earth connection and solar influence on climate"}]},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation","name":"Interstellar Medium & Star Formation","category":"Stars, the Sun & Interstellar Medium","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The gas and dust between the stars, and how molecular clouds collapse to form stars and planetary systems.","prerequisites":["ph-stellar-astrophysics","ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics"],"related":["ch-astrochemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":90,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-1","name":"Phases of the interstellar medium"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-2","name":"Neutral hydrogen and the 21-cm line"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-3","name":"HII regions and Stromgren spheres"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-4","name":"Interstellar dust: extinction, reddening and emission"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-5","name":"Molecular clouds and astrochemistry"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-6","name":"Heating and cooling of interstellar gas"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-7","name":"Interstellar shocks and supernova remnants"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-8","name":"Magnetic fields and cosmic rays in the ISM"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-9","name":"Gravitational instability and the Jeans mass"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-10","name":"Protostars, accretion discs, jets and outflows"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-11","name":"Protoplanetary discs"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-12","name":"The initial mass function and star-formation efficiency"},{"id":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation-13","name":"Star-formation laws in galaxies (Kennicutt-Schmidt)"}]},{"id":"ph-space-physics","name":"Space Physics","category":"Stars, the Sun & Interstellar Medium","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The plasma environment of space: the solar wind, magnetospheres, radiation belts, aurorae and space weather.","prerequisites":["ph-sun-heliophysics"],"related":["ph-plasma-physics","ae-space-environment","ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism"],"unlocks":[],"order":101,"stage":10,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ph-space-physics-1","name":"Solar physics"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-4","name":"Heliophysics"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-2","name":"Solar wind"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-7","name":"The interplanetary magnetic field and the edge of the heliosphere"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-3","name":"Magnetospheres"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-8","name":"Radiation belts and trapped particles"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-9","name":"Aurorae and magnetosphere-ionosphere coupling"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-6","name":"Ionosphere physics"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-5","name":"Space weather"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-10","name":"Planetary magnetospheres beyond Earth"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-11","name":"Spacecraft environment effects: charging and radiation damage"},{"id":"ph-space-physics-12","name":"In-situ space plasma measurements"}]},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics","name":"Celestial Mechanics & Solar System Dynamics","category":"Planetary Science & Exoplanets","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The gravitational dynamics of planets, moons, asteroids and rings, from Kepler orbits to resonances and chaos.","prerequisites":["ph-classical-mechanics","ph-introductory-astronomy"],"related":["ma-mathematical-aspects-of-astronomy","ae-orbital-mechanics","ae-orbital-perturbations","ae-three-body-problem"],"unlocks":["ph-exoplanets"],"order":19,"stage":5,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-1","name":"The two-body problem and Kepler orbits"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-2","name":"Orbital elements and orbit determination"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-3","name":"The restricted three-body problem and Lagrange points"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-4","name":"Hill spheres and orbital stability"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-5","name":"Perturbation theory and secular dynamics"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-6","name":"Orbital resonances: Kirkwood gaps and the Laplace resonance"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-7","name":"Tides, tidal locking and spin-orbit coupling"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-8","name":"Planetary rings and shepherd moons"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-9","name":"N-body integration methods"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-10","name":"Chaos and the long-term stability of the Solar System"},{"id":"ph-celestial-mechanics-11","name":"Relativistic corrections: perihelion precession"}]},{"id":"ph-planetary-science","name":"Planetary Science","category":"Planetary Science & Exoplanets","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The physics of planets, moons, asteroids and comets: their formation, interiors, surfaces and atmospheres.","prerequisites":["ph-astrophysics","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":["ph-geophysics","ph-celestial-mechanics","ea-comparative-planetology","ma-mathematical-aspects-of-astronomy","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry","ch-astrochemistry","ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering","ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates","ae-planetary-exploration-systems"],"unlocks":["ph-exoplanets","bi-astrobiology"],"order":40,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ph-planetary-science-9","name":"A tour of the Solar System and its inventory"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-3","name":"Orbital dynamics"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-5","name":"Planetary formation"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-2","name":"Planetary interiors"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-10","name":"Planetary surfaces and impact cratering"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-1","name":"Planetary atmospheres"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-11","name":"Planetary magnetic fields and magnetospheres"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-12","name":"Moons, rings and tidal heating"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-8","name":"Comets and asteroids"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-13","name":"The Kuiper Belt, dwarf planets and the Oort Cloud"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-7","name":"Meteoritics"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-4","name":"Exoplanets"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-6","name":"Astrobiology"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-14","name":"Planetary exploration missions and remote sensing"},{"id":"ph-planetary-science-15","name":"Planetary defence and impact hazards"}]},{"id":"ph-exoplanets","name":"Exoplanets","category":"Planetary Science & Exoplanets","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Planets around other stars: how they are found, what they are like, and where habitable worlds might be.","prerequisites":["ph-planetary-science","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes","ph-celestial-mechanics"],"related":["ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates","bi-biosignatures-life-detection"],"unlocks":["ph-astrobiology"],"order":63,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ph-exoplanets-1","name":"History of exoplanet discovery"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-2","name":"The radial-velocity method"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-3","name":"The transit method and light-curve analysis"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-4","name":"Gravitational microlensing"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-5","name":"Direct imaging and coronagraphy"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-6","name":"Astrometric and timing methods"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-7","name":"Exoplanet demographics: hot Jupiters, super-Earths and mini-Neptunes"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-8","name":"Planet formation and migration"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-9","name":"Exoplanet atmospheres: transmission and emission spectroscopy"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-10","name":"Habitable zones and potentially habitable worlds"},{"id":"ph-exoplanets-11","name":"Exoplanet missions: Kepler, TESS, JWST, PLATO, Roman and the Habitable Worlds Observatory"}]},{"id":"ph-astrobiology","name":"Astrobiology","category":"Planetary Science & Exoplanets","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"A physics-side view of life in the Universe: habitability, the search for biosignatures and SETI.","prerequisites":["ph-exoplanets","bi-chemistry-of-life"],"related":["bi-astrobiology","ea-astrobiology-and-planetary-habitability"],"unlocks":[],"order":85,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"ph-astrobiology-1","name":"What is life? Definitions and requirements"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-2","name":"The origin of life and prebiotic chemistry"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-3","name":"Early Earth and the evolution of life"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-4","name":"Extremophiles and the limits of life"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-5","name":"Habitability of planets and moons"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-6","name":"Mars: past water and the search for life"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-7","name":"Ocean worlds: Europa, Enceladus and Titan"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-8","name":"Biosignatures and the remote detection of life"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-9","name":"SETI, technosignatures and the Drake equation"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-10","name":"The Fermi paradox"},{"id":"ph-astrobiology-11","name":"Planetary protection"}]},{"id":"ph-cosmology","name":"Cosmology","category":"Galaxies & Cosmology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The origin, evolution and contents of the Universe as a whole: the Big Bang, the CMB, dark matter and dark energy.","prerequisites":["ph-astrophysics","ph-general-relativity","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-advanced-cosmology","ph-astroparticle-physics","ph-galaxy-formation-evolution"],"order":32,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ph-cosmology-9","name":"Expansion of the universe (Hubble's law)"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-13","name":"Friedmann equations and cosmological parameters"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-14","name":"Distances, redshift and the cosmic distance ladder"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-7","name":"Cosmological models"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-1","name":"Big Bang theory"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-15","name":"Thermal history of the Universe"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-10","name":"Nucleosynthesis (Big Bang, stellar)"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-3","name":"Cosmic microwave background (CMB)"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-5","name":"Dark matter"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-6","name":"Dark energy"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-2","name":"Inflation"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-8","name":"Baryogenesis and leptogenesis"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-4","name":"Large-scale structure"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-11","name":"Cosmic strings and topological defects"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-16","name":"Observational tests: supernovae, BAO, lensing and the Hubble tension"},{"id":"ph-cosmology-12","name":"Multiverse theories"}]},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology","name":"Cosmological Perturbations & Large-Scale Structure","category":"Galaxies & Cosmology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Graduate cosmology: how tiny early fluctuations grew into the CMB anisotropies and the cosmic web, and how we measure them.","prerequisites":["ph-cosmology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":72,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-1","name":"Relativistic perturbation theory and gauge choices"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-2","name":"Boltzmann equations for photons, baryons and dark matter"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-3","name":"Initial conditions from inflation: quantum fluctuations"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-4","name":"CMB temperature anisotropies and the angular power spectrum"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-5","name":"CMB polarization and B-modes"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-6","name":"Growth of structure and the matter power spectrum"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-7","name":"Baryon acoustic oscillations"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-8","name":"Nonlinear structure: spherical collapse and the halo mass function"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-9","name":"N-body simulations"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-10","name":"Galaxy clustering and redshift-space distortions"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-11","name":"Weak gravitational lensing and cosmic shear"},{"id":"ph-advanced-cosmology-12","name":"Cosmological parameter estimation and current tensions"}]},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics","name":"Galaxies & Galactic Dynamics","category":"Galaxies & Cosmology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The structure, dynamics and populations of the Milky Way and other galaxies, and the evidence for dark matter.","prerequisites":["ph-stellar-astrophysics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-galaxy-formation-evolution"],"order":83,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-1","name":"Structure of the Milky Way: disc, bulge, bar and halo"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-2","name":"Stellar populations and galactic chemical evolution"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-3","name":"Galactic rotation and the Oort constants"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-4","name":"Galaxy classification and the Hubble sequence"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-5","name":"Galaxy photometry and scaling relations: Tully-Fisher, Faber-Jackson and the fundamental plane"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-6","name":"Rotation curves and dark matter haloes"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-7","name":"Gravitational potentials and orbits in galaxies"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-8","name":"The collisionless Boltzmann and Jeans equations"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-9","name":"Spiral structure and density waves"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-10","name":"Relaxation, dynamical friction and star clusters"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-11","name":"Galaxy interactions and mergers"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-12","name":"Supermassive black holes and galactic nuclei"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-13","name":"The Local Group and dwarf galaxies"},{"id":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics-14","name":"Groups and clusters of galaxies"}]},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution","name":"Galaxy Formation & Evolution","category":"Galaxies & Cosmology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How galaxies form and change over cosmic time inside the growing web of dark matter.","prerequisites":["ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics","ph-cosmology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":99,"stage":10,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-1","name":"Hierarchical structure formation and dark matter haloes"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-2","name":"Gas cooling and disc formation"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-3","name":"The cosmic star-formation history"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-4","name":"Feedback from supernovae and active galactic nuclei"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-5","name":"Quenching and the galaxy colour bimodality"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-6","name":"Co-evolution of galaxies and black holes"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-7","name":"First stars, first galaxies and cosmic reionization"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-8","name":"The intergalactic medium and the Lyman-alpha forest"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-9","name":"Galaxy clusters: the intracluster medium and the Sunyaev-Zel'dovich effect"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-10","name":"High-redshift galaxy surveys with Hubble and JWST"},{"id":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution-11","name":"Cosmological hydrodynamical simulations"}]},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics","name":"Astroparticle Physics & Dark Matter","category":"High-Energy & Multi-Messenger Astrophysics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Where particle physics meets the cosmos: dark matter searches, cosmic rays and very-high-energy gamma rays.","prerequisites":["ph-particle-physics","ph-cosmology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-neutrino-astronomy"],"order":70,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-1","name":"Evidence for dark matter"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-2","name":"Dark matter candidates: WIMPs, axions, sterile neutrinos and primordial black holes"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-3","name":"Direct detection experiments"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-4","name":"Indirect detection and gamma-ray searches"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-5","name":"Cosmic rays: composition, spectrum and origin"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-6","name":"Particle acceleration: Fermi acceleration in shocks"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-7","name":"Ultra-high-energy cosmic rays and the GZK limit"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-8","name":"Very-high-energy gamma-ray astronomy with Cherenkov telescopes"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-9","name":"Neutrino masses and cosmology"},{"id":"ph-astroparticle-physics-10","name":"Particle physics of the early Universe"}]},{"id":"ph-compact-objects","name":"Compact Objects & High-Energy Astrophysics","category":"High-Energy & Multi-Messenger Astrophysics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"White dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes, and the violent accretion and explosive phenomena they power.","prerequisites":["ph-stellar-astrophysics","ph-general-relativity"],"related":["ph-black-hole-physics","ph-astrophysics"],"unlocks":["ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy"],"order":88,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ph-compact-objects-1","name":"Degenerate matter and the Chandrasekhar limit"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-2","name":"White dwarfs and cataclysmic variables"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-3","name":"Neutron star structure and the equation of state (TOV equation)"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-4","name":"Pulsars and magnetars"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-5","name":"Stellar-mass black holes"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-6","name":"Accretion physics and the Eddington limit"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-7","name":"X-ray binaries"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-8","name":"Accretion discs and relativistic jets"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-9","name":"Core-collapse and thermonuclear supernovae"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-10","name":"Gamma-ray bursts"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-11","name":"Kilonovae and r-process nucleosynthesis"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-12","name":"Active galactic nuclei and quasars"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-13","name":"Imaging black holes: the Event Horizon Telescope"},{"id":"ph-compact-objects-14","name":"X-ray and gamma-ray observatories"}]},{"id":"ph-neutrino-astronomy","name":"Neutrino Astronomy","category":"High-Energy & Multi-Messenger Astrophysics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Using neutrinos from the Sun, supernovae and distant cosmic accelerators as a window on the Universe.","prerequisites":["ph-astroparticle-physics","ph-stellar-astrophysics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":92,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"ph-neutrino-astronomy-4","name":"Neutrino detection"},{"id":"ph-neutrino-astronomy-5","name":"Neutrino oscillations in matter (MSW effect)"},{"id":"ph-neutrino-astronomy-1","name":"Solar neutrinos"},{"id":"ph-neutrino-astronomy-2","name":"Supernova neutrinos"},{"id":"ph-neutrino-astronomy-3","name":"High-energy neutrino sources"},{"id":"ph-neutrino-astronomy-6","name":"The cosmic neutrino background"}]},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy","name":"Gravitational Wave Astronomy","category":"High-Energy & Multi-Messenger Astrophysics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Observing the Universe through ripples in spacetime from merging black holes and neutron stars.","prerequisites":["ph-compact-objects"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":100,"stage":10,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-4","name":"Linearized gravity and the quadrupole formula"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-5","name":"Compact binary waveforms: inspiral, merger and ringdown"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-1","name":"Detection methods (LIGO, VIRGO, LISA)"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-6","name":"Detector noise and sensitivity"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-7","name":"Data analysis: matched filtering and parameter estimation"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-2","name":"Sources (binary mergers, supernovae)"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-8","name":"Pulsar timing arrays and the nanohertz background"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-9","name":"Tests of general relativity and standard sirens"},{"id":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy-3","name":"Multi-messenger astronomy"}]},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics","name":"Data Analysis & Statistics for Physicists","category":"Experimental Physics & Instrumentation","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How physicists turn measurements into results with honest uncertainties: error analysis, fitting and inference.","prerequisites":["ph-measurement-units-vectors","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["ma-inferential-statistics","ma-bayesian-statistics","ph-measurement-instrumentation"],"unlocks":["ph-measurement-instrumentation","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes"],"order":15,"stage":5,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-1","name":"Random and systematic errors"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-2","name":"Probability distributions in physics: binomial, Poisson and Gaussian"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-3","name":"Propagation of uncertainties"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-4","name":"Weighted means and combining measurements"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-5","name":"Least-squares fitting and linear regression"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-6","name":"Chi-squared tests and goodness of fit"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-7","name":"Maximum likelihood estimation"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-8","name":"Bayesian inference for physicists"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-9","name":"Hypothesis testing, p-values and the 5-sigma convention"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-10","name":"Monte Carlo simulation and bootstrap methods"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-11","name":"Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC)"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-12","name":"Data visualization and scientific plotting"},{"id":"ph-data-analysis-statistics-13","name":"Scientific Python for analysis: NumPy, SciPy and Matplotlib"}]},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists","name":"Electronics for Physicists","category":"Experimental Physics & Instrumentation","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The practical circuits a physicist meets in the lab; the electronics discipline covers the subject in full depth.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","ma-calculus"],"related":["el-circuit-theory","el-analog-circuits","el-operational-amplifiers","el-noise-analysis","el-data-converters"],"unlocks":["ph-engineering-physics","ph-measurement-instrumentation"],"order":16,"stage":5,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-1","name":"Circuit analysis refresher: Kirchhoff's laws, Thevenin and Norton equivalents"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-2","name":"RC, RL and RLC circuits and transients"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-3","name":"AC circuits, phasors and impedance"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-4","name":"Passive filters and frequency response (Bode plots)"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-5","name":"Diodes and rectification"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-6","name":"Transistors as switches and amplifiers"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-7","name":"Operational amplifiers in measurement circuits"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-8","name":"Noise, shielding and grounding in the lab"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-9","name":"Transducers and sensor front-ends"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-10","name":"Digital logic and microcontrollers for experiments"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-11","name":"Analog-to-digital conversion and sampling"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-12","name":"Lock-in amplifiers and phase-sensitive detection"},{"id":"ph-electronics-for-physicists-13","name":"Oscilloscopes, signal generators and lab instruments"}]},{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation","name":"Measurement & Instrumentation","category":"Experimental Physics & Instrumentation","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How physical quantities are measured in practice: sensors, standards, data acquisition, noise and feedback.","prerequisites":["ph-data-analysis-statistics","ph-electronics-for-physicists"],"related":["el-test-equipment","el-calibration","el-sensor-interfacing","ch-instrumental-analysis","me-measurements-instrumentation","ae-aerospace-instrumentation","el-electrical-measurements"],"unlocks":["ph-detector-physics","ph-experimental-techniques","ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems"],"order":24,"stage":6,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation-6","name":"Units, standards, calibration and traceability"},{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation-1","name":"Measurement systems and sensors"},{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation-2","name":"Error analysis and statistics"},{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation-7","name":"Uncertainty budgets (GUM)"},{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation-3","name":"Data acquisition"},{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation-8","name":"Noise sources and signal recovery"},{"id":"ph-measurement-instrumentation-4","name":"Signal 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Instrumentation","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The workhorse probes of experimental physics: spectroscopy, microscopy, diffraction, scattering and interferometry.","prerequisites":["ph-measurement-instrumentation","ph-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ch-surface-analysis-microscopy","mt-characterization-fundamentals"],"unlocks":[],"order":34,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ph-experimental-techniques-1","name":"Spectroscopy (optical, X-ray, NMR, EPR, Mössbauer)"},{"id":"ph-experimental-techniques-2","name":"Microscopy (AFM, STM, SEM, TEM, optical)"},{"id":"ph-experimental-techniques-3","name":"X-ray crystallography"},{"id":"ph-experimental-techniques-4","name":"Neutron scattering"},{"id":"ph-experimental-techniques-5","name":"Electron diffraction"},{"id":"ph-experimental-techniques-6","name":"Mass spectrometry"},{"id":"ph-experimental-techniques-7","name":"Interferometry"}]},{"id":"ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems","name":"Vacuum & Cryogenic Systems","category":"Experimental Physics & Instrumentation","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The practical technology of vacuum systems and cryogenics that many modern experiments depend on.","prerequisites":["ph-measurement-instrumentation","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":["ph-cryophysics","mt-cryogenic-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":51,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems-1","name":"Vacuum technology"},{"id":"ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems-2","name":"Cryogenic systems"},{"id":"ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems-3","name":"Ultra-high vacuum"},{"id":"ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems-4","name":"Low-temperature experimental setups"}]},{"id":"ph-detector-physics","name":"Detector Physics","category":"Experimental Physics & Instrumentation","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How radiation and particles interact with matter and how detectors turn those interactions into signals.","prerequisites":["ph-measurement-instrumentation","ph-nuclear-physics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-high-energy-experimental-physics"],"order":61,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-detector-physics-1","name":"Particle detectors"},{"id":"ph-detector-physics-2","name":"Scintillators"},{"id":"ph-detector-physics-3","name":"Calorimeters"},{"id":"ph-detector-physics-4","name":"Tracking detectors"},{"id":"ph-detector-physics-5","name":"Photomultipliers and photodetectors"},{"id":"ph-detector-physics-6","name":"Semiconductor detectors"}]},{"id":"ph-high-energy-experimental-physics","name":"High-Energy Experimental Physics","category":"Experimental Physics & Instrumentation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How collider, fixed-target and underground experiments are designed, run and analysed.","prerequisites":["ph-particle-physics","ph-detector-physics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":89,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ph-high-energy-experimental-physics-1","name":"Collider experiments"},{"id":"ph-high-energy-experimental-physics-2","name":"Fixed-target experiments"},{"id":"ph-high-energy-experimental-physics-3","name":"Underground experiments"},{"id":"ph-high-energy-experimental-physics-4","name":"Neutrino detectors"}]},{"id":"ph-energy-physics","name":"Energy Physics","category":"Applied Physics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The physics of energy sources, conversion and storage, from fission and solar cells to batteries.","prerequisites":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ph-classical-electromagnetism"],"related":["el-energy-innovations","el-battery-technologies","ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen","ch-solar-energy-conversion","ch-applied-radiochemistry","me-renewable-energy-systems","el-power-generation"],"unlocks":[],"order":33,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ph-energy-physics-7","name":"Energy fundamentals: forms, units and global energy flows"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-8","name":"Heat engines and power-plant thermodynamics"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-3","name":"Energy conversion"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-1","name":"Nuclear energy"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-2","name":"Renewable energy systems (solar, wind, hydro)"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-9","name":"Photovoltaic physics: solar cells and efficiency limits"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-10","name":"Wind energy and the Betz limit"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-4","name":"Energy storage"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-5","name":"Fuel cells"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-6","name":"Thermoelectric devices"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-11","name":"Energy efficiency in buildings and transport"},{"id":"ph-energy-physics-12","name":"Energy, climate and the greenhouse effect"}]},{"id":"ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics","name":"Atmospheric & Environmental Physics","category":"Applied Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The physics of the atmosphere, oceans and climate: dynamics, radiation, clouds and aerosols.","prerequisites":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":["ma-geophysical-environmental-mathematics","ea-atmospheric-dynamics","ea-atmospheric-radiation","ch-atmospheric-chemistry","ea-meteorology","ea-climate-dynamics"],"unlocks":[],"order":46,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics-1","name":"Atmospheric 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tectonics.","prerequisites":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ph-waves-oscillations"],"related":["ma-geophysics","ph-planetary-science","ea-solid-earth-geophysics","ea-seismology","ma-geophysical-environmental-mathematics","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry","ea-geodynamics","ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism"],"unlocks":[],"order":49,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ph-geophysics-1","name":"Seismology"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-2","name":"Geomagnetism"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-3","name":"Volcanology"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-4","name":"Earth structure and composition"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-5","name":"Geodynamics"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-6","name":"Heat flow in the Earth"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-7","name":"Plate tectonics"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-8","name":"Mineral physics"},{"id":"ph-geophysics-9","name":"Gravity and geodesy"}]},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics","name":"Engineering Physics","category":"Applied Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Applying physics to devices and systems: semiconductors, MEMS, quantum technologies, control and signal processing.","prerequisites":["ph-solid-state-physics","ph-electronics-for-physicists"],"related":["el-semiconductor-physics","el-mems-devices","el-control-theory"],"unlocks":[],"order":62,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-1","name":"Electronic devices"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-2","name":"Semiconductor physics"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-3","name":"Microelectronics"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-4","name":"MEMS and NEMS"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-5","name":"Nanotechnology"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-6","name":"Quantum technologies"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-7","name":"Control engineering"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-8","name":"Power engineering"},{"id":"ph-engineering-physics-9","name":"Signal processing"}]},{"id":"ph-medical-physics","name":"Medical Physics","category":"Applied Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Physics in medicine: imaging, radiotherapy, dosimetry and radiation protection.","prerequisites":["ph-nuclear-physics","bi-human-anatomy"],"related":["el-diagnostic-equipment","bi-radiation-biology","ch-magnetic-resonance","ch-applied-radiochemistry","bi-neurotechnology-methods"],"unlocks":[],"order":65,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ph-medical-physics-1","name":"Medical imaging (MRI, CT, PET, ultrasound)"},{"id":"ph-medical-physics-2","name":"Radiotherapy"},{"id":"ph-medical-physics-3","name":"Radiation dosimetry"},{"id":"ph-medical-physics-4","name":"Health physics"},{"id":"ph-medical-physics-5","name":"Nuclear medicine"},{"id":"ph-medical-physics-6","name":"Biophysics applications"},{"id":"ph-medical-physics-7","name":"Optical coherence tomography"},{"id":"ph-medical-physics-8","name":"Therapeutic ultrasound"}]},{"id":"ph-biophysics","name":"Biophysics","category":"Interdisciplinary Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Physical principles of living systems, from protein folding and molecular motors to membranes and neurons.","prerequisites":["ph-soft-matter-physics","bi-molecular-biology"],"related":["bi-structural-biology","bi-biomechanics","ch-biophysical-chemistry","bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity","bi-protein-structure-function"],"unlocks":[],"order":60,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ph-biophysics-1","name":"Molecular biophysics"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-2","name":"Cellular biophysics"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-3","name":"Protein dynamics and folding"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-4","name":"DNA structure and dynamics"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-5","name":"Neural biophysics"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-6","name":"Biomechanics"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-7","name":"Systems biology"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-8","name":"Single-molecule biophysics"},{"id":"ph-biophysics-9","name":"Membrane biophysics"}]},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","name":"Nanoscience & Nanotechnology","category":"Interdisciplinary Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The physics of matter at the nanometre scale: quantum dots, nanowires, nanotubes and how they are made.","prerequisites":["ph-solid-state-physics"],"related":["ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics","mt-nanomaterials","ch-nanochemistry","el-nanoelectronics","me-micro-nano-mechanics"],"unlocks":[],"order":66,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-1","name":"Nanoparticles"},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-2","name":"Quantum dots"},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-3","name":"Nanowires"},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-4","name":"Nanotubes"},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-5","name":"Nanostructured materials"},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-6","name":"Nanofabrication"},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-7","name":"Nano-optics"},{"id":"ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology-8","name":"Nanomechanics"}]},{"id":"ph-econophysics","name":"Econophysics","category":"Interdisciplinary Physics","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"Statistical-physics models of markets and economies.","prerequisites":["ph-complex-systems-networks"],"related":["ma-financial-mathematics"],"unlocks":[],"order":81,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ph-econophysics-1","name":"Statistical approaches to economic systems"},{"id":"ph-econophysics-2","name":"Financial market physics"},{"id":"ph-econophysics-3","name":"Complex systems in economics"},{"id":"ph-econophysics-4","name":"Agent-based modeling"}]},{"id":"ph-sociophysics","name":"Sociophysics","category":"Interdisciplinary Physics","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"Statistical-physics models of social behaviour, opinions and networks.","prerequisites":["ph-complex-systems-networks"],"related":["ma-network-science"],"unlocks":[],"order":82,"stage":8,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ph-sociophysics-1","name":"Statistical physics of social systems"},{"id":"ph-sociophysics-2","name":"Opinion dynamics"},{"id":"ph-sociophysics-3","name":"Network physics in social systems"}]},{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","name":"Chemical Physics & Physical Chemistry","category":"Interdisciplinary Physics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Physics applied to chemistry: quantum chemistry, reaction dynamics, spectroscopy and surfaces.","prerequisites":["ph-molecular-physics","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ch-chemical-equilibrium"],"related":["ma-mathematical-chemistry","ch-chemical-thermodynamics","ch-quantum-chemistry","ch-chemical-kinetics","ch-molecular-spectroscopy","ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics"],"unlocks":[],"order":86,"stage":9,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry-1","name":"Reaction dynamics"},{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry-2","name":"Spectroscopy (all types)"},{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry-3","name":"Molecular structure"},{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry-4","name":"Quantum chemistry"},{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry-5","name":"Surface chemistry"},{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry-6","name":"Photochemistry"},{"id":"ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry-7","name":"Catalysis physics"}]},{"id":"ph-history-of-physics","name":"History of Physics","category":"Foundations, History & Education","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"How physics developed from ancient natural philosophy to the quantum and relativistic revolutions.","prerequisites":[],"related":["ph-introductory-astronomy"],"unlocks":[],"order":1,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"ph-history-of-physics-1","name":"Ancient and medieval physics"},{"id":"ph-history-of-physics-2","name":"Scientific revolution"},{"id":"ph-history-of-physics-3","name":"Classical physics era"},{"id":"ph-history-of-physics-4","name":"Quantum revolution"},{"id":"ph-history-of-physics-5","name":"Modern developments"}]},{"id":"ph-physics-education","name":"Physics Education","category":"Foundations, History & Education","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"How physics is learned and taught: conceptual understanding, demonstrations and lab education.","prerequisites":["ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism"],"related":["ma-mathematics-education"],"unlocks":[],"order":17,"stage":5,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ph-physics-education-1","name":"Pedagogy of physics"},{"id":"ph-physics-education-2","name":"Conceptual physics"},{"id":"ph-physics-education-3","name":"Physics demonstrations"},{"id":"ph-physics-education-4","name":"Laboratory education"}]},{"id":"ph-philosophy-of-physics","name":"Philosophy of Physics","category":"Foundations, History & Education","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Conceptual questions raised by physics: interpreting quantum mechanics, the nature of time, causality and emergence.","prerequisites":["ph-quantum-mechanics","ph-special-relativity"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":52,"stage":7,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ph-philosophy-of-physics-1","name":"Interpretation of quantum mechanics"},{"id":"ph-philosophy-of-physics-2","name":"Nature of space and time"},{"id":"ph-philosophy-of-physics-3","name":"Causality and determinism"},{"id":"ph-philosophy-of-physics-4","name":"Reductionism vs. emergence"},{"id":"ph-philosophy-of-physics-5","name":"Foundations of statistical mechanics"},{"id":"ph-philosophy-of-physics-6","name":"Philosophy of cosmology"}]}]},{"id":"chemistry","name":"Chemistry","icon":"🧪","color":"#f472b6","prefix":"ch","description":"The science of matter at the level of atoms and molecules: composition, structure, bonding, reactions and energy change, from introductory and general chemistry through organic, inorganic, physical, analytical and biological chemistry to applied fields such as materials, energy, combustion and propellants, environmental chemistry and chemical engineering.","categories":["Foundations","General Chemistry","Laboratory & Professional Skills","Organic Chemistry","Inorganic Chemistry","Physical Chemistry","Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","Computational & Theoretical Chemistry","Biochemistry & Chemical Biology","Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry","Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","Surfaces, Catalysis & Supramolecular Chemistry","Electrochemistry & Energy","Combustion, Propellants & Energetic Materials","Environmental & Green Chemistry","Earth & Space Chemistry","Nuclear & Radiochemistry","Chemical Engineering Fundamentals","Industrial & Applied Chemistry","Frontiers of Chemistry"],"chapters":[{"id":"ch-laboratory-safety-basic-skills","name":"Laboratory Safety & Basic Lab Skills","category":"Foundations","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"How to work safely with chemicals and carry out and record basic laboratory 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basics.","prerequisites":["ma-elementary-intermediate-algebra"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-atomic-structure-periodicity","ch-chemical-information-communication","ch-chemical-nomenclature-representation","ch-history-philosophy-of-chemistry","bi-chemistry-of-life","ea-soil-science","me-applied-thermodynamics","me-engineering-materials","mt-atomic-bonding","ae-aerospace-thermodynamics"],"order":2,"stage":2,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"ch-introductory-chemistry-1","name":"What chemistry studies: matter, properties, physical vs chemical change"},{"id":"ch-introductory-chemistry-2","name":"Measurement, SI units, significant figures and dimensional analysis"},{"id":"ch-introductory-chemistry-3","name":"Classification of matter: elements, compounds, mixtures and separation methods"},{"id":"ch-introductory-chemistry-4","name":"Atoms, subatomic particles, isotopes and atomic mass"},{"id":"ch-introductory-chemistry-5","name":"The periodic table: groups, periods, metals, nonmetals 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explain.","prerequisites":["ch-introductory-chemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure"],"order":3,"stage":3,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity-1","name":"Electromagnetic radiation, photons and the photoelectric effect"},{"id":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity-2","name":"Atomic line spectra and the Bohr model"},{"id":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity-3","name":"Wave-particle duality and the uncertainty principle"},{"id":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity-4","name":"The Schrödinger equation qualitatively: the hydrogen atom and atomic orbitals"},{"id":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity-5","name":"Quantum numbers and orbital shapes"},{"id":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity-6","name":"Multi-electron atoms: shielding, effective nuclear charge, Aufbau, Hund and Pauli"},{"id":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity-7","name":"Electron configurations and the structure of the periodic 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respond to change.","prerequisites":["ch-thermochemistry","ma-precalculus"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria","ch-chemical-thermodynamics","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics","ea-geochemistry-fundamentals","ae-combustion-fundamentals"],"order":13,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ch-chemical-equilibrium-1","name":"Dynamic equilibrium and the law of mass action"},{"id":"ch-chemical-equilibrium-2","name":"Equilibrium constants Kc and Kp and their relationship"},{"id":"ch-chemical-equilibrium-3","name":"Reaction quotient Q and predicting the direction of change"},{"id":"ch-chemical-equilibrium-4","name":"ICE tables and equilibrium calculations"},{"id":"ch-chemical-equilibrium-5","name":"Le Châtelier's principle: concentration, pressure, temperature and catalysts"},{"id":"ch-chemical-equilibrium-6","name":"Heterogeneous equilibria"},{"id":"ch-chemical-equilibrium-7","name":"Free energy and equilibrium: 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ethically.","prerequisites":["ch-introductory-chemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":4,"stage":3,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-1","name":"Structure of the chemical literature: journals, reviews and patents"},{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-2","name":"Searching databases: CAS SciFinder, Reaxys, PubChem, ChemSpider, CSD"},{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-3","name":"Reading and critically evaluating a research paper"},{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-4","name":"Scientific writing: lab reports, papers and ACS/RSC style"},{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-5","name":"Presenting data: figures, tables and uncertainty"},{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-6","name":"Oral and poster presentations"},{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-7","name":"Research ethics: data integrity, plagiarism and authorship"},{"id":"ch-chemical-information-communication-8","name":"Safety 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work.","prerequisites":["ch-laboratory-safety-basic-skills","ch-states-of-matter-solutions"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":11,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ch-synthetic-laboratory-techniques-1","name":"Reaction setup: glassware assembly, stirring, heating and reflux"},{"id":"ch-synthetic-laboratory-techniques-2","name":"Measuring and transferring reagents, including syringe and cannula techniques"},{"id":"ch-synthetic-laboratory-techniques-3","name":"Recrystallization and melting-point determination"},{"id":"ch-synthetic-laboratory-techniques-4","name":"Liquid-liquid extraction and drying agents"},{"id":"ch-synthetic-laboratory-techniques-5","name":"Simple, fractional, vacuum and steam distillation; rotary evaporation"},{"id":"ch-synthetic-laboratory-techniques-6","name":"Thin-layer chromatography and flash column chromatography"},{"id":"ch-synthetic-laboratory-techniques-7","name":"Sublimation and other purification 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mechanisms.","prerequisites":["ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-cheminformatics-ml","ch-organic-spectroscopy","ch-stereochemistry","bi-biochemistry","ea-biogeochemical-cycles","ea-petroleum-geology","mt-polymer-structure"],"order":24,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ch-organic-structure-bonding-1","name":"Carbon bonding, hybridization and the shapes of organic molecules"},{"id":"ch-organic-structure-bonding-2","name":"Functional groups and their recognition"},{"id":"ch-organic-structure-bonding-3","name":"Drawing organic structures and resonance forms"},{"id":"ch-organic-structure-bonding-4","name":"Organic acids and bases: pKa and structural effects (induction, resonance, hybridization)"},{"id":"ch-organic-structure-bonding-5","name":"Alkanes and cycloalkanes: nomenclature and properties"},{"id":"ch-organic-structure-bonding-6","name":"Conformational analysis: ethane, butane and cyclohexane 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compound.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-structure-bonding"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-magnetic-resonance"],"order":31,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-1","name":"Degree of unsaturation from the molecular formula"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-2","name":"Mass spectrometry: molecular ion, isotope patterns and fragmentation"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-3","name":"Infrared spectroscopy: characteristic functional-group frequencies"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-4","name":"UV-visible spectroscopy of conjugated systems"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-5","name":"¹H NMR: chemical shift, integration and spin-spin coupling"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-6","name":"¹³C NMR and DEPT"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-7","name":"2D NMR: COSY, HSQC, HMBC and NOESY"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-8","name":"Coupling constants, the Karplus relation and stereochemical assignment"},{"id":"ch-organic-spectroscopy-9","name":"Combined 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mechanisms.","prerequisites":["ch-stereochemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-environmental-chemistry","ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry","ch-organic-reactions-ii"],"order":48,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ch-organic-reactions-i-1","name":"Nucleophilic substitution: SN1 and SN2 mechanisms and stereochemistry"},{"id":"ch-organic-reactions-i-2","name":"Elimination reactions: E1, E2, E1cB and Zaitsev vs Hofmann selectivity"},{"id":"ch-organic-reactions-i-3","name":"Substitution vs elimination competition"},{"id":"ch-organic-reactions-i-4","name":"Alkenes: stability and electrophilic addition (Markovnikov's rule)"},{"id":"ch-organic-reactions-i-5","name":"Alkene transformations"},{"id":"ch-organic-reactions-i-5-1","name":"Hydration and hydroboration-oxidation","depth":1,"parent":"ch-organic-reactions-i-5"},{"id":"ch-organic-reactions-i-5-2","name":"Halogenation and halohydrin 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synthetic polymers and heterocycles"}]},{"id":"ch-organic-synthesis","name":"Organic Synthesis & Retrosynthesis","category":"Organic Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Planning and executing the synthesis of target molecules, including stereocontrol and protecting-group strategy.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-ii"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-chemical-biology","ch-heterocyclic-chemistry","ch-medicinal-chemistry","ch-modern-synthetic-methods","ch-natural-products-chemistry"],"order":72,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-organic-synthesis-1","name":"Retrosynthetic analysis: disconnections, synthons and synthetic equivalents"},{"id":"ch-organic-synthesis-2","name":"Functional-group interconversions and oxidation-level management"},{"id":"ch-organic-synthesis-3","name":"Chemoselectivity and protecting-group strategies"},{"id":"ch-organic-synthesis-4","name":"Carbon-carbon bond formation: enolate, organometallic and olefination 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rules.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-ii"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":77,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-1","name":"Frontier molecular orbital theory and Hückel MOs of π systems"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-2","name":"Woodward-Hoffmann rules and orbital correlation diagrams"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-3","name":"Cycloadditions: [4+2], [2+2] and 1,3-dipolar"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-4","name":"Electrocyclic reactions: conrotatory vs disrotatory"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-5","name":"Sigmatropic rearrangements: Cope, Claisen and [1,5]-hydrogen shifts"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-6","name":"Group-transfer and ene reactions"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-7","name":"Aromatic transition-state (Hückel-Möbius) analysis"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-8","name":"Thermal vs photochemical selectivity"},{"id":"ch-pericyclic-reactions-9","name":"Regio- and stereocontrol in Diels-Alder reactions"}]},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry","name":"Physical Organic Chemistry","category":"Organic Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Quantitative tools for understanding organic structure, reactivity and how reaction mechanisms are established.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-ii","ch-chemical-kinetics-intro"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-enzymology","ch-supramolecular-chemistry"],"order":79,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-1","name":"Strain, stability and conformational energetics"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-2","name":"Thermochemistry of organic molecules and group additivity"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-3","name":"Solvation and solvent effects"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-4","name":"Acidity functions and acid-base catalysis"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-5","name":"Kinetic analysis of mechanisms and the Curtin-Hammett principle"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-6","name":"The Hammond postulate and Marcus theory basics"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-7","name":"Linear free-energy relationships: Hammett, Taft and Brønsted"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-8","name":"Kinetic isotope effects"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-9","name":"Reactive intermediates: carbocations, carbanions, radicals, carbenes, nitrenes"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-10","name":"Mechanistic experiments: trapping, isotopic labelling and crossover"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-11","name":"Stereoelectronic effects and hyperconjugation"},{"id":"ch-physical-organic-chemistry-12","name":"Non-covalent interactions in organic systems"}]},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry","name":"Heterocyclic Chemistry","category":"Organic Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Structure, reactivity and synthesis of heterocycles, the ring systems found in most drugs and many materials.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-synthesis"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":93,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-1","name":"Nomenclature and classification of heterocycles"},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-2","name":"Pyridines and diazines: structure and reactivity"},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-3","name":"Five-membered heteroaromatics: pyrrole, furan and thiophene"},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-4","name":"Indoles, quinolines and isoquinolines"},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-5","name":"Azoles: imidazole, oxazole, thiazole and triazoles"},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-6","name":"Saturated heterocycles and ring conformation"},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-7","name":"Classic ring syntheses (Hantzsch, Fischer indole, Paal-Knorr)"},{"id":"ch-heterocyclic-chemistry-8","name":"Heterocycles in drugs, dyes and natural products"}]},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods","name":"Modern Synthetic Methods","category":"Organic Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Contemporary catalytic and enabling methods that have reshaped how molecules are made.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-synthesis","ch-organometallic-chemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":94,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-1","name":"Cross-coupling methodology: Suzuki, Negishi, Sonogashira, Buchwald-Hartwig"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-2","name":"Olefin metathesis"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-3","name":"C-H functionalization"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-4","name":"Organocatalysis: enamine, iminium, hydrogen-bonding and NHC catalysis"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-5","name":"Photoredox catalysis"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-6","name":"Synthetic electrochemistry (electrosynthesis)"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-7","name":"Biocatalysis and chemoenzymatic synthesis"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-8","name":"Flow chemistry and continuous manufacturing"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-9","name":"Click chemistry and late-stage functionalization"},{"id":"ch-modern-synthetic-methods-10","name":"Skeletal editing"}]},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry","name":"Natural Products Chemistry","category":"Organic Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How living organisms build complex secondary metabolites, and how chemists isolate, identify and synthesise them.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-synthesis","ch-biochemistry-structure-function"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":95,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-1","name":"Primary vs secondary metabolism"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-2","name":"Polyketide biosynthesis"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-3","name":"Terpenoid and steroid biosynthesis"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-4","name":"Alkaloids: biosynthesis and structure"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-5","name":"Shikimate pathway, phenylpropanoids and flavonoids"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-6","name":"Nonribosomal peptides"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-7","name":"Isolation, dereplication and structure elucidation"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-8","name":"Total and biomimetic synthesis of natural products"},{"id":"ch-natural-products-chemistry-9","name":"Natural products as drugs and genome mining"}]},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory","name":"Molecular Symmetry & Group Theory","category":"Inorganic Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Point groups and character tables as tools for bonding, spectroscopy and structure.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ph-symmetry-group-theory","ma-group-theory","ma-symmetries-groups-in-physics"],"unlocks":["ch-coordination-chemistry","ch-molecular-spectroscopy","ch-structural-methods-diffraction"],"order":9,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-1","name":"Symmetry elements and operations"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-2","name":"Point groups and how to assign them"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-3","name":"Group theory basics: multiplication tables and classes"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-4","name":"Matrix representations and character tables"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-5","name":"Reducible and irreducible representations; the reduction formula"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-6","name":"Symmetry-adapted linear combinations and MO diagrams of polyatomic molecules"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-7","name":"Vibrational modes and IR/Raman selection rules"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-8","name":"Chirality and polarity from symmetry"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-9","name":"Direct products and spectroscopic selection rules"},{"id":"ch-symmetry-group-theory-10","name":"Crystallographic symmetry and space groups (introduction)"}]},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry","name":"Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry of the Elements","category":"Inorganic Chemistry","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"A tour of the elements group by group, organised by periodic trends, redox and acid-base behaviour.","prerequisites":["ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-coordination-chemistry","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry","ch-industrial-chemistry","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"order":23,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-1","name":"Hydrogen and its compounds; hydrides"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-2","name":"Groups 1 and 2: alkali and alkaline-earth metals"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-3","name":"Group 13: boron, aluminium and their compounds"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-4","name":"Group 14: carbon, silicon, germanium, tin and lead"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-5","name":"Group 15: nitrogen and phosphorus chemistry"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-6","name":"Group 16: oxygen, sulfur and the chalcogens"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-7","name":"Group 17: halogens and interhalogens"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-8","name":"Group 18: noble gases and xenon compounds"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-9","name":"d-block overview: general trends of the transition metals"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-10","name":"f-block overview: lanthanides and actinides"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-11","name":"Latimer, Frost and Pourbaix diagrams"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-12","name":"Hard-soft acid-base (HSAB) theory and non-aqueous solvents"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-13","name":"Inert-pair effect, relativistic effects and diagonal relationships"},{"id":"ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry-14","name":"Industrial inorganic chemicals (ammonia, sulfuric acid, chlor-alkali)"}]},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry","name":"Coordination Chemistry","category":"Inorganic Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Structure, bonding, spectra, magnetism and reactions of transition-metal complexes.","prerequisites":["ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry","ch-symmetry-group-theory"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry","ch-applied-radiochemistry","ch-bioinorganic-chemistry","ch-organometallic-chemistry","ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry","ch-porous-materials","ch-supramolecular-chemistry"],"order":33,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-1","name":"Ligands, denticity, the chelate effect and coordination numbers"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-2","name":"Geometries and isomerism of coordination complexes"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-3","name":"Crystal field theory: d-orbital splitting, CFSE, high vs low spin"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-4","name":"Ligand field and MO theory of complexes; the spectrochemical series"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-5","name":"The Jahn-Teller effect"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-6","name":"Electronic spectra: term symbols, Tanabe-Sugano diagrams and charge transfer"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-7","name":"Magnetism of complexes: spin-only moments and orbital contributions"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-8","name":"Thermodynamic stability: formation constants and the Irving-Williams series"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-9","name":"Substitution mechanisms (associative, dissociative, interchange) and the trans effect"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-10","name":"Electron-transfer reactions: inner- and outer-sphere mechanisms"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-11","name":"Lanthanide and actinide coordination chemistry"},{"id":"ch-coordination-chemistry-12","name":"Applications: pigments, MRI contrast agents and platinum anticancer drugs"}]},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry","name":"Advanced Main-Group & Cluster Chemistry","category":"Inorganic Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Unusual bonding in electron-deficient, hypervalent and low-valent main-group compounds and in metal clusters.","prerequisites":["ch-coordination-chemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":57,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-1","name":"Electron-deficient compounds and three-centre two-electron bonding"},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-2","name":"Boranes, carboranes and Wade's rules"},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-3","name":"Low-valent main-group compounds and main-group multiple bonds"},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-4","name":"Hypervalency and modern bonding models"},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-5","name":"Frustrated Lewis pairs and main-group catalysis"},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-6","name":"Metal-metal bonding and transition-metal clusters"},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-7","name":"Inorganic rings and chains: silicon, phosphorus and sulfur-nitrogen compounds"},{"id":"ch-advanced-main-group-chemistry-8","name":"Zintl ions and intermetallic clusters"}]},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry","name":"Physical Inorganic Chemistry","category":"Inorganic Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Spectroscopic and magnetic methods for probing the electronic structure of inorganic compounds.","prerequisites":["ch-coordination-chemistry","ch-molecular-spectroscopy"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":62,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-1","name":"Angular overlap model and advanced ligand field theory"},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-2","name":"EPR spectroscopy of transition-metal complexes"},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-3","name":"Mössbauer spectroscopy"},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-4","name":"Magnetochemistry: susceptibility, exchange coupling and single-molecule magnets"},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-5","name":"X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES and EXAFS)"},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-6","name":"Magnetic circular dichroism and resonance Raman"},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-7","name":"Photophysics of metal complexes and luminescent materials"},{"id":"ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry-8","name":"Spin crossover and molecular switches"}]},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry","name":"Organometallic Chemistry","category":"Inorganic Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Compounds with metal-carbon bonds, their elementary reactions and their use in homogeneous catalysis.","prerequisites":["ch-coordination-chemistry","ch-organic-reactions-ii"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-modern-synthetic-methods"],"order":76,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-1","name":"The 18-electron rule and electron counting"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-2","name":"Metal carbonyls and π-backbonding"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-3","name":"Metal alkyl, hydride, alkene, alkyne, allyl and arene complexes"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-4","name":"Metallocenes and cyclopentadienyl complexes"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-5","name":"Carbenes, carbynes and N-heterocyclic carbenes"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-6","name":"Phosphine ligands: cone angle and electronic parameters"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-7","name":"Oxidative addition and reductive elimination"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-8","name":"Migratory insertion and β-hydride elimination"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-9","name":"Nucleophilic and electrophilic attack on coordinated ligands"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-10","name":"Homogeneous catalysis: hydrogenation, hydroformylation, Monsanto/Cativa and Wacker processes"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-11","name":"Polymerization catalysis: Ziegler-Natta and metallocene catalysts"},{"id":"ch-organometallic-chemistry-12","name":"Main-group organometallics: organolithium, Grignard, organoboron and organozinc reagents"}]},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry","name":"Bioinorganic Chemistry","category":"Inorganic Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The roles of metal ions in biology and medicine, from oxygen transport to nitrogen fixation.","prerequisites":["ch-coordination-chemistry","ch-biochemistry-structure-function"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":87,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-1","name":"Metals in biology: essential elements, uptake, transport and storage"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-2","name":"Metalloproteins: coordination environments and structure"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-3","name":"Oxygen transport: hemoglobin, myoglobin and hemocyanin"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-4","name":"Electron-transfer proteins: cytochromes, iron-sulfur clusters and blue copper"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-5","name":"Metalloenzymes: nitrogenase, hydrogenase, cytochrome P450 and methane monooxygenase"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-6","name":"Photosystem II and the oxygen-evolving complex"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-7","name":"Zinc enzymes and structural metal sites"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-8","name":"Metals in medicine: platinum drugs, gadolinium contrast, metal toxicity and chelation therapy"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-9","name":"Biomineralization"},{"id":"ch-bioinorganic-chemistry-10","name":"Bioinspired and artificial metalloenzymes"}]},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry","name":"Quantum Chemistry","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Quantum mechanics applied to atoms and molecules, from model systems to molecular orbital theory.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure","ma-linear-algebra","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","ma-multivariable-calculus","ph-introductory-waves-sound-light"],"related":["ph-quantum-mechanics","ma-quantum-mechanics","ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ma-mathematical-chemistry","ph-atomic-physics","ph-molecular-physics"],"unlocks":["ch-electronic-structure-theory","ch-molecular-spectroscopy","ch-solid-state-chemistry","ch-statistical-thermodynamics"],"order":15,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-1","name":"Failures of classical physics and the postulates of quantum mechanics"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-2","name":"Operators, eigenvalues, expectation values and commutators"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-3","name":"Particle in a box and quantum tunnelling"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-4","name":"The harmonic oscillator"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-5","name":"The rigid rotor and angular momentum"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-6","name":"The hydrogen atom: radial and angular solutions"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-7","name":"Electron spin, the Pauli principle and Slater determinants"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-8","name":"Approximation methods: the variation principle and perturbation theory"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-9","name":"Many-electron atoms: term symbols, Hund's rules and spin-orbit coupling"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-10","name":"The Born-Oppenheimer approximation and H2+"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-11","name":"LCAO molecular orbital theory of diatomic molecules"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-12","name":"Hückel theory for π systems"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-13","name":"Introduction to Hartree-Fock and density functional theory"},{"id":"ch-quantum-chemistry-14","name":"Time-dependent perturbation theory and transition probabilities"}]},{"id":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics","name":"Chemical Thermodynamics","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The laws of thermodynamics applied rigorously to phases, mixtures, solutions and chemical equilibrium.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-equilibrium","ma-multivariable-calculus"],"related":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ma-thermodynamics","ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","mt-thermodynamics-of-materials","me-engineering-thermodynamics"],"unlocks":["ch-aquatic-chemistry","ch-chemical-kinetics","ch-colloid-interface-science","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry","ch-separation-processes","ch-statistical-thermodynamics"],"order":19,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics-1","name":"Systems, state variables, equations of state and partial derivatives"},{"id":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics-2","name":"First law: work, heat, internal energy, enthalpy and heat capacities"},{"id":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics-3","name":"Thermochemistry and Kirchhoff's 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theory"},{"id":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics-13","name":"Thermodynamics of electrochemical cells"},{"id":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics-14","name":"Introduction to non-equilibrium thermodynamics"}]},{"id":"ch-molecular-spectroscopy","name":"Molecular Spectroscopy","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How molecules absorb, emit and scatter light, and what rotational, vibrational and electronic spectra reveal.","prerequisites":["ch-quantum-chemistry","ch-symmetry-group-theory"],"related":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ph-molecular-physics"],"unlocks":["ch-astrochemistry","ch-magnetic-resonance","ch-photochemistry","ch-physical-inorganic-chemistry","ch-ultrafast-nonlinear-spectroscopy","bi-structural-biology"],"order":20,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ch-molecular-spectroscopy-1","name":"Light-matter interaction: transition dipoles, selection rules and Einstein coefficients"},{"id":"ch-molecular-spectroscopy-2","name":"Line 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rules"}]},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics","name":"Chemical Kinetics","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Quantitative kinetics of complex, unimolecular, solution-phase and fast reactions, and the theories that explain rates.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-kinetics-intro","ch-chemical-thermodynamics","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes"],"related":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ma-mathematical-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ch-astrochemistry","ch-atmospheric-chemistry","ch-chemical-reaction-engineering","ch-combustion-chemistry","ch-electrochemistry","ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics","ch-surface-chemistry","me-combustion-engineering"],"order":26,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-1","name":"Determining empirical rate laws"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-2","name":"Complex reactions: parallel, consecutive and reversible steps"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-3","name":"Steady-state and pre-equilibrium approximations"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-4","name":"Chain reactions and explosions"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-5","name":"Unimolecular reactions: the Lindemann-Hinshelwood mechanism"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-6","name":"Collision theory in detail"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-7","name":"Transition-state theory and the Eyring equation"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-8","name":"Reactions in solution: diffusion control and the cage effect"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-9","name":"Enzyme kinetics: Michaelis-Menten and inhibition"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-10","name":"Surface kinetics and the Langmuir-Hinshelwood mechanism"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-11","name":"Fast-reaction techniques: stopped-flow, flash photolysis and relaxation methods"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-12","name":"Photochemical kinetics and quantum yields"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-13","name":"Oscillating reactions and nonlinear chemical dynamics"},{"id":"ch-chemical-kinetics-14","name":"Numerical integration of kinetic schemes"}]},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics","name":"Statistical Thermodynamics","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Connecting molecular energy levels to bulk thermodynamic properties through partition functions.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-thermodynamics","ch-quantum-chemistry","ma-elementary-probability"],"related":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ma-statistical-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ch-biophysical-chemistry","ch-molecular-modeling-simulation","ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics","ch-polymer-physical-chemistry"],"order":27,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-1","name":"Microstates, ensembles and the Boltzmann distribution"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-2","name":"Molecular and canonical partition functions"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-3","name":"Translational, rotational, vibrational and electronic contributions"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-4","name":"Thermodynamic functions from partition functions"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-5","name":"Equilibrium constants from statistical mechanics"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-6","name":"Heat capacities of gases and solids (Einstein and Debye models)"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-7","name":"The grand canonical ensemble and adsorption"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-8","name":"Quantum statistics: Fermi-Dirac and Bose-Einstein"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-9","name":"Intermolecular potentials, virial coefficients and real gases"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-10","name":"Liquid structure and the radial distribution function"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-11","name":"Lattice models: polymer solutions and binding isotherms"},{"id":"ch-statistical-thermodynamics-12","name":"Fluctuations, kinetic theory and transport 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spectroscopy"},{"id":"ch-ultrafast-nonlinear-spectroscopy-5","name":"Coherent Raman techniques (CARS, SRS)"},{"id":"ch-ultrafast-nonlinear-spectroscopy-6","name":"Sum-frequency generation spectroscopy of interfaces"},{"id":"ch-ultrafast-nonlinear-spectroscopy-7","name":"Attosecond spectroscopy and electron dynamics"},{"id":"ch-ultrafast-nonlinear-spectroscopy-8","name":"Single-molecule spectroscopy"}]},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics","name":"Molecular Reaction Dynamics","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Chemical reactions at the level of individual molecular collisions, potential energy surfaces and real-time motion.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-kinetics","ch-statistical-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ch-emerging-frontiers"],"order":46,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-1","name":"Potential energy surfaces and reaction coordinates"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-2","name":"Classical trajectory calculations"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-3","name":"Reactive scattering, cross sections and state-to-state rates"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-4","name":"Molecular beam experiments"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-5","name":"RRKM theory of unimolecular decay"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-6","name":"Variational and quantum transition-state theory; tunnelling"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-7","name":"Energy disposal and the Polanyi rules"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-8","name":"Femtochemistry: real-time observation of reactions"},{"id":"ch-molecular-reaction-dynamics-9","name":"Nonadiabatic dynamics and conical intersections"}]},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance","name":"Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (NMR & EPR)","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The theory and practice of pulsed NMR and EPR, from spin physics to multidimensional and solid-state experiments.","prerequisites":["ch-molecular-spectroscopy","ch-organic-spectroscopy"],"related":["ph-medical-physics","bi-structural-biology"],"unlocks":[],"order":60,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-1","name":"Nuclear spin, the Zeeman interaction and the vector model"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-2","name":"Bloch equations, relaxation (T1, T2) and the rotating frame"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-3","name":"Pulsed Fourier-transform NMR and the product-operator formalism"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-4","name":"Theory of chemical shift and J-coupling"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-5","name":"Multidimensional NMR pulse sequences"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-6","name":"Dynamic NMR, chemical exchange and the nuclear Overhauser effect"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-7","name":"Solid-state NMR: magic-angle spinning and cross-polarization"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-8","name":"NMR of biomolecules and materials"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-9","name":"EPR: g-values, hyperfine coupling and pulsed EPR"},{"id":"ch-magnetic-resonance-10","name":"MRI principles and hyperpolarization"}]},{"id":"ch-photochemistry","name":"Photochemistry & Photophysics","category":"Physical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"What happens after a molecule absorbs light: excited-state decay, energy and electron transfer, and light-driven reactions.","prerequisites":["ch-molecular-spectroscopy","ch-organic-reactions-ii"],"related":["ea-atmospheric-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ch-solar-energy-conversion"],"order":78,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ch-photochemistry-1","name":"Excited states: singlets, triplets and state diagrams"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-2","name":"Radiative and non-radiative decay; quantum yields and lifetimes"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-3","name":"Energy transfer: Förster (FRET) and Dexter mechanisms"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-4","name":"Photoinduced electron transfer and Marcus theory"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-5","name":"Organic photochemistry: [2+2] photocycloaddition, Norrish reactions and photoisomerization"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-6","name":"Photochemistry of metal complexes"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-7","name":"Photosensitization and singlet oxygen"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-8","name":"Photocatalysis and photoredox basics"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-9","name":"Photochemistry in nature: vision and photosynthesis"},{"id":"ch-photochemistry-10","name":"Time-resolved techniques: transient absorption and time-correlated single-photon counting"}]},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis","name":"Quantitative Chemical Analysis","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The analytical process, statistics of measurement and classical wet-chemical methods of quantitative analysis.","prerequisites":["ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics","ma-descriptive-statistics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-chemometrics","ch-electroanalytical-chemistry","ch-instrumental-analysis","ch-separation-science","bi-protein-biochemical-methods","ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry"],"order":25,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-1","name":"The analytical process: problem definition, sampling and sample preparation"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-2","name":"Measurement errors: systematic vs random; accuracy and precision"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-3","name":"Statistics for analysts: confidence intervals, t-tests, F-test and outliers"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-4","name":"Calibration: linear regression, standard addition and internal standards"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-5","name":"Figures of merit: detection limit, sensitivity, selectivity and linear range"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-6","name":"Gravimetric analysis"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-7","name":"Acid-base titrations in depth, including nonaqueous titrations"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-8","name":"Complexometric (EDTA) titrations"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-9","name":"Redox and precipitation titrations"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-10","name":"Activity, ionic strength and systematic treatment of equilibrium"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-11","name":"Introduction to spectrophotometry and Beer's law"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-12","name":"Quality assurance, method validation and good laboratory practice"},{"id":"ch-quantitative-analysis-13","name":"Metrology: traceability, uncertainty budgets and reference materials"}]},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis","name":"Instrumental Analysis: Spectroscopic & Thermal Methods","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How analytical instruments work and how to choose and use optical, atomic, X-ray and thermal methods.","prerequisites":["ch-quantitative-analysis"],"related":["ph-measurement-instrumentation","ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry","mt-characterization-fundamentals"],"unlocks":["ch-mass-spectrometry","ch-structural-methods-diffraction","ch-surface-analysis-microscopy"],"order":34,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-1","name":"Instrument components: sources, monochromators, detectors and signal-to-noise"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-2","name":"Signal processing: noise, filtering, Fourier transforms and lock-in amplification"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-3","name":"UV-visible absorption spectrometry"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-4","name":"Molecular fluorescence and luminescence"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-5","name":"Atomic absorption and atomic emission (flame, ICP-OES)"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-6","name":"Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS)"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-7","name":"Infrared (FTIR, ATR) and Raman instrumentation"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-8","name":"X-ray fluorescence and other X-ray methods"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-9","name":"NMR instrumentation for routine analysis"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-10","name":"Thermal analysis: TGA, DSC and DTA"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-11","name":"Process analytical technology and in-situ monitoring"},{"id":"ch-instrumental-analysis-12","name":"Choosing an analytical technique for a problem"}]},{"id":"ch-separation-science","name":"Separation Science & Chromatography","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Theory and practice of extraction, chromatography and electrophoresis for separating and quantifying mixtures.","prerequisites":["ch-quantitative-analysis"],"related":["bi-protein-biochemical-methods"],"unlocks":["ch-bioanalytical-chemistry-sensors","ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry"],"order":35,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ch-separation-science-1","name":"Extraction: liquid-liquid, solid-phase and solid-phase microextraction"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-2","name":"Chromatographic theory: partition, retention, plate height and the van Deemter equation"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-3","name":"Resolution and optimization of separations"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-4","name":"Gas chromatography: columns, detectors and temperature programming"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-5","name":"High-performance liquid chromatography: normal and reversed phase, gradients"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-6","name":"Ion-exchange, size-exclusion and affinity chromatography"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-7","name":"Chiral separations"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-8","name":"Capillary and gel electrophoresis"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-9","name":"Supercritical-fluid chromatography"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-10","name":"Hyphenated techniques: GC-MS and LC-MS/MS"},{"id":"ch-separation-science-11","name":"Sample preparation for complex matrices"}]},{"id":"ch-chemometrics","name":"Chemometrics & Chemical Data Analysis","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Statistical and multivariate methods for designing experiments and extracting information from chemical data.","prerequisites":["ch-quantitative-analysis","ma-multivariate-statistics"],"related":["ma-experimental-design"],"unlocks":[],"order":44,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ch-chemometrics-1","name":"Experimental design and response-surface methods"},{"id":"ch-chemometrics-2","name":"Signal preprocessing: smoothing, derivatives and baseline correction"},{"id":"ch-chemometrics-3","name":"Principal component analysis"},{"id":"ch-chemometrics-4","name":"Multivariate calibration: PLS and PCR"},{"id":"ch-chemometrics-5","name":"Classification: LDA, SIMCA and clustering"},{"id":"ch-chemometrics-6","name":"Multivariate curve resolution"},{"id":"ch-chemometrics-7","name":"Validation, cross-validation and figures of merit"},{"id":"ch-chemometrics-8","name":"Machine learning in analytical chemistry"}]},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry","name":"Electroanalytical Chemistry","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Measuring chemical species through potentials and currents: potentiometry, voltammetry and electrochemical sensors.","prerequisites":["ch-quantitative-analysis","ch-electrochemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":49,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-1","name":"Potentiometry, ion-selective electrodes and the pH electrode"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-2","name":"Reference electrodes and liquid-junction potentials"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-3","name":"Coulometry and electrogravimetry"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-4","name":"Voltammetry: linear sweep, cyclic, pulse and square-wave"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-5","name":"Stripping analysis for trace metals"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-6","name":"Amperometric sensors and the Clark oxygen electrode"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-7","name":"Electrochemical impedance spectroscopy for analysis"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-8","name":"Microelectrodes and scanning electrochemical microscopy"},{"id":"ch-electroanalytical-chemistry-9","name":"Electrochemical biosensors (the glucose meter)"}]},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry","name":"Mass Spectrometry","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Ionization methods, mass analyzers and tandem MS for identification and quantification from small molecules to proteins.","prerequisites":["ch-instrumental-analysis"],"related":["bi-protein-biochemical-methods","ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":50,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-1","name":"Ionization methods: EI, CI, ESI, MALDI and APCI"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-2","name":"Mass analyzers: quadrupole, time-of-flight, ion trap, Orbitrap and FT-ICR"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-3","name":"Resolution, mass accuracy and isotope patterns"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-4","name":"Tandem MS and fragmentation mechanisms"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-5","name":"Quantitative MS: isotope dilution and SRM/MRM"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-6","name":"Ion mobility spectrometry"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-7","name":"Proteomics and metabolomics workflows"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-8","name":"Imaging mass spectrometry"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-9","name":"Isotope-ratio mass spectrometry"},{"id":"ch-mass-spectrometry-10","name":"Ambient ionization and field-portable MS"}]},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy","name":"Surface Analysis & Chemical Imaging","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Techniques that reveal the composition and structure of surfaces and map chemistry at the micro- and nanoscale.","prerequisites":["ch-instrumental-analysis"],"related":["ph-experimental-techniques","mt-electron-microscopy","mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe"],"unlocks":[],"order":65,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-1","name":"Ultra-high vacuum and surface sensitivity"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-2","name":"X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS)"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-3","name":"Auger electron spectroscopy"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-4","name":"Secondary-ion mass spectrometry (SIMS)"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-5","name":"Scanning electron microscopy and energy-dispersive X-ray analysis"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-6","name":"Transmission electron microscopy and electron energy-loss spectroscopy"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-7","name":"Scanning probe microscopy: STM and AFM"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-8","name":"Raman, infrared and super-resolution fluorescence microscopy"},{"id":"ch-surface-analysis-microscopy-9","name":"Synchrotron techniques and chemical imaging"}]},{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction","name":"X-ray Crystallography & Diffraction Methods","category":"Analytical Chemistry & Instrumentation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Determining atomic structures of crystals and molecules from X-ray, neutron and electron diffraction.","prerequisites":["ch-symmetry-group-theory","ch-instrumental-analysis"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics","mt-crystallography-diffraction","mt-xray-neutron-methods","bi-structural-biology"],"unlocks":[],"order":66,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction-1","name":"Crystal lattices, unit cells and Miller indices"},{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction-2","name":"Space groups and the International Tables"},{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction-3","name":"X-ray generation, scattering and Bragg's law"},{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction-4","name":"Structure factors and the phase problem"},{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction-5","name":"Single-crystal diffraction: data collection and reduction"},{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction-6","name":"Structure solution (direct methods, Patterson, dual-space) and refinement"},{"id":"ch-structural-methods-diffraction-7","name":"Powder diffraction and Rietveld 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computing molecular energies, structures and properties.","prerequisites":["ch-quantum-chemistry"],"related":["ph-computational-physics","mt-dft"],"unlocks":["ch-quantum-computing-chemistry"],"order":22,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-1","name":"Hartree-Fock theory and the self-consistent field"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-2","name":"Basis sets and basis-set convergence"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-3","name":"Electron correlation and configuration interaction"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-4","name":"Møller-Plesset perturbation theory"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-5","name":"Coupled-cluster theory"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-6","name":"Multireference methods: CASSCF and CASPT2"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-7","name":"Density functional theory: Hohenberg-Kohn, Kohn-Sham and functionals"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-8","name":"Dispersion corrections, hybrid and range-separated functionals"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-9","name":"Excited states: TDDFT and EOM-CC"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-10","name":"Periodic electronic structure: plane waves and pseudopotentials"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-11","name":"Relativistic effects in heavy elements"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-12","name":"Practical computation: geometry optimization, frequencies, thermochemistry and common codes"},{"id":"ch-electronic-structure-theory-13","name":"QM/MM methods"}]},{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation","name":"Molecular Modeling & Simulation","category":"Computational & Theoretical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Force fields, molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo simulation for predicting structure, dynamics and free energies.","prerequisites":["ch-statistical-thermodynamics","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["ph-computational-physics","ma-monte-carlo-methods","mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo"],"unlocks":[],"order":38,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation-1","name":"Molecular mechanics force fields and parametrization"},{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation-2","name":"Energy minimization and conformational searching"},{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation-3","name":"Molecular dynamics: integrators, thermostats and barostats"},{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation-4","name":"Monte Carlo simulation methods"},{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation-5","name":"Periodic boundary conditions and long-range electrostatics"},{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation-6","name":"Solvation models: explicit and implicit"},{"id":"ch-molecular-modeling-simulation-7","name":"Free-energy methods: umbrella sampling, thermodynamic integration and 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chemistry.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-nomenclature-representation","ch-organic-structure-bonding","ai-core-ml-concepts"],"related":["ma-mathematical-chemistry","ai-ai-for-science","ai-graph-based-ml","mt-materials-informatics"],"unlocks":["ch-automated-ai-driven-chemistry"],"order":43,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ch-cheminformatics-ml-1","name":"Molecular representations: fingerprints, descriptors and graphs"},{"id":"ch-cheminformatics-ml-2","name":"Chemical databases and substructure and similarity searching"},{"id":"ch-cheminformatics-ml-3","name":"QSAR and QSPR modeling"},{"id":"ch-cheminformatics-ml-4","name":"Virtual screening and molecular docking"},{"id":"ch-cheminformatics-ml-5","name":"Graph neural networks and learned molecular representations"},{"id":"ch-cheminformatics-ml-6","name":"Machine-learned interatomic potentials"},{"id":"ch-cheminformatics-ml-7","name":"Generative models for molecular 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function.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-ii","bi-introductory-biology"],"related":["bi-biochemistry","bi-protein-structure-function"],"unlocks":["ch-bioanalytical-chemistry-sensors","ch-bioinorganic-chemistry","ch-biophysical-chemistry","ch-chemical-biology","ch-enzymology","ch-food-agricultural-chemistry","ch-metabolism-bioenergetics","ch-natural-products-chemistry","ch-pharmacology-toxicology"],"order":71,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-1","name":"Water, pH and buffers in biological systems"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-2","name":"Amino acids and the peptide bond"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-3","name":"Protein structure from primary to quaternary; folding and stability"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-4","name":"Protein function: myoglobin, hemoglobin and allostery"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-5","name":"Enzymes: catalysis, Michaelis-Menten kinetics and inhibition"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-6","name":"Vitamins and coenzymes"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-7","name":"Carbohydrates and glycobiology basics"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-8","name":"Lipids and biological membranes"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-9","name":"Membrane transport and signalling basics"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-10","name":"Nucleotides and the structure of DNA and RNA"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-11","name":"Replication, transcription and translation from a chemical view"},{"id":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function-12","name":"Protein purification and characterization methods"}]},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics","name":"Biochemistry II: Metabolism & Bioenergetics","category":"Biochemistry & Chemical Biology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How cells extract, store and use energy and build their molecules through regulated metabolic pathways.","prerequisites":["ch-biochemistry-structure-function"],"related":["bi-metabolism"],"unlocks":["ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry"],"order":82,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-1","name":"Bioenergetics: free energy, ATP and coupled reactions"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-2","name":"Glycolysis and gluconeogenesis"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-3","name":"The citric acid cycle"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-4","name":"Oxidative phosphorylation and chemiosmosis"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-5","name":"Photosynthesis: light reactions and the Calvin cycle"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-6","name":"Glycogen metabolism and the pentose phosphate pathway"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-7","name":"Fatty acid oxidation and synthesis"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-8","name":"Amino acid metabolism and the urea cycle"},{"id":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics-9","name":"Nucleotide 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systems.","prerequisites":["ch-biochemistry-structure-function","ch-organic-synthesis"],"related":["bi-molecular-biology"],"unlocks":[],"order":90,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-1","name":"Chemical probes and target identification"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-2","name":"Bioorthogonal chemistry and click reactions in living systems"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-3","name":"Solid-phase peptide synthesis and native chemical ligation"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-4","name":"Oligonucleotide synthesis and nucleic-acid chemistry"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-5","name":"Unnatural amino acids and genetic-code expansion"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-6","name":"Protein labelling and fluorescent reporters"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-7","name":"Activity-based protein profiling and chemoproteomics"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-8","name":"Chemical genetics and small-molecule modulators"},{"id":"ch-chemical-biology-9","name":"Glycochemistry and glycan 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acid-base and metal-ion catalysis"},{"id":"ch-enzymology-5","name":"Cofactor chemistry: PLP, TPP, flavins, NAD, biotin and B12"},{"id":"ch-enzymology-6","name":"Isotope effects and mechanistic probes in enzymology"},{"id":"ch-enzymology-7","name":"Allostery and regulation"},{"id":"ch-enzymology-8","name":"Enzyme engineering and directed evolution"},{"id":"ch-enzymology-9","name":"Industrial and synthetic biocatalysis"}]},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology","name":"Pharmacology & Toxicology Basics","category":"Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How drugs and toxic chemicals act on the body and how the body absorbs, transforms and removes them.","prerequisites":["ch-biochemistry-structure-function","bi-human-physiology"],"related":["bi-pharmacology"],"unlocks":["ch-medicinal-chemistry"],"order":83,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-1","name":"Pharmacodynamics: receptor theory, agonists, antagonists and dose-response"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-2","name":"Pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion (ADME)"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-3","name":"Compartment models, half-life, clearance and bioavailability"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-4","name":"Drug metabolism: cytochrome P450 and phase I/II reactions"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-5","name":"Drug interactions and pharmacogenomics"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-6","name":"Principles of toxicology: dose-response, LD50 and NOAEL"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-7","name":"Mechanisms of toxicity: reactive metabolites and oxidative stress"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-8","name":"Organ toxicity and chemical carcinogenesis"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-9","name":"Toxicity of common industrial chemicals, solvents and metals"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-10","name":"Risk assessment and exposure limits"},{"id":"ch-pharmacology-toxicology-11","name":"Ecotoxicology overview"}]},{"id":"ch-medicinal-chemistry","name":"Medicinal Chemistry & Drug Design","category":"Medicinal & Pharmaceutical Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Discovering, designing and optimising drug molecules, from target and hit to clinical candidate and manufacture.","prerequisites":["ch-pharmacology-toxicology","ch-organic-synthesis"],"related":["bi-pharmacology"],"unlocks":[],"order":99,"stage":15,"depth":16,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ch-medicinal-chemistry-1","name":"Drug targets: receptors, enzymes, ion channels, transporters and nucleic acids"},{"id":"ch-medicinal-chemistry-2","name":"Drug-target interactions and binding thermodynamics"},{"id":"ch-medicinal-chemistry-3","name":"Hit identification: high-throughput, fragment-based and virtual screening"},{"id":"ch-medicinal-chemistry-4","name":"Structure-activity relationships and lead 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band gaps"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-5","name":"Metals, semiconductors and insulators; doping"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-6","name":"Ionic conduction and solid electrolytes"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-7","name":"Magnetic solids: ferro-, ferri- and antiferromagnetism"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-8","name":"Dielectric, ferroelectric and piezoelectric materials"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-9","name":"Superconductors"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-10","name":"Synthesis of solids: ceramic method, sol-gel, hydrothermal, CVD and flux growth"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-11","name":"Phase diagrams and phase transitions in solids"},{"id":"ch-solid-state-chemistry-12","name":"Characterization of solids: powder XRD, electron microscopy and thermal analysis"}]},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry","name":"Nanochemistry & Nanomaterials","category":"Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Making, functionalising and assembling nanoscale materials whose properties depend on size and shape.","prerequisites":["ch-solid-state-chemistry","ch-colloid-interface-science"],"related":["ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics","mt-nanomaterials"],"unlocks":[],"order":61,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-1","name":"Size effects: surface-to-volume ratio and quantum confinement"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-2","name":"Nanoparticle synthesis: nucleation and growth (LaMer), seeded growth"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-3","name":"Metal nanoparticles and plasmonics"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-4","name":"Semiconductor quantum dots"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-5","name":"Carbon nanomaterials: fullerenes, nanotubes and graphene"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-6","name":"2D materials beyond graphene: MXenes, transition-metal dichalcogenides, h-BN"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-7","name":"Surface ligands and functionalization"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-8","name":"Self-assembly and nanoparticle superlattices"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-9","name":"Nanomedicine and drug delivery"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-10","name":"Characterization: TEM, dynamic light scattering and SAXS"},{"id":"ch-nanochemistry-11","name":"Nanotoxicology and safety"}]},{"id":"ch-porous-materials","name":"Porous Framework Materials: Zeolites, MOFs & COFs","category":"Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Designed porous solids for gas storage, separation, catalysis and sensing.","prerequisites":["ch-coordination-chemistry","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":63,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ch-porous-materials-1","name":"Porosity concepts and gas-adsorption characterization (BET)"},{"id":"ch-porous-materials-2","name":"Zeolites: structure, synthesis and catalysis"},{"id":"ch-porous-materials-3","name":"Metal-organic frameworks: reticular design and secondary building units"},{"id":"ch-porous-materials-4","name":"Covalent organic frameworks"},{"id":"ch-porous-materials-5","name":"Porous organic polymers and cages"},{"id":"ch-porous-materials-6","name":"Gas storage and separation (H2, CH4, CO2)"},{"id":"ch-porous-materials-7","name":"Frameworks for catalysis, sensing and water harvesting"},{"id":"ch-porous-materials-8","name":"Stability and scale-up of framework materials"}]},{"id":"ch-polymer-chemistry","name":"Polymer Chemistry","category":"Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How polymers are made: polymerization mechanisms and kinetics, copolymers and the major polymer families.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-ii","ch-chemical-kinetics-intro"],"related":["mt-polymer-structure"],"unlocks":["ch-electronic-optical-materials","ch-materials-chemistry","ch-polymer-physical-chemistry"],"order":80,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-polymer-chemistry-1","name":"Polymer 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block copolymers and complex architectures"}]},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry","name":"Materials Chemistry","category":"Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Chemical routes to ceramics, glasses, thin films, alloys, composites and smart materials, and how chemistry sets their properties.","prerequisites":["ch-solid-state-chemistry","ch-polymer-chemistry"],"related":["el-advanced-materials","mt-ceramics","mt-thin-films-coatings"],"unlocks":["ch-high-performance-materials"],"order":85,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-1","name":"Structure-processing-property relationships from a chemist's perspective"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-2","name":"Ceramics: oxides, nitrides and carbides; powder processing and sintering"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-3","name":"Glasses and glass-ceramics"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-4","name":"Sol-gel chemistry and hybrid organic-inorganic materials"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-5","name":"Thin-film deposition chemistry: CVD, ALD and PVD"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-6","name":"Metals and alloys: alloying chemistry and intermetallics"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-7","name":"Composites: matrices, reinforcements and interfaces"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-8","name":"Cement and construction-materials chemistry"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-9","name":"Smart materials: shape-memory, self-healing and stimuli-responsive"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-10","name":"Biomaterials and biocompatibility"},{"id":"ch-materials-chemistry-11","name":"Critical raw materials and materials sustainability"}]},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials","name":"Electronic, Photonic & Magnetic Materials Chemistry","category":"Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The chemistry behind semiconductors, organic electronics, light-emitting and magnetic materials.","prerequisites":["ch-solid-state-chemistry","ch-polymer-chemistry"],"related":["el-semiconductor-physics","el-optoelectronic-devices","el-cmos-technology","mt-semiconductor-materials","mt-optical-photonic-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":91,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-1","name":"Semiconductor materials: silicon, III-V, II-VI and wide-bandgap semiconductors"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-2","name":"Semiconductor processing chemistry: doping, etching, photolithography and photoresists"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-3","name":"Organic semiconductors and conjugated polymers"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-4","name":"OLEDs and emissive materials"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-5","name":"Organic field-effect transistors and printed electronics"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-6","name":"Transparent conductors and thermoelectric materials"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-7","name":"Phosphors, laser materials and luminescent materials"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-8","name":"Nonlinear optical and photonic materials"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-9","name":"Magnetic materials and molecular magnets"},{"id":"ch-electronic-optical-materials-10","name":"Materials for quantum technologies"}]},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry","name":"Polymer Physical Chemistry & Characterization","category":"Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The physical chemistry of polymer chains, solutions, melts and solids, and how polymers are characterised.","prerequisites":["ch-polymer-chemistry","ch-statistical-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-soft-matter-physics","mt-polymer-properties"],"unlocks":[],"order":96,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-1","name":"Chain conformations: random walks and radius of gyration"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-2","name":"Polymer solutions: Flory-Huggins theory and theta conditions"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-3","name":"Molecular-weight characterization: GPC/SEC, light scattering, viscometry and MALDI"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-4","name":"Glass transition and polymer crystallization"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-5","name":"Rubber elasticity"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-6","name":"Viscoelasticity and rheology"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-7","name":"Polymer blends and block-copolymer self-assembly"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-8","name":"Thermal and mechanical testing: DSC, DMA and tensile testing"},{"id":"ch-polymer-physical-chemistry-9","name":"Polymer electrolytes and conducting polymers"}]},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials","name":"High-Performance & Extreme-Environment Materials Chemistry","category":"Polymer, Materials & Solid-State Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Chemistry of the fibres, resins, composites, ceramics and coatings used in rockets, armour and extreme environments.","prerequisites":["ch-materials-chemistry","mt-composites"],"related":["el-advanced-materials","ph-materials-physics","mt-aerospace-materials","mt-thermal-protection-systems","mt-impact-protective-materials","mt-ceramic-matrix-composites"],"unlocks":[],"order":100,"stage":15,"depth":16,"ancestorCount":39,"topics":[{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-1","name":"High-performance fibres: carbon fibre, aramids (Kevlar), UHMWPE and PBO"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-2","name":"High-temperature polymers: polyimides, PEEK, bismaleimides and cyanate esters"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-3","name":"Thermoset resins: epoxy chemistry and curing"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-4","name":"Fibre-reinforced polymer composites and fibre-matrix interfaces"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-5","name":"Ceramic-matrix and carbon-carbon composites"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-6","name":"Ultra-high-temperature ceramics (ZrB2, HfC) and refractory metals"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-7","name":"Thermal protection systems and ablative materials"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-8","name":"Superalloys and thermal/environmental barrier coatings: oxidation chemistry"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-9","name":"Lightweight alloys: titanium, aluminium-lithium and magnesium"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-10","name":"Armour and impact-resistant materials: ceramics and laminates"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-11","name":"Energy-absorbing and shear-thickening materials"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-12","name":"Space-environment durability: atomic oxygen, UV, radiation and vacuum outgassing"},{"id":"ch-high-performance-materials-13","name":"Adhesives and sealants for extreme environments"}]},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science","name":"Colloid & Interface Science","category":"Surfaces, Catalysis & Supramolecular Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The thermodynamics and forces at interfaces that govern surfactants, emulsions, foams and colloidal stability.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-soft-matter-physics","mt-soft-materials"],"unlocks":["ch-nanochemistry"],"order":28,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-1","name":"Surface and interfacial tension; the Young-Laplace and Kelvin equations"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-2","name":"Wetting, contact angle and capillarity"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-3","name":"Surfactants, micellization and the critical micelle concentration"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-4","name":"Colloidal forces: van der Waals and electrostatic double layer"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-5","name":"DLVO theory and colloid stability"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-6","name":"Emulsions, foams and aerosols"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-7","name":"Gels and sols"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-8","name":"Rheology of dispersions"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-9","name":"Langmuir films and Langmuir-Blodgett deposition"},{"id":"ch-colloid-interface-science-10","name":"Applications: detergents, paints, food and cosmetics"}]},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry","name":"Surface Chemistry","category":"Surfaces, Catalysis & Supramolecular Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Structure of solid surfaces and the adsorption, reaction and film-growth processes that happen on them.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-kinetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-heterogeneous-catalysis"],"order":40,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-1","name":"Surface structure: crystal faces, reconstruction and surface energy"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-2","name":"Physisorption vs chemisorption"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-3","name":"Adsorption isotherms: Langmuir, Freundlich and BET"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-4","name":"Adsorption and desorption kinetics; temperature-programmed desorption"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-5","name":"Surface reactions and mechanisms"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-6","name":"Electronic structure of surfaces and the work function"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-7","name":"Self-assembled monolayers and surface functionalization"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-8","name":"Thin films and epitaxial growth"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-9","name":"Tribology: friction, lubrication and wear chemistry"},{"id":"ch-surface-chemistry-10","name":"Surface-science techniques overview (LEED, XPS, STM)"}]},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis","name":"Catalysis: Principles & Heterogeneous Catalysis","category":"Surfaces, Catalysis & Supramolecular Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"How catalysts work and are designed, with emphasis on solid catalysts that run the chemical and energy industries.","prerequisites":["ch-surface-chemistry","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry"],"order":53,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-1","name":"Catalysis fundamentals: activity, selectivity and turnover frequency"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-2","name":"Homogeneous, heterogeneous and enzymatic catalysis compared"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-3","name":"The Sabatier principle, volcano plots and scaling relations"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-4","name":"Catalyst preparation: impregnation, precipitation and supports"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-5","name":"Catalyst characterization: chemisorption, TPR and in-situ spectroscopy"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-6","name":"Microkinetic modeling"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-7","name":"Catalyst deactivation: sintering, coking and poisoning"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-8","name":"Industrial processes: ammonia synthesis, Fischer-Tropsch, fluid catalytic cracking, hydrotreating"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-9","name":"Automotive three-way catalysts and emission control"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-10","name":"Zeolite and solid-acid catalysis"},{"id":"ch-heterogeneous-catalysis-11","name":"Single-atom catalysts and computational catalyst design"}]},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry","name":"Supramolecular Chemistry","category":"Surfaces, Catalysis & Supramolecular Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Chemistry beyond the molecule: molecular recognition, self-assembly and molecular machines.","prerequisites":["ch-physical-organic-chemistry","ch-coordination-chemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-emerging-frontiers"],"order":98,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-1","name":"Non-covalent interactions and molecular recognition"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-2","name":"Host-guest chemistry: crown ethers, cryptands, cyclodextrins and calixarenes"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-3","name":"Anion recognition"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-4","name":"Thermodynamics of binding; chelate and macrocyclic effects"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-5","name":"Self-assembly and metallo-supramolecular architectures"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-6","name":"Mechanically interlocked molecules: rotaxanes and catenanes"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-7","name":"Molecular machines and switches"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-8","name":"Dynamic covalent chemistry and systems chemistry"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-9","name":"Crystal engineering and cocrystals"},{"id":"ch-supramolecular-chemistry-10","name":"Supramolecular polymers and gels"}]},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry","name":"Electrochemistry","category":"Electrochemistry & Energy","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Electrode thermodynamics and kinetics, the double layer, mass transport and the core electrochemical techniques.","prerequisites":["ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics","ch-chemical-kinetics"],"related":["mt-electrochemistry"],"unlocks":["ch-battery-chemistry","ch-corrosion-science","ch-electroanalytical-chemistry","ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen","ch-solar-energy-conversion"],"order":37,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-1","name":"Electrode potentials and electrochemical thermodynamics"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-2","name":"The electrical double layer: Helmholtz, Gouy-Chapman and Stern models"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-3","name":"Electrode kinetics: the Butler-Volmer and Tafel equations"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-4","name":"Mass transport: diffusion, migration and convection"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-5","name":"Cyclic voltammetry: theory and interpretation"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-6","name":"Rotating disk electrodes and hydrodynamic methods"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-7","name":"Electrochemical impedance and equivalent circuits"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-8","name":"Electrocatalysis fundamentals"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-9","name":"Semiconductor electrochemistry and photoelectrochemistry"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-10","name":"Electrolytes: aqueous, non-aqueous, ionic liquids and solids; ionic conductivity"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-11","name":"Electrodeposition and electroplating"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-12","name":"Industrial electrochemistry: chlor-alkali and aluminium smelting"},{"id":"ch-electrochemistry-13","name":"Bioelectrochemistry"}]},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry","name":"Battery Chemistry & Electrochemical Energy Storage","category":"Electrochemistry & Energy","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The chemistry of batteries and supercapacitors, from lithium-ion electrodes and electrolytes to next-generation cells.","prerequisites":["ch-electrochemistry","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"related":["el-battery-technologies","el-battery-management-systems-bms","mt-battery-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":52,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-1","name":"Battery fundamentals: capacity, voltage, energy and power density, C-rate"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-2","name":"Primary batteries: alkaline, lithium primary and zinc-air"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-3","name":"Lead-acid and nickel-based batteries"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-4","name":"Lithium-ion intercalation chemistry"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-5","name":"Cathode materials: layered oxides (NMC, NCA), LFP and spinels"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-6","name":"Anode materials: graphite, silicon, lithium titanate and lithium metal"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-7","name":"Electrolytes, additives and the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI)"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-8","name":"Degradation mechanisms and cycle life"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-9","name":"Thermal runaway, abuse tolerance and battery safety"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-10","name":"Solid-state batteries and solid electrolytes"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-11","name":"Beyond lithium-ion: sodium-ion, lithium-sulfur, metal-air and multivalent batteries"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-12","name":"Redox flow batteries and grid storage"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-13","name":"Supercapacitors and pseudocapacitors"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-14","name":"Battery characterization and testing methods"},{"id":"ch-battery-chemistry-15","name":"Recycling and critical battery materials"}]},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen","name":"Fuel Cells, Electrolysis & Hydrogen Chemistry","category":"Electrochemistry & Energy","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Converting chemical energy to electricity and back: fuel cells, water electrolysers and the hydrogen economy.","prerequisites":["ch-electrochemistry"],"related":["el-energy-innovations","ph-energy-physics","mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen"],"unlocks":[],"order":54,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-1","name":"Fuel-cell thermodynamics and efficiency"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-2","name":"Oxygen reduction and hydrogen oxidation electrocatalysis"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-3","name":"Proton-exchange membrane fuel cells: membranes, catalysts and membrane-electrode assemblies"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-4","name":"Solid-oxide fuel cells and ceramic ion conductors"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-5","name":"Alkaline, phosphoric-acid, molten-carbonate and direct-methanol fuel cells"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-6","name":"Water electrolysis: alkaline, PEM and solid-oxide; HER and OER catalysts"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-7","name":"Hydrogen production: steam reforming, electrolysis and photocatalysis"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-8","name":"Hydrogen storage: compressed, cryogenic, metal hydrides and chemical carriers (ammonia, LOHC)"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-9","name":"Electrochemical CO2 and N2 reduction"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-10","name":"Durability, poisoning and degradation"},{"id":"ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen-11","name":"Fuel cells in vehicles, aerospace and portable power"}]},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science","name":"Corrosion Science & Protection","category":"Electrochemistry & Energy","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Why metals corrode in water, air and hot gases, and how coatings, inhibitors and electrochemical protection stop it.","prerequisites":["ch-electrochemistry"],"related":["mt-corrosion","mt-high-temperature-oxidation"],"unlocks":[],"order":58,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-1","name":"Thermodynamics of corrosion and Pourbaix diagrams"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-2","name":"Kinetics: mixed-potential theory and Evans diagrams"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-3","name":"Forms of corrosion: uniform, pitting, crevice, galvanic and intergranular"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-4","name":"Stress-corrosion cracking and hydrogen embrittlement"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-5","name":"High-temperature oxidation and hot corrosion"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-6","name":"Passivity and passive films"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-7","name":"Protection: coatings, inhibitors, cathodic and anodic protection"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-8","name":"Corrosion in aerospace, marine and energy systems"},{"id":"ch-corrosion-science-9","name":"Corrosion testing and monitoring"}]},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion","name":"Solar Energy Conversion & Solar Fuels","category":"Electrochemistry & Energy","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Chemistry of photovoltaic, photoelectrochemical and photocatalytic systems that turn sunlight into electricity and fuels.","prerequisites":["ch-photochemistry","ch-electrochemistry","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","el-energy-harvesting","mt-photovoltaic-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":97,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-1","name":"The solar spectrum and thermodynamic limits (Shockley-Queisser)"},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-2","name":"Semiconductor photovoltaics chemistry: silicon, CdTe and CIGS"},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-3","name":"Dye-sensitized and organic solar cells"},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-4","name":"Perovskite solar cells: chemistry and stability"},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-5","name":"Photoelectrochemical water splitting"},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-6","name":"Semiconductor photocatalysis"},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-7","name":"Artificial photosynthesis and molecular catalysts"},{"id":"ch-solar-energy-conversion-8","name":"Solar thermochemical fuel production"}]},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry","name":"Combustion Chemistry","category":"Combustion, Propellants & Energetic Materials","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The thermochemistry and chain-reaction kinetics of burning, from flame structure and ignition to pollutants and rocket chambers.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-kinetics"],"related":["ae-combustion-fundamentals","me-combustion-engineering"],"unlocks":["ch-energetic-materials","ch-propellant-chemistry"],"order":41,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-1","name":"Combustion stoichiometry: equivalence ratio and air-fuel ratio"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-2","name":"Thermochemistry of combustion and adiabatic flame temperature"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-3","name":"High-temperature chemical equilibrium and dissociation"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-4","name":"Chain-branching kinetics and the H2-O2 explosion limits"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-5","name":"Hydrocarbon oxidation mechanisms: low- and high-temperature chemistry"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-6","name":"Ignition: autoignition, ignition delay and cool flames"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-7","name":"Laminar premixed flames: flame speed and structure"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-8","name":"Diffusion (non-premixed) flames"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-9","name":"Deflagration vs detonation (introductory)"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-10","name":"Pollutant formation: NOx, CO, soot and particulates"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-11","name":"Detailed and reduced kinetic mechanisms; sensitivity analysis"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-12","name":"Computational tools (Cantera, Chemkin)"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-13","name":"Combustion diagnostics: laser-induced fluorescence and absorption spectroscopy"},{"id":"ch-combustion-chemistry-14","name":"Combustion in engines, gas turbines and rocket chambers"}]},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry","name":"Rocket Propellant Chemistry","category":"Combustion, Propellants & Energetic Materials","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The thermochemistry, properties and handling of liquid, solid, hybrid and electric-propulsion propellants, treated conceptually.","prerequisites":["ch-combustion-chemistry"],"related":["ae-rocket-propellants-performance"],"unlocks":[],"order":55,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-1","name":"Propulsion thermochemistry: specific impulse, characteristic velocity, chamber temperature and exhaust molecular weight"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-2","name":"Equilibrium vs frozen-flow exhaust composition (NASA CEA-style calculations)"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3","name":"Liquid bipropellant combinations"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3-1","name":"LOX/RP-1 (kerosene)","depth":1,"parent":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3-2","name":"LOX/LH2","depth":1,"parent":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3-3","name":"LOX/methane","depth":1,"parent":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3-4","name":"Storable hypergolic pairs: hydrazines with nitrogen tetroxide","depth":1,"parent":"ch-propellant-chemistry-3"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-4","name":"Monopropellants and catalytic decomposition (hydrazine, hydrogen peroxide)"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-5","name":"Green propellants: HAN- and ADN-based monopropellants"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-6","name":"Solid composite propellants: oxidizer, polymeric binder and metal fuel (conceptual composition and ballistics)"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-7","name":"Burn-rate laws and propellant ballistics"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-8","name":"Hybrid rocket propellants"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-9","name":"Cryogenic propellants: properties, storage and boil-off"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-10","name":"Materials compatibility, toxicity and safe handling of propellants"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-11","name":"Propellants for electric propulsion (xenon, krypton, iodine)"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-12","name":"Combustion instability and chamber chemistry"},{"id":"ch-propellant-chemistry-13","name":"Environmental impact of rocket exhaust"}]},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials","name":"Energetic Materials Science","category":"Combustion, Propellants & Energetic Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"An academic, conceptual treatment of how energetic materials store and release energy, and how they are made safe; no synthesis.","prerequisites":["ch-combustion-chemistry"],"related":["ae-solid-rocket-motors"],"unlocks":[],"order":59,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-1","name":"Classes of energetic materials: propellants, explosives and pyrotechnics (conceptual)"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-2","name":"Oxygen balance and energy content"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-3","name":"Thermochemistry and performance prediction"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-4","name":"Detonation theory: Chapman-Jouguet and ZND models"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-5","name":"Deflagration-to-detonation transition"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-6","name":"Sensitivity: impact, friction, electrostatic and thermal"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-7","name":"Thermal decomposition, stability and ageing"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-8","name":"Pyrotechnic chemistry: colour, light and gas generators (airbags)"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-9","name":"Insensitive munitions and safety testing"},{"id":"ch-energetic-materials-10","name":"Legal, regulatory and ethical framework"}]},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry","name":"Fuels & Petroleum Chemistry","category":"Combustion, Propellants & Energetic Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Composition, refining and properties of fossil, bio- and synthetic fuels, including aviation and rocket kerosene.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-i"],"related":["ea-petroleum-geology"],"unlocks":[],"order":70,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-1","name":"Formation and composition of petroleum, natural gas and coal"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-2","name":"Crude-oil refining: distillation, cracking, reforming, alkylation and hydrotreating"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-3","name":"Fuel properties: heating value, octane and cetane numbers, volatility and flash point"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-4","name":"Gasoline, diesel and jet fuels (Jet A, JP-8, RP-1)"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-5","name":"Lubricants and fuel additives"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-6","name":"Natural gas processing and LNG"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-7","name":"Coal chemistry, gasification and syngas"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-8","name":"Biofuels: ethanol, biodiesel, renewable diesel and sustainable aviation fuel"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-9","name":"Synthetic fuels: Fischer-Tropsch, methanol and e-fuels"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-10","name":"Hydrogen, ammonia and methane as fuels"},{"id":"ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry-11","name":"Petrochemical feedstocks: olefins and aromatics"}]},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry","name":"Environmental Chemistry","category":"Environmental & Green Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Chemical processes in water, soil and air, and the sources, fate and effects of pollutants.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-i","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics"],"related":["el-environmental-chemical-compliance","ea-water-quality-and-pollution","ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health","ea-biogeochemical-cycles"],"unlocks":["ch-aquatic-chemistry","ch-atmospheric-chemistry"],"order":69,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-1","name":"Environmental compartments and biogeochemical cycles (C, N, S, P)"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-2","name":"Natural water chemistry: hardness and alkalinity"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-3","name":"Water pollution: nutrients, heavy metals, organics and pathogens"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-4","name":"Water and wastewater treatment chemistry"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-5","name":"Soil chemistry: minerals, organic matter and ion exchange"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-6","name":"Persistent organic pollutants, pesticides and PFAS"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-7","name":"Environmental fate and transport: partitioning (Kow, Henry's law) and degradation"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-8","name":"Toxic metals: speciation of mercury, lead, arsenic and cadmium"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-9","name":"Energy, climate and the chemistry of the carbon cycle"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-10","name":"Environmental analysis and monitoring"},{"id":"ch-environmental-chemistry-11","name":"Chemical regulation and environmental risk (REACH, TSCA)"}]},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry","name":"Atmospheric Chemistry","category":"Environmental & Green Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Photochemistry and kinetics of the atmosphere: ozone, smog, aerosols, acid rain and climate-active gases.","prerequisites":["ch-environmental-chemistry","ch-chemical-kinetics"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics","ea-atmospheric-chemistry","ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality"],"unlocks":[],"order":73,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-1","name":"Structure and composition of the atmosphere"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-2","name":"Atmospheric radiation and photochemistry"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-3","name":"Stratospheric ozone: the Chapman cycle, catalytic cycles and the ozone hole"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-4","name":"Tropospheric oxidants: OH, NO3 and ozone"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-5","name":"VOC oxidation and photochemical smog"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-6","name":"Nitrogen and sulfur chemistry; acid deposition"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-7","name":"Aerosols: formation, composition and secondary organic aerosol"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-8","name":"Cloud and aqueous-phase chemistry"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-9","name":"Greenhouse gases, radiative forcing and climate chemistry"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-10","name":"Indoor air chemistry"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-11","name":"Measurement techniques and chemical transport models"},{"id":"ch-atmospheric-chemistry-12","name":"Chemistry of other planetary atmospheres"}]},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry","name":"Green & Sustainable Chemistry","category":"Environmental & Green Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing chemical products and processes that reduce hazards, waste and energy use across their life cycle.","prerequisites":["ch-organic-reactions-ii"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry"],"order":74,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-1","name":"The 12 principles of green chemistry and green engineering"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-2","name":"Metrics: atom economy, E-factor and process mass intensity"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-3","name":"Green solvents: water, supercritical CO2, ionic liquids and solvent-selection guides"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-4","name":"Catalysis as a green tool"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-5","name":"Renewable feedstocks and biorefineries"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-6","name":"Designing safer chemicals and inherently safer processes"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-7","name":"Energy efficiency: microwave, mechanochemistry and flow"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-8","name":"Life-cycle assessment"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-9","name":"Circular economy and polymer recycling"},{"id":"ch-green-chemistry-10","name":"Green chemistry case studies (award-winning processes)"}]},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry","name":"Aquatic & Marine Chemistry","category":"Environmental & Green Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Equilibrium and redox chemistry of natural waters and the oceans, including speciation modelling.","prerequisites":["ch-environmental-chemistry","ch-chemical-thermodynamics"],"related":["ea-aqueous-geochemistry","ea-chemical-oceanography","ea-water-quality-and-pollution"],"unlocks":[],"order":81,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-1","name":"Chemical speciation and equilibrium modelling"},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-2","name":"The carbonate system and alkalinity"},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-3","name":"Metal ions in water: complexation and precipitation"},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-4","name":"Redox chemistry of natural waters; pe-pH diagrams"},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-5","name":"Mineral-water interfaces and sorption"},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-6","name":"Seawater composition and marine biogeochemistry"},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-7","name":"Ocean acidification"},{"id":"ch-aquatic-chemistry-8","name":"Groundwater and geochemical modelling (PHREEQC)"}]},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry","name":"Carbon Capture, Utilization & Circular Chemistry","category":"Environmental & Green Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Chemical technologies for capturing and converting CO2, recycling plastics and destroying persistent pollutants.","prerequisites":["ch-green-chemistry","ch-heterogeneous-catalysis"],"related":["ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage","ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation"],"unlocks":[],"order":89,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-1","name":"CO2 capture chemistry: amine scrubbing, solid sorbents and membranes"},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-2","name":"Direct air capture"},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-3","name":"Mineralization and geological storage chemistry"},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-4","name":"CO2 conversion: thermocatalytic, electrochemical and photochemical"},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-5","name":"CO2-derived fuels, polymers and chemicals"},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-6","name":"Chemical recycling of plastics: pyrolysis, depolymerization and upcycling"},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-7","name":"PFAS destruction and remediation technologies"},{"id":"ch-carbon-capture-circular-chemistry-8","name":"Techno-economic and life-cycle evaluation"}]},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry","name":"Astrochemistry","category":"Earth & Space Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Chemistry in space: how molecules form in interstellar clouds, disks, comets and planetary atmospheres, and links to the origin of life.","prerequisites":["ch-molecular-spectroscopy","ch-chemical-kinetics","ph-astrophysics"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation"],"unlocks":[],"order":42,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-1","name":"The interstellar medium: phases, conditions and detected molecules"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-2","name":"Low-temperature gas-phase ion-molecule chemistry"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-3","name":"Grain-surface chemistry and interstellar ices"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-4","name":"Molecular clouds and the chemistry of star formation"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-5","name":"Protoplanetary disks and the chemistry of planet formation"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-6","name":"Astronomical spectroscopy: radio, sub-millimetre and infrared (ALMA, JWST)"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-7","name":"Complex organic molecules and PAHs in space"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-8","name":"Chemistry of comets, asteroids and meteorites"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-9","name":"Planetary and exoplanet atmospheres"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-10","name":"Laboratory astrochemistry and astrochemical modelling"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-11","name":"Prebiotic chemistry and the origin of life"},{"id":"ch-astrochemistry-12","name":"Astrobiology: biosignatures and habitability"}]},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry","name":"Geochemistry & Cosmochemistry","category":"Earth & Space Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The chemical composition and evolution of the Earth, planets and meteorites, traced with elements and isotopes.","prerequisites":["ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry","ch-chemical-thermodynamics","ch-nuclear-radiochemistry","ea-mineralogy"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ph-geophysics","ea-geochemistry-fundamentals","ea-isotope-geochemistry","ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":45,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-1","name":"Nucleosynthesis and the cosmic abundances of the elements"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-2","name":"Meteorites and the composition of the early solar system"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-3","name":"Differentiation of the Earth: core, mantle and crust"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-4","name":"Goldschmidt classification and element partitioning"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-5","name":"Crystal chemistry of silicate minerals"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-6","name":"Igneous and metamorphic geochemistry; trace elements"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-7","name":"Radiogenic isotopes and geochronology"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-8","name":"Stable isotope geochemistry (O, C, H, S)"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-9","name":"Weathering, sediments and geochemical cycles"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-10","name":"Organic geochemistry and the formation of fossil fuels"},{"id":"ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry-11","name":"Planetary geochemistry: the Moon, Mars and asteroids"}]},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry","name":"Prebiotic & Systems Chemistry","category":"Earth & Space Chemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The chemistry that could have turned simple molecules into the first living systems, and the networks of reactions that behave like life.","prerequisites":["ch-metabolism-bioenergetics"],"related":["bi-origin-of-life","ch-astrochemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":101,"stage":15,"depth":16,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-1","name":"Early Earth environments and feedstock molecules"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-2","name":"Miller-Urey and its successors"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-3","name":"Formose reaction and sugar synthesis"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-4","name":"Nucleotide synthesis and the RNA world"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-5","name":"Amino acids, peptides and homochirality"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-6","name":"Mineral surfaces and hydrothermal settings"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-7","name":"Protocells, vesicles and compartmentalisation"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-8","name":"Autocatalysis and self-replicating systems"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-9","name":"Chemical reaction networks and emergence"},{"id":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry-10","name":"Delivery of organics by meteorites and comets"}]},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry","name":"Nuclear & Radiochemistry","category":"Nuclear & Radiochemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Radioactive decay, nuclear reactions and the chemical handling, detection and uses of radionuclides.","prerequisites":["ch-chemical-kinetics-intro"],"related":["ph-nuclear-physics","ea-isotope-geochemistry"],"unlocks":["ch-applied-radiochemistry","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry"],"order":16,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-1","name":"Nuclear structure, stability and binding energy"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-2","name":"Modes of radioactive decay: alpha, beta, gamma, electron capture and spontaneous fission"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-3","name":"Decay kinetics, decay chains and secular equilibrium"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-4","name":"Nuclear reactions, cross sections and energetics"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-5","name":"Fission and fusion"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-6","name":"Interaction of radiation with matter"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-7","name":"Radiation detection and measurement"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-8","name":"Dosimetry, biological effects and radiation protection"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-9","name":"Radiotracers and isotope-dilution techniques"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-10","name":"Radiometric dating (¹⁴C, U-Pb, K-Ar)"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-11","name":"Radiation chemistry and hot-atom chemistry (radiolysis of water)"},{"id":"ch-nuclear-radiochemistry-12","name":"Production of radionuclides: reactors, cyclotrons and generators"}]},{"id":"ch-applied-radiochemistry","name":"Actinide Chemistry, Nuclear Fuel Cycle & Applied Radiochemistry","category":"Nuclear & Radiochemistry","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Chemistry of the actinides and its application in nuclear power, waste management, medicine and space power sources.","prerequisites":["ch-nuclear-radiochemistry","ch-coordination-chemistry"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","ph-medical-physics","mt-radiation-nuclear-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":56,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-applied-radiochemistry-1","name":"Actinide chemistry: oxidation states, 5f bonding and speciation"},{"id":"ch-applied-radiochemistry-2","name":"Uranium mining, conversion and enrichment"},{"id":"ch-applied-radiochemistry-3","name":"Nuclear fuel chemistry: oxide and advanced fuels, fuel-cladding interactions"},{"id":"ch-applied-radiochemistry-4","name":"Reactor coolant and water chemistry"},{"id":"ch-applied-radiochemistry-5","name":"Spent-fuel reprocessing and separations (solvent-extraction principles)"},{"id":"ch-applied-radiochemistry-6","name":"Radioactive waste forms 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by a common set of conservation equations.","prerequisites":["ch-material-energy-balances","ma-mathematical-methods"],"related":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ma-fluid-mechanics","me-fluid-mechanics","me-heat-transfer","mt-diffusion"],"unlocks":[],"order":21,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ch-transport-phenomena-1","name":"Viscosity and momentum transport; Newtonian and non-Newtonian fluids"},{"id":"ch-transport-phenomena-2","name":"Shell balances and laminar-flow solutions"},{"id":"ch-transport-phenomena-3","name":"Equations of change: continuity and Navier-Stokes"},{"id":"ch-transport-phenomena-4","name":"Turbulence and friction factors; flow in pipes and packed beds"},{"id":"ch-transport-phenomena-5","name":"Heat conduction: Fourier's law, steady and transient conduction"},{"id":"ch-transport-phenomena-6","name":"Convective heat transfer and heat-transfer coefficients"},{"id":"ch-transport-phenomena-7","name":"Radiative heat 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by combining kinetics with mass and energy balances.","prerequisites":["ch-material-energy-balances","ch-chemical-kinetics"],"related":["bi-bioprocess-biomanufacturing"],"unlocks":["ch-process-design-control-safety"],"order":36,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ch-chemical-reaction-engineering-1","name":"Mole balances and ideal reactors: batch, CSTR, PFR and packed bed"},{"id":"ch-chemical-reaction-engineering-2","name":"Design equations, conversion and reactor sizing (Levenspiel plots)"},{"id":"ch-chemical-reaction-engineering-3","name":"Reactors in series and parallel"},{"id":"ch-chemical-reaction-engineering-4","name":"Multiple reactions: selectivity and yield"},{"id":"ch-chemical-reaction-engineering-5","name":"Non-isothermal reactor design and energy balances"},{"id":"ch-chemical-reaction-engineering-6","name":"Multiple steady states and thermal runaway"},{"id":"ch-chemical-reaction-engineering-7","name":"Residence-time distributions and non-ideal 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& Heritage Chemistry","category":"Industrial & Applied Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Applying analytical chemistry to legal evidence, art conservation and archaeology.","prerequisites":["ch-separation-science"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":51,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-1","name":"The forensic chemistry workflow and chain of custody"},{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-2","name":"Drug identification and toxicological analysis"},{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-3","name":"Trace evidence: fibres, paint, glass and gunshot residue"},{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-4","name":"Fire-debris and explosive-residue analysis"},{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-5","name":"Chemistry of DNA profiling"},{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-6","name":"Forensic statistics and presentation of evidence"},{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-7","name":"Chemistry of art and cultural heritage: pigments and conservation"},{"id":"ch-forensic-heritage-chemistry-8","name":"Archaeological science: residue analysis, dating and provenance"}]},{"id":"ch-industrial-chemistry","name":"Industrial Chemistry & Chemical Manufacturing","category":"Industrial & Applied Chemistry","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How the chemical industry turns raw materials into bulk, fine and specialty chemicals, metals and polymers.","prerequisites":["ch-descriptive-inorganic-chemistry","ch-organic-reactions-ii"],"related":["mt-extractive-metallurgy"],"unlocks":[],"order":75,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ch-industrial-chemistry-1","name":"Structure of the chemical industry and its value chains"},{"id":"ch-industrial-chemistry-2","name":"Heavy inorganic chemicals: sulfuric acid, ammonia, nitric acid, chlor-alkali and soda ash"},{"id":"ch-industrial-chemistry-3","name":"Fertilizers and phosphates"},{"id":"ch-industrial-chemistry-4","name":"Petrochemicals: steam 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products.","prerequisites":["ch-biochemistry-structure-function"],"related":["bi-plant-agricultural-biotech"],"unlocks":[],"order":84,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-1","name":"Food components: water, carbohydrates, proteins and lipids"},{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-2","name":"Maillard reaction, caramelization and flavour chemistry"},{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-3","name":"Food additives, preservatives and emulsifiers"},{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-4","name":"Food analysis and adulteration detection"},{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-5","name":"Soil fertility and fertilizer chemistry"},{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-6","name":"Pesticides and herbicides: modes of action and environmental fate"},{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-7","name":"Plant chemistry and phytochemicals"},{"id":"ch-food-agricultural-chemistry-8","name":"Cosmetics and personal-care chemistry"}]},{"id":"ch-quantum-computing-chemistry","name":"Quantum Computing for Chemistry","category":"Frontiers of Chemistry","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Algorithms for solving electronic-structure and dynamics problems on quantum computers, and their current limits.","prerequisites":["ch-electronic-structure-theory","ph-quantum-information-science"],"related":["ma-quantum-computation-theory"],"unlocks":[],"order":47,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ch-quantum-computing-chemistry-1","name":"Mapping electronic structure to qubits (Jordan-Wigner, Bravyi-Kitaev)"},{"id":"ch-quantum-computing-chemistry-2","name":"The variational quantum eigensolver"},{"id":"ch-quantum-computing-chemistry-3","name":"Quantum phase estimation"},{"id":"ch-quantum-computing-chemistry-4","name":"Resource estimates and fault-tolerant algorithms"},{"id":"ch-quantum-computing-chemistry-5","name":"Quantum simulation of chemical 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Systematics","Ecology & Environment","Microbiology, Virology & Immunology","Plant Biology","Anatomy & Physiology","Biomechanics & Human Performance","Developmental Biology","Neuroscience","Laboratory & Research Methods","Quantitative & Computational Biology","Biotechnology & Bioengineering","Health & Biomedical Sciences","Astrobiology & Space Biology","Bioethics, History & Society"],"chapters":[{"id":"bi-introductory-biology","name":"Introductory Biology","category":"Foundations of Biology","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"A first tour of the living world: what life is, how cells work, how traits are inherited, how species evolve and how ecosystems fit 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death.","prerequisites":["bi-chemistry-of-life"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-cell-signaling","bi-genetics","bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity","bi-metabolism","bi-microscopy-bioimaging","bi-molecular-biology","bi-plant-structure-growth","mt-biomaterials"],"order":9,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"bi-cell-biology-1","name":"Cell theory, microscopy history and the prokaryote/eukaryote divide"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-2","name":"Membrane structure: the fluid mosaic model and membrane proteins"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-3","name":"The nucleus, nuclear envelope and nuclear pore transport"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-4","name":"Endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus and the secretory pathway"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-5","name":"Intracellular compartments and protein sorting signals"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-6","name":"Vesicular traffic: endocytosis, exocytosis, coat proteins and SNAREs"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-7","name":"Lysosomes, peroxisomes, autophagy and protein degradation"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-8","name":"Mitochondria and chloroplasts: structure, genomes and endosymbiotic origin"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-9","name":"The cytoskeleton: actin filaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments and motor proteins"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-10","name":"Cell motility, cilia and flagella"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-11","name":"Cell communication overview: signals, receptors and responses"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-12","name":"The cell cycle, checkpoints and cyclin/CDK control"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-13","name":"Mitosis, cytokinesis and the mechanics of cell division"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-14","name":"Programmed cell death: apoptosis, necroptosis and their regulation"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-15","name":"Cell junctions, cell adhesion and the extracellular matrix"},{"id":"bi-cell-biology-16","name":"Cells in tissues: polarity, differentiation and tissue renewal"}]},{"id":"bi-molecular-biology","name":"Molecular Biology","category":"Cell & Molecular 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& Molecular Biology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How cells switch genes on and off and remember those states: transcription control, chromatin, DNA methylation and non-coding RNA.","prerequisites":["bi-molecular-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-biology-of-aging","bi-cancer-biology","bi-developmental-biology","bi-plant-molecular-development","bi-rna-biology","bi-systems-biology"],"order":18,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-1","name":"Transcription factors, DNA-binding domains and combinatorial control"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-2","name":"Promoters, enhancers, silencers, insulators and 3D genome looping"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-3","name":"The general transcription machinery, Mediator and RNA polymerase II pausing"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-4","name":"Chromatin remodelling complexes"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-5","name":"Histone modifications and the 'histone code'"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-6","name":"DNA methylation, CpG islands and their readers"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-7","name":"Polycomb and Trithorax: epigenetic memory"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-8","name":"Genomic imprinting and X-chromosome inactivation"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-9","name":"Post-transcriptional regulation: mRNA stability, localisation and translation control"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-10","name":"Regulatory non-coding RNAs: miRNA, siRNA and lncRNA"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-11","name":"Transgenerational epigenetic inheritance: evidence and controversy"},{"id":"bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics-12","name":"Epigenetics in development, disease and ageing"}]},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity","name":"Membranes, Transport & Bioelectricity","category":"Cell & Molecular Biology","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How membranes control what enters and leaves the cell, and how ion gradients create the voltages that nerves, muscles and hearts run on.","prerequisites":["bi-cell-biology","ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism"],"related":["ph-biophysics"],"unlocks":["bi-human-physiology","bi-neuroscience-fundamentals"],"order":21,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-1","name":"Lipid bilayer physics: fluidity, rafts, asymmetry and curvature"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-2","name":"Diffusion, osmosis and tonicity"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-3","name":"Passive transport: channels and carrier proteins"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-4","name":"Primary active transport: the Na+/K+ pump and ABC transporters"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-5","name":"Secondary active transport: symporters and antiporters"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-6","name":"Electrochemical gradients and the Nernst equation"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-7","name":"Resting membrane potential and the Goldman-Hodgkin-Katz equation"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-8","name":"Ion channel families: voltage-gated, ligand-gated and mechanosensitive"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-9","name":"Membrane as an electrical circuit: capacitance, resistance and cable properties"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-10","name":"Excitable cells: an introduction to the action potential"},{"id":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity-11","name":"Epithelial transport and transcellular movement of water and solutes"}]},{"id":"bi-rna-biology","name":"RNA Biology","category":"Cell & Molecular Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"RNA beyond messenger: splicing mechanics, catalytic and regulatory RNAs, RNA modifications and RNA-based therapeutics.","prerequisites":["bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":35,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"bi-rna-biology-1","name":"RNA structure: secondary and tertiary folding"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-2","name":"Spliceosome mechanics and alternative splicing"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-3","name":"Ribozymes and the catalytic ribosome"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-4","name":"RNA interference pathways and piRNAs"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-5","name":"Long non-coding RNAs and circular RNAs"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-6","name":"The epitranscriptome: m6A and other RNA modifications"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-7","name":"RNA-binding proteins, granules and phase separation"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-8","name":"RNA decay and quality control (nonsense-mediated decay)"},{"id":"bi-rna-biology-9","name":"RNA therapeutics: antisense oligonucleotides, siRNA drugs and mRNA vaccines"}]},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling","name":"Cell Signaling","category":"Cell & Molecular Biology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How cells sense and respond to signals: receptors, second messengers and the core signaling pathways behind development, physiology and disease.","prerequisites":["bi-cell-biology","bi-biochemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-cancer-biology","bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience","bi-developmental-biology","bi-endocrinology-reproduction","bi-gravitational-space-biology","bi-immunology","bi-pharmacology"],"order":64,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-1","name":"Principles of signaling: ligands, receptors, specificity, amplification and adaptation"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-2","name":"G-protein-coupled receptors, G proteins and cAMP/PKA"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-3","name":"Calcium signaling, IP3/DAG and protein kinase C"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-4","name":"Receptor tyrosine kinases and the Ras/MAPK cascade"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-5","name":"PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling and nutrient sensing"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-6","name":"Cytokine receptors and JAK-STAT"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-7","name":"TGF-beta/SMAD signaling"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-8","name":"Developmental pathways: Wnt, Hedgehog and Notch"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-9","name":"NF-kB and stress/inflammatory signaling"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-10","name":"Nuclear receptors and steroid hormone signaling"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-11","name":"Nitric oxide and gaseous signaling molecules"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-12","name":"Signal integration, crosstalk, feedback and network behaviour"},{"id":"bi-cell-signaling-13","name":"Signaling in bacteria and plants: two-component systems and plant receptor kinases"}]},{"id":"bi-biochemistry","name":"Biochemistry","category":"Biochemistry & Structural Biology","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The chemistry of living systems from the biology side: protein structure, enzyme kinetics, biomolecules and the energetics that drive metabolism.","prerequisites":["bi-chemistry-of-life","ch-organic-structure-bonding"],"related":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ch-biochemistry-structure-function"],"unlocks":["bi-cell-signaling","bi-metabolism","bi-origin-of-life","bi-protein-biochemical-methods","bi-protein-structure-function"],"order":57,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"bi-biochemistry-1","name":"Amino acids, peptide bonds and protein structure hierarchy"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-2","name":"Protein function: myoglobin, hemoglobin, oxygen binding and cooperativity"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-3","name":"Enzymes: catalytic strategies and cofactors"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-4","name":"Enzyme kinetics: Michaelis-Menten, Lineweaver-Burk and inhibition"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-5","name":"Enzyme regulation: allostery, covalent modification and zymogens"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-6","name":"Carbohydrates and glycobiology"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-7","name":"Lipids and biological membranes"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-8","name":"Nucleotides and nucleic acid chemistry"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-9","name":"Vitamins and coenzymes"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-10","name":"Bioenergetics: free energy, coupled reactions, ATP and redox potentials"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-11","name":"Overview of metabolism: catabolism, anabolism and metabolic maps"},{"id":"bi-biochemistry-12","name":"Signal transduction biochemistry (overview)"}]},{"id":"bi-metabolism","name":"Metabolism","category":"Biochemistry & Structural Biology","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The metabolic pathways that extract energy and build cell components, and how they are regulated and integrated across the body.","prerequisites":["bi-biochemistry","bi-cell-biology"],"related":["ch-metabolism-bioenergetics"],"unlocks":["bi-bioprocess-biomanufacturing","bi-exercise-physiology","bi-plant-physiology"],"order":63,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"bi-metabolism-1","name":"Glycolysis and its regulation"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-2","name":"Fermentation and anaerobic metabolism"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-3","name":"Pyruvate dehydrogenase and the citric acid cycle"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-4","name":"Electron transport chain, chemiosmosis and ATP synthase"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-5","name":"Photosynthesis: light reactions and photophosphorylation"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-6","name":"Carbon fixation: the Calvin cycle, photorespiration, C4 and CAM"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-7","name":"Gluconeogenesis, glycogen metabolism and the pentose phosphate pathway"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-8","name":"Fatty acid oxidation, ketone bodies and fatty acid synthesis"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-9","name":"Cholesterol, steroid and membrane lipid biosynthesis"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-10","name":"Amino acid catabolism and the urea cycle"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-11","name":"Amino acid and nucleotide biosynthesis"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-12","name":"Nitrogen fixation and assimilation"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-13","name":"Integration of metabolism: fed and fasted states, hormones and tissue specialisation"},{"id":"bi-metabolism-14","name":"Metabolic diseases and inborn errors of metabolism"}]},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function","name":"Protein Structure & Function","category":"Biochemistry & Structural Biology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How a chain of amino acids folds into a working machine, and how protein structure explains binding, catalysis and regulation.","prerequisites":["bi-biochemistry"],"related":["ph-biophysics","ch-biochemistry-structure-function","ch-enzymology","ch-biophysical-chemistry"],"unlocks":["bi-structural-biology"],"order":66,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-1","name":"Secondary structure, supersecondary motifs and protein folds"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-2","name":"Domains, modularity and protein families"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-3","name":"Protein folding thermodynamics, kinetics and energy landscapes"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-4","name":"Chaperones, proteostasis and the ubiquitin-proteasome system"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-5","name":"Misfolding, aggregation, amyloid and prion diseases"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-6","name":"Protein-ligand binding: affinity, specificity and binding assays"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-7","name":"Enzyme reaction mechanisms at the atomic level"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-8","name":"Allostery and conformational change"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-9","name":"Molecular machines and motors"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-10","name":"Intrinsically disordered proteins and biomolecular condensates"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-11","name":"Membrane protein structure"},{"id":"bi-protein-structure-function-12","name":"Protein engineering, directed evolution and de novo design"}]},{"id":"bi-structural-biology","name":"Structural Biology","category":"Biochemistry & Structural Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The methods that reveal 3D molecular structures (X-ray, NMR, cryo-EM, prediction) and what those structures teach us.","prerequisites":["bi-protein-structure-function","ch-molecular-spectroscopy"],"related":["ph-biophysics","ch-structural-methods-diffraction","ch-magnetic-resonance","ch-biophysical-chemistry","mt-xray-neutron-methods","mt-electron-microscopy"],"unlocks":[],"order":79,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"bi-structural-biology-1","name":"Why structure matters: the structure-function paradigm and the Protein Data Bank"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-2","name":"X-ray crystallography: crystals, diffraction, phasing and refinement"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-3","name":"NMR spectroscopy of biomolecules"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-4","name":"Cryo-electron microscopy and single-particle analysis"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-5","name":"Cryo-electron tomography and in situ structural biology"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-6","name":"Small-angle scattering, mass spectrometry and integrative/hybrid methods"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-7","name":"Computational structure prediction: AlphaFold and related tools"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-8","name":"Molecular dynamics simulation of biomolecules"},{"id":"bi-structural-biology-9","name":"Structure-based drug design"}]},{"id":"bi-genetics","name":"Genetics","category":"Genetics & Genomics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How traits are inherited and how genes are found and analysed: Mendelian and chromosomal inheritance, mutation, mapping and genetic analysis.","prerequisites":["bi-cell-biology","ma-elementary-probability"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-cancer-biology","bi-developmental-biology","bi-evolutionary-biology","bi-genetic-engineering-biotechnology","bi-genomics","bi-model-organisms"],"order":10,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"bi-genetics-1","name":"Meiosis, sexual life cycles and the chromosomal basis of inheritance"},{"id":"bi-genetics-2","name":"Mendel's laws: segregation and independent assortment"},{"id":"bi-genetics-3","name":"Probability in genetics: Punnett squares, branch diagrams and chi-square tests"},{"id":"bi-genetics-4","name":"Extensions of Mendel: incomplete dominance, codominance, multiple alleles, epistasis, penetrance"},{"id":"bi-genetics-5","name":"Sex determination and sex-linked inheritance"},{"id":"bi-genetics-6","name":"Linkage, recombination and genetic mapping"},{"id":"bi-genetics-7","name":"Pedigree analysis of human traits"},{"id":"bi-genetics-8","name":"Mutation types, mutagenesis and forward genetic screens"},{"id":"bi-genetics-9","name":"Complementation tests and gene interaction"},{"id":"bi-genetics-10","name":"Chromosomal aberrations: aneuploidy, polyploidy and rearrangements"},{"id":"bi-genetics-11","name":"Bacterial and phage genetics: conjugation, transformation, transduction"},{"id":"bi-genetics-12","name":"Extranuclear inheritance: mitochondrial and chloroplast genes"},{"id":"bi-genetics-13","name":"Reverse genetics: knockouts, knockdowns and suppressor/enhancer screens"},{"id":"bi-genetics-14","name":"Genetics of model organisms (yeast, fly, worm, mouse) as analytical tools"}]},{"id":"bi-genomics","name":"Genomics","category":"Genetics & Genomics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Studying whole genomes: sequencing technologies, assembly, annotation, comparative genomics and genome function at scale.","prerequisites":["bi-genetics","bi-molecular-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-human-genetics","bi-microbiome","bi-omics"],"order":17,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"bi-genomics-1","name":"Genome anatomy: genes, repeats, non-coding DNA and genome size (C-value paradox)"},{"id":"bi-genomics-2","name":"Sanger sequencing and the Human Genome Project"},{"id":"bi-genomics-3","name":"Next-generation short-read sequencing"},{"id":"bi-genomics-4","name":"Long-read sequencing: PacBio and nanopore; telomere-to-telomere genomes"},{"id":"bi-genomics-5","name":"Genome assembly and quality assessment"},{"id":"bi-genomics-6","name":"Genome annotation: gene prediction and functional annotation"},{"id":"bi-genomics-7","name":"Genetic variation: SNPs, indels, structural and copy-number variants"},{"id":"bi-genomics-8","name":"Comparative genomics, synteny and conserved elements"},{"id":"bi-genomics-9","name":"Genome evolution: gene duplication, horizontal gene transfer and whole-genome duplication"},{"id":"bi-genomics-10","name":"Functional genomics: genome-wide screens, ENCODE and regulatory element maps"},{"id":"bi-genomics-11","name":"Metagenomics and environmental DNA"},{"id":"bi-genomics-12","name":"Pangenomes and population-scale sequencing projects"}]},{"id":"bi-human-genetics","name":"Human Genetics & Genomic Medicine","category":"Genetics & Genomics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The genetics of people: Mendelian disease, complex traits, genetic testing, ancestry and how genomics is used in medicine.","prerequisites":["bi-genomics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":26,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"bi-human-genetics-1","name":"The human genome and patterns of human variation"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-2","name":"Mendelian disorders: mechanisms and examples (cystic fibrosis, sickle cell, Huntington's)"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-3","name":"Chromosomal disorders and cytogenetics"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-4","name":"Mitochondrial disease"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-5","name":"Complex traits, heritability and genome-wide association studies (GWAS)"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-6","name":"Polygenic risk scores: construction and limitations"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-7","name":"Cancer genetics: germline predisposition versus somatic mutation"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-8","name":"Genetic testing, newborn screening and prenatal diagnosis"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-9","name":"Clinical exome/genome sequencing and variant interpretation"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-10","name":"Pharmacogenomics"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-11","name":"Genetic ancestry and forensic DNA profiling"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-12","name":"Gene therapy in the clinic (overview) and genetic counselling"},{"id":"bi-human-genetics-13","name":"Ethical, legal and social implications of human genomics"}]},{"id":"bi-omics","name":"Transcriptomics, Proteomics & Multi-Omics","category":"Genetics & Genomics","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Measuring the molecules of the cell at scale: RNA-seq, single-cell and spatial methods, proteomics, metabolomics and integrating them.","prerequisites":["bi-genomics","bi-bioinformatics"],"related":["ch-mass-spectrometry"],"unlocks":[],"order":32,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"bi-omics-1","name":"Transcriptomics: microarrays and bulk RNA-seq"},{"id":"bi-omics-2","name":"Differential expression analysis and normalisation"},{"id":"bi-omics-3","name":"Single-cell RNA-seq: technologies, clustering and cell atlases"},{"id":"bi-omics-4","name":"Spatial transcriptomics and spatial omics"},{"id":"bi-omics-5","name":"Epigenomics: ChIP-seq, ATAC-seq, bisulfite sequencing and Hi-C"},{"id":"bi-omics-6","name":"Proteomics by mass spectrometry: bottom-up, quantitative and PTM proteomics"},{"id":"bi-omics-7","name":"Interactomics: protein-protein interaction mapping"},{"id":"bi-omics-8","name":"Metabolomics and lipidomics"},{"id":"bi-omics-9","name":"Multi-omics integration and network-based analysis"},{"id":"bi-omics-10","name":"Data standards, public repositories and reproducibility in omics"}]},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology","name":"Evolutionary Biology","category":"Evolution","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The unifying theory of biology: the evidence for evolution, the mechanisms that drive it and how new species arise.","prerequisites":["bi-genetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-ecology","bi-macroevolution-history-of-life","bi-population-genetics","bi-systematics-taxonomy","ea-paleontology"],"order":13,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-1","name":"History of evolutionary thought: Lamarck, Darwin, Wallace and the Modern Synthesis"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-2","name":"Evidence for evolution: fossils, homology, biogeography, molecular data and direct observation"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-3","name":"Variation and its sources: mutation, recombination and gene flow"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-4","name":"Natural selection: directional, stabilising, disruptive and balancing"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-5","name":"Adaptation, constraints and trade-offs"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-6","name":"Sexual selection"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-7","name":"Genetic drift and neutral evolution (introductory)"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-8","name":"Species concepts and reproductive isolation"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-9","name":"Speciation: allopatric, sympatric and via polyploidy"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-10","name":"Reading phylogenetic trees"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-11","name":"Coevolution: predators, parasites and mutualists"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-12","name":"Evolution of cooperation: kin selection and reciprocal altruism"},{"id":"bi-evolutionary-biology-13","name":"Evolutionary medicine and antibiotic resistance as evolution in action"}]},{"id":"bi-population-genetics","name":"Population & Quantitative Genetics","category":"Evolution","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The mathematics of evolution: how allele frequencies change under drift, selection, mutation and migration, and how continuous traits are inherited.","prerequisites":["bi-evolutionary-biology","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["ma-mathematical-biology","ma-stochastic-processes"],"unlocks":["bi-conservation-biology","bi-human-evolution","bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics"],"order":24,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"bi-population-genetics-1","name":"Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium and its assumptions"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-2","name":"Genetic drift, effective population size and fixation probability"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-3","name":"Models of selection: fitness, dominance and selection coefficients"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-4","name":"Mutation-selection balance and genetic load"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-5","name":"Migration, gene flow and population structure (F-statistics)"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-6","name":"Inbreeding and non-random mating"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-7","name":"Linkage disequilibrium and recombination"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-8","name":"The coalescent and gene genealogies"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-9","name":"Detecting selection in genomic data"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-10","name":"Quantitative traits: variance components and heritability"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-11","name":"Response to selection: the breeder's equation and artificial selection"},{"id":"bi-population-genetics-12","name":"QTL mapping and the genetic architecture of complex traits"}]},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life","name":"Macroevolution & the History of Life","category":"Evolution","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Evolution on the grand scale: the fossil record, major transitions, adaptive radiations and mass extinctions across 4 billion years.","prerequisites":["bi-evolutionary-biology"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ea-historical-geology","ea-paleontology","ea-geobiology"],"unlocks":["bi-biogeography-macroecology","bi-evo-devo","bi-human-evolution","bi-origin-of-life"],"order":27,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-1","name":"The geologic time scale, fossilisation and radiometric dating"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-2","name":"Earliest life, stromatolites and the rise of oxygen"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-3","name":"The origin of eukaryotes and endosymbiosis"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-4","name":"Multicellularity and the Ediacaran biota"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-5","name":"The Cambrian explosion and animal body plans"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-6","name":"Colonisation of land by plants, fungi and animals"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-7","name":"Major transitions in evolution"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-8","name":"Adaptive radiation and key innovations"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-9","name":"Mass extinctions and recovery"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-10","name":"Paleobiology: dinosaurs, the rise of mammals and flowering plants"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-11","name":"Rates of evolution: gradualism versus punctuated equilibrium"},{"id":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life-12","name":"Macroevolutionary patterns: diversification rates and trait evolution on trees"}]},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics","name":"Molecular Evolution & Phylogenetics","category":"Evolution","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Reading evolutionary history from DNA and protein sequences: substitution models, molecular clocks and tree-building methods.","prerequisites":["bi-population-genetics","bi-molecular-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":42,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-1","name":"The neutral and nearly neutral theories of molecular evolution"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-2","name":"Substitution rates, dN/dS and signatures of selection"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-3","name":"Models of nucleotide and amino acid substitution"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-4","name":"Molecular clocks and divergence-time estimation"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-5","name":"Tree-building methods: distance, parsimony, maximum likelihood and Bayesian"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-6","name":"Tree support, bootstrapping and model selection"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-7","name":"Gene trees versus species trees, incomplete lineage sorting and phylogenomics"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-8","name":"Gene family evolution, orthology and paralogy"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-9","name":"Ancestral sequence reconstruction"},{"id":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics-10","name":"Phylodynamics: viral evolution and epidemic trees"}]},{"id":"bi-human-evolution","name":"Human Evolution","category":"Evolution","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Where we came from: primate evolution, the hominin fossil record, archaic humans, ancient DNA and the spread of Homo sapiens.","prerequisites":["bi-macroevolution-history-of-life","bi-population-genetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":44,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"bi-human-evolution-1","name":"Primate diversity and evolution"},{"id":"bi-human-evolution-2","name":"Early hominins and bipedalism"},{"id":"bi-human-evolution-3","name":"The genus Homo: brains, tools and life history"},{"id":"bi-human-evolution-4","name":"Neanderthals, Denisovans and archaic admixture"},{"id":"bi-human-evolution-5","name":"Out of Africa and the peopling of the world"},{"id":"bi-human-evolution-6","name":"Ancient DNA methods and findings"},{"id":"bi-human-evolution-7","name":"Recent human adaptation: lactase persistence, altitude, skin pigmentation"},{"id":"bi-human-evolution-8","name":"Evolution of language, cognition and culture (gene-culture coevolution)"}]},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy","name":"Systematics & Taxonomy","category":"Biodiversity & Systematics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How biologists name, classify and organise the diversity of life into a tree, from Linnaean ranks to modern phylogenetic systematics.","prerequisites":["bi-evolutionary-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-animal-diversity","bi-plant-diversity","bi-protists-fungi"],"order":22,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-1","name":"Taxonomy, classification and systematics: definitions and goals"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-2","name":"Binomial nomenclature and the codes of nomenclature"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-3","name":"Species concepts in practice and describing new species"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-4","name":"Cladistics: characters, homology, synapomorphies and monophyly"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-5","name":"Building and reading cladograms"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-6","name":"The tree of life: three domains and the eukaryotic supergroups"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-7","name":"Specimens, museums, herbaria and type specimens"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-8","name":"DNA barcoding and molecular identification"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-9","name":"Biodiversity databases and informatics (GBIF, Catalogue of Life)"},{"id":"bi-systematics-taxonomy-10","name":"How many species are there? Estimating global biodiversity"}]},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi","name":"Protists & Fungi","category":"Biodiversity & Systematics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The eukaryotes that are neither plants nor animals: the diverse protist lineages, algae and the kingdom Fungi.","prerequisites":["bi-systematics-taxonomy"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":39,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-1","name":"Eukaryotic supergroups and protist diversity"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-2","name":"Excavates and parasitic protists (Giardia, trypanosomes)"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-3","name":"SAR clade: diatoms, brown algae, dinoflagellates, apicomplexans, ciliates, forams"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-4","name":"Archaeplastida: red and green algae"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-5","name":"Amoebozoans and slime molds"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-6","name":"Ecological roles of protists: plankton, primary production and symbioses"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-7","name":"Fungal structure: hyphae, mycelium and growth"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-8","name":"Fungal diversity: chytrids, zygomycetes, ascomycetes, basidiomycetes"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-9","name":"Fungal life cycles and reproduction"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-10","name":"Mycorrhizae, lichens and fungal symbioses"},{"id":"bi-protists-fungi-11","name":"Fungi as decomposers, pathogens and in industry"}]},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity","name":"Zoology & Animal Diversity","category":"Biodiversity & Systematics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"A survey of the animal kingdom: body plans, the major phyla and the evolutionary relationships among animals.","prerequisites":["bi-systematics-taxonomy"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-animal-behavior","bi-comparative-animal-physiology","bi-invertebrate-zoology","bi-marine-freshwater-biology","bi-vertebrate-zoology"],"order":40,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-1","name":"What is an animal? Characteristics and origins"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-2","name":"Body plans: symmetry, tissues, germ layers and body cavities"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-3","name":"Protostomes versus deuterostomes; ecdysozoans and lophotrochozoans"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-4","name":"Sponges and cnidarians"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-5","name":"Flatworms, annelids and molluscs"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-6","name":"Nematodes and arthropods"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-7","name":"Echinoderms and chordates"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-8","name":"Overview of vertebrate classes"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-9","name":"Animal life cycles, reproduction and larvae"},{"id":"bi-animal-diversity-10","name":"Animal phylogeny and how it is reconstructed"}]},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology","name":"Vertebrate Zoology & Comparative Anatomy","category":"Biodiversity & Systematics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The evolution, form and diversity of vertebrates, from jawless fishes to mammals, with comparative anatomy of their organ systems.","prerequisites":["bi-animal-diversity"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":55,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-1","name":"Chordate origins and the vertebrate body plan"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-2","name":"Jawless fishes and the origin of jaws"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-3","name":"Cartilaginous and bony fishes"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-4","name":"The transition to land: tetrapod origins and amphibians"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-5","name":"The amniotic egg; reptiles including turtles and crocodilians"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-6","name":"Dinosaurs and the evolution of birds and flight (ornithology)"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-7","name":"Mammalian origins, diversity and characteristics (mammalogy)"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-8","name":"Comparative anatomy: skeleton and musculature"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-9","name":"Comparative anatomy: nervous, circulatory, respiratory and digestive systems"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-10","name":"Vertebrate locomotion: swimming, walking, flying"},{"id":"bi-vertebrate-zoology-11","name":"Vertebrate life histories and reproductive strategies"}]},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology","name":"Invertebrate Zoology","category":"Biodiversity & Systematics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"An in-depth look at the invertebrate phyla, which make up over 95% of animal species, including insects and other arthropods.","prerequisites":["bi-animal-diversity"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":56,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-1","name":"Early-branching animals: sponges, placozoans, ctenophores"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-2","name":"Cnidarians: polyps, medusae, corals and nematocysts"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-3","name":"Flatworms, rotifers and other small lophotrochozoans"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-4","name":"Molluscs: body plan, diversity and cephalopod intelligence"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-5","name":"Annelids: segmentation and diversity"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-6","name":"Nematodes and other ecdysozoans"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-7","name":"Arthropod body plan, exoskeleton and moulting"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-8","name":"Entomology: insect anatomy, metamorphosis, diversity and ecological roles"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-9","name":"Crustaceans, chelicerates and myriapods"},{"id":"bi-invertebrate-zoology-10","name":"Echinoderms and invertebrate chordates"}]},{"id":"bi-ecology","name":"Ecology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How organisms interact with each other and their environment, at the scale of individuals, populations, communities, ecosystems and the biosphere.","prerequisites":["bi-evolutionary-biology"],"related":["ea-introduction-to-environmental-science","ea-sustainability-science"],"unlocks":["bi-animal-behavior","bi-ecosystem-ecology","bi-marine-freshwater-biology","bi-population-ecology","ea-biological-oceanography"],"order":20,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"bi-ecology-1","name":"Scope of ecology and levels of ecological study"},{"id":"bi-ecology-2","name":"Climate, the physical environment and the distribution of life"},{"id":"bi-ecology-3","name":"Terrestrial biomes"},{"id":"bi-ecology-4","name":"Aquatic biomes"},{"id":"bi-ecology-5","name":"Organisms and their environment: tolerance, niches and adaptation"},{"id":"bi-ecology-6","name":"Population ecology basics: density, dispersion, growth"},{"id":"bi-ecology-7","name":"Species interactions: competition, predation, herbivory, parasitism, mutualism"},{"id":"bi-ecology-8","name":"Community structure, diversity and succession"},{"id":"bi-ecology-9","name":"Ecosystems: energy flow, trophic levels and productivity"},{"id":"bi-ecology-10","name":"Biogeochemical cycles: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, water"},{"id":"bi-ecology-11","name":"Human impacts on ecosystems"},{"id":"bi-ecology-12","name":"Field methods and ecological sampling"}]},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology","name":"Ecosystem Ecology & Biogeochemistry","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Ecosystems as flows of energy and matter: productivity, decomposition, nutrient cycling and the services nature provides.","prerequisites":["bi-ecology"],"related":["ea-biogeochemical-cycles","ea-soil-science"],"unlocks":["bi-bioregenerative-life-support","bi-global-change-biology"],"order":41,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-1","name":"Primary production: controls and global patterns"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-2","name":"Secondary production and trophic efficiency"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-3","name":"Decomposition and soil ecology"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-4","name":"Carbon cycle: ecosystem carbon balance and fluxes"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-5","name":"Nitrogen and phosphorus cycling"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-6","name":"Water and energy balance of ecosystems"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-7","name":"Ecological stoichiometry"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-8","name":"Landscape ecology"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-9","name":"Ecosystem services and natural capital"},{"id":"bi-ecosystem-ecology-10","name":"Remote sensing and flux towers in ecosystem science"}]},{"id":"bi-population-ecology","name":"Population Ecology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The quantitative study of how populations grow, fluctuate and interact, using models from exponential growth to predator-prey cycles.","prerequisites":["bi-ecology","ma-calculus"],"related":["ma-mathematical-biology","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes"],"unlocks":["bi-community-ecology"],"order":43,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"bi-population-ecology-1","name":"Exponential and logistic growth"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-2","name":"Life tables, survivorship curves and demography"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-3","name":"Matrix population models (Leslie matrices)"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-4","name":"Density dependence and population regulation"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-5","name":"Life-history theory: r/K selection, trade-offs, senescence"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-6","name":"Competition models: Lotka-Volterra and competitive exclusion"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-7","name":"Predator-prey dynamics and cycles"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-8","name":"Host-parasite and disease dynamics in wildlife"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-9","name":"Metapopulations and spatial ecology"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-10","name":"Stochasticity and extinction risk (population viability analysis)"},{"id":"bi-population-ecology-11","name":"Estimating abundance: mark-recapture and distance sampling"}]},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior","name":"Animal Behaviour & Behavioural Ecology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Why animals behave as they do, from instinct and learning to foraging, mating systems, communication and cooperation.","prerequisites":["bi-ecology","bi-animal-diversity"],"related":["ma-game-theory"],"unlocks":[],"order":48,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-1","name":"Tinbergen's four questions and the history of ethology"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-2","name":"Innate behaviour, learning and cognition in animals"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-3","name":"Neuroethology: neural mechanisms of natural behaviour"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-4","name":"Foraging theory"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-5","name":"Predator avoidance and antipredator behaviour"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-6","name":"Habitat selection, territoriality and migration"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-7","name":"Animal navigation and orientation"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-8","name":"Communication and signal evolution"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-9","name":"Mating systems and sexual conflict"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-10","name":"Parental care"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-11","name":"Social behaviour, eusociality and kin selection"},{"id":"bi-animal-behavior-12","name":"Evolutionary game theory in behaviour"}]},{"id":"bi-community-ecology","name":"Community Ecology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"What determines which species live together and how many: niches, food webs, diversity patterns, disturbance and assembly.","prerequisites":["bi-population-ecology"],"related":["ma-network-science"],"unlocks":["bi-biogeography-macroecology","bi-conservation-biology"],"order":49,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"bi-community-ecology-1","name":"Measuring biodiversity: richness, evenness, alpha/beta/gamma diversity"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-2","name":"Niche theory and coexistence mechanisms"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-3","name":"Food webs and trophic cascades"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-4","name":"Keystone species and ecosystem engineers"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-5","name":"Mutualistic networks: pollination and seed dispersal"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-6","name":"Disturbance, succession and the intermediate disturbance hypothesis"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-7","name":"Community assembly and neutral theory"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-8","name":"Island biogeography"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-9","name":"Invasive species"},{"id":"bi-community-ecology-10","name":"Stability, resilience and diversity-stability relationships"}]},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology","name":"Marine & Freshwater Biology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Life in the oceans, lakes and rivers: plankton, coral reefs, the deep sea, fisheries and the physical conditions that shape aquatic life.","prerequisites":["bi-ecology","bi-animal-diversity","ea-introductory-oceanography"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics","ea-biological-oceanography"],"unlocks":[],"order":51,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-1","name":"The ocean environment: light, pressure, temperature, salinity and currents"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-2","name":"Plankton: phytoplankton, zooplankton and the microbial loop"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-3","name":"Biological oceanography: primary production and the biological carbon pump"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-4","name":"Intertidal and coastal ecosystems: estuaries, mangroves, seagrass"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-5","name":"Coral reefs"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-6","name":"Open ocean and deep-sea biology, including hydrothermal vent communities"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-7","name":"Marine vertebrates: fishes, marine mammals, seabirds"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-8","name":"Fisheries biology and management"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-9","name":"Limnology: lakes, stratification and eutrophication"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-10","name":"Rivers, streams and wetlands"},{"id":"bi-marine-freshwater-biology-11","name":"Ocean acidification, warming and marine conservation"}]},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology","name":"Conservation Biology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The science of protecting biodiversity: threats, extinction risk, genetics of small populations, protected areas and restoration.","prerequisites":["bi-community-ecology","bi-population-genetics"],"related":["ea-sustainability-science"],"unlocks":["bi-global-change-biology"],"order":60,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-1","name":"Biodiversity values and the current extinction crisis"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-2","name":"Threats: habitat loss, fragmentation, overexploitation, invasives, pollution"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-3","name":"Conservation genetics: small populations, inbreeding and genetic rescue"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-4","name":"Extinction risk assessment and the IUCN Red List"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-5","name":"Protected areas and reserve design"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-6","name":"Restoration ecology and rewilding"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-7","name":"Species reintroduction and captive breeding"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-8","name":"Conservation policy and international agreements"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-9","name":"Conservation technology: camera traps, eDNA, telemetry, remote sensing"},{"id":"bi-conservation-biology-10","name":"Human-wildlife conflict and community-based conservation"}]},{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology","name":"Biogeography & Macroecology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Why species live where they do, and the large-scale patterns in biodiversity across the globe and through time.","prerequisites":["bi-community-ecology","bi-macroevolution-history-of-life","ea-plate-tectonics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":62,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology-1","name":"Historical biogeography: plate tectonics, vicariance and dispersal"},{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology-2","name":"Biogeographic realms and regions"},{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology-3","name":"The latitudinal diversity gradient"},{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology-4","name":"Species-area relationships and scaling laws in ecology"},{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology-5","name":"Species distribution modelling"},{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology-6","name":"Phylogeography"},{"id":"bi-biogeography-macroecology-7","name":"Metabolic theory of ecology"}]},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology","name":"Global Change Biology","category":"Ecology & Environment","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How climate change and other human-driven global changes affect organisms, ecosystems and the feedbacks between life and climate.","prerequisites":["bi-ecosystem-ecology","bi-conservation-biology","ea-climate-system-science"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics","ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation","ea-paleoclimatology"],"unlocks":[],"order":68,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-1","name":"The climate system and the biosphere's role in it"},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-2","name":"Phenology shifts and mismatches"},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-3","name":"Range shifts and species' responses to warming"},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-4","name":"Physiological limits and thermal tolerance"},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-5","name":"Ocean acidification biology"},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-6","name":"Biosphere-climate feedbacks: forests, permafrost, oceans"},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-7","name":"Land-use change and biodiversity"},{"id":"bi-global-change-biology-8","name":"Nature-based solutions and ecosystem-based adaptation"}]},{"id":"bi-microbiology","name":"Microbiology","category":"Microbiology, Virology & Immunology","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The biology of bacteria, archaea and other microbes: structure, growth, metabolism, genetics, diversity, ecology and role in health.","prerequisites":["bi-molecular-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-bioregenerative-life-support","bi-epidemiology","bi-extremophiles","bi-gravitational-space-biology","bi-immunology","bi-microbiome","bi-virology","ea-geobiology","ae-planetary-protection"],"order":14,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"bi-microbiology-1","name":"History of microbiology and germ theory"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-2","name":"Prokaryotic cell structure: cell walls, membranes, appendages and endospores"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-3","name":"Microbial growth: culture media, growth curves and environmental factors"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-4","name":"Control of microbial growth: sterilisation, disinfection and antibiotics"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-5","name":"Microbial metabolism: diversity of energy sources, chemolithotrophy and anaerobic respiration"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-6","name":"Microbial physiology: regulation, stress responses and quorum sensing"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-7","name":"Microbial genetics: plasmids, horizontal gene transfer and CRISPR immunity"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-8","name":"Bacterial diversity: major phyla"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-9","name":"Archaea: diversity and unique features"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-10","name":"Eukaryotic microbes: fungi, protists and microalgae"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-11","name":"Biofilms and microbial communities"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-12","name":"Microbial ecology and biogeochemical cycling"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-13","name":"Host-microbe interactions: normal flora, pathogens and virulence"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-14","name":"Antimicrobial resistance"},{"id":"bi-microbiology-15","name":"Applied microbiology: food, industrial and environmental uses"}]},{"id":"bi-virology","name":"Virology","category":"Microbiology, Virology & Immunology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Viruses as molecular parasites: structure, replication strategies, evolution, disease and antiviral defences.","prerequisites":["bi-microbiology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis"],"order":29,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"bi-virology-1","name":"What is a virus? Structure, capsids, envelopes and classification"},{"id":"bi-virology-2","name":"The Baltimore classification of viral genomes"},{"id":"bi-virology-3","name":"Viral replication cycle: attachment, entry, uncoating, replication, assembly, release"},{"id":"bi-virology-4","name":"Bacteriophages: lytic and lysogenic cycles, phage therapy"},{"id":"bi-virology-5","name":"DNA viruses (herpes, papilloma, pox)"},{"id":"bi-virology-6","name":"RNA viruses (influenza, coronaviruses, polio, measles)"},{"id":"bi-virology-7","name":"Retroviruses and HIV"},{"id":"bi-virology-8","name":"Viral pathogenesis, tropism and persistence"},{"id":"bi-virology-9","name":"Oncogenic viruses"},{"id":"bi-virology-10","name":"Viral evolution, emergence and zoonoses"},{"id":"bi-virology-11","name":"Antiviral drugs and vaccines"},{"id":"bi-virology-12","name":"Viroids, prions and giant viruses"}]},{"id":"bi-microbiome","name":"Microbiome Science","category":"Microbiology, Virology & Immunology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The communities of microbes living in and on hosts and environments, how they are studied and how they shape health and ecosystems.","prerequisites":["bi-microbiology","bi-genomics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":34,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"bi-microbiome-1","name":"Microbiome concepts: composition, diversity and function"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-2","name":"Methods: 16S rRNA profiling, shotgun metagenomics and metatranscriptomics"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-3","name":"The human gut microbiome in digestion, metabolism and immunity"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-4","name":"Microbiome development across the lifespan"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-5","name":"The gut-brain axis"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-6","name":"Microbiome and disease: dysbiosis, causation versus correlation"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-7","name":"Plant and soil microbiomes"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-8","name":"Ocean and environmental microbiomes"},{"id":"bi-microbiome-9","name":"Microbiome engineering: probiotics, faecal transplants and designed communities"}]},{"id":"bi-immunology","name":"Immunology","category":"Microbiology, Virology & Immunology","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How the body tells self from non-self: innate and adaptive immunity, antibodies, T cells, vaccines and immune disorders.","prerequisites":["bi-cell-signaling","bi-microbiology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis","bi-pathophysiology-human-disease"],"order":70,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"bi-immunology-1","name":"Overview of the immune system: cells, organs and lymphatics"},{"id":"bi-immunology-2","name":"Innate immunity: barriers, phagocytes, complement and inflammation"},{"id":"bi-immunology-3","name":"Pattern recognition receptors and interferons"},{"id":"bi-immunology-4","name":"Antibody structure, classes and functions"},{"id":"bi-immunology-5","name":"Generation of diversity: V(D)J recombination, somatic hypermutation and class switching"},{"id":"bi-immunology-6","name":"MHC and antigen processing and presentation"},{"id":"bi-immunology-7","name":"T-cell development, thymic selection and tolerance"},{"id":"bi-immunology-8","name":"T-cell activation and effector subsets (Th1, Th2, Th17, Treg, cytotoxic T cells)"},{"id":"bi-immunology-9","name":"B-cell activation and the germinal centre"},{"id":"bi-immunology-10","name":"Immunological memory and vaccination"},{"id":"bi-immunology-11","name":"Mucosal immunity and the microbiota"},{"id":"bi-immunology-12","name":"Hypersensitivity and allergy"},{"id":"bi-immunology-13","name":"Autoimmunity"},{"id":"bi-immunology-14","name":"Immunodeficiency, including HIV/AIDS"},{"id":"bi-immunology-15","name":"Transplantation and tumour immunology"},{"id":"bi-immunology-16","name":"Immunotherapy: monoclonal antibodies, checkpoint blockade and CAR-T cells"}]},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis","name":"Infectious Disease & Pathogenesis","category":"Microbiology, Virology & Immunology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How bacteria, viruses, fungi and parasites cause disease, how the host fights back and how infections are diagnosed and treated.","prerequisites":["bi-immunology","bi-virology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":80,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-1","name":"Koch's postulates and molecular Koch's postulates"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-2","name":"Bacterial virulence factors: adhesins, toxins and secretion systems"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-3","name":"Immune evasion strategies"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-4","name":"Major bacterial pathogens: tuberculosis, cholera, staphylococci and streptococci"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-5","name":"Fungal infections"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-6","name":"Parasitology: malaria, helminths and protozoan parasites"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-7","name":"Vector-borne and zoonotic diseases"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-8","name":"Diagnosis of infectious disease: culture, serology, PCR and sequencing"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-9","name":"Antibiotics: mechanisms, resistance and new strategies"},{"id":"bi-infectious-disease-pathogenesis-10","name":"Emerging infections and pandemic preparedness"}]},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth","name":"Botany: Plant Structure & Growth","category":"Plant Biology","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How plants are built and grow: cells, tissues and organs, meristems, secondary growth and flowering-plant reproduction.","prerequisites":["bi-cell-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-plant-physiology"],"order":12,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-1","name":"Plant cell features: cell wall, vacuole, plastids and plasmodesmata"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-2","name":"Plant tissue systems: dermal, ground and vascular"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-3","name":"Meristems and primary growth"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-4","name":"Roots: structure, types and functions"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-5","name":"Stems: primary structure and modifications"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-6","name":"Leaves: anatomy and adaptations"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-7","name":"Secondary growth: vascular cambium, wood and bark"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-8","name":"Flowers: structure and evolution"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-9","name":"Pollination, double fertilisation and seed development"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-10","name":"Fruits, seed dispersal, dormancy and germination"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-11","name":"Asexual reproduction and plant propagation"},{"id":"bi-plant-structure-growth-12","name":"Plant life cycles and alternation of generations"}]},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity","name":"Plant Diversity & Evolution","category":"Plant Biology","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The evolutionary story of plants, from green algae to flowering plants, and the major lineages alive today.","prerequisites":["bi-systematics-taxonomy"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":38,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-1","name":"Green algal ancestors and the move to land"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-2","name":"Bryophytes: liverworts, hornworts and mosses"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-3","name":"Seedless vascular plants: lycophytes and ferns"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-4","name":"The evolution of seeds and pollen"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-5","name":"Gymnosperms: conifers, cycads, ginkgo and gnetophytes"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-6","name":"Angiosperm origins and diversification"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-7","name":"Monocots, eudicots and major angiosperm families"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-8","name":"Plant-animal coevolution: pollinators and herbivores"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-9","name":"Plant identification and field botany"},{"id":"bi-plant-diversity-10","name":"Ethnobotany and economic botany"}]},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology","name":"Plant Physiology","category":"Plant Biology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How plants take in water and nutrients, fix carbon, sense their environment and use hormones to control growth.","prerequisites":["bi-plant-structure-growth","bi-metabolism"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-bioregenerative-life-support","bi-gravitational-space-biology","bi-plant-agricultural-biotech","bi-plant-molecular-development"],"order":75,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-1","name":"Water relations: water potential, transpiration and the cohesion-tension theory"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-2","name":"Phloem transport: pressure-flow and source-sink relationships"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-3","name":"Mineral nutrition, soils and nutrient uptake"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-4","name":"Photosynthesis in the leaf: light, CO2 and environmental limits"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-5","name":"Plant respiration and carbon balance"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-6","name":"Plant hormones: auxin, cytokinin, gibberellin, abscisic acid, ethylene, brassinosteroids, jasmonate"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-7","name":"Tropisms: phototropism and gravitropism"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-8","name":"Photoreceptors, photomorphogenesis and photoperiodism"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-9","name":"Control of flowering"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-10","name":"Plant circadian clocks"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-11","name":"Abiotic stress: drought, salt, heat and cold"},{"id":"bi-plant-physiology-12","name":"Plant defences against herbivores and pathogens"}]},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech","name":"Crop Science & Plant Biotechnology","category":"Plant Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Applying plant biology to food: domestication, breeding, genetic modification and genome editing of crops.","prerequisites":["bi-plant-physiology","bi-genetic-engineering-biotechnology"],"related":["ch-food-agricultural-chemistry","ea-soil-science"],"unlocks":[],"order":87,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-1","name":"Crop domestication and the origins of agriculture"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-2","name":"Plant breeding: selection, hybrids and marker-assisted selection"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-3","name":"Genomic selection and speed breeding"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-4","name":"Plant transformation: Agrobacterium and biolistics"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-5","name":"GM crops: traits, adoption and regulation"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-6","name":"Genome-edited crops"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-7","name":"Improving photosynthesis and nitrogen use"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-8","name":"Controlled-environment agriculture and vertical farming"},{"id":"bi-plant-agricultural-biotech-9","name":"Plant tissue culture and micropropagation"}]},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development","name":"Plant Molecular & Developmental Biology","category":"Plant Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The genes and signals that build a plant, studied in Arabidopsis and crops, plus the plant immune system.","prerequisites":["bi-plant-physiology","bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":93,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-1","name":"Arabidopsis and other plant model systems"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-2","name":"Embryogenesis and establishment of the plant body axis"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-3","name":"Shoot and root apical meristem maintenance"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-4","name":"Leaf development and phyllotaxis"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-5","name":"Floral organ identity: the ABC(E) model"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-6","name":"Hormone signaling at the molecular level"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-7","name":"The plant immune system: PTI, ETI and resistance genes"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-8","name":"Symbiosis signaling: nodulation and mycorrhizae"},{"id":"bi-plant-molecular-development-9","name":"Plant epigenetics and small RNAs"}]},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy","name":"Human Anatomy & Histology","category":"Anatomy & Physiology","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The structure of the human body, from tissues seen under the microscope to the organ systems, organised by body region and system.","prerequisites":["bi-introductory-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ph-medical-physics","bi-human-physiology","bi-neuroanatomy","me-biomechanics"],"order":3,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-1","name":"Anatomical terminology, planes, regions and body cavities"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-2","name":"Histology: epithelial, connective, muscle and nervous tissue"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-3","name":"The integumentary system"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-4","name":"The skeletal system: bone tissue, the axial and appendicular skeleton"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-5","name":"Joints: types, structure and range of motion"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-6","name":"The muscular system: major muscle groups, origins, insertions and actions"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-7","name":"Nervous system anatomy: brain, spinal cord and peripheral nerves"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-8","name":"Special sense organs: eye and ear"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-9","name":"Cardiovascular anatomy: heart, arteries, veins and capillary beds"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-10","name":"Respiratory anatomy"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-11","name":"Digestive system anatomy"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-12","name":"Urinary and reproductive anatomy"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-13","name":"Endocrine glands and lymphatic organs"},{"id":"bi-human-anatomy-14","name":"Surface anatomy and medical imaging views (X-ray, CT, MRI)"}]},{"id":"bi-human-physiology","name":"Human Physiology","category":"Anatomy & Physiology","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How the organ systems of the human body work and are regulated to keep conditions stable (homeostasis).","prerequisites":["bi-human-anatomy","bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ch-pharmacology-toxicology","bi-comparative-animal-physiology","bi-endocrinology-reproduction","bi-muscle-biology","bi-pathophysiology-human-disease","bi-pharmacology","el-biosensors-medical-sensors","ae-human-spaceflight-life-support"],"order":36,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"bi-human-physiology-1","name":"Homeostasis, negative and positive feedback"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-2","name":"Nervous system physiology: neurons, reflexes and autonomic control"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-3","name":"Muscle physiology: skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle (overview)"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-4","name":"Cardiovascular physiology: cardiac cycle, ECG, blood pressure and its regulation"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-5","name":"Blood: composition, haemostasis and blood groups"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-6","name":"Respiratory physiology: ventilation, gas exchange and O2/CO2 transport"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-7","name":"Renal physiology: filtration, reabsorption, secretion and urine concentration"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-8","name":"Fluid, electrolyte and acid-base balance"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-9","name":"Gastrointestinal physiology: digestion, absorption and motility"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-10","name":"Human nutrition: macronutrients, micronutrients and energy balance"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-11","name":"Endocrine physiology overview"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-12","name":"Thermoregulation"},{"id":"bi-human-physiology-13","name":"Integrated responses: exercise, altitude and stress"}]},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology","name":"Comparative Animal Physiology","category":"Anatomy & Physiology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How different animals solve the same physiological problems (breathing, osmoregulation, temperature, locomotion) in very different environments.","prerequisites":["bi-human-physiology","bi-animal-diversity"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":50,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-1","name":"Principles of comparative physiology and allometry (scaling with body size)"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-2","name":"Energy metabolism and metabolic rate across animals"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-3","name":"Thermal physiology: ectotherms, endotherms, torpor and hibernation"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-4","name":"Osmoregulation and excretion in aquatic and terrestrial animals"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-5","name":"Comparative respiratory systems: gills, tracheae and lungs"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-6","name":"Comparative circulatory systems"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-7","name":"Diving, high-altitude and desert physiology"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-8","name":"Comparative sensory physiology: electroreception, magnetoreception, echolocation"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-9","name":"Animal nutrition and digestive adaptations"},{"id":"bi-comparative-animal-physiology-10","name":"Environmental physiology and stress tolerance"}]},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction","name":"Endocrinology & Reproductive Biology","category":"Anatomy & Physiology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Hormonal control of the body and the biology of reproduction, from the hypothalamus-pituitary axis to pregnancy.","prerequisites":["bi-human-physiology","bi-cell-signaling"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":72,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-1","name":"Hormone classes, synthesis, transport and receptors"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-2","name":"The hypothalamic-pituitary axes"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-3","name":"Thyroid hormones and metabolic rate"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-4","name":"Adrenal hormones and the stress response"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-5","name":"Endocrine pancreas, glucose homeostasis and diabetes"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-6","name":"Calcium and bone regulation: PTH, vitamin D and calcitonin"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-7","name":"Growth hormone, IGF-1 and growth"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-8","name":"Male reproductive physiology and spermatogenesis"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-9","name":"Female reproductive physiology, the ovarian and menstrual cycles"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-10","name":"Fertilisation, pregnancy, parturition and lactation"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-11","name":"Assisted reproductive technologies and contraception"},{"id":"bi-endocrinology-reproduction-12","name":"Endocrine disruptors"}]},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology","name":"Muscle Biology & Physiology","category":"Biomechanics & Human Performance","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How muscles generate force, from the molecular motor to the whole muscle, and how nerves control them: the biology an exoskeleton must work with.","prerequisites":["bi-human-physiology"],"related":["el-biomedical-signal-processing"],"unlocks":["bi-biomechanics","bi-exercise-physiology","bi-motor-systems"],"order":53,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-1","name":"Skeletal muscle structure: fibres, myofibrils and the sarcomere"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-2","name":"Sliding filament theory and the cross-bridge cycle"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-3","name":"Excitation-contraction coupling and calcium handling"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-4","name":"The neuromuscular junction"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-5","name":"Motor units, recruitment (Henneman's size principle) and rate coding"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-6","name":"Force-length and force-velocity relationships"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-7","name":"Fibre types and muscle energetics"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-8","name":"Electromyography (EMG): origin of the signal and what it measures"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-9","name":"Muscle fatigue: central and peripheral mechanisms"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-10","name":"Muscle plasticity: hypertrophy, atrophy and disuse"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-11","name":"Muscle repair, satellite cells and regeneration"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-12","name":"Cardiac and smooth muscle compared"},{"id":"bi-muscle-biology-13","name":"Neuromuscular diseases (muscular dystrophies, ALS, myasthenia gravis)"}]},{"id":"bi-biomechanics","name":"Biomechanics","category":"Biomechanics & Human Performance","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Mechanics applied to living things: tissue mechanics, musculoskeletal forces, human gait and animal locomotion.","prerequisites":["bi-muscle-biology","me-mechanics-of-materials","me-dynamics"],"related":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ph-soft-matter-physics","me-biomechanics","mt-biological-bioinspired"],"unlocks":["bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation","ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons"],"order":59,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"bi-biomechanics-1","name":"Mechanical properties of biological tissues: stress, strain, viscoelasticity"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-2","name":"Bone mechanics and remodelling (Wolff's law)"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-3","name":"Tendon, ligament and cartilage mechanics"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-4","name":"Muscle mechanics and the Hill muscle model"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-5","name":"Joint mechanics, levers and moment arms"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-6","name":"Kinematics of human movement and motion capture"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-7","name":"Kinetics: ground reaction forces, inverse dynamics and joint torques"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-8","name":"Gait analysis: walking and running"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-9","name":"Balance, posture and fall mechanics"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-10","name":"Injury biomechanics and impact tolerance"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-11","name":"Comparative locomotion: flying, swimming and scaling laws"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-12","name":"Cell and tissue mechanobiology: how cells sense and respond to force"},{"id":"bi-biomechanics-13","name":"Biofluid mechanics: blood flow and respiration"}]},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology","name":"Exercise Physiology","category":"Biomechanics & Human Performance","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How the body responds and adapts to physical activity: energy systems, cardiorespiratory limits, training and performance.","prerequisites":["bi-muscle-biology","bi-metabolism"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-space-physiology"],"order":73,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-1","name":"Energy systems: phosphocreatine, glycolytic and oxidative"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-2","name":"VO2max, lactate threshold and exercise testing"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-3","name":"Cardiovascular and respiratory responses to exercise"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-4","name":"Hormonal and thermoregulatory responses to exercise"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-5","name":"Principles of training: overload, specificity and periodisation"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-6","name":"Adaptations to endurance training"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-7","name":"Adaptations to strength training"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-8","name":"Metabolic cost of locomotion and economy of movement"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-9","name":"Environmental exercise physiology: heat, cold, altitude"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-10","name":"Sports nutrition and ergogenic aids"},{"id":"bi-exercise-physiology-11","name":"Detraining, bed rest and inactivity physiology"}]},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation","name":"Musculoskeletal Modelling & Human Augmentation","category":"Biomechanics & Human Performance","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The biology side of exoskeletons and prosthetics: modelling the body, coupling devices to muscles and nerves, and measuring whether augmentation helps.","prerequisites":["bi-biomechanics","bi-motor-systems","me-robot-mechanics"],"related":["ai-human-robot-interaction-hri","el-robot-control","el-wearable-technology-deep-dive","el-actuators","me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons","ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons","me-biomechanics"],"unlocks":[],"order":98,"stage":15,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-1","name":"Musculoskeletal simulation (OpenSim-style models) and muscle-driven simulations"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-2","name":"EMG-driven models and estimating muscle forces"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-3","name":"Metabolic cost estimation and human-in-the-loop optimisation"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-4","name":"Exoskeleton biomechanics: assisting joints, torque profiles and user adaptation"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-5","name":"Physical human-device interface: attachment, pressure, comfort and safety"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-6","name":"Prosthetic limbs: sockets, osseointegration and powered prostheses"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-7","name":"Targeted muscle reinnervation and neural control of prostheses"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-8","name":"Sensory feedback, embodiment and the body schema"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-9","name":"Rehabilitation robotics and motor recovery"},{"id":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation-10","name":"Human factors, fatigue and long-term effects of wearing augmentation"}]},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology","name":"Developmental Biology","category":"Developmental Biology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How a single fertilised egg becomes a complex organism: cell fate, pattern formation, morphogenesis and organ formation.","prerequisites":["bi-cell-signaling","bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics","bi-genetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-developmental-neurobiology","bi-evo-devo","bi-stem-cells-regeneration"],"order":71,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-1","name":"Model organisms of development: fly, frog, chick, zebrafish, mouse, worm"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-2","name":"Gametogenesis and fertilisation"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-3","name":"Cleavage and early embryo organisation"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-4","name":"Gastrulation and the three germ layers"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-5","name":"Axis specification and maternal determinants"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-6","name":"Cell fate: specification, determination and differentiation"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-7","name":"Induction, competence and morphogen gradients"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-8","name":"Drosophila segmentation and Hox genes"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-9","name":"Vertebrate neural induction and neural tube formation"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-10","name":"Somitogenesis and mesoderm derivatives"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-11","name":"Limb development"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-12","name":"Organogenesis: heart, kidney, gut"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-13","name":"Morphogenesis: cell migration, shape change and tissue folding"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-14","name":"Metamorphosis, growth and developmental timing"},{"id":"bi-developmental-biology-15","name":"Birth defects and teratogens"}]},{"id":"bi-evo-devo","name":"Evolutionary Developmental Biology (Evo-Devo)","category":"Developmental Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How changes in development generate evolutionary novelty: toolkit genes, regulatory evolution and the origin of body plans.","prerequisites":["bi-developmental-biology","bi-macroevolution-history-of-life"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":89,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"bi-evo-devo-1","name":"The genetic toolkit and deep homology"},{"id":"bi-evo-devo-2","name":"Hox genes and the evolution of body plans"},{"id":"bi-evo-devo-3","name":"Cis-regulatory evolution and morphological change"},{"id":"bi-evo-devo-4","name":"Modularity, constraint and evolvability"},{"id":"bi-evo-devo-5","name":"Evolution of novelties: eyes, limbs, feathers, flowers"},{"id":"bi-evo-devo-6","name":"Developmental plasticity and eco-evo-devo"},{"id":"bi-evo-devo-7","name":"Heterochrony and heterotopy"}]},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration","name":"Stem Cells, Regeneration & Tissue Engineering","category":"Developmental Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How stem cells maintain and repair tissues, why some animals regenerate whole limbs, and how cells are engineered into replacement tissues.","prerequisites":["bi-developmental-biology"],"related":["mt-biomaterials"],"unlocks":[],"order":94,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-1","name":"Stem cell properties: self-renewal, potency and niches"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-2","name":"Embryonic stem cells"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-3","name":"Adult stem cells: haematopoietic, intestinal, muscle and neural"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-4","name":"Induced pluripotent stem cells and reprogramming"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-5","name":"Regeneration in planaria, salamanders and zebrafish"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-6","name":"Why mammals regenerate poorly"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-7","name":"Organoids and embryo models"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-8","name":"Tissue engineering: scaffolds, biomaterials and bioreactors"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-9","name":"3D bioprinting"},{"id":"bi-stem-cells-regeneration-10","name":"Stem cell therapies: successes, risks and regulation"}]},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals","name":"Introduction to Neuroscience","category":"Neuroscience","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"A first course on the nervous system: neurons and synapses, brain organisation, senses, movement, and the biology of behaviour and mind.","prerequisites":["bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience","bi-neuroanatomy","ai-bio-inspired-ai"],"order":37,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-1","name":"Neurons and glia: cell types and structure"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-2","name":"The action potential and its propagation"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-3","name":"Synaptic transmission and neurotransmitter systems"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-4","name":"Organisation of the nervous system: CNS, PNS and autonomic"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-5","name":"Tour of the brain: brainstem, cerebellum, diencephalon, basal ganglia and cortex"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-6","name":"Sensory systems overview: vision, hearing, touch, taste and smell"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-7","name":"Motor systems overview: spinal reflexes to motor cortex"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-8","name":"Brain development and plasticity (overview)"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-9","name":"Learning and memory (overview)"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-10","name":"Emotion, motivation, sleep and consciousness (overview)"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-11","name":"Methods for studying the brain: lesions, recording, imaging"},{"id":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals-12","name":"Neurological and psychiatric disorders (overview)"}]},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy","name":"Neuroanatomy","category":"Neuroscience","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The structure of the human brain and spinal cord in detail: regions, pathways, blood supply and how damage maps to symptoms.","prerequisites":["bi-neuroscience-fundamentals","bi-human-anatomy"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-behavioral-neuroscience","bi-motor-systems","bi-neurobiology-of-disease","bi-sensory-systems"],"order":54,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-1","name":"Development-based organisation of the CNS"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-2","name":"Spinal cord: segments, grey and white matter, ascending and descending tracts"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-3","name":"Brainstem nuclei and cranial nerves"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-4","name":"Cerebellum: structure and connections"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-5","name":"Thalamus and hypothalamus"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-6","name":"Basal ganglia circuits"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-7","name":"Cerebral cortex: lobes, cytoarchitecture, Brodmann areas and layers"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-8","name":"Limbic system: hippocampus and amygdala"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-9","name":"White matter pathways and connectomics"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-10","name":"Ventricles, meninges, CSF and the blood-brain barrier"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-11","name":"Vascular supply of the brain and stroke syndromes"},{"id":"bi-neuroanatomy-12","name":"Clinical localisation: relating lesions to deficits"}]},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience","name":"Behavioural Neuroscience","category":"Neuroscience","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The neural basis of behaviour: motivation, emotion, homeostatic drives, sleep, circadian rhythms, stress and social behaviour.","prerequisites":["bi-neuroanatomy"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-cognitive-neuroscience"],"order":58,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-1","name":"Hypothalamus and homeostatic control: feeding, drinking, temperature"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-2","name":"Neuroendocrine systems and the stress response"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-3","name":"Emotion circuits: amygdala, fear and anxiety"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-4","name":"Reward, motivation and the dopamine system"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-5","name":"Addiction"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-6","name":"Sleep: stages, mechanisms and functions"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-7","name":"Circadian rhythms: the suprachiasmatic nucleus and clock genes"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-8","name":"Sex differences, hormones and reproductive behaviour"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-9","name":"Social behaviour and bonding"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-10","name":"Behavioural genetics"},{"id":"bi-behavioral-neuroscience-11","name":"Psychopharmacology basics"}]},{"id":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience","name":"Cellular & Molecular Neuroscience","category":"Neuroscience","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The detailed biophysics and molecular biology of neurons: ion channels, action potentials, synapses and the mechanisms of plasticity.","prerequisites":["bi-neuroscience-fundamentals","bi-cell-signaling"],"related":["ph-biophysics"],"unlocks":["bi-computational-neuroscience","bi-developmental-neurobiology","bi-motor-systems","bi-neurobiology-of-disease","bi-neurotechnology-methods","bi-sensory-systems"],"order":69,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience-1","name":"Neuronal cell biology: axonal transport, polarity and dendritic structure"},{"id":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience-2","name":"Ion channel structure, gating and diversity"},{"id":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience-3","name":"Hodgkin-Huxley analysis of the action potential"},{"id":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience-4","name":"Myelination, saltatory conduction and cable theory"},{"id":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience-5","name":"Dendritic integration and active dendrites"},{"id":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience-6","name":"Presynaptic mechanisms: vesicle cycle, calcium and quantal 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Control","category":"Neuroscience","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How the nervous system plans and executes movement, from spinal reflexes to cortex, basal ganglia and cerebellum: the core neuroscience behind exoskeletons and neural prostheses.","prerequisites":["bi-neuroanatomy","bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience","bi-muscle-biology"],"related":["el-robot-control","ma-control-theory"],"unlocks":["bi-brain-computer-interfaces","bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation","bi-systems-neuroscience"],"order":81,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"bi-motor-systems-1","name":"Organisation of the motor system: hierarchy and parallel pathways"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-2","name":"Motor neurons and muscle spindles, Golgi tendon organs"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-3","name":"Spinal reflexes and spinal interneuron circuits"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-4","name":"Central pattern generators and locomotion"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-5","name":"Brainstem control of posture and balance"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-6","name":"Motor cortex: maps, population coding of movement direction"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-7","name":"Planning versus execution: premotor and parietal cortex"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-8","name":"Basal ganglia: action selection and reinforcement learning"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-9","name":"Cerebellum: coordination, timing and error-based learning"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-10","name":"Eye movements as a model motor system"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-11","name":"Motor learning and adaptation: internal models"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-12","name":"Computational motor control: optimal feedback control"},{"id":"bi-motor-systems-13","name":"Disorders of movement: Parkinson's disease, stroke, spinal cord injury"}]},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems","name":"Sensory Systems","category":"Neuroscience","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How sense organs turn physical stimuli into neural signals and how the brain builds perceptions from them.","prerequisites":["bi-neuroanatomy","bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-systems-neuroscience"],"order":83,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-1","name":"Principles of sensory coding: transduction, receptive fields and adaptation"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-2","name":"Psychophysics: thresholds and signal detection theory"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-3","name":"Vision: optics of the eye and phototransduction"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-4","name":"Retinal circuits and the central visual pathways"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-5","name":"Visual cortex: feature detection, visual streams and object recognition"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-6","name":"Hearing: cochlear mechanics, hair cells and auditory pathways"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-7","name":"The vestibular system: balance and spatial orientation"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-8","name":"Somatosensation: touch, proprioception, temperature"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-9","name":"Pain and itch"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-10","name":"Chemical senses: taste and smell"},{"id":"bi-sensory-systems-11","name":"Multisensory integration"}]},{"id":"bi-neurotechnology-methods","name":"Neural Recording, Imaging & Stimulation","category":"Neuroscience","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The tools for reading and writing brain activity (electrodes, EEG, imaging, optogenetics, stimulation) that underpin neuroscience and brain-computer interfaces.","prerequisites":["bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience","ma-signal-processing"],"related":["el-biomedical-signal-processing","el-bio-integrated-electronics","ph-medical-physics"],"unlocks":["bi-brain-computer-interfaces"],"order":84,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"bi-neurotechnology-methods-1","name":"Electrophysiology fundamentals: patch clamp and intracellular recording"},{"id":"bi-neurotechnology-methods-2","name":"Extracellular recording, 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neuroinflammation"},{"id":"bi-neurobiology-of-disease-5","name":"Stroke: mechanisms, recovery and rehabilitation"},{"id":"bi-neurobiology-of-disease-6","name":"Spinal cord injury and traumatic brain injury"},{"id":"bi-neurobiology-of-disease-7","name":"Epilepsy"},{"id":"bi-neurobiology-of-disease-8","name":"Neuropathic pain"},{"id":"bi-neurobiology-of-disease-9","name":"Psychiatric disorders: depression, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder"},{"id":"bi-neurobiology-of-disease-10","name":"Therapies: drugs, neuromodulation, gene and cell therapy"}]},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience","name":"Systems Neuroscience","category":"Neuroscience","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"How circuits of neurons work together to process information, store memories and generate behaviour.","prerequisites":["bi-sensory-systems","bi-motor-systems"],"related":[],"unlocks":["bi-cognitive-neuroscience"],"order":96,"stage":15,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-1","name":"Circuit motifs: feedforward, feedback, recurrent excitation and inhibition"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-2","name":"Neural coding: rate, timing and population codes"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-3","name":"Brain rhythms and oscillations"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-4","name":"Hippocampus, place cells, grid cells and spatial navigation"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-5","name":"Memory systems: declarative, procedural and working memory"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-6","name":"Prefrontal cortex and executive control"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-7","name":"Neuromodulatory systems and brain states"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-8","name":"Decision-making circuits"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-9","name":"Large-scale networks and connectomes"},{"id":"bi-systems-neuroscience-10","name":"Comparing circuits across species (invertebrate model circuits)"}]},{"id":"bi-brain-computer-interfaces","name":"Brain-Computer Interfaces & Neuroprosthetics","category":"Neuroscience","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Connecting brains directly to machines: decoding intended movement and speech, restoring sensation, and the frontier of implanted neural interfaces.","prerequisites":["bi-neurotechnology-methods","bi-motor-systems","bi-computational-neuroscience","ai-core-ml-concepts"],"related":["el-implantable-devices","el-biomedical-signal-processing","el-bio-integrated-electronics","ai-human-robot-interaction-hri"],"unlocks":[],"order":99,"stage":15,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":47,"topics":[{"id":"bi-brain-computer-interfaces-1","name":"BCI architectures: invasive, partially invasive and non-invasive"},{"id":"bi-brain-computer-interfaces-2","name":"Control signals: motor imagery, P300, SSVEP and intracortical 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trials"},{"id":"bi-brain-computer-interfaces-12","name":"Neuroethics: agency, privacy and identity"}]},{"id":"bi-cognitive-neuroscience","name":"Cognitive Neuroscience","category":"Neuroscience","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The biology of the mind: how brain activity gives rise to perception, attention, memory, language, decisions and consciousness.","prerequisites":["bi-behavioral-neuroscience","bi-systems-neuroscience"],"related":["ai-cognitive-architectures"],"unlocks":[],"order":100,"stage":16,"depth":16,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"bi-cognitive-neuroscience-1","name":"Methods: fMRI, EEG/MEG, TMS, lesion studies and intracranial recordings"},{"id":"bi-cognitive-neuroscience-2","name":"Perception and object recognition"},{"id":"bi-cognitive-neuroscience-3","name":"Attention"},{"id":"bi-cognitive-neuroscience-4","name":"Learning and memory in humans"},{"id":"bi-cognitive-neuroscience-5","name":"Language and the 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instruments.","prerequisites":["bi-chemistry-of-life"],"related":["ch-laboratory-safety-basic-skills"],"unlocks":["bi-microscopy-bioimaging","bi-molecular-biology-techniques"],"order":8,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"bi-laboratory-fundamentals-1","name":"Laboratory safety, biosafety levels and waste disposal"},{"id":"bi-laboratory-fundamentals-2","name":"The lab notebook and good record keeping"},{"id":"bi-laboratory-fundamentals-3","name":"Measurement: balances, pipettes and micropipettes, accuracy versus precision"},{"id":"bi-laboratory-fundamentals-4","name":"Solutions: molarity, percent solutions, dilutions and serial dilutions"},{"id":"bi-laboratory-fundamentals-5","name":"Buffers and pH meters"},{"id":"bi-laboratory-fundamentals-6","name":"Sterile (aseptic) technique and culturing microbes"},{"id":"bi-laboratory-fundamentals-7","name":"Light microscopy basics and slide 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correctly.","prerequisites":["bi-biological-inquiry","ma-descriptive-statistics","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["ma-biostatistics","ma-experimental-design"],"unlocks":["bi-bioinformatics"],"order":6,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"bi-quantitative-biology-data-analysis-1","name":"Programming for biologists: R or Python basics and data frames"},{"id":"bi-quantitative-biology-data-analysis-2","name":"Tidy data, data cleaning and reproducible notebooks"},{"id":"bi-quantitative-biology-data-analysis-3","name":"Visualising biological data: good figures and common mistakes"},{"id":"bi-quantitative-biology-data-analysis-4","name":"Sampling, replication, pseudoreplication and blocking"},{"id":"bi-quantitative-biology-data-analysis-5","name":"Statistical tests used in biology: t-tests, ANOVA, chi-square, non-parametric tests"},{"id":"bi-quantitative-biology-data-analysis-6","name":"Linear regression and correlation in biological 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phylogenetics.","prerequisites":["bi-molecular-biology","bi-quantitative-biology-data-analysis"],"related":["cs-algorithms"],"unlocks":["bi-computational-biology-algorithms","bi-machine-learning-biology","bi-omics"],"order":16,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-1","name":"Biological databases: GenBank, UniProt, PDB, Ensembl"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-2","name":"File formats: FASTA, FASTQ, SAM/BAM, VCF, GFF"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-3","name":"Pairwise alignment: dot plots, Needleman-Wunsch, Smith-Waterman and scoring matrices"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-4","name":"Database search: BLAST and its statistics"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-5","name":"Multiple sequence alignment"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-6","name":"Profiles, motifs and hidden Markov models (Pfam, HMMER)"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-7","name":"Read mapping and variant calling"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-8","name":"RNA-seq analysis pipeline"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-9","name":"Genome browsers and annotation resources"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-10","name":"Phylogenetic analysis in practice"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-11","name":"Protein structure and function prediction tools"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-12","name":"Workflow managers, the command line and HPC for biology"},{"id":"bi-bioinformatics-13","name":"Gene ontology and pathway enrichment analysis"}]},{"id":"bi-systems-biology","name":"Systems Biology","category":"Quantitative & Computational Biology","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Understanding cells as systems: modelling gene circuits, signaling and metabolic networks and the design principles that make them robust.","prerequisites":["bi-gene-regulation-epigenetics","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["ma-mathematical-biology","ma-dynamical-systems","ma-network-science"],"unlocks":["bi-synthetic-biology"],"order":31,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"bi-systems-biology-1","name":"Why 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modelling"}]},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms","name":"Algorithms for Computational Biology","category":"Quantitative & Computational Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The algorithms and probabilistic models behind bioinformatics tools: dynamic programming, indexing, assembly graphs and HMMs.","prerequisites":["bi-bioinformatics","ma-probability-theory","ma-graph-theory","cs-algorithms"],"related":["ma-dynamic-programming","ma-probabilistic-models"],"unlocks":[],"order":33,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-1","name":"Dynamic programming for alignment and its variants"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-2","name":"Exact string matching: suffix trees, suffix arrays and the Burrows-Wheeler transform"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-3","name":"Genome assembly: overlap graphs and de Bruijn graphs"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-4","name":"Hidden Markov models: Viterbi, forward-backward and Baum-Welch"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-5","name":"Phylogenetic algorithms: Felsenstein's pruning and tree search"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-6","name":"RNA secondary structure prediction"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-7","name":"Clustering and dimensionality reduction for expression data"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-8","name":"Motif finding: Gibbs sampling and expectation-maximisation"},{"id":"bi-computational-biology-algorithms-9","name":"Network inference and graph algorithms in biology"}]},{"id":"bi-machine-learning-biology","name":"Machine Learning in Biology","category":"Quantitative & Computational Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How machine learning and deep learning are applied to sequences, structures, images and clinical data, including protein and genomic foundation 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their use in research and medicine.","prerequisites":["bi-genetic-engineering-biotechnology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":45,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"bi-genome-editing-1","name":"Earlier nucleases: meganucleases, zinc fingers and TALENs"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-2","name":"CRISPR-Cas biology in bacteria"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-3","name":"Cas9 and Cas12 editing: guide design, DNA repair outcomes and off-target effects"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-4","name":"Base editing and prime editing"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-5","name":"CRISPR interference, activation and epigenome editing"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-6","name":"RNA-targeting Cas13 and diagnostics"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-7","name":"Pooled CRISPR screens"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-8","name":"Delivery in vivo and ex vivo therapies"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-9","name":"Gene drives"},{"id":"bi-genome-editing-10","name":"Germline editing: science, ethics and governance"}]},{"id":"bi-synthetic-biology","name":"Synthetic Biology","category":"Biotechnology & Bioengineering","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Engineering biology like a technology: standard parts, genetic circuits, engineered metabolism, cell-free systems and designer organisms.","prerequisites":["bi-genetic-engineering-biotechnology","bi-systems-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":47,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"bi-synthetic-biology-1","name":"The engineering design cycle and standard biological parts"},{"id":"bi-synthetic-biology-2","name":"Genetic circuits: toggle switches, oscillators and logic gates"},{"id":"bi-synthetic-biology-3","name":"Biosensors and engineered cellular sensing"},{"id":"bi-synthetic-biology-4","name":"Metabolic engineering and pathway optimisation"},{"id":"bi-synthetic-biology-5","name":"Cell-free systems"},{"id":"bi-synthetic-biology-6","name":"Genome synthesis and minimal 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and R0"},{"id":"bi-epidemiology-10","name":"Chronic disease and environmental epidemiology"},{"id":"bi-epidemiology-11","name":"Global and public health"}]},{"id":"bi-pharmacology","name":"Pharmacology & Toxicology","category":"Health & Biomedical Sciences","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How drugs and toxins act on the body and how the body handles them, plus how new medicines are discovered and tested.","prerequisites":["bi-human-physiology","bi-cell-signaling"],"related":["ch-pharmacology-toxicology","ch-medicinal-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":74,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"bi-pharmacology-1","name":"Drug targets: receptors, enzymes, ion channels and transporters"},{"id":"bi-pharmacology-2","name":"Pharmacodynamics: dose-response, agonists, antagonists, efficacy and potency"},{"id":"bi-pharmacology-3","name":"Pharmacokinetics: absorption, distribution, metabolism and excretion"},{"id":"bi-pharmacology-4","name":"Compartment models, 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synthesis, the RNA world, protocells, early metabolism and the last universal common ancestor.","prerequisites":["bi-biochemistry","bi-molecular-biology","bi-macroevolution-history-of-life"],"related":["ea-historical-geology","ea-geobiology","ch-astrochemistry","ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry"],"unlocks":["bi-astrobiology"],"order":67,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"bi-origin-of-life-1","name":"Defining life and the problem of its origin"},{"id":"bi-origin-of-life-2","name":"The early Earth environment"},{"id":"bi-origin-of-life-3","name":"Prebiotic chemistry: Miller-Urey and modern syntheses of nucleotides and amino acids"},{"id":"bi-origin-of-life-4","name":"Delivery of organics from space: meteorites and comets"},{"id":"bi-origin-of-life-5","name":"The RNA world hypothesis and self-replicating molecules"},{"id":"bi-origin-of-life-6","name":"Metabolism-first and hydrothermal vent scenarios"},{"id":"bi-origin-of-life-7","name":"Protocells, compartments and 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life.","prerequisites":["bi-origin-of-life","bi-extremophiles","ph-planetary-science"],"related":["ph-astrophysics","ea-astrobiology-and-planetary-habitability","ph-astrobiology","ph-exoplanets","ea-comparative-planetology","ae-planetary-exploration-systems","ae-planetary-protection"],"unlocks":["bi-biosignatures-life-detection"],"order":77,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":40,"topics":[{"id":"bi-astrobiology-1","name":"Astrobiology as a field: questions, history and the Drake equation"},{"id":"bi-astrobiology-2","name":"Requirements for life: liquid water, energy, elements and alternative biochemistries"},{"id":"bi-astrobiology-3","name":"Habitability and the circumstellar habitable zone"},{"id":"bi-astrobiology-4","name":"Co-evolution of life and planetary environments on Earth"},{"id":"bi-astrobiology-5","name":"Mars: past habitability, water and the search for life"},{"id":"bi-astrobiology-6","name":"Icy ocean worlds: Europa and 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Mars.","prerequisites":["bi-ecosystem-ecology","bi-plant-physiology","bi-microbiology"],"related":["ae-human-spaceflight-life-support","ae-space-resources-surface-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":85,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-1","name":"Physico-chemical versus bioregenerative life support"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-2","name":"Closed ecological systems: BIOS-3, Biosphere 2 and Lunar Palace"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-3","name":"ESA MELiSSA loop and compartment design"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-4","name":"Crop production in space: Veggie, Advanced Plant Habitat, lighting and hydroponics"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-5","name":"Algae and cyanobacteria for oxygen and food"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-6","name":"Microbial waste processing and water recycling"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-7","name":"Food systems and nutrition for long-duration missions"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-8","name":"Space synthetic biology and biological in-situ resource utilisation (biomining)"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-9","name":"Regolith as a growth medium: lunar and Martian soils"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-10","name":"Microbial monitoring and contamination control in habitats"},{"id":"bi-bioregenerative-life-support-11","name":"Stability and control of small closed ecosystems"}]},{"id":"bi-gravitational-space-biology","name":"Gravitational & Space Cell Biology","category":"Astrobiology & Space Biology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How cells, microbes, plants and animals sense gravity and respond to microgravity and space conditions.","prerequisites":["bi-plant-physiology","bi-microbiology","bi-cell-signaling"],"related":["ae-space-environment"],"unlocks":[],"order":90,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"bi-gravitational-space-biology-1","name":"Gravity sensing in cells 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instruments that search for them.","prerequisites":["bi-astrobiology"],"related":["ea-astrobiology-and-planetary-habitability","ph-exoplanets","ae-planetary-exploration-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":95,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":41,"topics":[{"id":"bi-biosignatures-life-detection-1","name":"Types of biosignatures: morphological, chemical, isotopic and atmospheric"},{"id":"bi-biosignatures-life-detection-2","name":"Fossil and mineral biosignatures, and the debate over the earliest life"},{"id":"bi-biosignatures-life-detection-3","name":"Atmospheric biosignatures: oxygen, ozone, methane and disequilibrium"},{"id":"bi-biosignatures-life-detection-4","name":"False positives and abiotic mimics"},{"id":"bi-biosignatures-life-detection-5","name":"Agnostic biosignatures: molecular complexity and assembly theory"},{"id":"bi-biosignatures-life-detection-6","name":"Life-detection instruments: mass spectrometry, Raman and 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itself?","prerequisites":["bi-introductory-biology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":5,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-1","name":"Natural history from Aristotle to Linnaeus"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-2","name":"The cell theory and the rise of physiology"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-3","name":"Darwin and the reception of evolution"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-4","name":"The rediscovery of Mendel and the Modern Synthesis"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-5","name":"The molecular revolution and the double helix"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-6","name":"The genomic era"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-7","name":"Philosophical questions: species, genes, function, reductionism"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-8","name":"Levels of selection and units of evolution"},{"id":"bi-history-philosophy-of-biology-9","name":"Biology, race and eugenics: lessons from history"}]}]},{"id":"earth","name":"Earth & Environmental Science","icon":"🌍","color":"#d6a86a","prefix":"ea","description":"The science of the Earth as a system of rock, water, air, ice and life: its materials, interior, surface, oceans, atmosphere, climate, history, resources and hazards, how humans change it, and the geology of other planets.","categories":["Earth Science Foundations","Mineralogy & Petrology","Geochemistry & Geochronology","Structural Geology & Tectonics","Solid-Earth Geophysics","Sedimentary Geology & Earth History","Earth Surface Processes","Hydrology & Water Resources","Oceanography","Meteorology & Atmospheric Science","Climate Science & Paleoclimate","Natural Hazards","Environmental Science & Pollution","Earth Resources & Applied Geology","Remote Sensing, GIS & Geodesy","Field, Lab & Quantitative Methods","Planetary Geoscience","Sustainability, Policy & Society"],"chapters":[{"id":"ea-introduction-to-earth-science","name":"Introduction to Earth 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demography"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-5","name":"Biogeochemical cycles at a glance: carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus and water"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-6","name":"Land use, agriculture, forests and food production"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-7","name":"Water resources and water pollution"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-8","name":"Air pollution and stratospheric ozone"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-9","name":"Energy: fossil fuels, nuclear and renewables"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-10","name":"Solid and hazardous waste"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-11","name":"Global climate change: causes, evidence and consequences"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-12","name":"Environmental health and toxicology basics"},{"id":"ea-introduction-to-environmental-science-13","name":"Environmental ethics, policy and the idea of 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reading"}]},{"id":"ea-mineralogy","name":"Mineralogy","category":"Mineralogy & Petrology","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The crystal chemistry, structure, properties and identification of the minerals that make up the Earth and other planets.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology","ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics","mt-crystal-structures","mt-crystallography-diffraction"],"unlocks":["ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry","ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry","ea-igneous-petrology","ea-metamorphic-petrology","ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry","ea-mineral-physics-and-deep-earth","ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy"],"order":16,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ea-mineralogy-1","name":"What a mineral is; mineral chemistry and formulas"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-2","name":"Crystal chemistry: ionic radii, coordination, Pauling's rules and 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elements"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-8","name":"Solid solution, exsolution and polymorphism"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-9","name":"Introductory phase diagrams for mineral systems"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-10","name":"Optical mineralogy"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-10-1","name":"Polarised light and the petrographic microscope","depth":1,"parent":"ea-mineralogy-10"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-10-2","name":"Refractive index, birefringence and interference colours","depth":1,"parent":"ea-mineralogy-10"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-10-3","name":"Extinction, pleochroism and interference figures","depth":1,"parent":"ea-mineralogy-10"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-11","name":"Thin-section identification of the common rock-forming minerals"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-12","name":"X-ray diffraction and other mineral-analysis methods"},{"id":"ea-mineralogy-13","name":"Mineral formation environments and gemstones"}]},{"id":"ea-mineral-physics-and-deep-earth","name":"Mineral Physics & Earth's Deep Interior","category":"Mineralogy & 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attenuation"},{"id":"ea-mineral-physics-and-deep-earth-6","name":"Composition and structure of the upper mantle, transition zone and lower mantle"},{"id":"ea-mineral-physics-and-deep-earth-7","name":"The core: composition, light elements, inner-core growth and anisotropy"},{"id":"ea-mineral-physics-and-deep-earth-8","name":"The core-mantle boundary, D'' layer and large low-shear-velocity provinces"},{"id":"ea-mineral-physics-and-deep-earth-9","name":"Geochemical reservoirs, mantle mixing and Earth's thermal evolution"}]},{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology","name":"Igneous Petrology","category":"Mineralogy & Petrology","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How magmas form, evolve and crystallise, and how igneous rocks record the tectonic setting and history of the mantle and crust.","prerequisites":["ea-mineralogy","ea-geochemistry-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-lunar-geology","ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology","ea-volcanology"],"order":51,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology-1","name":"Classification of igneous rocks: IUGS/QAPF and TAS schemes"},{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology-2","name":"Igneous textures and what they reveal about cooling history"},{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology-3","name":"Melting of the mantle: decompression, flux and heat-transfer melting"},{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology-4","name":"Phase equilibria"},{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology-4-1","name":"Binary eutectic and solid-solution systems","depth":1,"parent":"ea-igneous-petrology-4"},{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology-4-2","name":"Ternary systems and liquid lines of descent","depth":1,"parent":"ea-igneous-petrology-4"},{"id":"ea-igneous-petrology-4-3","name":"Bowen's reaction 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recrystallise under changing pressure, temperature and fluids, and how to read tectonic history from metamorphic rocks.","prerequisites":["ea-mineralogy","ea-geochemistry-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":52,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ea-metamorphic-petrology-1","name":"Agents and types of metamorphism: contact, regional, burial, dynamic and hydrothermal"},{"id":"ea-metamorphic-petrology-2","name":"Metamorphic textures and fabrics: foliation, porphyroblasts and reaction textures"},{"id":"ea-metamorphic-petrology-3","name":"Protoliths and classification of metamorphic rocks"},{"id":"ea-metamorphic-petrology-4","name":"Metamorphic reactions and chemographic (AFM/ACF) diagrams"},{"id":"ea-metamorphic-petrology-5","name":"Index minerals, isograds and metamorphic zones"},{"id":"ea-metamorphic-petrology-6","name":"Metamorphic facies and facies 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them.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology","ch-chemical-equilibrium"],"related":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry"],"unlocks":["ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry","ea-aqueous-geochemistry","ea-biogeochemical-cycles","ea-chemical-oceanography","ea-geobiology","ea-igneous-petrology","ea-isotope-geochemistry","ea-metamorphic-petrology"],"order":35,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-1","name":"Nucleosynthesis and solar-system element abundances"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-2","name":"Accretion and differentiation of the Earth into core, mantle, crust, ocean and atmosphere"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-3","name":"Goldschmidt classification: lithophile, siderophile, chalcophile and atmophile elements"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-4","name":"Chemical thermodynamics for geologists: enthalpy, entropy, Gibbs energy and equilibrium"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-5","name":"Activity, solid solutions and equilibrium constants"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-6","name":"Kinetics and diffusion in geological systems"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-7","name":"Trace elements: partition coefficients and melting/crystallisation models"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-8","name":"An introduction to stable and radiogenic isotopes"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-9","name":"Chemical weathering and composition of the continental crust"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-10","name":"Global geochemical cycles and residence times"},{"id":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals-11","name":"Geochemical data: normalisation, plots and interpretation"}]},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry","name":"Aqueous & Low-Temperature Geochemistry","category":"Geochemistry & Geochronology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The chemistry of natural waters and their reactions with minerals, gases and life at Earth-surface conditions.","prerequisites":["ea-geochemistry-fundamentals","ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics"],"related":["ch-aquatic-chemistry","ch-environmental-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology","ea-water-quality-and-pollution"],"order":55,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-1","name":"Water as a solvent; activity models and ionic strength"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-2","name":"Acid-base equilibria and the carbonate system; alkalinity"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-3","name":"Mineral solubility and saturation indices"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-4","name":"Complexation and speciation of dissolved species"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-5","name":"Redox chemistry, Eh-pH (Pourbaix) diagrams and redox ladders"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-6","name":"Silicate weathering reactions and clay-mineral formation"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-7","name":"Sorption, ion exchange and mineral surface chemistry"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-8","name":"Reaction kinetics and microbially mediated reactions"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-9","name":"Chemistry of rivers, lakes, groundwater and brines"},{"id":"ea-aqueous-geochemistry-10","name":"Geochemical modelling with speciation codes (e.g. PHREEQC)"}]},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry","name":"Isotope Geochemistry","category":"Geochemistry & Geochronology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Using stable and radiogenic isotopes as tracers of processes, sources and temperatures across the Earth system.","prerequisites":["ea-geochemistry-fundamentals"],"related":["ph-nuclear-physics","ch-nuclear-radiochemistry","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry"],"unlocks":["ea-geochronology","ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry"],"order":59,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-1","name":"Isotopes, nuclides and the chart of the nuclides"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-2","name":"Stable-isotope fractionation: equilibrium, kinetic and delta notation"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-3","name":"Oxygen and hydrogen isotopes in water, rocks and climate"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-4","name":"Carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotopes in biogeochemistry"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-5","name":"Radiogenic isotope systems as tracers: Rb-Sr, Sm-Nd, Lu-Hf, U-Th-Pb and Re-Os"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-6","name":"Mantle and crustal isotopic reservoirs"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-7","name":"Cosmogenic and short-lived nuclides"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-8","name":"Clumped isotopes and non-traditional stable isotopes (Fe, Mg, Li, Ca)"},{"id":"ea-isotope-geochemistry-9","name":"Mass spectrometry for isotope measurement"}]},{"id":"ea-geochronology","name":"Geochronology & Thermochronology","category":"Geochemistry & Geochronology","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How the ages of rocks, minerals, landscapes and events are measured, from relative dating to radiometric and exposure-dating methods.","prerequisites":["ea-isotope-geochemistry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":65,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geochronology-1","name":"Relative dating: superposition, cross-cutting relations and correlation"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-2","name":"Radioactive decay, half-lives and the age equation"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-3","name":"Isochron dating and its assumptions"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-4","name":"U-Pb zircon geochronology and concordia diagrams"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-5","name":"K-Ar and 40Ar/39Ar dating"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-6","name":"Radiocarbon dating and calibration"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-7","name":"Uranium-series disequilibrium dating"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-8","name":"Cosmogenic-nuclide exposure and burial dating"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-9","name":"Luminescence dating (OSL and TL)"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-10","name":"Thermochronology: fission track, (U-Th)/He and closure temperature"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-11","name":"Incremental methods: dendrochronology, varves and ice layers"},{"id":"ea-geochronology-12","name":"Magnetostratigraphy, astrochronology and building the geologic time scale"}]},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles","name":"Biogeochemistry & Global Element Cycles","category":"Geochemistry & Geochronology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur and metals cycle between life, rocks, water and air on timescales from days to aeons.","prerequisites":["ea-geochemistry-fundamentals","ch-organic-structure-bonding"],"related":["bi-ecosystem-ecology","ch-environmental-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":67,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-1","name":"Box models, reservoirs, fluxes and residence times"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-2","name":"The short-term (biological) carbon cycle: photosynthesis, respiration and soils"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-3","name":"The long-term (geological) carbon cycle and the silicate-weathering thermostat"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-4","name":"The ocean carbon pumps and the anthropogenic CO2 perturbation"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-5","name":"The oxygen cycle and the history of atmospheric O2"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-6","name":"The nitrogen cycle: fixation, nitrification, denitrification and human alteration"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-7","name":"The phosphorus and sulfur cycles"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-8","name":"Trace-metal and micronutrient cycles (iron, mercury)"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-9","name":"Organic geochemistry: organic matter preservation, kerogen and biomarkers"},{"id":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles-10","name":"Methane and other greenhouse-gas budgets"}]},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics","name":"Plate Tectonics","category":"Structural Geology & Tectonics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The unifying theory of the solid Earth: how lithospheric plates move, interact and build continents and ocean basins.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology"],"related":["ph-geophysics"],"unlocks":["bi-biogeography-macroecology","ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics","ea-solid-earth-geophysics","ea-tectonics-and-orogeny"],"order":10,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-1","name":"From continental drift to seafloor spreading: history of the theory"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-2","name":"Lithosphere and asthenosphere; oceanic versus continental lithosphere"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-3","name":"Marine magnetic anomalies and seafloor ages"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-4","name":"Plate kinematics: Euler poles, relative and absolute motion"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-5","name":"Divergent boundaries: mid-ocean ridges and continental rifts"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-6","name":"Convergent boundaries: subduction zones, arcs and collision"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-7","name":"Transform faults and fracture zones"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-8","name":"Triple junctions and plate-boundary evolution"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-9","name":"Hotspots and mantle plumes"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-10","name":"Driving forces: ridge push, slab pull and mantle convection"},{"id":"ea-plate-tectonics-11","name":"The Wilson cycle and supercontinents"}]},{"id":"ea-structural-geology","name":"Structural Geology","category":"Structural Geology & Tectonics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How rocks deform: stress, strain and rheology, and the faults, folds and fabrics they produce.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology","ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard","ea-engineering-geology","ea-field-geology-and-mapping","ea-tectonics-and-orogeny"],"order":19,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ea-structural-geology-1","name":"Geologic maps, attitudes (strike/dip) and orientation data"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-2","name":"Stereographic projection and stereonets"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-3","name":"Stress: traction, principal stresses and Mohr circles"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-4","name":"Strain: homogeneous strain, the strain ellipse and progressive deformation"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-5","name":"Rheology: elastic, viscous and plastic behaviour"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-6","name":"Brittle deformation: fracture mechanics, joints and Anderson fault theory"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-7","name":"Faults: normal, reverse/thrust and strike-slip; fault rocks"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-8","name":"Folds: geometry, classification and mechanisms of folding"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-9","name":"Foliations, lineations and cleavage"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-10","name":"Ductile shear zones and kinematic indicators"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-11","name":"Microstructures and deformation mechanisms"},{"id":"ea-structural-geology-12","name":"Balanced and restored cross-sections"}]},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny","name":"Tectonics & Mountain Building","category":"Structural Geology & Tectonics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Regional-scale tectonics: how rifts, margins, orogens and continents form and evolve, with classic examples.","prerequisites":["ea-plate-tectonics","ea-structural-geology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-basin-analysis"],"order":32,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-1","name":"Extensional tectonics: rifts, core complexes and passive margins"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-2","name":"Contractional tectonics: fold-and-thrust belts and orogenic wedges"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-3","name":"Strike-slip systems, transpression and transtension"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-4","name":"Subduction-zone tectonics and accretionary prisms"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-5","name":"Continental collision: the Himalaya-Tibet case study"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-6","name":"Andean-type orogens and the Alps"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-7","name":"Terranes, sutures and crustal growth"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-8","name":"Cratons, shields and Precambrian tectonics"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-9","name":"Isostasy, topography and orogenic collapse"},{"id":"ea-tectonics-and-orogeny-10","name":"Tectonics, erosion and climate interactions"}]},{"id":"ea-geodynamics","name":"Geodynamics","category":"Structural Geology & Tectonics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Quantitative physics of the solid Earth: heat, flexure, flow and convection that drive plate tectonics.","prerequisites":["ea-solid-earth-geophysics","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes"],"related":["ph-geophysics","ma-geophysics"],"unlocks":[],"order":63,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geodynamics-1","name":"Stress and strain in the lithosphere; elasticity"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-2","name":"Flexure of the lithosphere: plates, basins and seamounts"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-3","name":"Heat transfer: conduction, cooling of oceanic lithosphere and heat flow"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-4","name":"Gravity, geoid anomalies and isostatic compensation"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-5","name":"Fluid mechanics of the mantle: viscous flow, Stokes flow and postglacial rebound"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-6","name":"Mantle convection: Rayleigh number, boundary layers and plumes"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-7","name":"Rock rheology and faulting mechanics (friction and rate-and-state laws)"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-8","name":"Flow in porous media and magma migration"},{"id":"ea-geodynamics-9","name":"Numerical geodynamic modelling"}]},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics","name":"Introduction to Solid-Earth Geophysics","category":"Solid-Earth Geophysics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Physics applied to the whole Earth: seismology, gravity, magnetism and heat flow as windows into the planet's interior.","prerequisites":["ea-plate-tectonics","ph-classical-mechanics"],"related":["ph-geophysics","ma-geophysics"],"unlocks":["ea-exploration-geophysics","ea-geodesy","ea-geodynamics","ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism","ea-geophysical-inverse-theory","ea-mineral-physics-and-deep-earth","ea-seismology"],"order":27,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-1","name":"Earth's shape, rotation and gravity field"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-2","name":"Seismic waves and the radial structure of the Earth"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-3","name":"Earthquakes: location, magnitude and focal mechanisms in outline"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-4","name":"Isostasy and gravity anomalies"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-5","name":"Earth's magnetic field and palaeomagnetism in outline"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-6","name":"Heat flow, radioactivity and the thermal structure of the Earth"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-7","name":"Geophysical evidence for plate tectonics"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-8","name":"Earth's interior: crust, mantle, core and their boundaries"},{"id":"ea-solid-earth-geophysics-9","name":"Tides and Earth rotation variations"}]},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics","name":"Applied & Near-Surface Geophysics","category":"Solid-Earth Geophysics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Geophysical methods used to image the shallow and deep subsurface for resources, engineering and environmental problems.","prerequisites":["ea-solid-earth-geophysics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":36,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-1","name":"Seismic refraction surveying"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-2","name":"Seismic reflection acquisition, processing and interpretation"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-3","name":"Gravity surveying and reduction"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-4","name":"Magnetic surveying and interpretation"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-5","name":"Electrical resistivity and induced polarisation"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-6","name":"Electromagnetic and magnetotelluric methods"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-7","name":"Ground-penetrating radar"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-8","name":"Borehole geophysics and well logging"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-9","name":"Near-surface applications: groundwater, contamination, archaeology and engineering sites"},{"id":"ea-exploration-geophysics-10","name":"Integrated interpretation and survey design"}]},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism","name":"Geomagnetism & Paleomagnetism","category":"Solid-Earth Geophysics","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Earth's magnetic field, how it is generated, and how magnetised rocks record plate motions and field reversals.","prerequisites":["ea-solid-earth-geophysics","ph-classical-electromagnetism"],"related":["ph-geophysics","ph-space-physics"],"unlocks":[],"order":45,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-1","name":"Description of the geomagnetic field: elements, dipole and IGRF"},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-2","name":"Secular variation, excursions and polarity reversals"},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-3","name":"The geodynamo: magnetohydrodynamics of the outer core"},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-4","name":"Rock magnetism: magnetic minerals and remanence acquisition"},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-5","name":"Palaeomagnetic sampling, demagnetisation and statistics"},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-6","name":"Apparent polar wander paths and palaeogeographic reconstruction"},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-7","name":"Magnetostratigraphy and the geomagnetic polarity time scale"},{"id":"ea-geomagnetism-and-paleomagnetism-8","name":"Environmental magnetism"}]},{"id":"ea-seismology","name":"Seismology","category":"Solid-Earth Geophysics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The theory and observation of seismic waves and earthquake sources, and their use to image the Earth.","prerequisites":["ea-solid-earth-geophysics","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes"],"related":["ph-geophysics","ma-geophysics"],"unlocks":["ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard"],"order":61,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ea-seismology-1","name":"Elasticity and the seismic wave equation"},{"id":"ea-seismology-2","name":"Body waves (P and S) and surface waves (Rayleigh and Love)"},{"id":"ea-seismology-3","name":"Ray theory, travel-time curves and Earth models (PREM)"},{"id":"ea-seismology-4","name":"Seismometers, seismic networks and data processing"},{"id":"ea-seismology-5","name":"Earthquake location and magnitude scales; seismic moment"},{"id":"ea-seismology-6","name":"Focal mechanisms and moment tensors"},{"id":"ea-seismology-7","name":"Earthquake source physics: rupture dynamics and scaling"},{"id":"ea-seismology-8","name":"Dispersion and surface-wave analysis"},{"id":"ea-seismology-9","name":"Free oscillations (normal modes) of the Earth"},{"id":"ea-seismology-10","name":"Seismic tomography and ambient-noise imaging"},{"id":"ea-seismology-11","name":"Attenuation, anisotropy and scattering"}]},{"id":"ea-historical-geology","name":"Historical Geology & Earth History","category":"Sedimentary Geology & Earth History","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The 4.6-billion-year story of the Earth: how its continents, oceans, atmosphere and life evolved together.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology"],"related":["bi-macroevolution-history-of-life","bi-origin-of-life"],"unlocks":["ea-paleoclimatology","ea-paleontology"],"order":8,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"ea-historical-geology-1","name":"Principles for reading Earth history: uniformitarianism, fossils and time"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-2","name":"The geologic time scale and how it was built"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-3","name":"The Hadean: accretion, the Moon-forming impact and the first crust"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-4","name":"The Archean: early continents, oceans and life"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-5","name":"The Proterozoic: oxygenation, supercontinents and Snowball Earth"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-6","name":"The Cambrian explosion and the Paleozoic world"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-7","name":"Pangaea and the Permian-Triassic extinction"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-8","name":"The Mesozoic: dinosaurs, Atlantic opening and the K-Pg impact"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-9","name":"The Cenozoic: mammals, cooling climate and modern geography"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-10","name":"The Quaternary: ice ages, sea-level change and landscapes"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-11","name":"Human evolution and the Anthropocene"},{"id":"ea-historical-geology-12","name":"Mass extinctions compared"}]},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy","name":"Sedimentology & Stratigraphy","category":"Sedimentary Geology & Earth History","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How sediments are produced, transported and deposited, and how layered rocks are described, correlated and interpreted.","prerequisites":["ea-mineralogy"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-basin-analysis","ea-field-geology-and-mapping","ea-mars-geology","ea-petroleum-geology"],"order":18,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-1","name":"Weathering, sediment production and grain properties"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-2","name":"Fluid flow and sediment transport; bedforms"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-3","name":"Sedimentary structures"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-4","name":"Siliciclastic rocks: sandstone classification, provenance and mudrocks"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-5","name":"Carbonate sediments and rocks: grains, classification and diagenesis"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-6","name":"Evaporites, cherts, iron formations and phosphorites"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-7","name":"Diagenesis and porosity evolution"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-8","name":"Facies and facies models; Walther's law"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-9","name":"Continental environments: alluvial, fluvial, lacustrine, aeolian and glacial"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-10","name":"Coastal and shallow-marine environments: deltas, beaches, tidal flats and reefs"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-11","name":"Deep-marine environments: turbidites and contourites"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-12","name":"Stratigraphic principles; litho-, bio- and chronostratigraphy"},{"id":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy-13","name":"Correlation and an introduction to sequence stratigraphy"}]},{"id":"ea-paleontology","name":"Paleontology","category":"Sedimentary Geology & Earth History","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The study of fossil life: how organisms are preserved, classified and used to understand evolution, ancient environments and time.","prerequisites":["ea-historical-geology","bi-evolutionary-biology"],"related":["bi-macroevolution-history-of-life"],"unlocks":["ea-geobiology"],"order":25,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ea-paleontology-1","name":"Fossilisation and taphonomy; exceptional preservation (Lagerstätten)"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-2","name":"Taxonomy, systematics and cladistics"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-3","name":"Evolution in the fossil record: speciation, rates and trends"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-4","name":"Invertebrate paleontology: major phyla"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-5","name":"Vertebrate paleontology: fishes to mammals, including dinosaurs"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-6","name":"Paleobotany and the evolution of land plants"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-7","name":"Micropaleontology: foraminifera, diatoms, radiolarians, pollen and nannofossils"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-8","name":"Trace fossils (ichnology)"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-9","name":"Biostratigraphy and index fossils"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-10","name":"Paleoecology and paleoenvironment reconstruction"},{"id":"ea-paleontology-11","name":"Diversity through time and mass extinctions"}]},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis","name":"Basin Analysis & Sequence Stratigraphy","category":"Sedimentary Geology & Earth History","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How sedimentary basins form and fill, and how sea level, subsidence and sediment supply are read from their stratigraphy.","prerequisites":["ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy","ea-tectonics-and-orogeny"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":46,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-1","name":"Basin classification by tectonic setting"},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-2","name":"Mechanics of subsidence: rift, flexural and thermal basins"},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-3","name":"Subsidence analysis and backstripping"},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-4","name":"Accommodation, sediment supply and relative sea level"},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-5","name":"Sequence stratigraphy: systems tracts, sequence boundaries and parasequences"},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-6","name":"Seismic stratigraphy"},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-7","name":"Source-to-sink sediment routing"},{"id":"ea-basin-analysis-8","name":"Basin thermal history and burial"}]},{"id":"ea-geobiology","name":"Geobiology & the Co-Evolution of Earth and Life","category":"Sedimentary Geology & Earth History","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How life and the planet have shaped each other, from the earliest microbes to the oxygenation of the atmosphere.","prerequisites":["ea-paleontology","ea-geochemistry-fundamentals","bi-microbiology"],"related":["bi-extremophiles","bi-origin-of-life","bi-macroevolution-history-of-life"],"unlocks":["ea-astrobiology-and-planetary-habitability"],"order":58,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geobiology-1","name":"Origin of life hypotheses and early Earth 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agriculture.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology","ch-introductory-chemistry"],"related":["bi-ecosystem-ecology","bi-plant-agricultural-biotech"],"unlocks":[],"order":13,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"ea-soil-science-1","name":"Soil-forming factors: parent material, climate, organisms, topography and time"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-2","name":"Soil profiles and horizons"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-3","name":"Soil physical properties: texture, structure, density and porosity"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-4","name":"Soil water: retention, movement and plant availability"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-5","name":"Clay minerals, cation exchange capacity and soil colloids"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-6","name":"Soil acidity, salinity and sodicity"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-7","name":"Soil organic matter and soil carbon"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-8","name":"Soil biology: microbes, fauna and nutrient cycling"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-9","name":"Soil fertility and plant nutrients"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-10","name":"Soil classification: USDA Soil Taxonomy and the World Reference Base"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-11","name":"Soil erosion, degradation and conservation"},{"id":"ea-soil-science-12","name":"Soil survey and mapping; the critical zone concept"}]},{"id":"ea-glaciology","name":"Glaciology & the Cryosphere","category":"Earth Surface Processes","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Glaciers, ice sheets, sea ice, snow and permafrost: how ice forms, flows and responds to climate, and its role in sea level.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology","ma-calculus"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":17,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ea-glaciology-1","name":"Components of the cryosphere and their distribution"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-2","name":"Snow to firn to glacier ice"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-3","name":"Glacier mass balance and energy balance"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-4","name":"Ice deformation (Glen's flow law) and basal sliding"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-5","name":"Glacier hydrology and surges"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-6","name":"Ice sheets and ice shelves: Greenland and Antarctica"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-7","name":"Ice-sheet instabilities and sea-level contribution"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-8","name":"Sea ice: formation, extent and climate feedbacks"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-9","name":"Permafrost and periglacial processes"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-10","name":"Ice cores as climate archives"},{"id":"ea-glaciology-11","name":"Glacial erosion, deposition and landforms"}]},{"id":"ea-geomorphology","name":"Geomorphology","category":"Earth Surface Processes","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The science of landscapes: the processes that erode, transport and deposit material and how landforms evolve over time.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology","ma-calculus","ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-coastal-processes","ea-fluvial-processes-and-sediment-transport","ea-landslides-and-slope-stability"],"order":21,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geomorphology-1","name":"Landscapes as systems: mass balance, rates and timescales"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-2","name":"Weathering, regolith production and the critical zone"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-3","name":"Hillslope processes: soil creep, diffusion and landsliding"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-4","name":"Fluvial geomorphology: channels, networks and river profiles"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-5","name":"Drainage basins and landscape evolution models"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-6","name":"Glacial and periglacial landforms"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-7","name":"Aeolian processes and desert landforms"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-8","name":"Coastal landforms in outline"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-9","name":"Karst landscapes"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-10","name":"Tectonic geomorphology: uplift, erosion and topography"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-11","name":"Dating landforms and measuring erosion rates"},{"id":"ea-geomorphology-12","name":"Digital topography and terrain analysis"}]},{"id":"ea-fluvial-processes-and-sediment-transport","name":"Fluvial Processes & Sediment Transport","category":"Earth Surface Processes","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The mechanics of flowing water and sediment in rivers, and how channels, floodplains and deltas form and change.","prerequisites":["ea-geomorphology","ph-fluid-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":62,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ea-fluvial-processes-and-sediment-transport-1","name":"Open-channel flow: uniform flow, Manning and the Froude number"},{"id":"ea-fluvial-processes-and-sediment-transport-2","name":"Turbulence and boundary shear 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streamflow.","prerequisites":["ea-introduction-to-earth-science","ma-calculus"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire","ea-hydrogeology","ea-water-quality-and-pollution","ea-water-resources-management"],"order":15,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"ea-hydrology-1","name":"The global water cycle and catchment water balance"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-2","name":"Precipitation: formation, measurement and spatial analysis"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-3","name":"Evaporation and evapotranspiration"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-4","name":"Interception, infiltration and soil moisture"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-5","name":"Runoff generation mechanisms"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-6","name":"Streamflow measurement and hydrographs"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-7","name":"Snow and snowmelt hydrology"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-8","name":"Flood frequency and hydrological statistics"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-9","name":"Lakes, wetlands and ecohydrology"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-10","name":"Rainfall-runoff and watershed modelling"},{"id":"ea-hydrology-11","name":"Hydrological data: gauges, remote sensing and land-surface models"}]},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology","name":"Hydrogeology","category":"Hydrology & Water Resources","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The science of groundwater: aquifers, flow, wells, groundwater chemistry and modelling.","prerequisites":["ea-hydrology","ea-physical-geology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health","ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage"],"order":22,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-1","name":"Aquifers, aquitards and hydrogeological properties"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-2","name":"Porosity, permeability and hydraulic conductivity"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-3","name":"Darcy's law and hydraulic head"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-4","name":"The groundwater flow equation; confined and unconfined aquifers"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-5","name":"Flow nets and regional groundwater flow systems"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-6","name":"Well hydraulics and pumping tests (Theis, Cooper-Jacob)"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-7","name":"Recharge and groundwater-surface water interaction"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-8","name":"Groundwater chemistry and water-rock interaction"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-9","name":"Solute transport: advection, dispersion and retardation"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-10","name":"Unsaturated (vadose) zone flow"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-11","name":"Groundwater modelling (e.g. MODFLOW)"},{"id":"ea-hydrogeology-12","name":"Groundwater depletion, land subsidence and seawater intrusion"}]},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management","name":"Water Resources Management","category":"Hydrology & Water Resources","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How water is supplied, allocated, protected and governed for people and ecosystems under growing demand and climate change.","prerequisites":["ea-hydrology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":23,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-1","name":"Water supply and demand across sectors"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-2","name":"Reservoirs, dams and river-basin management"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-3","name":"Integrated water resources management (IWRM)"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-4","name":"Drought planning and water scarcity"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-5","name":"Water quality standards and source protection"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-6","name":"Water law, rights and transboundary water governance"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-7","name":"The water-energy-food nexus"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-8","name":"Urban water: stormwater, reuse and desalination"},{"id":"ea-water-resources-management-9","name":"Environmental flows and freshwater 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density"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-5","name":"Air-sea interaction and ocean heat transport"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-6","name":"Surface currents and gyres"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-7","name":"Deep-water circulation"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-8","name":"Waves and tsunamis"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-9","name":"Tides"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-10","name":"Coasts, beaches and estuaries"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-11","name":"Marine life and primary productivity"},{"id":"ea-introductory-oceanography-12","name":"Ocean resources, pollution and the ocean in a changing climate"}]},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics","name":"Marine Geology & Geophysics","category":"Oceanography","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The geology of the ocean floor: its structure, sediments and history, and how they are studied from ships and drill cores.","prerequisites":["ea-introductory-oceanography","ea-plate-tectonics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":14,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-1","name":"Seafloor mapping: bathymetry, sonar and satellite altimetry"},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-2","name":"Mid-ocean ridges and oceanic crust formation"},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-3","name":"Hydrothermal systems and seafloor mineral deposits"},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-4","name":"Seamounts, oceanic plateaus and hotspot chains"},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-5","name":"Continental margins: active and passive"},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-6","name":"Submarine canyons, turbidity currents and slope stability"},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-7","name":"Pelagic sediments and the carbonate compensation depth"},{"id":"ea-marine-geology-and-geophysics-8","name":"Scientific ocean drilling and the sediment record"}]},{"id":"ea-coastal-processes","name":"Coastal Processes & Management","category":"Oceanography","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How waves, tides and sediment shape coastlines, and how coasts are managed in the face of hazards and sea-level rise.","prerequisites":["ea-introductory-oceanography","ea-geomorphology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":29,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ea-coastal-processes-1","name":"Wave transformation: shoaling, refraction and breaking"},{"id":"ea-coastal-processes-2","name":"Nearshore currents and longshore sediment transport"},{"id":"ea-coastal-processes-3","name":"Beaches, dunes and barrier islands"},{"id":"ea-coastal-processes-4","name":"Estuaries and tidal inlets"},{"id":"ea-coastal-processes-5","name":"Deltas and coastal wetlands"},{"id":"ea-coastal-processes-6","name":"Rocky coasts and cliff erosion"},{"id":"ea-coastal-processes-7","name":"Sea-level rise and coastal 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webs"},{"id":"ea-biological-oceanography-4","name":"The microbial loop and marine microbes"},{"id":"ea-biological-oceanography-5","name":"Seasonal cycles, blooms and upwelling ecosystems"},{"id":"ea-biological-oceanography-6","name":"Benthic and deep-sea communities, including hydrothermal vents"},{"id":"ea-biological-oceanography-7","name":"Coral reefs and coastal ecosystems (mangroves, kelp, seagrass)"},{"id":"ea-biological-oceanography-8","name":"Fisheries oceanography"},{"id":"ea-biological-oceanography-9","name":"Marine ecosystems under warming, acidification and deoxygenation"}]},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography","name":"Physical Oceanography","category":"Oceanography","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The physics of ocean circulation, water masses, waves and mixing, from the surface layer to the abyss.","prerequisites":["ea-introductory-oceanography","ph-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics"],"unlocks":["ea-geophysical-fluid-dynamics"],"order":53,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-1","name":"Temperature, salinity, density and the equation of state of seawater"},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-2","name":"Water masses and T-S analysis"},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-3","name":"Heat and freshwater budgets of the ocean"},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-4","name":"Equations of motion on a rotating Earth"},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-5","name":"Geostrophic currents and the thermal wind"},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-6","name":"Ekman transport and upwelling"},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-7","name":"Wind-driven circulation: Sverdrup balance and western boundary currents"},{"id":"ea-physical-oceanography-8","name":"Thermohaline and meridional overturning 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Science","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The atmosphere and its weather: energy, moisture, clouds, winds and the storms and systems that bring day-to-day weather.","prerequisites":["ea-introduction-to-earth-science","ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics"],"unlocks":["ea-atmospheric-chemistry","ea-atmospheric-dynamics","ea-atmospheric-radiation","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics","ea-climate-system-science","ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire"],"order":24,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ea-meteorology-1","name":"Composition and vertical structure of the atmosphere"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-2","name":"Solar and terrestrial radiation; the energy balance"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-3","name":"Temperature: daily and seasonal cycles"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-4","name":"Humidity, condensation and dew point"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-5","name":"Atmospheric stability and cloud development"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-6","name":"Cloud types and precipitation processes"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-7","name":"Pressure, forces and winds (pressure gradient, Coriolis, friction)"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-8","name":"Local winds and the global circulation"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-9","name":"Air masses and fronts"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-10","name":"Mid-latitude cyclones"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-11","name":"Thunderstorms and tornadoes"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-12","name":"Hurricanes and tropical cyclones"},{"id":"ea-meteorology-13","name":"Weather observation, maps and forecasting basics"}]},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry","name":"Atmospheric Chemistry","category":"Meteorology & Atmospheric Science","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The chemical composition of the atmosphere and the reactions that control ozone, oxidants, aerosols and pollutants.","prerequisites":["ea-meteorology","ch-chemical-kinetics-intro"],"related":["ch-atmospheric-chemistry","ch-photochemistry"],"unlocks":["ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality"],"order":37,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-1","name":"Atmospheric composition, sources, sinks and lifetimes"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-2","name":"Box models and transport of trace gases"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-3","name":"Photochemistry and reaction kinetics"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-4","name":"Stratospheric ozone: Chapman chemistry, catalytic cycles and the ozone hole"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-5","name":"Tropospheric oxidants: OH radical and oxidising capacity"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-6","name":"Tropospheric ozone and photochemical smog"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-7","name":"Atmospheric aerosols: formation, composition and effects"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-chemistry-8","name":"Acid 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circulation.","prerequisites":["ea-meteorology","ph-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics"],"unlocks":["ea-climate-dynamics","ea-geophysical-fluid-dynamics","ea-weather-analysis-and-forecasting"],"order":49,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-1","name":"Equations of motion in a rotating frame; scale analysis"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-2","name":"Geostrophic, gradient and thermal-wind balance"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-3","name":"Pressure coordinates and the primitive equations"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-4","name":"Circulation and vorticity"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-5","name":"Potential vorticity and its conservation"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-6","name":"The planetary boundary layer: turbulence, Ekman layer and surface fluxes"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-7","name":"Quasi-geostrophic theory"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-dynamics-8","name":"Atmospheric waves: gravity waves and Rossby 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process"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-10","name":"Precipitation types and hail"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-11","name":"Cloud electrification and lightning"},{"id":"ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-12","name":"Weather radar and precipitation measurement"}]},{"id":"ea-weather-analysis-and-forecasting","name":"Weather Systems & Forecasting","category":"Meteorology & Atmospheric Science","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Synoptic, mesoscale and tropical weather systems and the practice of analysing and forecasting the weather.","prerequisites":["ea-atmospheric-dynamics","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-numerical-weather-prediction"],"order":73,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ea-weather-analysis-and-forecasting-1","name":"Weather observations and surface/upper-air chart 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Rossby"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-fluid-dynamics-5","name":"Barotropic and baroclinic instability"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-fluid-dynamics-6","name":"Geostrophic turbulence and eddy transport"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-fluid-dynamics-7","name":"Ocean and atmosphere boundary layers"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-fluid-dynamics-8","name":"Wind-driven and thermohaline circulation theory"}]},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction","name":"Numerical Weather Prediction & Data Assimilation","category":"Meteorology & Atmospheric Science","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How computer models forecast the atmosphere: numerical methods, physical parameterisations, data assimilation and ensembles.","prerequisites":["ea-weather-analysis-and-forecasting","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes"],"related":["ma-geophysical-environmental-mathematics","ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics"],"unlocks":[],"order":83,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-1","name":"Model equations and grids; spectral and finite-volume methods"},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-2","name":"Time stepping, stability and numerical dispersion"},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-3","name":"Physical parameterisations: convection, radiation, boundary layer and microphysics"},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-4","name":"Data assimilation: optimal interpolation, 3D/4D-Var and ensemble Kalman filters"},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-5","name":"Predictability and chaos"},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-6","name":"Ensemble forecasting and probabilistic forecasts"},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-7","name":"Forecast verification"},{"id":"ea-numerical-weather-prediction-8","name":"Machine-learning weather models"}]},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science","name":"Climate System Science","category":"Climate Science & Paleoclimate","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How the climate system works as a whole, what sets Earth's temperature, and the evidence for and causes of present-day climate change.","prerequisites":["ea-meteorology"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics"],"unlocks":["bi-global-change-biology","ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation","ea-climate-dynamics","ea-paleoclimatology"],"order":34,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-1","name":"Components of the climate system and their timescales"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-2","name":"Global energy balance and the greenhouse effect"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-3","name":"Latitudinal energy transport by atmosphere and ocean"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-4","name":"The carbon cycle and greenhouse gases"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-5","name":"Climate feedbacks: water vapour, lapse rate, ice-albedo and clouds"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-6","name":"Climate sensitivity and radiative forcing"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-7","name":"Natural variability: ENSO, NAO and volcanic and solar forcing"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-8","name":"Observed climate change: the instrumental record"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-9","name":"Sea-level rise: thermal expansion and ice melt"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-10","name":"Climate models and future projections in outline"},{"id":"ea-climate-system-science-11","name":"The IPCC assessment process"}]},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation","name":"Climate Change: Impacts, Mitigation & Adaptation","category":"Climate Science & Paleoclimate","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"What climate change means for people and ecosystems, and the options for reducing emissions, removing carbon and adapting.","prerequisites":["ea-climate-system-science"],"related":["bi-global-change-biology"],"unlocks":[],"order":57,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-1","name":"Observed and projected impacts on ecosystems and biodiversity"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-2","name":"Impacts on water, food, health and cities"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-3","name":"Extreme events in a warming world"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-4","name":"Carbon budgets and emissions pathways"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-5","name":"Mitigation options: energy, land use, industry and transport"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-6","name":"Carbon dioxide removal and solar geoengineering"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-7","name":"Adaptation strategies and resilience"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-8","name":"Climate risk assessment and loss and damage"},{"id":"ea-climate-change-impacts-mitigation-adaptation-9","name":"Climate policy: UNFCCC, the Paris Agreement and carbon pricing"}]},{"id":"ea-paleoclimatology","name":"Paleoclimatology & Paleoceanography","category":"Climate Science & Paleoclimate","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How past climates are reconstructed from natural archives and what they teach about climate sensitivity and change.","prerequisites":["ea-climate-system-science","ea-historical-geology"],"related":["bi-global-change-biology"],"unlocks":[],"order":60,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"ea-paleoclimatology-1","name":"Climate proxies and archives: principles and calibration"},{"id":"ea-paleoclimatology-2","name":"Ice cores: temperature, greenhouse 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sensitivity"}]},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics","name":"Climate Dynamics","category":"Climate Science & Paleoclimate","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The physics of climate: energy-balance and radiative-convective models, feedbacks, circulation and modes of variability.","prerequisites":["ea-climate-system-science","ea-atmospheric-dynamics","ea-atmospheric-radiation"],"related":["ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics"],"unlocks":["ea-climate-modeling"],"order":76,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-1","name":"Energy-balance models and ice-albedo instability"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-2","name":"Radiative-convective models and the hydrological cycle"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-3","name":"Feedback analysis and climate sensitivity estimates"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-4","name":"Ocean heat uptake and transient climate response"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-5","name":"Hydrological cycle response to warming"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-6","name":"Modes of variability: ENSO, PDO, AMO and annular modes"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-7","name":"Monsoons and regional climate"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-8","name":"Abrupt change and tipping elements"},{"id":"ea-climate-dynamics-9","name":"Detection and attribution of climate change"}]},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling","name":"Climate & Earth System Modelling","category":"Climate Science & Paleoclimate","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How global climate and Earth system models are built, evaluated and used for scenarios and projections.","prerequisites":["ea-climate-dynamics","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes"],"related":["ma-geophysical-environmental-mathematics","cs-high-performance-computing"],"unlocks":[],"order":80,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-1","name":"Model hierarchy: from box models to Earth system models"},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-2","name":"Atmosphere, ocean, land and sea-ice components and coupling"},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-3","name":"Parameterisation and tuning"},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-4","name":"Model intercomparison projects (CMIP) and evaluation"},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-5","name":"Emissions scenarios and Shared Socioeconomic Pathways"},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-6","name":"Regional downscaling"},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-7","name":"Uncertainty: scenario, model and internal variability"},{"id":"ea-climate-modeling-8","name":"Machine learning in climate modelling"}]},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk","name":"Natural Hazards & Disaster Risk","category":"Natural Hazards","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The geological and atmospheric hazards that threaten people, and how hazard, exposure and vulnerability combine into risk.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire","ea-landslides-and-slope-stability","ea-volcanology"],"order":9,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-1","name":"Hazard, exposure, vulnerability and risk"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-2","name":"Earthquakes and tsunamis as hazards"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-3","name":"Volcanic hazards"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-4","name":"Landslides and other mass movements"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-5","name":"Floods and river hazards"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-6","name":"Tropical cyclones, severe storms and storm surge"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-7","name":"Drought, heatwaves and wildfire"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-8","name":"Coastal hazards and subsidence"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-9","name":"Space weather and extraterrestrial impacts as hazards"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-10","name":"Risk assessment and hazard mapping"},{"id":"ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk-11","name":"Disaster risk reduction, early warning and the Sendai Framework"}]},{"id":"ea-landslides-and-slope-stability","name":"Landslides & Slope Stability","category":"Natural Hazards","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Why slopes fail, the kinds of landslides and debris flows, and how they are analysed, monitored and mitigated.","prerequisites":["ea-geomorphology","ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":30,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ea-landslides-and-slope-stability-1","name":"Landslide classification (Varnes)"},{"id":"ea-landslides-and-slope-stability-2","name":"Shear strength of soils and rocks; effective 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managed.","prerequisites":["ea-hydrology","ea-meteorology","ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":41,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-1","name":"Flood types: riverine, flash, pluvial and coastal"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-2","name":"Flood frequency analysis and design floods"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-3","name":"Flood forecasting, inundation mapping and flood-risk management"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-4","name":"Hurricane and extratropical storm impacts"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-5","name":"Drought types, indices and monitoring"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-6","name":"Heatwaves and compound extremes"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-7","name":"Wildfire science: fuels, weather, fire behaviour and fire regimes"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-8","name":"Post-fire hazards: debris flows and water quality"},{"id":"ea-floods-storms-drought-wildfire-9","name":"Attribution of extreme events to climate change"}]},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard","name":"Earthquake Geology & Seismic Hazard","category":"Natural Hazards","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How earthquakes and tsunamis are studied in the field and quantified as hazards, from active faults to hazard maps and early warning.","prerequisites":["ea-seismology","ea-structural-geology"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":68,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-1","name":"Active faults and the earthquake cycle"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-2","name":"Paleoseismology and trenching"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-3","name":"Fault slip rates from geology and geodesy"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-4","name":"Ground motion, attenuation and site effects"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-5","name":"Liquefaction and co-seismic landslides"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-6","name":"Probabilistic seismic hazard analysis (PSHA)"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-7","name":"Earthquake forecasting and early warning"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-8","name":"Induced seismicity"},{"id":"ea-earthquake-geology-and-seismic-hazard-9","name":"Tsunami generation, propagation and warning"}]},{"id":"ea-volcanology","name":"Volcanology","category":"Natural Hazards","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The physics and chemistry of volcanic eruptions, volcanic landforms and products, and how volcanoes are monitored and their hazards assessed.","prerequisites":["ea-igneous-petrology","ea-natural-hazards-and-disaster-risk"],"related":["ph-geophysics"],"unlocks":[],"order":71,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ea-volcanology-1","name":"Global distribution 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Pollution","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The sources, transport, chemistry, health effects and control of air pollutants, and how air quality is monitored and regulated.","prerequisites":["ea-atmospheric-chemistry"],"related":["ch-atmospheric-chemistry","ch-environmental-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":54,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-1","name":"Criteria pollutants and hazardous air pollutants"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-2","name":"Emission sources and inventories"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-3","name":"Particulate matter: sources, composition and health effects"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-4","name":"Atmospheric dispersion and the Gaussian plume model"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-5","name":"Regional air-quality modelling"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-6","name":"Air-quality monitoring and satellite observations"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-7","name":"Indoor air pollution"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-8","name":"Air-quality standards and regulation"},{"id":"ea-air-pollution-and-air-quality-9","name":"Emission-control technologies"}]},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution","name":"Water Quality & Pollution","category":"Environmental Science & Pollution","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The chemical, physical and biological quality of surface and groundwater, the main pollutants and how water is treated and protected.","prerequisites":["ea-aqueous-geochemistry","ea-hydrology"],"related":["ch-environmental-chemistry","ch-aquatic-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health"],"order":72,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-1","name":"Water-quality parameters and measurement"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-2","name":"Point and non-point pollution sources"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-3","name":"Nutrients, eutrophication and harmful algal blooms"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-4","name":"Dissolved oxygen and organic pollution"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-5","name":"Pathogens and microbial water quality"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-6","name":"Metals and metalloids (arsenic, lead, mercury)"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-7","name":"Organic contaminants: pesticides, hydrocarbons and solvents"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-8","name":"Emerging contaminants: PFAS, pharmaceuticals and microplastics"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-9","name":"Acid mine drainage"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-10","name":"Drinking-water and wastewater treatment basics"},{"id":"ea-water-quality-and-pollution-11","name":"Water-quality regulation and total maximum daily loads"}]},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health","name":"Contaminant Fate, Remediation & Environmental Health","category":"Environmental Science & Pollution","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How contaminants move and transform in soil, water and air, how contaminated sites are cleaned up, and how environmental exposures affect health.","prerequisites":["ea-water-quality-and-pollution","ea-hydrogeology"],"related":["ch-environmental-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":82,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-1","name":"Partitioning, sorption and volatilisation of contaminants"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-2","name":"Transformation and biodegradation"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-3","name":"Non-aqueous phase liquids (NAPLs) in the subsurface"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-4","name":"Site characterisation and monitoring"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-5","name":"Remediation: pump-and-treat, bioremediation, permeable reactive barriers and natural attenuation"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-6","name":"Solid and hazardous waste management; landfills"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-7","name":"Exposure pathways, dose-response and human-health risk assessment"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-8","name":"Medical geology: arsenic, radon, fluoride, asbestos and dust"},{"id":"ea-contaminants-remediation-and-environmental-health-9","name":"Environmental justice"}]},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy","name":"Earth Resources, Energy & Environment","category":"Earth Resources & Applied Geology","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Where our minerals, energy and water come from geologically, how they are found and used, and the environmental costs.","prerequisites":["ea-physical-geology"],"related":["ph-energy-physics"],"unlocks":["ea-petroleum-geology","ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage"],"order":11,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-1","name":"Resources versus reserves; resource economics and depletion"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-2","name":"Metallic mineral resources and how they form"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-3","name":"Industrial minerals, construction materials and critical minerals"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-4","name":"Coal"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-5","name":"Oil and natural gas"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-6","name":"Nuclear fuels"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-7","name":"Geothermal, hydro, wind and solar energy from a geoscience view"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-8","name":"Water as a resource"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-9","name":"Mining, extraction and land reclamation"},{"id":"ea-earth-resources-and-energy-10","name":"Environmental impacts of resource use and the energy transition"}]},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage","name":"Geothermal Energy & Subsurface Storage","category":"Earth Resources & Applied Geology","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Using the subsurface for low-carbon energy and waste storage: geothermal systems, carbon storage, hydrogen and nuclear waste.","prerequisites":["ea-hydrogeology","ea-earth-resources-and-energy"],"related":["ph-energy-physics"],"unlocks":[],"order":33,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-1","name":"Geothermal systems: hydrothermal, hot dry rock and enhanced geothermal"},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-2","name":"Geothermal exploration and reservoir engineering"},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-3","name":"Geological carbon storage: trapping mechanisms and site selection"},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-4","name":"Monitoring and leakage risk of CO2 storage"},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-5","name":"Underground hydrogen and natural (geologic) hydrogen"},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-6","name":"Compressed-air and thermal energy storage"},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-7","name":"Geological disposal of nuclear waste"},{"id":"ea-subsurface-energy-and-storage-8","name":"Induced seismicity from subsurface operations"}]},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology","name":"Engineering Geology","category":"Earth Resources & Applied Geology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Geology applied to construction and infrastructure: site investigation, soil and rock behaviour, and ground hazards.","prerequisites":["ea-structural-geology","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics","mt-construction-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":40,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-1","name":"Engineering properties of soils: classification, consolidation and strength"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-2","name":"Rock mechanics and rock-mass classification (RMR, Q-system)"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-3","name":"Site investigation: drilling, sampling and in-situ testing"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-4","name":"Foundations and ground conditions"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-5","name":"Dams and reservoirs"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-6","name":"Tunnels and underground excavations"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-7","name":"Slopes, cuts and embankments"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-8","name":"Ground subsidence, sinkholes and swelling soils"},{"id":"ea-engineering-geology-9","name":"Engineering geology of waste-disposal sites"}]},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology","name":"Ore Deposits & Economic Geology","category":"Earth Resources & Applied Geology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How metal deposits form, where they occur and how they are explored for and evaluated, including critical minerals.","prerequisites":["ea-igneous-petrology","ea-aqueous-geochemistry"],"related":["mt-extractive-metallurgy"],"unlocks":[],"order":69,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-1","name":"Ore-forming processes and hydrothermal fluids"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-2","name":"Magmatic deposits: chromite, PGE and Ni-Cu sulfides"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-3","name":"Porphyry copper and epithermal gold deposits"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-4","name":"Volcanogenic massive sulfide (VMS) and SEDEX deposits"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-5","name":"Mississippi Valley-type and sediment-hosted deposits"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-6","name":"Orogenic gold, IOCG and skarn deposits"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-7","name":"Placer, laterite and supergene deposits"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-8","name":"Critical minerals: lithium, rare earths, cobalt and others"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-9","name":"Mineral exploration: geochemical and geophysical methods"},{"id":"ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology-10","name":"Resource estimation and mine environmental impacts"}]},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology","name":"Petroleum Geology","category":"Earth Resources & Applied Geology","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How oil and gas form, migrate and accumulate, and how they are explored for and produced.","prerequisites":["ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy","ea-earth-resources-and-energy","ch-organic-structure-bonding"],"related":["ch-fuels-petroleum-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":70,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-1","name":"Origin of petroleum: organic matter, kerogen and source rocks"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-2","name":"Thermal maturation and the oil and gas windows"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-3","name":"Migration pathways"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-4","name":"Reservoir rocks: porosity and permeability"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-5","name":"Traps and seals: structural and stratigraphic"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-6","name":"The petroleum-system concept"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-7","name":"Exploration: seismic interpretation and prospect evaluation"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-8","name":"Well logs and formation evaluation"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-9","name":"Unconventional resources: shale oil and gas, tight gas and coal-bed methane"},{"id":"ea-petroleum-geology-10","name":"Reserves, production and decommissioning"}]},{"id":"ea-geographic-information-systems","name":"Geographic Information Systems (GIS)","category":"Remote Sensing, GIS & Geodesy","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Storing, analysing and mapping spatial data: the working toolkit of every modern Earth and environmental scientist.","prerequisites":["ea-introduction-to-earth-science"],"related":["cs-information-visualization"],"unlocks":["ea-geodesy","ea-remote-sensing"],"order":5,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geographic-information-systems-1","name":"Spatial data models: vector and raster"},{"id":"ea-geographic-information-systems-2","name":"Coordinate systems, datums and map projections"},{"id":"ea-geographic-information-systems-3","name":"Data sources, georeferencing and digitising"},{"id":"ea-geographic-information-systems-4","name":"Attribute data and spatial 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applications.","prerequisites":["ea-geographic-information-systems","ph-introductory-waves-sound-light"],"related":["el-space-satellite-systems","el-imaging-vision-sensors","ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing"],"unlocks":[],"order":28,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ea-remote-sensing-1","name":"Electromagnetic radiation and interactions with the atmosphere and surface"},{"id":"ea-remote-sensing-2","name":"Spectral signatures of rocks, soils, water, vegetation and snow"},{"id":"ea-remote-sensing-3","name":"Sensors, platforms and orbits (Landsat, Sentinel, MODIS)"},{"id":"ea-remote-sensing-4","name":"Spatial, spectral, radiometric and temporal resolution"},{"id":"ea-remote-sensing-5","name":"Radiometric, atmospheric and geometric correction"},{"id":"ea-remote-sensing-6","name":"Image enhancement and spectral indices (e.g. NDVI)"},{"id":"ea-remote-sensing-7","name":"Image classification: supervised, unsupervised and machine 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geoid"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-2","name":"Reference frames and datums (ITRF, WGS84)"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-3","name":"GNSS positioning: principles and error sources"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-4","name":"Space geodetic techniques: VLBI, SLR and DORIS"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-5","name":"Gravity field measurement and satellite gravimetry (GRACE)"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-6","name":"InSAR and surface deformation"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-7","name":"Crustal deformation and tectonic geodesy"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-8","name":"Satellite altimetry and sea-level measurement"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-9","name":"Earth rotation, polar motion and length of day"},{"id":"ea-geodesy-10","name":"Glacial isostatic adjustment and mass change"}]},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping","name":"Field Geology & Geologic Mapping","category":"Field, Lab & Quantitative Methods","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The core practical skill of geology: observing, measuring, sampling and mapping rocks and structures in the field.","prerequisites":["ea-structural-geology","ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":26,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-1","name":"Field safety and planning"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-2","name":"Field notebooks and sketching"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-3","name":"Compass-clinometer use: strike, dip, trend and plunge"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-4","name":"Rock description and identification in the field"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-5","name":"Measuring and logging stratigraphic sections"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-6","name":"Geologic mapping: contacts, structures and map units"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-7","name":"Constructing cross-sections and block diagrams"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-8","name":"Sampling strategies for lab analysis"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-9","name":"Digital field mapping: GNSS, tablets, drones and photogrammetry"},{"id":"ea-field-geology-and-mapping-10","name":"Field reports and geological interpretation"}]},{"id":"ea-geoscience-data-analysis","name":"Geoscience Data Analysis","category":"Field, Lab & Quantitative Methods","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Statistical and computational tools for Earth and environmental data: uncertainty, regression, time series and spatial statistics.","prerequisites":["ea-introduction-to-earth-science","ma-inferential-statistics","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["ma-time-series-analysis"],"unlocks":["ea-computational-geoscience","ea-geophysical-inverse-theory"],"order":43,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geoscience-data-analysis-1","name":"Scientific programming for geoscience (Python/MATLAB/R)"},{"id":"ea-geoscience-data-analysis-2","name":"Measurement uncertainty and error propagation"},{"id":"ea-geoscience-data-analysis-3","name":"Distributions, hypothesis tests and bootstrapping in 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Methods","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How to estimate Earth models from indirect, noisy data: linear and nonlinear inversion, regularisation and uncertainty.","prerequisites":["ea-geoscience-data-analysis","ea-solid-earth-geophysics","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":64,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ea-geophysical-inverse-theory-1","name":"Forward and inverse problems; non-uniqueness"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-inverse-theory-2","name":"Linear least squares and the generalised inverse"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-inverse-theory-3","name":"Singular value decomposition and resolution"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-inverse-theory-4","name":"Regularisation: Tikhonov and smoothness constraints"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-inverse-theory-5","name":"Nonlinear inversion and iterative methods"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-inverse-theory-6","name":"Bayesian inversion and Markov chain Monte Carlo"},{"id":"ea-geophysical-inverse-theory-7","name":"Tomography and adjoint methods"}]},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry","name":"Analytical Methods in Geochemistry & Mineralogy","category":"Field, Lab & Quantitative Methods","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The laboratory instruments and techniques used to measure the chemistry, structure and isotopes of Earth materials.","prerequisites":["ea-mineralogy","ea-geochemistry-fundamentals","ch-quantitative-analysis"],"related":["ch-instrumental-analysis","ch-mass-spectrometry","mt-electron-microscopy","mt-xray-neutron-methods"],"unlocks":[],"order":66,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-1","name":"Sample preparation and clean-lab procedures"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-2","name":"X-ray fluorescence (XRF)"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-3","name":"X-ray diffraction (XRD)"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-4","name":"Electron microscopy (SEM) and electron microprobe (EPMA)"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-5","name":"ICP-OES and ICP-MS"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-6","name":"Laser-ablation and secondary-ion mass spectrometry (LA-ICP-MS, SIMS)"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-7","name":"Isotope-ratio and noble-gas mass spectrometry"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-8","name":"Spectroscopy: Raman, infrared and Mössbauer"},{"id":"ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry-9","name":"Standards, calibration and quality assurance"}]},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience","name":"Computational Geoscience & Earth System Modelling","category":"Field, Lab & Quantitative Methods","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Building numerical models of Earth processes, from simple box models to coupled simulations and machine-learning surrogates.","prerequisites":["ea-geoscience-data-analysis","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes"],"related":["ma-geophysical-environmental-mathematics","ma-mathematical-modeling","cs-high-performance-computing"],"unlocks":[],"order":81,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-1","name":"Box and reservoir models of Earth systems"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-2","name":"Finite-difference solutions of diffusion and advection problems"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-3","name":"Finite-element and finite-volume methods in geoscience"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-4","name":"Landscape-evolution and sediment-transport models"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-5","name":"Reactive-transport modelling"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-6","name":"Coupled Earth-system models and model coupling"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-7","name":"Nonlinear dynamics and complexity in natural systems"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-8","name":"High-performance computing and geoscience data formats (NetCDF)"},{"id":"ea-computational-geoscience-9","name":"Machine learning and physics-informed models in Earth science"}]},{"id":"ea-comparative-planetology","name":"Comparative Planetology","category":"Planetary Geoscience","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Earth as one planet among many: how the planets and moons formed, differ and evolved, and what that teaches about Earth.","prerequisites":["ea-introduction-to-earth-science","ph-introductory-astronomy"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ae-planetary-exploration-systems","bi-astrobiology"],"unlocks":["ea-astrobiology-and-planetary-habitability","ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry","ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates","ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering"],"order":20,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ea-comparative-planetology-1","name":"Formation of the Solar System: nebula, 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structures (Chicxulub, Vredefort, Sudbury)"},{"id":"ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering-6","name":"Planetary volcanism and cryovolcanism"},{"id":"ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering-7","name":"Planetary tectonics"},{"id":"ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering-8","name":"Aeolian, fluvial and glacial processes beyond Earth"},{"id":"ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering-9","name":"Regoliths and space weathering"},{"id":"ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering-10","name":"Planetary remote sensing and geologic mapping"}]},{"id":"ea-mars-geology","name":"Geology of Mars","category":"Planetary Geoscience","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Mars's geological history, from its ancient watery surface to today's cold desert, and what rovers and orbiters have found.","prerequisites":["ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering","ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ae-planetary-exploration-systems","ae-space-resources-surface-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":44,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ea-mars-geology-1","name":"Global structure: the crustal dichotomy and Tharsis"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-2","name":"Geologic periods: Noachian, Hesperian and Amazonian"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-3","name":"Martian volcanism"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-4","name":"Water on ancient Mars: valley networks, deltas and lakes"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-5","name":"Aqueous mineralogy: clays, sulfates and carbonates"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-6","name":"Polar caps, ground ice and climate cycles"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-7","name":"Aeolian activity and dust"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-8","name":"Rover and orbiter findings (Curiosity, Perseverance)"},{"id":"ea-mars-geology-9","name":"Habitability and Mars sample return"}]},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies","name":"Icy Worlds, Asteroids & Comets","category":"Planetary Geoscience","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The geology of outer-Solar-System moons, dwarf planets, asteroids and comets, including ocean worlds.","prerequisites":["ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ph-celestial-mechanics","ae-planetary-exploration-systems","ae-space-resources-surface-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":47,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-1","name":"Icy satellite geology and ice tectonics"},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-2","name":"Ocean worlds: Europa, Enceladus and Ganymede"},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-3","name":"Titan: surface, lakes and organics"},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-4","name":"Cryovolcanism and plumes"},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-5","name":"Asteroids: composition, spectral classes and rubble piles"},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-6","name":"Comets: structure, activity and missions"},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-7","name":"Kuiper Belt objects and Pluto"},{"id":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies-8","name":"Planetary defence against impacts"}]},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology","name":"Geology of the Moon","category":"Planetary Geoscience","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The Moon's origin, crust, volcanism and impact history, the Apollo sample record and the science of lunar exploration.","prerequisites":["ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering","ea-igneous-petrology"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ae-planetary-exploration-systems","ae-space-resources-surface-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":74,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-1","name":"Origin of the Moon: the giant-impact hypothesis"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-2","name":"The lunar magma ocean and anorthositic highlands"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-3","name":"Mare basalts and lunar volcanism"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-4","name":"KREEP and the Procellarum region"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-5","name":"Lunar stratigraphy and the basin-forming epoch"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-6","name":"The Apollo and Luna samples"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-7","name":"Lunar regolith and space weathering"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-8","name":"Polar volatiles and water ice"},{"id":"ea-lunar-geology-9","name":"Lunar resources, ISRU and the Artemis era"}]},{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry","name":"Meteoritics & Cosmochemistry","category":"Planetary Geoscience","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"What meteorites and returned samples reveal about the Solar System's birth, its building blocks and the timing of planet formation.","prerequisites":["ea-comparative-planetology","ea-isotope-geochemistry","ea-mineralogy"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ch-geochemistry-cosmochemistry","ph-celestial-mechanics"],"unlocks":[],"order":75,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry-1","name":"Meteorite falls, finds and classification"},{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry-2","name":"Chondrites: chondrules, CAIs and matrix"},{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry-3","name":"Achondrites and differentiated parent bodies"},{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry-4","name":"Iron and stony-iron meteorites"},{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry-5","name":"Solar nebula chemistry and volatility trends"},{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry-6","name":"Short-lived radionuclides and early Solar System chronology (Al-Mg, Hf-W)"},{"id":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry-7","name":"Presolar grains and nucleosynthetic 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exoplanets.","prerequisites":["ea-comparative-planetology","ea-atmospheric-radiation","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ph-atmospheric-environmental-physics","ph-space-physics","ph-exoplanets","ae-atmospheric-entry"],"unlocks":[],"order":79,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-1","name":"Origin of planetary atmospheres: outgassing and delivery"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-2","name":"Atmospheric escape and isotopic evidence"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-3","name":"Radiative balance and greenhouse effects; runaway greenhouse on Venus"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-4","name":"Mars: CO2 atmosphere, dust storms and ancient climate"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-5","name":"Titan's methane cycle"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-6","name":"Giant-planet atmospheres: bands, jets and storms"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-7","name":"Comparative atmospheric dynamics"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-8","name":"Habitable zones and climate stability"},{"id":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates-9","name":"Exoplanet atmospheres and their observation"}]},{"id":"ea-history-and-philosophy-of-earth-science","name":"History, Philosophy & Communication of Earth Science","category":"Sustainability, Policy & Society","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"How our understanding of the Earth developed, how geoscience reasons, and how to communicate it ethically to the public.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":3,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"ea-history-and-philosophy-of-earth-science-1","name":"Early ideas: Steno, Hutton, Lyell and deep time"},{"id":"ea-history-and-philosophy-of-earth-science-2","name":"Darwin, fossils and the age of the Earth 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thinking.","prerequisites":["ea-introduction-to-environmental-science"],"related":["bi-ecology","bi-conservation-biology","mt-sustainability-lca"],"unlocks":["ea-environmental-policy-law-and-economics"],"order":7,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-1","name":"The Anthropocene and human-Earth system coupling"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-2","name":"Planetary boundaries"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-3","name":"The UN Sustainable Development Goals"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-4","name":"Ecosystem services and natural capital"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-5","name":"Land-use change, deforestation and conservation"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-6","name":"Sustainable agriculture and food systems"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-7","name":"Sustainable fisheries and forestry"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-8","name":"Life-cycle assessment and footprints"},{"id":"ea-sustainability-science-9","name":"Circular economy and 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for structuring object-oriented code so it stays flexible, testable and understandable as it grows.","prerequisites":["cs-software-construction"],"related":[],"unlocks":["cs-software-architecture","cs-software-maintenance-evolution"],"order":33,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"cs-software-design-patterns-1","name":"Design principles: cohesion, coupling, DRY and KISS"},{"id":"cs-software-design-patterns-2","name":"SOLID principles in depth"},{"id":"cs-software-design-patterns-3","name":"Domain modeling and responsibility-driven design"},{"id":"cs-software-design-patterns-4","name":"Creational patterns: factory, builder, singleton and prototype"},{"id":"cs-software-design-patterns-5","name":"Structural patterns: adapter, decorator, composite, facade and proxy"},{"id":"cs-software-design-patterns-6","name":"Behavioural patterns: strategy, observer, command, iterator, state, visitor and template method"},{"id":"cs-software-design-patterns-7","name":"Dependency 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culture.","prerequisites":["cs-software-construction"],"related":["el-agile-devops-for-embedded","el-project-management","el-documentation"],"unlocks":["cs-requirements-engineering","ae-flight-software"],"order":34,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-1","name":"Software life-cycle models: waterfall, iterative and spiral"},{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-2","name":"Agile methods: Scrum, Kanban and Extreme Programming"},{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-3","name":"User stories, estimation and planning"},{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-4","name":"Teamwork, roles and communication"},{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-5","name":"Project management: scheduling, risk and tracking"},{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-6","name":"Configuration and release management"},{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-7","name":"Documentation practices"},{"id":"cs-software-engineering-process-8","name":"Software metrics and 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metrics.","prerequisites":["cs-software-construction"],"related":["el-software-testing","el-testing-strategies","el-static-analysis-linters"],"unlocks":["cs-devops-cicd","cs-program-analysis-verification","cs-software-maintenance-evolution"],"order":35,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"cs-software-testing-1","name":"Testing fundamentals: faults, errors, failures and the test oracle"},{"id":"cs-software-testing-2","name":"Black-box techniques: equivalence partitioning, boundary values and decision tables"},{"id":"cs-software-testing-3","name":"White-box techniques and coverage criteria"},{"id":"cs-software-testing-4","name":"Unit, integration, system and acceptance testing"},{"id":"cs-software-testing-5","name":"Test doubles: mocks, stubs and fakes"},{"id":"cs-software-testing-6","name":"Test-driven and behaviour-driven development"},{"id":"cs-software-testing-7","name":"Property-based testing and fuzzing"},{"id":"cs-software-testing-8","name":"Mutation 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decisions.","prerequisites":["cs-software-design-patterns","cs-requirements-engineering"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":72,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"cs-software-architecture-1","name":"What architecture is: structures, views and decisions"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-2","name":"Quality attributes and trade-offs: performance, availability, modifiability and security"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-3","name":"Architectural styles: layered, pipe-and-filter, client-server and event-driven"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-4","name":"Monoliths, modular monoliths, service-oriented architecture and microservices"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-5","name":"Documenting architecture: C4 model, 4+1 views and architecture decision records"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-6","name":"Interface styles: REST, RPC, GraphQL and messaging"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-7","name":"Integration patterns and message brokers"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-8","name":"Data architecture: shared databases, CQRS and event sourcing"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-9","name":"Evaluating architectures (ATAM)"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-10","name":"Architecture for cloud and serverless systems"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-11","name":"Evolutionary architecture and fitness functions"},{"id":"cs-software-architecture-12","name":"The architect's role and communicating decisions"}]},{"id":"cs-computer-organization","name":"Computer Organization & Assembly Language","category":"Computer Architecture & Systems Programming","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How a computer is built from logic gates up to a working processor, and how programs look at the machine level in assembly language.","prerequisites":["cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["el-combinational-logic","el-sequential-logic","el-processor-architecture-concepts"],"unlocks":["cs-compilers","cs-systems-programming"],"order":7,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"cs-computer-organization-1","name":"Number systems: binary, hexadecimal and two's complement"},{"id":"cs-computer-organization-2","name":"Integer arithmetic and overflow"},{"id":"cs-computer-organization-3","name":"Floating-point representation (IEEE 754)"},{"id":"cs-computer-organization-4","name":"Boolean algebra and logic gates"},{"id":"cs-computer-organization-5","name":"Combinational circuits: multiplexers, decoders, adders and the ALU"},{"id":"cs-computer-organization-6","name":"Sequential circuits: latches, flip-flops, registers and counters"},{"id":"cs-computer-organization-7","name":"The von Neumann architecture and the fetch-decode-execute cycle"},{"id":"cs-computer-organization-8","name":"Instruction set 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courses.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-organization","cs-program-design","cs-command-line-shell"],"related":["el-embedded-cc-best-practices","el-memory-management","el-bare-metal-programming","el-programming-languages"],"unlocks":["cs-computer-architecture","cs-computer-networks","cs-interpreters-runtime-systems","cs-modern-systems-languages","cs-operating-systems","el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"order":13,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"cs-systems-programming-1","name":"The C language: types, operators and control flow"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-2","name":"Pointers, arrays and pointer arithmetic"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-3","name":"Strings and memory in C"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-4","name":"Structs, unions and bit manipulation"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-5","name":"Dynamic memory: malloc, free and how allocators work"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-6","name":"Memory bugs and tools: Valgrind and sanitizers"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-7","name":"The compilation pipeline: preprocessing, compiling, assembling and linking"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-8","name":"Static and dynamic linking, libraries and loaders"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-9","name":"Machine-level representation of C programs (x86-64)"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-10","name":"Debugging with GDB"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-11","name":"Processes: fork, exec and wait"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-12","name":"Signals and exceptional control flow"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-13","name":"Unix I/O: file descriptors, system calls and buffering"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-14","name":"Makefiles and build systems for C projects"},{"id":"cs-systems-programming-15","name":"Systems projects: a shell, a memory allocator or a cache simulator"}]},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture","name":"Computer Architecture","category":"Computer Architecture & Systems 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superscalar and out-of-order execution"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-6","name":"Caches: organization, associativity, replacement and write policies"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-7","name":"Cache performance and optimizing for locality"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-8","name":"Virtual memory hardware: TLBs and address translation"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-9","name":"Main memory and DRAM organization"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-10","name":"Multicore processors, cache coherence and memory consistency"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-11","name":"SIMD and vector processing"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-12","name":"GPU architecture"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-13","name":"Power, energy and thermal limits"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-14","name":"Storage and I/O systems"},{"id":"cs-computer-architecture-15","name":"Describing a processor in a hardware description language"}]},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages","name":"Modern C++ & Rust","category":"Computer Architecture & Systems Programming","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The two main modern systems languages: C++ with RAII, move semantics and templates, and Rust with ownership, borrowing and fearless concurrency.","prerequisites":["cs-systems-programming","cs-object-oriented-programming"],"related":["el-programming-languages"],"unlocks":[],"order":28,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-1","name":"Modern C++ essentials: RAII, references and const-correctness"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-2","name":"Move semantics and value categories"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-3","name":"Smart pointers and ownership in C++"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-4","name":"Templates, generic programming and concepts"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-5","name":"The C++ Standard Library: containers, algorithms and iterators"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-6","name":"C++ concurrency: threads, atomics and futures"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-7","name":"Rust ownership, borrowing and lifetimes"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-8","name":"Rust traits, generics, enums and pattern matching"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-9","name":"Error-handling strategies: Result types, exceptions and error codes"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-10","name":"Unsafe code and foreign-function interfaces"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-11","name":"Async Rust and fearless concurrency"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-12","name":"Tooling: Cargo, CMake and package ecosystems"},{"id":"cs-modern-systems-languages-13","name":"Memory safety: why it matters and how languages achieve it"}]},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering","name":"Software Performance Engineering","category":"Computer Architecture & Systems Programming","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Making programs fast in practice: measurement, profiling, cache-aware data layout, vectorization, parallel scalability and avoiding performance regressions.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-architecture","cs-algorithms"],"related":["el-performance-analysis","el-trace-profiling"],"unlocks":[],"order":43,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-1","name":"Benchmarking methodology and statistics of measurement"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-2","name":"Profiling: sampling profilers, perf and flame graphs"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-3","name":"Hardware performance counters"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-4","name":"Work-reducing optimizations (Bentley rules)"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-5","name":"Cache-efficient algorithms and data layout"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-6","name":"Bit hacks and instruction-level optimization"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-7","name":"Compiler optimizations and reading generated assembly"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-8","name":"Vectorization with SIMD"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-9","name":"Multithreaded performance: false sharing and scalability"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-10","name":"Memory-allocation performance"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-11","name":"Performance of managed runtimes and garbage collection"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-12","name":"Latency versus throughput and tail latency"},{"id":"cs-performance-engineering-13","name":"Performance regression testing"}]},{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture","name":"Advanced Computer Architecture","category":"Computer Architecture & Systems Programming","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Graduate-level architecture: advanced speculation, coherence and consistency, multithreading, domain-specific accelerators and warehouse-scale computers.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-architecture"],"related":["ai-hardware-for-ai","el-hardware-accelerators","el-system-on-chip-soc"],"unlocks":["cs-emerging-systems"],"order":45,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture-1","name":"Advanced speculation and dynamic scheduling"},{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture-2","name":"Memory consistency models in depth"},{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture-3","name":"Coherence protocols and on-chip interconnection networks"},{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture-4","name":"Multithreading: fine-grained, coarse-grained and simultaneous (SMT)"},{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture-5","name":"Heterogeneous computing and domain-specific accelerators"},{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture-6","name":"Hardware for deep learning: systolic arrays and tensor processors"},{"id":"cs-advanced-computer-architecture-7","name":"Near-memory and in-memory 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courses.","prerequisites":["cs-systems-programming","cs-data-structures"],"related":["el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos","el-rtos-concepts"],"unlocks":["cs-advanced-operating-systems","cs-computer-security","cs-computer-systems-principles","cs-concurrent-programming","cs-database-internals","cs-virtualization-containers","el-concurrency-synchronization","el-embedded-linux"],"order":24,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"cs-operating-systems-1","name":"Role of the OS: abstraction, protection and resource management"},{"id":"cs-operating-systems-2","name":"Kernel architectures: monolithic, microkernel and hybrid"},{"id":"cs-operating-systems-3","name":"System calls, traps and user/kernel mode"},{"id":"cs-operating-systems-4","name":"Processes and the process life cycle"},{"id":"cs-operating-systems-5","name":"Threads and thread implementations"},{"id":"cs-operating-systems-6","name":"CPU scheduling algorithms"},{"id":"cs-operating-systems-7","name":"Synchronization: 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machines and containers isolate and package software, from hypervisors and hardware support to Docker and Kubernetes.","prerequisites":["cs-operating-systems"],"related":["el-containers-virtualization"],"unlocks":["cs-devops-cicd"],"order":44,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-1","name":"Virtualization concepts: full, para- and hardware-assisted virtualization"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-2","name":"Hypervisors: type 1 and type 2 (KVM, Xen, VMware, Hyper-V)"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-3","name":"CPU and memory virtualization (VT-x, nested page tables)"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-4","name":"I/O virtualization"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-5","name":"Linux namespaces and cgroups"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-6","name":"Containers and images: Docker and the OCI standards"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-7","name":"Writing Dockerfiles and building images"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-8","name":"Container networking and storage"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-9","name":"Container orchestration with Kubernetes"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-10","name":"Lightweight VMs and sandboxes (Firecracker, gVisor, unikernels)"},{"id":"cs-virtualization-containers-11","name":"Container security and isolation"}]},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems","name":"Operating System Engineering & Advanced OS","category":"Operating Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Building and extending real kernels: booting, kernel memory and scheduling, drivers, advanced and distributed file systems, high-performance I/O and OS research.","prerequisites":["cs-operating-systems","cs-computer-architecture"],"related":["el-device-drivers","el-boot-startup","el-embedded-linux"],"unlocks":["cs-emerging-systems"],"order":47,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-1","name":"Booting and kernel initialization"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-2","name":"Building a teaching kernel (xv6 or similar)"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-3","name":"Kernel memory allocation and page-table management"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-4","name":"Interrupts, exceptions and context switching in depth"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-5","name":"Multiprocessor kernels and kernel synchronization"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-6","name":"Writing device drivers"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-7","name":"Advanced file systems: log-structured and copy-on-write (ZFS, Btrfs)"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-8","name":"Network and distributed file systems (NFS)"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-9","name":"Storage stacks: RAID, SSD internals and NVMe"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-10","name":"Kernel bypass and high-performance I/O (io_uring, DPDK)"},{"id":"cs-advanced-operating-systems-11","name":"eBPF and kernel 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tools: Wireshark, tcpdump and traceroute"}]},{"id":"cs-advanced-networking","name":"Advanced Networking: SDN, Data Centers & Wireless","category":"Computer Networks","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Current networking research and practice: software-defined and programmable networks, data-center networking, modern transport, measurement and wireless systems.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-networks"],"related":["el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn","el-cellular-technologies","el-short-range-wireless"],"unlocks":[],"order":46,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"cs-advanced-networking-1","name":"Software-defined networking and OpenFlow"},{"id":"cs-advanced-networking-2","name":"Programmable data planes (P4)"},{"id":"cs-advanced-networking-3","name":"Network function virtualization"},{"id":"cs-advanced-networking-4","name":"Data-center network topologies and transport"},{"id":"cs-advanced-networking-5","name":"Advanced congestion control (BBR, 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them.","prerequisites":["cs-databases"],"related":["ai-big-data-technologies","ai-databases"],"unlocks":["cs-system-design"],"order":41,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-1","name":"Beyond relational: data models and the CAP trade-off"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-2","name":"Key-value stores (Redis, DynamoDB)"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-3","name":"Document databases (MongoDB)"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-4","name":"Wide-column stores (Cassandra, Bigtable)"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-5","name":"Graph databases and query languages (Cypher, SPARQL)"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-6","name":"Time-series databases"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-7","name":"Search engines as data stores (Elasticsearch)"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-8","name":"Vector databases and similarity search"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-9","name":"Replication, partitioning and consistency models"},{"id":"cs-nosql-data-systems-10","name":"Caching 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storage.","prerequisites":["cs-concurrent-programming","cs-computer-networks"],"related":["ai-big-data-technologies","ai-distributed-training"],"unlocks":["cs-blockchain","cs-distributed-algorithms","cs-emerging-systems","cs-site-reliability-engineering","cs-system-design"],"order":50,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"cs-distributed-systems-1","name":"Characteristics and challenges: partial failure, latency and asynchrony"},{"id":"cs-distributed-systems-2","name":"Remote procedure calls and serialization"},{"id":"cs-distributed-systems-3","name":"Time, clocks and ordering (Lamport and vector clocks)"},{"id":"cs-distributed-systems-4","name":"Replication and consistency models"},{"id":"cs-distributed-systems-5","name":"Consensus: Paxos and Raft"},{"id":"cs-distributed-systems-6","name":"Fault tolerance and state-machine replication"},{"id":"cs-distributed-systems-7","name":"Distributed transactions and two-phase 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types.","prerequisites":["cs-distributed-systems","cs-algorithms"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":75,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-1","name":"Models: synchronous, asynchronous and partially synchronous systems"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-2","name":"Leader election"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-3","name":"Broadcast and multicast algorithms"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-4","name":"Impossibility results: FLP and the two generals problem"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-5","name":"Byzantine agreement"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-6","name":"Distributed mutual exclusion and global snapshots"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-7","name":"Shared-memory distributed algorithms and wait-free objects"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-8","name":"Self-stabilization"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-9","name":"Gossip and epidemic protocols"},{"id":"cs-distributed-algorithms-10","name":"CRDTs and eventual consistency"}]},{"id":"cs-gpu-programming","name":"GPU Programming & Accelerated Computing","category":"Parallel & Distributed Computing","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Programming graphics processors for general computation with CUDA and portable alternatives, and tuning kernels for memory and occupancy.","prerequisites":["cs-parallel-computing"],"related":["ai-hardware-for-ai","ai-deep-learning-frameworks","el-hardware-accelerators"],"unlocks":[],"order":76,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"cs-gpu-programming-1","name":"The GPU execution model: SIMT, warps and thread blocks"},{"id":"cs-gpu-programming-2","name":"CUDA programming basics"},{"id":"cs-gpu-programming-3","name":"GPU memory hierarchy: global, shared and registers"},{"id":"cs-gpu-programming-4","name":"Memory coalescing and bank conflicts"},{"id":"cs-gpu-programming-5","name":"Occupancy and latency hiding"},{"id":"cs-gpu-programming-6","name":"Parallel primitives on GPUs: reductions, scans 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science.","prerequisites":["cs-parallel-computing","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ma-numerical-linear-algebra","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes","ma-error-analysis","ph-computational-physics","ch-molecular-modeling-simulation","ea-climate-modeling","me-computational-fluid-dynamics","ae-computational-fluid-dynamics","ai-distributed-training"],"unlocks":[],"order":77,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-1","name":"Floating-point arithmetic and numerical error in practice"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-2","name":"Scientific Python and array programming (NumPy, SciPy)"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-3","name":"Numerical libraries: BLAS, LAPACK and PETSc"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-4","name":"Supercomputer architecture and interconnects"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-5","name":"Batch schedulers and running jobs on clusters (Slurm)"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-6","name":"Parallel I/O and scientific data formats (HDF5)"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-7","name":"Strong and weak scaling"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-8","name":"The roofline model and performance modeling"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-9","name":"Mixed-precision and accelerator-based computing"},{"id":"cs-high-performance-computing-10","name":"Reproducibility and research software engineering"}]},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration","name":"Linux System Administration","category":"Cloud Computing & DevOps","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Installing, configuring, securing and maintaining Linux servers, the foundation for cloud and operations work.","prerequisites":["cs-command-line-shell"],"related":["el-linux-system-services","el-embedded-linux"],"unlocks":["cs-cloud-computing"],"order":16,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-1","name":"Linux distributions, installation and the boot process"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-2","name":"Administering users, groups and permissions"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-3","name":"Package management and software installation"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-4","name":"Processes, services and systemd"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-5","name":"Filesystems, disks, partitions and mounting"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-6","name":"Network configuration and troubleshooting"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-7","name":"Logging and system monitoring"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-8","name":"Scheduling jobs with cron and systemd timers"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-9","name":"Backup and restore"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-10","name":"Securing a server: SSH hardening, firewalls and updates"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-11","name":"Setting up a web server (nginx)"},{"id":"cs-linux-system-administration-12","name":"Configuration management with Ansible"}]},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing","name":"Cloud Computing","category":"Cloud Computing & DevOps","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Building and running systems on public clouds: service models, compute, storage, networking, identity, serverless, cloud-native design and cost.","prerequisites":["cs-linux-system-administration","cs-computer-networks"],"related":["el-cloud-computing-for-iot","el-iot-cloud-platforms","ai-cloud-ml-platforms"],"unlocks":["cs-data-engineering","cs-devops-cicd"],"order":37,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-1","name":"Cloud concepts: elasticity, service models (IaaS, PaaS, SaaS) and deployment models"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-2","name":"Cloud providers, regions and availability zones"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-3","name":"Compute services: virtual machines and autoscaling"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-4","name":"Cloud storage: object, block and file"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-5","name":"Managed databases"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-6","name":"Cloud networking: VPCs, load balancers and DNS"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-7","name":"Identity and access management"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-8","name":"Serverless computing and functions as a service"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-9","name":"Managed containers and Kubernetes"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-10","name":"Cloud-native design and the twelve-factor app"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-11","name":"Cost management and FinOps"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-12","name":"Cloud security and the shared-responsibility model"},{"id":"cs-cloud-computing-13","name":"Multi-cloud, hybrid cloud and edge"}]},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd","name":"DevOps, CI/CD & Infrastructure as Code","category":"Cloud Computing & DevOps","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Automating how software is built, tested, deployed and configured, and the culture and metrics of fast, safe delivery.","prerequisites":["cs-virtualization-containers","cs-software-testing","cs-cloud-computing"],"related":["el-continuous-integration-continuous-deployment-cicd","el-configuration-management","el-agile-devops-for-embedded","ai-ml-lifecycle-management"],"unlocks":["cs-site-reliability-engineering"],"order":54,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-1","name":"DevOps culture and principles"},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-2","name":"Continuous integration pipelines"},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-3","name":"Build automation and artifact management"},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-4","name":"Deployment strategies: blue-green, canary and rolling"},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-5","name":"Infrastructure as code: Terraform and CloudFormation"},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-6","name":"Configuration management and immutable infrastructure"},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-7","name":"Kubernetes deployments, Helm and GitOps"},{"id":"cs-devops-cicd-8","name":"Secrets 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SLAs"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-3","name":"Monitoring and alerting"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-4","name":"Logs, metrics and distributed tracing (OpenTelemetry)"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-5","name":"Incident response and on-call practice"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-6","name":"Blameless postmortems"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-7","name":"Capacity planning and load testing"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-8","name":"Toil reduction and automation"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-9","name":"Chaos engineering"},{"id":"cs-site-reliability-engineering-10","name":"Release engineering and progressive delivery"}]},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals","name":"Web Fundamentals: HTML, CSS & JavaScript","category":"Web & Mobile Development","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"Building your first web pages and interactive sites with HTML, CSS and JavaScript, and understanding how browsers and servers talk.","prerequisites":["cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["cs-accessibility","cs-backend-development","cs-frontend-development","el-api-architectures"],"order":6,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-1","name":"How the web works: browsers, servers, URLs and HTTP"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-2","name":"HTML structure and semantic markup"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-3","name":"Forms and user input"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-4","name":"CSS selectors, the cascade and the box model"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-5","name":"Layout with Flexbox and Grid"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-6","name":"Responsive design and media queries"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-7","name":"JavaScript fundamentals: variables, functions, objects and arrays"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-8","name":"The DOM and event handling"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-9","name":"Asynchronous JavaScript: promises, async/await and fetch"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-10","name":"Browser developer tools"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-11","name":"Web accessibility basics"},{"id":"cs-web-fundamentals-12","name":"Deploying a static site"}]},{"id":"cs-frontend-development","name":"Frontend Engineering","category":"Web & Mobile Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Building large, fast, accessible web applications with TypeScript and component frameworks, from state management and rendering strategies to testing and performance.","prerequisites":["cs-web-fundamentals","cs-program-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":17,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"cs-frontend-development-1","name":"Modern JavaScript and TypeScript"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-2","name":"Component-based UI frameworks (React, Vue, Angular, Svelte)"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-3","name":"State management"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-4","name":"Routing and single-page applications"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-5","name":"Rendering strategies: client-side, server-side, static generation and hydration"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-6","name":"Build tools and bundlers (Vite, webpack)"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-7","name":"Styling approaches: CSS modules, utility CSS and design systems"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-8","name":"Forms, validation and data fetching"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-9","name":"Frontend testing"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-10","name":"Web performance: Core Web Vitals and optimization"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-11","name":"Accessibility (WCAG) in web applications"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-12","name":"Progressive web apps and browser APIs"},{"id":"cs-frontend-development-13","name":"Internationalization"}]},{"id":"cs-mobile-development","name":"Mobile App Development","category":"Web & Mobile Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing and building apps for Android and iOS, natively or cross-platform, from UI and life cycle to device features, offline data and store release.","prerequisites":["cs-object-oriented-programming"],"related":["el-multi-device-multi-platform-development"],"unlocks":[],"order":27,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"cs-mobile-development-1","name":"Mobile platforms: the Android and iOS ecosystems"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-2","name":"Native development: Kotlin with Jetpack Compose and Swift with SwiftUI"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-3","name":"App architecture patterns (MVVM, unidirectional data flow)"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-4","name":"UI layout, navigation and the app life cycle"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-5","name":"Local storage and offline-first data"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-6","name":"Networking and consuming APIs"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-7","name":"Device features: sensors, camera, location and notifications"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-8","name":"Cross-platform frameworks (Flutter, React Native)"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-9","name":"Performance and battery efficiency"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-10","name":"Mobile security and permissions"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-11","name":"Testing mobile apps"},{"id":"cs-mobile-development-12","name":"Publishing, distribution and updates through app stores"}]},{"id":"cs-backend-development","name":"Backend Web Development","category":"Web & Mobile Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Building the server side of web applications: HTTP APIs, data access, authentication, caching, background jobs and deployment.","prerequisites":["cs-web-fundamentals","cs-databases"],"related":["el-api-architectures","el-data-serialization-formats"],"unlocks":["cs-application-security"],"order":36,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"cs-backend-development-1","name":"HTTP in depth: methods, status codes, headers and caching"},{"id":"cs-backend-development-2","name":"Server-side frameworks 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deployment"}]},{"id":"cs-computer-security","name":"Foundations of Computer Security","category":"Security","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The principles of securing computer systems: threat models, authentication, access control, software vulnerabilities, isolation, network and web attacks, and privacy.","prerequisites":["cs-operating-systems","cs-computer-networks"],"related":["el-threat-mitigation"],"unlocks":["cs-application-security","cs-applied-cryptography","cs-security-governance-privacy","cs-systems-security","el-firmware-software-security","el-network-security"],"order":32,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"cs-computer-security-1","name":"Security goals: confidentiality, integrity and availability"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-2","name":"Threat modeling and attacker models"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-3","name":"Security principles and secure design"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-4","name":"Authentication: passwords, multi-factor and biometrics"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-5","name":"Access-control models: DAC, MAC and RBAC"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-6","name":"Memory-safety vulnerabilities: buffer overflows and mitigations"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-7","name":"Malware types and defences"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-8","name":"OS security and isolation: sandboxing and privilege separation"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-9","name":"Cryptography overview for practitioners"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-10","name":"Network attacks and defences"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-11","name":"Web security overview: injection, XSS and CSRF"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-12","name":"Usable security and social engineering"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-13","name":"Privacy and anonymity"},{"id":"cs-computer-security-14","name":"Legal and ethical aspects of security"}]},{"id":"cs-applied-cryptography","name":"Applied Cryptography","category":"Security","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Using cryptography correctly in real systems: symmetric and public-key primitives, authenticated encryption, signatures, PKI, TLS and common pitfalls.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-security","ma-elementary-number-theory"],"related":["ma-cryptography","ma-cryptographic-number-theory","el-cryptography-fundamentals","el-key-management"],"unlocks":["cs-advanced-cryptographic-systems","cs-blockchain","cs-network-security"],"order":51,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"cs-applied-cryptography-1","name":"Security definitions and threat models for cryptography"},{"id":"cs-applied-cryptography-2","name":"Symmetric encryption: block ciphers, AES and modes of operation"},{"id":"cs-applied-cryptography-3","name":"Stream ciphers and authenticated encryption (AES-GCM, ChaCha20-Poly1305)"},{"id":"cs-applied-cryptography-4","name":"Hash functions and message authentication codes"},{"id":"cs-applied-cryptography-5","name":"Public-key encryption: RSA and elliptic-curve 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supply-chain security.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-security","cs-backend-development"],"related":["el-firmware-software-security"],"unlocks":["cs-offensive-security"],"order":57,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"cs-application-security-1","name":"The secure software development life cycle"},{"id":"cs-application-security-2","name":"The OWASP Top 10"},{"id":"cs-application-security-3","name":"Injection attacks: SQL, command and template injection"},{"id":"cs-application-security-4","name":"Cross-site scripting and Content Security Policy"},{"id":"cs-application-security-5","name":"Cross-site request forgery and the same-origin policy"},{"id":"cs-application-security-6","name":"Authentication and session-management flaws"},{"id":"cs-application-security-7","name":"Insecure deserialization and server-side request forgery"},{"id":"cs-application-security-8","name":"Secure coding in C/C++ and memory-safe alternatives"},{"id":"cs-application-security-9","name":"Input 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mitigations, kernel and isolation security, side channels, transient execution and trusted hardware.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-security","cs-computer-architecture"],"related":["el-side-channel-attacks","el-secure-boot-root-of-trust"],"unlocks":[],"order":69,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"cs-systems-security-1","name":"Exploitation techniques: stack smashing, return-oriented programming and heap exploitation"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-2","name":"Exploit mitigations: ASLR, DEP, stack canaries and control-flow integrity"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-3","name":"Kernel security and privilege escalation"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-4","name":"Sandboxing and isolation mechanisms"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-5","name":"Side-channel attacks: timing, cache and power"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-6","name":"Transient-execution attacks (Spectre, Meltdown)"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-7","name":"Trusted execution environments (SGX, TrustZone, SEV)"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-8","name":"Secure boot and hardware roots of trust"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-9","name":"Virtualization and container security"},{"id":"cs-systems-security-10","name":"Rowhammer and physical attacks"}]},{"id":"cs-network-security","name":"Network Security","category":"Security","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Attacks on networks and the defences against them: firewalls, intrusion detection, VPNs, secure routing and DNS, wireless security and zero trust.","prerequisites":["cs-applied-cryptography"],"related":["el-network-security","el-secure-communication"],"unlocks":["cs-offensive-security","cs-security-operations-forensics"],"order":74,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"cs-network-security-1","name":"Network threats: sniffing, spoofing and session hijacking"},{"id":"cs-network-security-2","name":"Denial-of-service attacks and mitigation"},{"id":"cs-network-security-3","name":"Firewalls and packet 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teams.","prerequisites":["cs-network-security","cs-application-security"],"related":["el-threat-mitigation"],"unlocks":[],"order":82,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"cs-offensive-security-1","name":"Ethics, rules of engagement and legal authorization"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-2","name":"Reconnaissance and OSINT"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-3","name":"Scanning and enumeration (Nmap)"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-4","name":"Vulnerability assessment"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-5","name":"Exploitation frameworks (Metasploit)"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-6","name":"Web application penetration testing (Burp Suite)"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-7","name":"Password attacks"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-8","name":"Privilege escalation on Linux and Windows"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-9","name":"Active Directory attacks"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-10","name":"Post-exploitation and lateral movement"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-11","name":"Writing penetration-test reports"},{"id":"cs-offensive-security-12","name":"Capture-the-flag practice and red teaming"}]},{"id":"cs-security-operations-forensics","name":"Security Operations, Incident Response & Digital Forensics","category":"Security","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Detecting, responding to and investigating security incidents: SOC operations, threat hunting, malware analysis and forensic examination of disks, memory and networks.","prerequisites":["cs-network-security"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":83,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"cs-security-operations-forensics-1","name":"Security operations centres and SIEM"},{"id":"cs-security-operations-forensics-2","name":"Logging, detection engineering and threat hunting"},{"id":"cs-security-operations-forensics-3","name":"The incident-response process"},{"id":"cs-security-operations-forensics-4","name":"Threat intelligence and the MITRE ATT&CK 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interfaces.","prerequisites":["cs-program-design"],"related":["ai-human-robot-interaction-hri"],"unlocks":["cs-accessibility","cs-information-visualization","cs-ux-design","cs-virtual-augmented-reality"],"order":15,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"cs-hci-1","name":"What HCI is and why usability matters"},{"id":"cs-hci-2","name":"Human perception, cognition and memory limits"},{"id":"cs-hci-3","name":"Models of interaction: Norman's action cycle, affordances and mental models"},{"id":"cs-hci-4","name":"The user-centred design process"},{"id":"cs-hci-5","name":"Needfinding: interviews, observation and contextual inquiry"},{"id":"cs-hci-6","name":"Personas, scenarios and task analysis"},{"id":"cs-hci-7","name":"Sketching, storyboarding and low-fidelity prototyping"},{"id":"cs-hci-8","name":"Usability heuristics and heuristic evaluation"},{"id":"cs-hci-9","name":"Usability testing and think-aloud studies"},{"id":"cs-hci-10","name":"Controlled experiments and 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prototyping and UX research.","prerequisites":["cs-hci"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":29,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"cs-ux-design-1","name":"The UX process and design thinking"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-2","name":"Information architecture and navigation"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-3","name":"Interaction design patterns"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-4","name":"Visual design: typography, colour, layout and hierarchy"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-5","name":"Gestalt principles"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-6","name":"Design systems and component libraries"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-7","name":"High-fidelity prototyping tools (Figma)"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-8","name":"Microinteractions, motion and feedback"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-9","name":"Content design and UX writing"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-10","name":"Mobile and responsive UX"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-11","name":"UX research methods: surveys, analytics and A/B testing"},{"id":"cs-ux-design-12","name":"Design critique and handoff to 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engines.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-graphics","cs-object-oriented-programming"],"related":["el-entertainment-gaming"],"unlocks":[],"order":59,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"cs-game-development-1","name":"Game design fundamentals and the game loop"},{"id":"cs-game-development-2","name":"Game-engine architecture"},{"id":"cs-game-development-3","name":"Entity-component-system design"},{"id":"cs-game-development-4","name":"Real-time rendering for games"},{"id":"cs-game-development-5","name":"Game physics and collision detection"},{"id":"cs-game-development-6","name":"Game AI: pathfinding, state machines and behaviour trees"},{"id":"cs-game-development-7","name":"Input, audio and user interface"},{"id":"cs-game-development-8","name":"Networking and multiplayer games"},{"id":"cs-game-development-9","name":"Working with Unity, Unreal or Godot"},{"id":"cs-game-development-10","name":"Performance optimization and profiling for 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fluids.","prerequisites":["cs-computer-graphics","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":["ph-classical-mechanics","ma-numerical-solutions-of-odes","me-advanced-dynamics-multibody"],"unlocks":[],"order":63,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-1","name":"Keyframing and interpolation"},{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-2","name":"Skeletal animation and skinning"},{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-3","name":"Forward and inverse kinematics"},{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-4","name":"Motion capture and motion graphs"},{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-5","name":"Particle systems"},{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-6","name":"Numerical integration for simulation"},{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-7","name":"Rigid-body dynamics and collision detection"},{"id":"cs-computer-animation-simulation-8","name":"Cloth and deformable 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cryptography and distributed consensus, from Bitcoin and proof of work to smart contracts, scaling and their security.","prerequisites":["cs-applied-cryptography","cs-distributed-systems"],"related":["el-blockchain-distributed-ledger","el-blockchain-for-iot"],"unlocks":[],"order":79,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"cs-blockchain-1","name":"Cryptographic building blocks: hashes, Merkle trees and signatures"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-2","name":"Bitcoin: transactions, UTXOs and scripting"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-3","name":"Proof of work and Nakamoto consensus"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-4","name":"Proof of stake and BFT-style consensus"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-5","name":"Ethereum and smart contracts (Solidity)"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-6","name":"Smart-contract security"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-7","name":"Scalability: layer 2, rollups and sharding"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-8","name":"Permissioned blockchains"},{"id":"cs-blockchain-9","name":"Decentralized finance and 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computer-science research is done and reported: reading papers, forming questions, experimental and user-study methods, reproducibility and publishing.","prerequisites":["cs-probability-statistics-for-cs","cs-professional-practice"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":71,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"cs-research-methods-1","name":"Reading and reviewing research papers"},{"id":"cs-research-methods-2","name":"Kinds of CS research: theoretical, empirical, systems and design"},{"id":"cs-research-methods-3","name":"Formulating research questions and hypotheses"},{"id":"cs-research-methods-4","name":"Experimental design and benchmarking methodology"},{"id":"cs-research-methods-5","name":"Statistics for empirical computer science"},{"id":"cs-research-methods-6","name":"User studies and qualitative methods"},{"id":"cs-research-methods-7","name":"Reproducibility and artifact evaluation"},{"id":"cs-research-methods-8","name":"Writing papers and the publication 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frequency"},{"id":"el-basic-electricity-8","name":"Magnetism, electromagnets and induction (intuitive introduction)"},{"id":"el-basic-electricity-9","name":"Capacitors and inductors: what they store and why they matter"},{"id":"el-basic-electricity-10","name":"Electrical safety: shock, burns, fuses, circuit breakers and earthing"},{"id":"el-basic-electricity-11","name":"How electricity reaches your home: generation to socket overview"}]},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics","name":"Hands-On Electronics: Schematics, Breadboarding & Soldering","category":"Getting Started","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"Practical bench skills for a beginner: read a schematic, build and measure circuits on a breadboard, and solder a working board.","prerequisites":["el-basic-electricity"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-electrical-measurements","el-intro-microcontrollers","el-prototyping-rapid-development","el-prototyping","el-schematic-design","el-test-equipment"],"order":17,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-1","name":"Schematic symbols and how to read a circuit diagram"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-2","name":"Identifying components: resistor colour codes, capacitor markings, polarity"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-3","name":"Solderless breadboards and jumper wiring"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-4","name":"Using a multimeter: voltage, current, resistance and continuity"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-5","name":"Bench power supplies and batteries, current limiting"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-6","name":"LEDs and current-limiting resistors"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-7","name":"Switches, push buttons and potentiometers"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-8","name":"The transistor as a switch (driving a relay, motor or lamp)"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-9","name":"Building a 555 timer blinker and other classic starter circuits"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-10","name":"Reading a datasheet: pinouts, absolute maximum ratings, typical application"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-11","name":"Soldering and desoldering through-hole components"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-12","name":"Wires, connectors, stripboard and perfboard"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-13","name":"ESD precautions and workbench safety"},{"id":"el-hands-on-electronics-14","name":"Systematic troubleshooting of a circuit that does not work"}]},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers","name":"Introduction to Microcontrollers & Physical Computing","category":"Getting Started","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"Program a hobby microcontroller board (Arduino, Raspberry Pi Pico, MicroPython) to read sensors and control lights, sound and motors.","prerequisites":["el-hands-on-electronics","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-acoustic-vibration-sensors","el-actuators","el-embedded-systems-fundamentals","el-environmental-sensors","el-flow-liquid-sensors","el-inertial-sensors","el-motion-position-sensors","el-optical-light-sensors","el-programming-languages","el-proximity-distance-sensors","el-touch-haptic-sensors"],"order":22,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-1","name":"What a microcontroller is and how it differs from a computer"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-2","name":"Setting up an IDE (Arduino, MicroPython/Thonny, PlatformIO)"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-3","name":"Digital output: blinking LEDs and driving buzzers"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-4","name":"Digital input: buttons, pull-up resistors and debouncing"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-5","name":"Analog input: reading potentiometers and sensors with the ADC"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-6","name":"PWM output: dimming LEDs and positioning servo motors"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-7","name":"Serial monitor, printing values and simple debugging"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-8","name":"Using libraries and sensor/display breakout modules over I2C and SPI"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-9","name":"Driving DC motors safely through a driver board"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-10","name":"Timing without delay(): millis-based scheduling and simple state machines"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-11","name":"Powering projects: USB, batteries and regulators"},{"id":"el-intro-microcontrollers-12","name":"Capstone project: a sensor data logger or small robot"}]},{"id":"el-circuit-theory","name":"Circuit Theory","category":"Fundamentals & Mathematics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The first circuits course: Kirchhoff's laws, nodal and mesh analysis, network theorems and the transient response of RC, RL and RLC circuits.","prerequisites":["el-basic-electricity","ma-calculus"],"related":["ma-circuit-theory"],"unlocks":["el-ac-circuits-power","el-diode-transistor-circuits","el-electrical-measurements","el-operational-amplifiers","el-signals-and-systems","el-simulation-modeling-tools","me-measurements-instrumentation","ae-aerospace-instrumentation","ae-spacecraft-power-systems"],"order":31,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-circuit-theory-6","name":"Circuit variables, elements and sign conventions; independent and dependent sources"},{"id":"el-circuit-theory-1","name":"Ohm's law, Kirchhoff's voltage and current laws"},{"id":"el-circuit-theory-7","name":"Series-parallel reduction, voltage and current dividers"},{"id":"el-circuit-theory-8","name":"Source transformation"},{"id":"el-circuit-theory-3","name":"Nodal and mesh analysis"},{"id":"el-circuit-theory-2","name":"Network theorems (Thevenin, Norton, superposition, maximum power 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probability and differential equations.","prerequisites":["ma-calculus"],"related":["ma-complex-analysis","ma-integral-transforms","ma-linear-algebra","ma-probability-theory","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","ma-mathematical-methods"],"unlocks":["el-ac-circuits-power","el-electromagnetics","el-signals-and-systems"],"order":34,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-1","name":"Complex numbers and phasors"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-6","name":"Differential equations for systems analysis"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-4","name":"Linear algebra and matrix operations"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-8","name":"Vector calculus: gradient, divergence, curl and integral theorems"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-3","name":"Laplace transforms and Z-transforms"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-2","name":"Fourier transforms (continuous & discrete)"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-7","name":"Convolution and correlation"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-5","name":"Probability, statistics, and stochastic processes"},{"id":"el-mathematical-foundations-9","name":"Numerical methods for engineers (root finding, integration, ODE solvers)"}]},{"id":"el-ac-circuits-power","name":"AC Circuits, Power & Three-Phase Systems","category":"Fundamentals & Mathematics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The second circuits course: sinusoidal steady state, complex power, resonance, coupled coils, two-ports and balanced three-phase systems.","prerequisites":["el-circuit-theory","el-mathematical-foundations"],"related":["ma-circuit-theory"],"unlocks":["el-electrical-installations","el-magnetic-circuits-transformers","el-power-electronics-fundamentals","el-power-integrity","el-transmission-lines"],"order":58,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-ac-circuits-power-1","name":"Sinusoids, phasors and impedance/admittance"},{"id":"el-ac-circuits-power-2","name":"Sinusoidal steady-state 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(introduction)"},{"id":"el-ac-circuits-power-13","name":"Two-port networks (z, y, h and ABCD parameters)"},{"id":"el-ac-circuits-power-14","name":"Non-sinusoidal waveforms: Fourier series applied to circuits"}]},{"id":"el-electrical-materials","name":"Electrical & Electronic Engineering Materials","category":"Fundamentals & Mathematics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How conductors, dielectrics, magnetic materials, semiconductors and superconductors behave, and how to choose them in electrical design.","prerequisites":["mt-atomic-bonding","ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism"],"related":["ph-materials-physics","ph-solid-state-physics","mt-electronic-properties","mt-dielectric-ferroic","mt-magnetic-materials"],"unlocks":["el-high-voltage-engineering","el-semiconductor-physics"],"order":96,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"el-electrical-materials-1","name":"Atomic bonding and crystal structure relevant to electrical 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equipment"},{"id":"el-electrical-materials-11","name":"Thermal properties: thermal conductivity, expansion and CTE mismatch"},{"id":"el-electrical-materials-12","name":"Materials in electronic assembly: solders, laminates, encapsulants"}]},{"id":"el-electromagnetics","name":"Engineering Electromagnetics","category":"Electromagnetics, RF & Microwave","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Electric and magnetic fields from an engineer's viewpoint: electrostatics, magnetostatics, induction and Maxwell's equations, with a first look at waves, EMC and shielding.","prerequisites":["ph-classical-electromagnetism","el-mathematical-foundations"],"related":["ma-electromagnetism"],"unlocks":["el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi","el-electromagnetic-waves","el-magnetic-circuits-transformers","el-transmission-lines"],"order":153,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-electromagnetics-6","name":"Vector analysis and coordinate 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(introduction)"},{"id":"el-electromagnetic-waves-12","name":"Radiation from a Hertzian dipole (introduction)"}]},{"id":"el-transmission-lines","name":"Transmission Lines","category":"Electromagnetics, RF & Microwave","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Distributed circuits: telegrapher's equations, reflections, standing waves, the Smith chart and impedance matching for RF and high-speed signals.","prerequisites":["el-electromagnetics","el-ac-circuits-power"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-high-speed-design","el-high-speed-digital-design","el-rf-microwave-engineering"],"order":217,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-transmission-lines-1","name":"Distributed-parameter model and the telegrapher's equations"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-2","name":"Characteristic impedance and propagation constant"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-3","name":"Lossless and lossy lines"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-4","name":"Reflection coefficient, standing waves and VSWR"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-5","name":"Input impedance of terminated lines; quarter-wave and half-wave lines"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-6","name":"The Smith chart"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-7","name":"Impedance matching: lumped L-networks, single-stub and quarter-wave transformers"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-8","name":"Transients on transmission lines and bounce diagrams"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-9","name":"Planar lines: microstrip, stripline and coplanar waveguide"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-10","name":"Scattering (S-) parameters (introduction)"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-11","name":"Time-domain reflectometry"},{"id":"el-transmission-lines-12","name":"Long power lines as transmission lines"}]},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation","name":"Antennas & Propagation","category":"Electromagnetics, RF & Microwave","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How antennas radiate and receive, how arrays steer beams, and how radio waves propagate between them.","prerequisites":["el-electromagnetic-waves"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-radar-systems","el-wireless-communications"],"order":270,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-1","name":"Antenna parameters: pattern, directivity, gain, efficiency, beamwidth, polarization"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-2","name":"Input impedance, bandwidth and matching of antennas"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-3","name":"Friis transmission equation and effective aperture"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-4","name":"Wire antennas: dipoles, monopoles and loops"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-5","name":"Antenna arrays and the array factor"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-6","name":"Phased arrays and beamforming"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-7","name":"Aperture antennas: horns and reflectors"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-8","name":"Microstrip patch antennas"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-9","name":"Broadband, small and wearable antennas"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-10","name":"Antenna measurement (anechoic chambers, near-field scanning)"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-11","name":"Propagation mechanisms: free space, ground wave, sky wave, diffraction"},{"id":"el-antennas-propagation-12","name":"Path-loss models (two-ray, Okumura-Hata, COST-231) and link budgets"}]},{"id":"el-rf-microwave-engineering","name":"RF & Microwave Engineering","category":"Electromagnetics, RF & Microwave","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing circuits above ~100 MHz: microwave network analysis, matching, couplers, filters, amplifiers, mixers, oscillators and RF system budgets.","prerequisites":["el-transmission-lines","el-electromagnetic-waves","el-diode-transistor-circuits"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-rf-ic-design"],"order":279,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"el-rf-microwave-engineering-1","name":"Microwave network analysis: Z, Y, S and ABCD matrices, signal-flow 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calibration"},{"id":"el-rf-microwave-engineering-12","name":"Millimetre-wave design and RF PCB practice"}]},{"id":"el-computational-electromagnetics","name":"Computational Electromagnetics","category":"Electromagnetics, RF & Microwave","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Numerical methods (FDTD, FEM, method of moments) used to simulate antennas, circuits and EMC problems.","prerequisites":["el-electromagnetic-waves","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes"],"related":["ph-computational-physics"],"unlocks":[],"order":332,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"el-computational-electromagnetics-1","name":"Why numerical EM: problem classes and method selection"},{"id":"el-computational-electromagnetics-2","name":"Finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method"},{"id":"el-computational-electromagnetics-3","name":"Finite element method (FEM) for electromagnetics"},{"id":"el-computational-electromagnetics-4","name":"Method of moments (MoM) and integral 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components.","prerequisites":["el-active-components"],"related":["ph-modern-optics","mt-optical-photonic-materials"],"unlocks":["el-display-technologies","el-optical-fiber-communications","el-photonics-silicon-photonics"],"order":44,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-optoelectronic-devices-1","name":"Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) and OLED"},{"id":"el-optoelectronic-devices-2","name":"Laser diodes and VCSELs"},{"id":"el-optoelectronic-devices-3","name":"Photodiodes and photodetectors"},{"id":"el-optoelectronic-devices-4","name":"Phototransistors"},{"id":"el-optoelectronic-devices-5","name":"Solar cells and photovoltaics"},{"id":"el-optoelectronic-devices-6","name":"Optocouplers and optical isolators"},{"id":"el-optoelectronic-devices-7","name":"Fiber optic components"}]},{"id":"el-display-technologies","name":"Display Technologies","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How LCD, OLED, e-paper and LED displays and touch screens work, and how display controllers drive them.","prerequisites":["el-optoelectronic-devices"],"related":["ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar"],"unlocks":[],"order":70,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-display-technologies-1","name":"LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) and TFT"},{"id":"el-display-technologies-2","name":"OLED and AMOLED displays"},{"id":"el-display-technologies-3","name":"E-ink and e-paper displays"},{"id":"el-display-technologies-4","name":"LED matrices and segment displays"},{"id":"el-display-technologies-5","name":"Touch screen technologies (resistive, capacitive, IR)"},{"id":"el-display-technologies-6","name":"Display drivers and controllers (SPI, parallel, MIPI DSI)"}]},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics","name":"Semiconductor Physics","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The physics of semiconductors: energy bands, carriers, doping, drift and diffusion, and the PN junction on which all devices are built.","prerequisites":["el-electrical-materials"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics","ph-quantum-mechanics","mt-semiconductor-materials"],"unlocks":["el-cmos-technology","el-semiconductor-devices"],"order":154,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-5","name":"Crystal structure and semiconductor materials (Si, Ge, GaAs, GaN, SiC)"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-4","name":"Quantum mechanics basics for electronics"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-2","name":"Band theory and doping"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-6","name":"Carrier statistics: density of states, Fermi-Dirac distribution, carrier concentrations"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-7","name":"Carrier transport: drift, mobility, diffusion and the Einstein relation"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-8","name":"Generation, recombination and minority-carrier lifetime"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-9","name":"The continuity equation"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-1","name":"PN junctions and carrier dynamics"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-10","name":"Metal-semiconductor contacts: Schottky and ohmic"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-11","name":"The MOS structure (introduction)"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-12","name":"Heterojunctions"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-physics-3","name":"Semiconductor device physics"}]},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices","name":"Semiconductor Device Physics","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How diodes, BJTs and MOSFETs actually work, from junction physics to short-channel effects, FinFETs and compact models.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-physics"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics"],"unlocks":["el-advanced-materials","el-analog-ic-design","el-digital-vlsi-design","el-environmental-challenges","el-flexible-printed-electronics","el-nanoelectronics","el-power-devices","el-semiconductor-fabrication"],"order":216,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-1","name":"PN diode I-V, capacitance, breakdown and switching behaviour"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-2","name":"Bipolar junction transistor physics (Ebers-Moll, Gummel-Poon)"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-3","name":"MOS capacitor: accumulation, depletion, inversion, C-V curves"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-4","name":"MOSFET threshold voltage, I-V characteristics and body effect"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-5","name":"Subthreshold conduction and leakage"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-6","name":"Short-channel effects: DIBL, velocity saturation, hot carriers"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-7","name":"CMOS scaling and Moore's law"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-8","name":"Advanced transistors: SOI, FinFET and gate-all-around nanosheets"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-9","name":"Compound-semiconductor devices: HEMT, HBT, GaN and SiC"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-10","name":"Device compact models for circuit simulation (BSIM)"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-devices-11","name":"Device reliability: NBTI, TDDB, electromigration"}]},{"id":"el-cmos-technology","name":"CMOS Process Technology","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"An introduction to how CMOS chips are made: the process flow, lithography, etching, doping, deposition, interconnect and yield.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-physics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-ic-packaging","el-mems-devices","el-semiconductor-fabrication"],"order":220,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-cmos-technology-1","name":"CMOS fabrication process flow"},{"id":"el-cmos-technology-2","name":"Photolithography and etching"},{"id":"el-cmos-technology-3","name":"Doping and ion implantation"},{"id":"el-cmos-technology-4","name":"Chemical vapor deposition (CVD)"},{"id":"el-cmos-technology-5","name":"Metallization and interconnects"},{"id":"el-cmos-technology-6","name":"Process variations and yield"}]},{"id":"el-power-devices","name":"Power Devices","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Power semiconductors (Si, SiC and GaN MOSFETs, IGBTs, power diodes) and the gate drivers and heat sinking they need.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-devices"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":277,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-devices-1","name":"Power MOSFETs (Si, SiC, GaN)"},{"id":"el-power-devices-2","name":"IGBTs (Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistors)"},{"id":"el-power-devices-3","name":"Power diodes and rectifiers"},{"id":"el-power-devices-4","name":"Gate drivers and isolated drivers"},{"id":"el-power-devices-5","name":"Thermal management and heatsinking"},{"id":"el-power-devices-6","name":"Key parameters: on-resistance, breakdown voltage, gate charge, reverse recovery"},{"id":"el-power-devices-7","name":"Safe operating area and avalanche ruggedness"},{"id":"el-power-devices-8","name":"Wide-bandgap devices (SiC, GaN): benefits and design challenges"},{"id":"el-power-devices-9","name":"Power modules and packaging"}]},{"id":"el-mems-devices","name":"MEMS Devices","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Micro-electromechanical devices built with chip technology: accelerometers, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, microphones, oscillators and micro-mirrors.","prerequisites":["el-cmos-technology"],"related":["me-micro-nano-mechanics","el-mems-sensor-technologies"],"unlocks":["el-mems-sensor-technologies"],"order":282,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-mems-devices-1","name":"MEMS accelerometers and gyroscopes"},{"id":"el-mems-devices-2","name":"MEMS pressure sensors"},{"id":"el-mems-devices-3","name":"MEMS microphones"},{"id":"el-mems-devices-4","name":"MEMS oscillators"},{"id":"el-mems-devices-5","name":"MEMS actuators"},{"id":"el-mems-devices-6","name":"Optical MEMS and micro-mirrors"}]},{"id":"el-ic-packaging","name":"IC Packaging & Heterogeneous Integration","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How dies become usable parts: package types, bonding, thermal design, and advanced 2.5D/3D, chiplet and fan-out integration.","prerequisites":["el-cmos-technology"],"related":["mt-semiconductor-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":297,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-ic-packaging-1","name":"Package families: DIP, QFN, QFP, BGA, CSP, WLCSP"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-2","name":"Wire bonding vs flip-chip interconnect"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-3","name":"Substrates, leadframes and redistribution layers"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-4","name":"Electrical and thermal modelling of packages"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-5","name":"2.5D integration with silicon interposers"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-6","name":"3D stacking, through-silicon vias and hybrid bonding"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-7","name":"Chiplets and die-to-die standards (UCIe)"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-8","name":"Fan-out wafer-level packaging"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-9","name":"High-bandwidth memory (HBM) stacks"},{"id":"el-ic-packaging-10","name":"Package reliability: warpage, thermal cycling, moisture sensitivity"}]},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication","name":"Semiconductor Fabrication & Process Integration","category":"Semiconductor Devices & Fabrication","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The full chip-making process from wafer to finished die: lithography, etch, deposition, implantation, CMP, FEOL/BEOL integration and yield.","prerequisites":["el-cmos-technology","el-semiconductor-devices"],"related":["ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology"],"unlocks":[],"order":303,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-1","name":"Wafer production (Czochralski growth, SOI wafers)"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-2","name":"Cleanrooms and contamination control"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-3","name":"Thermal oxidation and diffusion (Deal-Grove model)"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-4","name":"Advanced lithography: DUV immersion, EUV, multi-patterning, OPC"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-5","name":"Etching: wet, plasma/RIE and atomic-layer etch"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-6","name":"Thin-film deposition: PVD, CVD, ALD and epitaxy"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-7","name":"Ion implantation and annealing"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-8","name":"Chemical-mechanical planarization (CMP)"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-9","name":"Front-end-of-line integration: isolation, high-k metal gate, strain"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-10","name":"Back-end-of-line: copper damascene and low-k dielectrics"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-11","name":"Process flows for FinFET and gate-all-around"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-12","name":"Metrology, inspection, yield modelling and SPC"},{"id":"el-semiconductor-fabrication-13","name":"Process and device simulation (TCAD)"}]},{"id":"el-passive-components","name":"Passive Components","category":"Analog Electronics","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"A practical guide to resistors, capacitors, inductors, transformers and crystals: types, ratings and how to choose them.","prerequisites":["el-basic-electricity"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-active-components"],"order":18,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"el-passive-components-1","name":"Resistors (carbon, metal film, wirewound, variable, SMD, precision)"},{"id":"el-passive-components-2","name":"Capacitors (ceramic, electrolytic, tantalum, film, supercapacitors)"},{"id":"el-passive-components-3","name":"Inductors and transformers (air core, ferrite, toroidal)"},{"id":"el-passive-components-4","name":"Crystals and resonators"},{"id":"el-passive-components-5","name":"Memristors (emerging technology)"},{"id":"el-passive-components-6","name":"Tolerances, temperature coefficients and derating"},{"id":"el-passive-components-7","name":"Parasitics of real components (ESR, ESL, self-resonance)"},{"id":"el-passive-components-8","name":"Protection components: fuses, PTCs, varistors and TVS diodes"},{"id":"el-passive-components-9","name":"Connectors, switches and relays: selection basics"}]},{"id":"el-active-components","name":"Active Components","category":"Analog Electronics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"A survey of active components (diode types, BJTs, JFETs, MOSFETs, GaN/SiC devices, Darlingtons and thyristors) and where each is used.","prerequisites":["el-passive-components"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-diode-transistor-circuits","el-integrated-circuit-types","el-optoelectronic-devices","el-thermal-management"],"order":27,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-active-components-1","name":"Diodes (standard, Zener, Schottky, PIN, avalanche, varactor, tunnel)"},{"id":"el-active-components-2","name":"Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJT) - NPN, PNP"},{"id":"el-active-components-3","name":"Field-Effect Transistors (JFET, MOSFET, GaN FET, SiC devices)"},{"id":"el-active-components-4","name":"Darlington transistors and compound devices"},{"id":"el-active-components-5","name":"Thyristors (SCR, TRIAC, DIAC, IGBT)"},{"id":"el-active-components-6","name":"Reading transistor and diode datasheets: key parameters and ratings"},{"id":"el-active-components-7","name":"Choosing a transistor or diode for an application"}]},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits","name":"Diode & Transistor Circuits","category":"Analog Electronics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The first electronics course: diode circuits, BJT and MOSFET biasing, small-signal models and single- and multi-stage amplifiers.","prerequisites":["el-circuit-theory","el-active-components"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-amplifier-design","el-analog-circuits","el-linear-regulators","el-logic-families","el-motor-control","el-noise-analysis","el-power-electronics-fundamentals","el-rf-microwave-engineering"],"order":60,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-1","name":"Diode models and load-line analysis"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-2","name":"Rectifiers, clippers, clampers and voltage multipliers"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-3","name":"Zener diodes and simple shunt regulators"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-4","name":"BJT operation, regions and large-signal models"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-5","name":"BJT biasing and bias stability"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-6","name":"MOSFET operation, regions and large-signal models"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-7","name":"MOSFET biasing"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-8","name":"Transistors as switches (logic, load and relay drivers)"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-9","name":"Small-signal models (hybrid-pi and T models)"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-10","name":"Common-emitter and common-source amplifiers"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-11","name":"Common-base/gate and follower (common-collector/drain) stages"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-12","name":"Multistage amplifiers and coupling"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-13","name":"Current mirrors and active loads (introduction)"},{"id":"el-diode-transistor-circuits-14","name":"Simulating transistor circuits with SPICE"}]},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers","name":"Operational Amplifiers","category":"Analog Electronics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Designing with op-amps: inverting and non-inverting stages, differential and instrumentation amplifiers, comparators and precision parts.","prerequisites":["el-circuit-theory"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-analog-circuits","el-data-converters","el-filters","el-linear-regulators","el-signal-conditioning"],"order":62,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-1","name":"Op-amp fundamentals and ideal characteristics"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-2","name":"Non-inverting and inverting configurations"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-9","name":"Non-ideal behaviour: offset, bias currents, slew rate, gain-bandwidth"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-10","name":"Integrators, differentiators and summing amplifiers"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-3","name":"Differential amplifiers"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-4","name":"Instrumentation amplifiers"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-5","name":"Comparators"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-6","name":"Current-sense amplifiers"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-7","name":"Isolation amplifiers"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-8","name":"Precision op-amps and chopper amplifiers"},{"id":"el-operational-amplifiers-11","name":"Op-amp stability with capacitive loads"}]},{"id":"el-signal-conditioning","name":"Signal Conditioning","category":"Analog Electronics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Preparing real-world signals for an ADC or logic input: level shifting, buffering, gain and offset, linearization and galvanic isolation.","prerequisites":["el-operational-amplifiers"],"related":["el-sensor-interfacing"],"unlocks":["el-sensor-interfacing"],"order":101,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-signal-conditioning-1","name":"Level shifting and voltage translation"},{"id":"el-signal-conditioning-2","name":"Impedance matching and buffering"},{"id":"el-signal-conditioning-3","name":"Gain and offset adjustment"},{"id":"el-signal-conditioning-4","name":"Linearization techniques"},{"id":"el-signal-conditioning-5","name":"Sensor signal conditioning"},{"id":"el-signal-conditioning-6","name":"Galvanic isolation (optocouplers, digital isolators)"}]},{"id":"el-amplifier-design","name":"Amplifier Frequency Response, Feedback & Output Stages","category":"Analog Electronics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The second electronics course: differential pairs, amplifier bandwidth, negative feedback and stability, and power output stages.","prerequisites":["el-diode-transistor-circuits","el-signals-and-systems"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-analog-ic-design","el-oscillators-timing"],"order":105,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-amplifier-design-1","name":"Differential pairs (BJT and MOS) and common-mode rejection"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-2","name":"Low-frequency response: coupling and bypass capacitors"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-3","name":"High-frequency transistor models and the Miller effect"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-4","name":"Open-circuit time constants and bandwidth estimation"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-5","name":"Cascode and multistage amplifier bandwidth"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-6","name":"Negative feedback: topologies, loop gain and desensitivity"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-7","name":"Stability, phase margin and frequency compensation"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-8","name":"Internal architecture of an op-amp (two-stage design)"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-9","name":"Output stages: class A, B and AB"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-10","name":"Power amplifiers, efficiency and heat"},{"id":"el-amplifier-design-11","name":"Class-D switching amplifiers"}]},{"id":"el-filters","name":"Analog & Active Filters","category":"Analog Electronics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing passive, active, switched-capacitor and adaptive filters with Butterworth, Chebyshev, Bessel and elliptic responses.","prerequisites":["el-operational-amplifiers","el-signals-and-systems"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":111,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"el-filters-1","name":"Low-pass, high-pass, band-pass, band-stop/notch filters"},{"id":"el-filters-2","name":"Active filters (Butterworth, Chebyshev, Bessel, Elliptic)"},{"id":"el-filters-3","name":"Passive filters (RC, LC, RLC)"},{"id":"el-filters-4","name":"State-variable filters"},{"id":"el-filters-5","name":"Switched-capacitor filters"},{"id":"el-filters-6","name":"Adaptive filters"}]},{"id":"el-analog-circuits","name":"Analog Building Blocks","category":"Analog Electronics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Analog building blocks beyond the op-amp: references, current sources, multipliers, sample-and-holds, detectors and log amplifiers.","prerequisites":["el-operational-amplifiers","el-diode-transistor-circuits"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":112,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-analog-circuits-1","name":"Voltage regulators (linear and LDO)"},{"id":"el-analog-circuits-2","name":"Voltage references and bandgap references"},{"id":"el-analog-circuits-3","name":"Current sources and current mirrors"},{"id":"el-analog-circuits-4","name":"Analog multipliers and dividers"},{"id":"el-analog-circuits-5","name":"Sample-and-hold circuits"},{"id":"el-analog-circuits-6","name":"Peak detectors and envelope detectors"},{"id":"el-analog-circuits-7","name":"Logarithmic amplifiers"},{"id":"el-analog-circuits-8","name":"Analog computation circuits"}]},{"id":"el-noise-analysis","name":"Noise Analysis","category":"Analog Electronics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Where electronic noise comes from, how to quantify it (SNR, noise figure) and how to design low-noise circuits.","prerequisites":["el-diode-transistor-circuits","el-signals-and-systems"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":131,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-noise-analysis-1","name":"Thermal noise, shot noise, flicker noise (1/f)"},{"id":"el-noise-analysis-2","name":"Signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) and dynamic range"},{"id":"el-noise-analysis-3","name":"Noise figure and noise temperature"},{"id":"el-noise-analysis-4","name":"Low-noise design techniques"},{"id":"el-noise-analysis-5","name":"Shielding, grounding, and layout for noise reduction"},{"id":"el-noise-analysis-6","name":"Noise models of resistors, BJTs, MOSFETs and op-amps"},{"id":"el-noise-analysis-7","name":"Noise spectral density and equivalent noise bandwidth"},{"id":"el-noise-analysis-8","name":"Input-referred noise and cascaded noise (Friis formula)"}]},{"id":"el-data-converters","name":"Data Converters","category":"Analog Electronics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How ADCs and DACs work (SAR, flash, pipeline, sigma-delta, R-2R) and how to read and apply their specifications.","prerequisites":["el-operational-amplifiers","el-signal-processing-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":158,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-data-converters-1","name":"Analog-to-Digital Converters (ADC): SAR, flash, pipeline, sigma-delta, dual-slope"},{"id":"el-data-converters-2","name":"Digital-to-Analog Converters (DAC): R-2R, binary-weighted, PWM-based"},{"id":"el-data-converters-3","name":"Resolution, accuracy, and linearity specifications"},{"id":"el-data-converters-6","name":"Dynamic performance metrics: SNR, SINAD, ENOB, SFDR"},{"id":"el-data-converters-4","name":"Sample rate and aperture jitter"},{"id":"el-data-converters-5","name":"Reference voltage selection"},{"id":"el-data-converters-7","name":"Oversampling, noise shaping and sigma-delta converters in depth"},{"id":"el-data-converters-8","name":"ADC front-end design: drivers, anti-alias filters and reference buffering"}]},{"id":"el-oscillators-timing","name":"Oscillators & Timing","category":"Analog Electronics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Generating stable signals and clocks: RC, LC and crystal oscillators, VCOs, phase-locked loops, synthesizers, jitter and phase noise.","prerequisites":["el-amplifier-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":178,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-oscillators-timing-1","name":"RC oscillators, LC oscillators"},{"id":"el-oscillators-timing-2","name":"Crystal oscillators (Pierce, Colpitts, Hartley)"},{"id":"el-oscillators-timing-3","name":"Voltage-controlled oscillators (VCO)"},{"id":"el-oscillators-timing-4","name":"Phase-locked loops (PLL)"},{"id":"el-oscillators-timing-5","name":"Frequency synthesizers"},{"id":"el-oscillators-timing-6","name":"Clock generation and distribution"},{"id":"el-oscillators-timing-7","name":"Timing jitter and phase noise"}]},{"id":"el-combinational-logic","name":"Combinational Logic","category":"Digital Electronics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Number systems, Boolean algebra and logic minimization, and the combinational building blocks of digital systems.","prerequisites":["el-basic-electricity"],"related":["cs-computer-organization"],"unlocks":["el-logic-families","el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming","el-sequential-logic"],"order":19,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"el-combinational-logic-8","name":"Number systems, binary arithmetic and codes (two's complement, BCD, Gray)"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-1","name":"Logic gates (AND, OR, NOT, NAND, NOR, XOR, XNOR)"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-2","name":"Boolean algebra and logic minimization"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-3","name":"Karnaugh maps and Quine-McCluskey method"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-4","name":"Multiplexers and demultiplexers"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-5","name":"Encoders and decoders"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-6","name":"Comparators and arithmetic circuits"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-9","name":"Hazards and glitches in combinational circuits"},{"id":"el-combinational-logic-7","name":"Programmable logic arrays (PLA)"}]},{"id":"el-sequential-logic","name":"Sequential Logic","category":"Digital Electronics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Circuits with memory: latches, flip-flops, registers, counters and Moore/Mealy state machines.","prerequisites":["el-combinational-logic"],"related":["cs-computer-organization"],"unlocks":["el-buses-communication","el-embedded-systems-fundamentals","el-hardware-description-languages-hdl","el-memory-devices","el-timing-synchronization"],"order":26,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-sequential-logic-2","name":"Latches and registers"},{"id":"el-sequential-logic-1","name":"Flip-flops (SR, D, JK, T)"},{"id":"el-sequential-logic-3","name":"Shift registers (serial, parallel, bidirectional)"},{"id":"el-sequential-logic-4","name":"Counters (binary, BCD, ring, Johnson)"},{"id":"el-sequential-logic-5","name":"State machines (Moore and Mealy)"},{"id":"el-sequential-logic-7","name":"Finite-state machine design procedure: state diagrams, encoding and minimization"},{"id":"el-sequential-logic-6","name":"Synchronous and asynchronous design"}]},{"id":"el-buses-communication","name":"Buses & Bus Interfacing","category":"Digital Electronics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Connecting processors, memory and peripherals: parallel buses, arbitration, tristate drivers, address decoding and DMA.","prerequisites":["el-sequential-logic"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":37,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-buses-communication-1","name":"Parallel buses and bus arbitration"},{"id":"el-buses-communication-2","name":"Bus protocols and timing"},{"id":"el-buses-communication-3","name":"Tristate buffers and bus drivers"},{"id":"el-buses-communication-4","name":"Address decoding"},{"id":"el-buses-communication-5","name":"DMA (Direct Memory Access)"},{"id":"el-buses-communication-6","name":"Synchronous vs asynchronous buses and handshaking"},{"id":"el-buses-communication-7","name":"Memory-mapped vs port-mapped I/O"},{"id":"el-buses-communication-8","name":"Interrupt-driven I/O and interrupt controllers"}]},{"id":"el-memory-devices","name":"Memory Devices","category":"Digital Electronics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How SRAM, DRAM/DDR, ROM, EEPROM, flash, FRAM and MRAM store data, and how memory controllers interface to them.","prerequisites":["el-sequential-logic"],"related":["cs-computer-architecture"],"unlocks":[],"order":41,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-memory-devices-1","name":"SRAM (Static RAM)"},{"id":"el-memory-devices-2","name":"DRAM (Dynamic RAM) - DDR, DDR2, DDR3, DDR4, DDR5"},{"id":"el-memory-devices-3","name":"ROM, PROM, EPROM, EEPROM"},{"id":"el-memory-devices-4","name":"Flash memory (NOR, NAND)"},{"id":"el-memory-devices-5","name":"FRAM (Ferroelectric RAM)"},{"id":"el-memory-devices-6","name":"MRAM (Magnetoresistive RAM)"},{"id":"el-memory-devices-7","name":"Memory controllers and interfaces"}]},{"id":"el-timing-synchronization","name":"Timing & Synchronization","category":"Digital Electronics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Making synchronous designs work: setup and hold, propagation delay, clock skew and jitter, metastability, clock-domain crossing and resets.","prerequisites":["el-sequential-logic"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-fpga-design-flow","el-high-speed-digital-design"],"order":53,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-timing-synchronization-1","name":"Clock domains and clock distribution"},{"id":"el-timing-synchronization-2","name":"Setup time and hold time"},{"id":"el-timing-synchronization-3","name":"Propagation delay"},{"id":"el-timing-synchronization-4","name":"Metastability and synchronization"},{"id":"el-timing-synchronization-5","name":"Clock skew and jitter"},{"id":"el-timing-synchronization-6","name":"Reset strategies (synchronous, asynchronous)"}]},{"id":"el-logic-families","name":"Logic Families","category":"Digital Electronics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The electrical side of digital logic: TTL, CMOS, ECL and BiCMOS families and interfacing between logic levels.","prerequisites":["el-combinational-logic","el-diode-transistor-circuits"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-digital-vlsi-design"],"order":100,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-logic-families-1","name":"TTL (Transistor-Transistor Logic)"},{"id":"el-logic-families-2","name":"CMOS logic families (HC, HCT, AHC, LVC)"},{"id":"el-logic-families-3","name":"ECL (Emitter-Coupled Logic)"},{"id":"el-logic-families-4","name":"BiCMOS technology"},{"id":"el-logic-families-5","name":"Logic level 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loads.","prerequisites":["el-hands-on-electronics"],"related":["ph-measurement-instrumentation"],"unlocks":["el-environmental-testing","el-functional-testing","el-oscilloscope-techniques","el-protocol-debugging","el-reliability-testing","el-signal-integrity-testing"],"order":30,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-test-equipment-1","name":"Digital multimeters (DMM)"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-2","name":"Oscilloscopes (analog, digital, mixed-signal)"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-3","name":"Logic analyzers"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-4","name":"Spectrum analyzers"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-5","name":"Signal generators (function, arbitrary waveform)"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-6","name":"Power supplies (linear, programmable)"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-7","name":"Electronic loads"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-8","name":"Network analyzers (VNA)"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-9","name":"LCR meters (inductance, capacitance, resistance)"},{"id":"el-test-equipment-10","name":"Protocol analyzers (CAN, SPI, I²C, USB)"}]},{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques","name":"Oscilloscope Techniques","category":"Measurement, Testing & Validation","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Getting trustworthy measurements from an oscilloscope: triggering, automated measurements, FFT, protocol decoding and probing.","prerequisites":["el-test-equipment"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-side-channel-attacks"],"order":45,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques-1","name":"Time domain analysis"},{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques-2","name":"Frequency domain (FFT)"},{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques-3","name":"Triggering modes (edge, pulse, pattern)"},{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques-4","name":"Measurements (rise time, frequency, duty cycle)"},{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques-5","name":"Decoding serial protocols"},{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques-6","name":"Eye diagrams and jitter analysis"},{"id":"el-oscilloscope-techniques-7","name":"Differential 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Testing & Validation","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Measuring power consumption, efficiency, battery life, power quality and harmonics in electronic systems.","prerequisites":["el-electrical-measurements"],"related":["el-power-quality"],"unlocks":[],"order":133,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-analysis-1","name":"Power consumption measurement"},{"id":"el-power-analysis-2","name":"Battery life estimation"},{"id":"el-power-analysis-3","name":"Efficiency measurement"},{"id":"el-power-analysis-4","name":"Power quality analysis"},{"id":"el-power-analysis-5","name":"Harmonic analysis"},{"id":"el-power-analysis-6","name":"Current measurement techniques: shunts, current probes, Hall sensors"},{"id":"el-power-analysis-7","name":"Dynamic current profiling of low-power devices"},{"id":"el-power-analysis-8","name":"Power analyzers and three-phase measurements"}]},{"id":"el-functional-testing","name":"Production & Functional 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traceability"}]},{"id":"el-reliability-testing","name":"Reliability Testing","category":"Measurement, Testing & Validation","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Predicting and demonstrating product life: accelerated life tests, HALT, burn-in, MTBF, FMEA and root-cause analysis.","prerequisites":["el-test-equipment","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["me-reliability-safety-engineering"],"unlocks":["el-reliability-fault-tolerance","el-safety-standards"],"order":137,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-reliability-testing-1","name":"Accelerated life testing (ALT)"},{"id":"el-reliability-testing-2","name":"Highly Accelerated Life Test (HALT)"},{"id":"el-reliability-testing-3","name":"Burn-in testing"},{"id":"el-reliability-testing-4","name":"Mean Time Between Failures (MTBF) calculation"},{"id":"el-reliability-testing-5","name":"Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA)"},{"id":"el-reliability-testing-6","name":"Root cause analysis 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certifications.","prerequisites":["el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-certification-regulatory-strategy"],"order":278,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-regulatory-compliance-testing-1","name":"EMC testing (emissions and immunity)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-compliance-testing-2","name":"FCC certification (Part 15)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-compliance-testing-3","name":"CE marking tests"},{"id":"el-regulatory-compliance-testing-4","name":"UL/CSA safety testing"},{"id":"el-regulatory-compliance-testing-5","name":"Wireless certification (FCC, IC, CE)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-compliance-testing-6","name":"Radio equipment directive (RED)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-compliance-testing-7","name":"Telecom certifications (PTCRB, GCF)"}]},{"id":"el-signal-integrity-testing","name":"Signal Integrity Testing","category":"Measurement, Testing & Validation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Measuring high-speed interconnects with TDR, S-parameters, crosstalk, impedance and jitter measurements.","prerequisites":["el-high-speed-digital-design","el-test-equipment"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":341,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-signal-integrity-testing-1","name":"Time-domain reflectometry (TDR)"},{"id":"el-signal-integrity-testing-2","name":"S-parameters measurement"},{"id":"el-signal-integrity-testing-3","name":"Crosstalk measurement"},{"id":"el-signal-integrity-testing-4","name":"Impedance measurement"},{"id":"el-signal-integrity-testing-5","name":"Jitter measurement"}]},{"id":"el-signals-and-systems","name":"Signals & Systems","category":"Signal Processing & Communications","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The core language of electrical engineering: LTI systems, convolution, Fourier, Laplace and z-transforms, transfer functions and frequency response.","prerequisites":["el-circuit-theory","el-mathematical-foundations"],"related":["ma-signal-processing","ma-integral-transforms"],"unlocks":["el-amplifier-design","el-analog-communications","el-control-theory","el-filters","el-noise-analysis","el-signal-processing-fundamentals"],"order":65,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-signals-and-systems-1","name":"Continuous- and discrete-time signals, basic operations and classification"},{"id":"el-signals-and-systems-2","name":"System properties: linearity, time invariance, causality, memory, stability"},{"id":"el-signals-and-systems-3","name":"LTI systems, impulse response and convolution (continuous and discrete)"},{"id":"el-signals-and-systems-4","name":"Systems described by differential and difference equations"},{"id":"el-signals-and-systems-5","name":"Fourier series of periodic signals"},{"id":"el-signals-and-systems-6","name":"The continuous-time Fourier transform and its 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discrete-time systems.","prerequisites":["el-signals-and-systems"],"related":["ma-signal-processing"],"unlocks":["el-data-converters","el-digital-communications","el-digital-signal-processing-dsp","el-image-processing","el-sensor-fusion","ae-space-communications-link-budgets"],"order":94,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-1","name":"Time domain and frequency domain analysis"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-2","name":"Sampling theorem and Nyquist rate"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-3","name":"Aliasing and anti-aliasing"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-6","name":"Reconstruction and interpolation (zero-order hold, sinc)"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-4","name":"Quantization and dithering"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-7","name":"Oversampling and noise shaping"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-5","name":"Discrete-time signals and systems"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-8","name":"Difference equations and the z-transform in practice"},{"id":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals-9","name":"Practical sampled-data systems: anti-alias filter and ADC selection"}]},{"id":"el-analog-communications","name":"Analog Communication Systems","category":"Signal Processing & Communications","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How information rides on carriers: AM, FM and PM, transmitters and superheterodyne receivers, multiplexing and the effect of noise.","prerequisites":["el-signals-and-systems","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["ma-information-communication-theory"],"unlocks":["el-aircraft-communication","el-digital-communications","el-software-defined-radio-sdr"],"order":106,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-analog-communications-1","name":"Elements of a communication system; channels, bandwidth and noise"},{"id":"el-analog-communications-2","name":"Amplitude modulation: DSB-SC, 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FFT, FIR and IIR filter design, multirate and adaptive filtering.","prerequisites":["el-signal-processing-fundamentals"],"related":["ma-signal-processing","ma-fast-algorithms"],"unlocks":["el-biomedical-signal-processing","el-radar-systems","el-software-defined-radio-sdr","el-statistical-signal-processing","ai-speech-audio-processing"],"order":160,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"el-digital-signal-processing-dsp-1","name":"Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) and Fast Fourier Transform (FFT)"},{"id":"el-digital-signal-processing-dsp-7","name":"Spectral analysis with the DFT and the short-time Fourier transform"},{"id":"el-digital-signal-processing-dsp-2","name":"Digital filters (FIR, IIR)"},{"id":"el-digital-signal-processing-dsp-8","name":"FIR filter design (window method, Parks-McClellan)"},{"id":"el-digital-signal-processing-dsp-9","name":"IIR filter design (bilinear transform, impulse invariance)"},{"id":"el-digital-signal-processing-dsp-3","name":"Windowing 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detection and spectral analysis for signals buried in noise, the theory behind radar, communications and sensor systems.","prerequisites":["el-digital-signal-processing-dsp","ma-stochastic-processes"],"related":["ma-time-series-analysis","ma-bayesian-statistics"],"unlocks":[],"order":265,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-statistical-signal-processing-1","name":"Random processes: stationarity, autocorrelation and power spectral density"},{"id":"el-statistical-signal-processing-2","name":"Classical estimation: MVU estimators and the Cramér-Rao bound"},{"id":"el-statistical-signal-processing-3","name":"Maximum-likelihood and least-squares estimation"},{"id":"el-statistical-signal-processing-4","name":"Bayesian estimation: MMSE and MAP"},{"id":"el-statistical-signal-processing-5","name":"Wiener filtering"},{"id":"el-statistical-signal-processing-6","name":"Kalman filtering and its extensions"},{"id":"el-statistical-signal-processing-7","name":"Detection theory: 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aperture"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-2","name":"Attenuation and dispersion (modal, chromatic, polarization-mode)"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-3","name":"Optical transmitters: laser diodes, modulation and external modulators"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-4","name":"Photodetectors and optical receivers, receiver sensitivity"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-5","name":"Optical amplifiers (EDFA, Raman)"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-6","name":"Wavelength-division multiplexing (CWDM, DWDM)"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-7","name":"Coherent optical communication and digital signal processing"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-8","name":"Power and rise-time budgets for optical links"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-9","name":"Passive optical networks and access networks"},{"id":"el-optical-fiber-communications-10","name":"Data-centre optical interconnects"}]},{"id":"el-wireless-communications","name":"Wireless Communications","category":"Signal Processing & Communications","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The physical layer of modern wireless systems: fading channels, diversity, OFDM, MIMO, multiple access and the design of 4G/5G links.","prerequisites":["el-digital-communications","el-antennas-propagation"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-advanced-connectivity"],"order":328,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-wireless-communications-1","name":"Path loss, shadowing and multipath fading (Rayleigh, Rician)"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-2","name":"Doppler spread, coherence time and coherence bandwidth"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-3","name":"Diversity techniques and combining (MRC, selection)"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-4","name":"OFDM and OFDMA: cyclic prefix, PAPR, synchronization"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-5","name":"MIMO: spatial multiplexing, capacity and beamforming"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-6","name":"Channel estimation and pilot design"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-7","name":"Multiple access: FDMA, TDMA, CDMA, OFDMA and NOMA"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-8","name":"Cellular concepts: frequency reuse, interference, handover"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-9","name":"Link budgets and coverage planning"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-10","name":"4G LTE and 5G NR physical layer"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-11","name":"Massive MIMO and millimetre-wave communication"},{"id":"el-wireless-communications-12","name":"RF impairments (phase noise, IQ imbalance, PA non-linearity)"}]},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications","name":"Robot Types & Applications","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"A tour of robot types (industrial arms, mobile, aerial, humanoid, surgical, swarm) and what each is used for.","prerequisites":[],"related":["ai-types-of-robots-applications","ai-robot-fundamentals"],"unlocks":[],"order":9,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-1","name":"Industrial robots (6-axis arms, SCARA, delta, Cartesian)"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-2","name":"Mobile robots (wheeled, tracked, legged)"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-3","name":"Autonomous vehicles (ground, aerial, underwater)"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-4","name":"Service robots (cleaning, delivery, hospitality)"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-5","name":"Collaborative robots (cobots)"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-6","name":"Humanoid robots"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-7","name":"Swarm robotics"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-8","name":"Surgical robots"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-9","name":"Agricultural robots"},{"id":"el-robot-types-applications-10","name":"Inspection and maintenance robots"}]},{"id":"el-actuators-drives","name":"Robot Actuators & Drives","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Choosing and driving the motors, servos, pneumatics and gearboxes that move a robot.","prerequisites":["el-actuators"],"related":["ai-actuators-sensors","el-actuators","me-actuators-drive-trains"],"unlocks":[],"order":74,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"el-actuators-drives-1","name":"DC motor control (brushed, brushless)"},{"id":"el-actuators-drives-2","name":"Stepper motor control"},{"id":"el-actuators-drives-3","name":"Servo control"},{"id":"el-actuators-drives-4","name":"Pneumatic and hydraulic systems"},{"id":"el-actuators-drives-5","name":"Motor drivers and amplifiers"},{"id":"el-actuators-drives-6","name":"Gearboxes and transmissions"}]},{"id":"el-control-theory","name":"Feedback Control Systems","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Classical feedback control: modelling, transient and steady-state response, stability, root locus, Bode/Nyquist design and PID controllers.","prerequisites":["el-signals-and-systems"],"related":["ma-control-theory","ma-systems-theory-control","ai-control-systems","me-feedback-control","ae-feedback-control-aerospace"],"unlocks":["el-avionics-systems","el-chassis-safety-systems","el-high-power-converters","el-power-system-stability","el-powertrain-systems","el-robot-control","el-spacecraft-electronics","el-state-space-digital-control","el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design"],"order":108,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"el-control-theory-7","name":"Modelling dynamic systems: electrical, mechanical and electromechanical"},{"id":"el-control-theory-8","name":"Block diagrams and signal-flow graphs"},{"id":"el-control-theory-1","name":"Feedback systems and stability analysis"},{"id":"el-control-theory-9","name":"Time-domain response and specifications (rise time, overshoot, settling time)"},{"id":"el-control-theory-10","name":"Steady-state error and system type"},{"id":"el-control-theory-11","name":"Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion"},{"id":"el-control-theory-4","name":"Root locus and frequency response"},{"id":"el-control-theory-12","name":"Nyquist stability criterion, gain and phase margins"},{"id":"el-control-theory-13","name":"Lead, lag and lead-lag compensator design"},{"id":"el-control-theory-2","name":"PID controllers (proportional-integral-derivative)"},{"id":"el-control-theory-3","name":"State-space representation"},{"id":"el-control-theory-5","name":"Digital control systems"},{"id":"el-control-theory-6","name":"Adaptive and robust control"}]},{"id":"el-kinematics-dynamics","name":"Robot Kinematics & Dynamics","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Describing robot motion mathematically: forward and inverse kinematics, DH parameters, Jacobians, dynamics and trajectory generation.","prerequisites":["ma-linear-algebra","me-dynamics"],"related":["ai-kinematics-dynamics","me-robot-mechanics"],"unlocks":["el-path-planning-navigation","el-robot-control","el-robot-operating-system-ros"],"order":181,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-kinematics-dynamics-1","name":"Forward kinematics and inverse kinematics"},{"id":"el-kinematics-dynamics-2","name":"Denavit-Hartenberg (DH) parameters"},{"id":"el-kinematics-dynamics-3","name":"Jacobian and velocity kinematics"},{"id":"el-kinematics-dynamics-4","name":"Robot dynamics and equations of motion"},{"id":"el-kinematics-dynamics-5","name":"Trajectory planning and interpolation"},{"id":"el-kinematics-dynamics-6","name":"Motion profiles (trapezoidal, S-curve)"}]},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control","name":"State-Space & Digital Control","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Modern control: state-space models, controllability and observability, state feedback and observers, LQR/LQG and digital implementation.","prerequisites":["el-control-theory","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ma-control-theory","ma-systems-theory-control"],"unlocks":["el-advanced-control-systems"],"order":186,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-1","name":"State-space models and realizations of transfer functions"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-2","name":"Solution of state equations and the state-transition matrix"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-3","name":"Controllability and observability"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-4","name":"Pole placement by state feedback"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-5","name":"State observers (Luenberger)"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-6","name":"Linear-quadratic regulator (LQR)"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-7","name":"Kalman filter and LQG control"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-8","name":"Sampled-data systems and discretization (ZOH, Tustin)"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-9","name":"Digital controller design in the z-domain"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-10","name":"Implementation issues: sampling rate, quantization, anti-windup"},{"id":"el-state-space-digital-control-11","name":"Multivariable (MIMO) systems"}]},{"id":"el-path-planning-navigation","name":"Path Planning & Navigation","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Finding collision-free paths: graph search, sampling-based planners, trajectory optimization and obstacle avoidance.","prerequisites":["el-kinematics-dynamics","cs-algorithms"],"related":["ai-motion-planning-navigation"],"unlocks":["el-autonomous-driving","el-autonomous-navigation-systems"],"order":231,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-path-planning-navigation-1","name":"Graph search algorithms (A, Dijkstra, D)"},{"id":"el-path-planning-navigation-2","name":"Sampling-based planning (RRT, PRM)"},{"id":"el-path-planning-navigation-3","name":"Trajectory optimization"},{"id":"el-path-planning-navigation-4","name":"Obstacle avoidance (potential fields, dynamic window approach)"},{"id":"el-path-planning-navigation-5","name":"Local and global planning"},{"id":"el-path-planning-navigation-6","name":"Waypoint navigation"}]},{"id":"el-robot-control","name":"Robot Control","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Controlling robot joints and interaction: PID and feedforward, computed torque, adaptive, impedance and force control.","prerequisites":["el-kinematics-dynamics","el-control-theory"],"related":["ai-control-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":232,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-robot-control-1","name":"PID control for joint positioning"},{"id":"el-robot-control-2","name":"Feedforward control"},{"id":"el-robot-control-3","name":"Computed torque control"},{"id":"el-robot-control-4","name":"Adaptive and robust control"},{"id":"el-robot-control-5","name":"Impedance and force control"},{"id":"el-robot-control-6","name":"Compliance control"}]},{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros","name":"Robot Operating System (ROS)","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Building robot software with ROS 2: nodes, topics, services, TF, Gazebo simulation, RViz, Nav2 and MoveIt.","prerequisites":["el-kinematics-dynamics","cs-command-line-shell","cs-object-oriented-programming"],"related":["ai-robot-fundamentals","ai-robot-software-ros"],"unlocks":[],"order":233,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros-1","name":"ROS 1 and ROS 2"},{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros-2","name":"Nodes, topics, services, actions"},{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros-3","name":"TF (transform) library"},{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros-4","name":"Gazebo simulation"},{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros-5","name":"RViz visualization"},{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros-6","name":"Navigation stack (move_base, AMCL)"},{"id":"el-robot-operating-system-ros-7","name":"MoveIt motion planning"}]},{"id":"el-perception-sensing","name":"Robot Perception & Sensing","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How robots sense the world with cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMU/GPS and tactile sensors, and fuse them for localization.","prerequisites":["el-sensor-fusion"],"related":["ai-robot-perception"],"unlocks":["el-autonomous-driving","el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam"],"order":234,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-perception-sensing-1","name":"Vision systems (cameras, stereo vision, depth cameras)"},{"id":"el-perception-sensing-2","name":"LIDAR and laser scanning"},{"id":"el-perception-sensing-3","name":"Radar and ultrasonic sensors"},{"id":"el-perception-sensing-4","name":"IMU and GPS integration"},{"id":"el-perception-sensing-5","name":"Tactile and force/torque sensors"},{"id":"el-perception-sensing-6","name":"Sensor fusion for localization"}]},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems","name":"Nonlinear, Robust & Predictive Control","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Graduate control topics: Lyapunov methods, nonlinear and sliding-mode control, robust H-infinity control, MPC, adaptive control and system identification.","prerequisites":["el-state-space-digital-control"],"related":["ma-calculus-of-variations-optimal-control","ma-dynamical-systems","ma-control-theory"],"unlocks":[],"order":262,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-1","name":"Nonlinear system behaviour and phase-plane analysis"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-2","name":"Lyapunov stability theory"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-3","name":"Feedback linearization and sliding-mode control"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-4","name":"Describing functions and limit cycles"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-5","name":"Robust control: model uncertainty, H-infinity and mu-synthesis"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-6","name":"Model predictive control (MPC)"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-7","name":"Adaptive control (MRAC, self-tuning regulators)"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-8","name":"System identification"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-9","name":"Optimal control and Pontryagin's principle"},{"id":"el-advanced-control-systems-10","name":"Data-driven and learning-based control"}]},{"id":"el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam","name":"Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM)","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Building a map while localizing within it: EKF, particle-filter and graph-based SLAM with cameras and LiDAR.","prerequisites":["el-perception-sensing"],"related":["ai-robot-perception","ai-motion-planning-navigation"],"unlocks":["el-autonomous-navigation-systems"],"order":304,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam-1","name":"Visual SLAM (VSLAM)"},{"id":"el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam-2","name":"LiDAR SLAM"},{"id":"el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam-3","name":"EKF SLAM and FastSLAM"},{"id":"el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam-4","name":"Graph-based SLAM"},{"id":"el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam-5","name":"Loop closure detection"}]},{"id":"el-autonomous-navigation-systems","name":"Autonomous Navigation Systems","category":"Control Systems & Robotics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Putting localization, maps, planning and behaviour decisions together into a complete autonomous navigation stack.","prerequisites":["el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam","el-path-planning-navigation"],"related":["ai-motion-planning-navigation","ai-mobile-robotics"],"unlocks":[],"order":331,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"el-autonomous-navigation-systems-1","name":"Localization techniques"},{"id":"el-autonomous-navigation-systems-2","name":"Map representations (occupancy grids, costmaps)"},{"id":"el-autonomous-navigation-systems-3","name":"Behavior planning and decision-making"},{"id":"el-autonomous-navigation-systems-4","name":"Multi-robot coordination"},{"id":"el-autonomous-navigation-systems-5","name":"Traffic management for autonomous vehicles"}]},{"id":"el-battery-technologies","name":"Battery Technologies","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Battery chemistries (Li-ion, LiPo, LiFePO4, NiMH, lead-acid, solid-state) and the characteristics that drive their selection.","prerequisites":["el-basic-electricity"],"related":["mt-battery-materials","ch-battery-chemistry"],"unlocks":["el-battery-management-systems-bms","el-charging-circuits","el-energy-innovations","me-energy-storage-power-integration"],"order":20,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"el-battery-technologies-1","name":"Lithium-ion (Li-ion)"},{"id":"el-battery-technologies-2","name":"Lithium Polymer (LiPo)"},{"id":"el-battery-technologies-3","name":"Lithium Iron Phosphate (LiFePO4)"},{"id":"el-battery-technologies-4","name":"Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH)"},{"id":"el-battery-technologies-5","name":"Lead-acid batteries"},{"id":"el-battery-technologies-6","name":"Solid-state batteries (emerging)"},{"id":"el-battery-technologies-7","name":"Battery characteristics (capacity, C-rate, cycle life, self-discharge)"}]},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms","name":"Battery Management Systems (BMS)","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Monitoring and protecting battery packs: cell voltage and current sensing, state-of-charge and state-of-health estimation, balancing and protection.","prerequisites":["el-battery-technologies","el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems"],"order":79,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-1","name":"Cell voltage monitoring"},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-2","name":"Current sensing"},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-3","name":"State of Charge (SoC) estimation"},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-4","name":"State of Health (SoH) monitoring"},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-5","name":"Cell balancing (passive, active)"},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-6","name":"Temperature monitoring"},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-7","name":"Charge and discharge control"},{"id":"el-battery-management-systems-bms-8","name":"Protection circuits (overcurrent, overvoltage, undervoltage, thermal)"}]},{"id":"el-linear-regulators","name":"Linear Regulators","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How linear and LDO regulators work and how to apply them: dropout, regulation, efficiency and thermal limits.","prerequisites":["el-diode-transistor-circuits","el-operational-amplifiers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-power-distribution-management"],"order":98,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-linear-regulators-1","name":"Linear voltage regulators"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-2","name":"Low-Dropout (LDO) regulators"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-3","name":"Thermal considerations"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-4","name":"Load regulation and line regulation"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-5","name":"Dropout voltage and efficiency"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-6","name":"Series regulator architecture: pass element, error amplifier and reference"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-7","name":"Stability and output-capacitor ESR requirements"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-8","name":"PSRR and output noise of LDOs"},{"id":"el-linear-regulators-9","name":"Shunt regulators and adjustable references (TL431)"}]},{"id":"el-thermal-management","name":"Thermal Management","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Keeping electronics cool: heat-dissipation calculations, heatsinks, interface materials, fans and liquid cooling, derating.","prerequisites":["el-active-components","ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics"],"related":["el-thermal-design","me-heat-transfer","me-thermal-management-compact-power"],"unlocks":["el-thermal-design"],"order":103,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"el-thermal-management-1","name":"Heat dissipation calculations"},{"id":"el-thermal-management-2","name":"Heatsink design and selection"},{"id":"el-thermal-management-3","name":"Thermal interface materials"},{"id":"el-thermal-management-4","name":"Active cooling (fans, liquid cooling)"},{"id":"el-thermal-management-5","name":"Thermal monitoring and protection"},{"id":"el-thermal-management-6","name":"Derating and thermal cycling"}]},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals","name":"Power Electronics Fundamentals","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The theory of switched-mode power conversion: DC-DC, AC-DC, DC-AC and AC-AC converters, losses, averaged models and control.","prerequisites":["el-diode-transistor-circuits","el-ac-circuits-power"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-ac-dc-conversion","el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters","el-power-quality","el-switching-regulators"],"order":110,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-1","name":"Role of power electronics and the ideal switch"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-2","name":"Power semiconductor switches overview (diodes, MOSFETs, IGBTs, thyristors)"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-3","name":"Steady-state converter analysis: volt-second and charge balance"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-4","name":"Buck, boost and buck-boost converters"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-5","name":"Continuous vs discontinuous conduction mode"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-6","name":"Conduction and switching losses, efficiency"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-7","name":"Isolated converters: flyback, forward, push-pull, full bridge"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-8","name":"Diode and phase-controlled thyristor rectifiers"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-9","name":"DC-AC inverters and PWM (sinusoidal and space-vector)"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-10","name":"AC-AC converters: AC voltage controllers, cycloconverters, matrix converters"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-11","name":"Averaged modelling and small-signal transfer functions"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-12","name":"Converter control loops"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-13","name":"Magnetics design basics (inductors and transformers)"},{"id":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals-14","name":"Snubbers and gate-drive circuits"}]},{"id":"el-power-distribution-management","name":"Power Distribution & Management","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Board-level power architecture: PMICs, sequencing, hot-swap, load switches and eFuses, power multiplexing and budgets.","prerequisites":["el-linear-regulators"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":156,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-distribution-management-1","name":"Power Management ICs (PMIC)"},{"id":"el-power-distribution-management-2","name":"Sequencing and power-up/down control"},{"id":"el-power-distribution-management-3","name":"Hot-swap controllers"},{"id":"el-power-distribution-management-4","name":"Load switches and eFuses"},{"id":"el-power-distribution-management-5","name":"Power multiplexing"},{"id":"el-power-distribution-management-6","name":"Power budgeting and analysis"}]},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion","name":"AC-DC Conversion","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Turning mains AC into DC: rectifiers, off-line supply topologies, isolation and EMI filtering.","prerequisites":["el-power-electronics-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-power-factor-correction-pfc"],"order":162,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-1","name":"Rectifiers (half-wave, full-wave, bridge)"},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-2","name":"Power supply topologies"},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-3","name":"Isolation transformers"},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-4","name":"EMI filtering and suppression"},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-5","name":"Capacitor-input filters, ripple and hold-up time"},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-6","name":"Inrush current limiting"},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-7","name":"Low-power off-line flyback supplies"},{"id":"el-ac-dc-conversion-8","name":"Safety isolation, creepage and clearance"}]},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters","name":"DC-AC Conversion (Inverters)","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Inverters that turn DC into AC: H-bridge and three-phase inverters, output waveforms, grid-tied and microgrid use.","prerequisites":["el-power-electronics-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-electric-drives","el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems","el-high-power-converters","el-renewable-grid-integration"],"order":165,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-1","name":"H-bridge inverters"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-2","name":"Three-phase inverters"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-3","name":"Sine wave, modified sine wave, square wave"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-4","name":"Grid-tied inverters"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-5","name":"Microgrid applications"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-6","name":"Sinusoidal and space-vector PWM"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-7","name":"Dead time and its effects"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-8","name":"Output filters and harmonic content"},{"id":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters-9","name":"Inverter current control and protection"}]},{"id":"el-switching-regulators","name":"Switching Regulators","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The DC-DC converter topologies used in practice (buck, boost, SEPIC, Cuk, flyback, forward, bridge) and when to use each.","prerequisites":["el-power-electronics-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-charging-circuits","el-energy-harvesting","el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design"],"order":188,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-switching-regulators-1","name":"Buck (step-down) converters"},{"id":"el-switching-regulators-2","name":"Boost (step-up) converters"},{"id":"el-switching-regulators-3","name":"Buck-boost converters"},{"id":"el-switching-regulators-4","name":"SEPIC (Single-Ended Primary-Inductor Converter)"},{"id":"el-switching-regulators-5","name":"Ćuk converter"},{"id":"el-switching-regulators-6","name":"Flyback and forward converters"},{"id":"el-switching-regulators-7","name":"Push-pull and bridge topologies"}]},{"id":"el-charging-circuits","name":"Charging Circuits","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Charging batteries correctly and quickly: CC-CV algorithms, USB-PD and fast charging, wireless (Qi) and solar MPPT chargers.","prerequisites":["el-battery-technologies","el-switching-regulators"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":219,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-charging-circuits-1","name":"Constant Current Constant Voltage (CC-CV) charging"},{"id":"el-charging-circuits-2","name":"Multi-stage charging algorithms"},{"id":"el-charging-circuits-3","name":"Fast charging protocols (Quick Charge, USB-PD)"},{"id":"el-charging-circuits-4","name":"Wireless charging (Qi standard, resonant inductive)"},{"id":"el-charging-circuits-5","name":"Solar charge controllers (MPPT, PWM)"},{"id":"el-charging-circuits-6","name":"Linear vs switching charger ICs"},{"id":"el-charging-circuits-7","name":"Charging safety: temperature qualification and protection"}]},{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design","name":"Switched-Mode Power Supply (SMPS) Design","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing a switching supply end to end: control mode, component and magnetics selection, loop compensation, soft-start and protection.","prerequisites":["el-switching-regulators","el-control-theory"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-power-factor-correction-pfc"],"order":236,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design-1","name":"Control modes (voltage mode, current mode)"},{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design-2","name":"PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) control"},{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design-3","name":"Inductor and capacitor selection"},{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design-4","name":"Magnetics design"},{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design-5","name":"Feedback compensation"},{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design-6","name":"Soft-start and inrush current limiting"},{"id":"el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design-7","name":"Overcurrent and overvoltage protection"}]},{"id":"el-energy-harvesting","name":"Energy Harvesting","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Powering devices from ambient solar, thermal, vibration and RF energy and storing it efficiently.","prerequisites":["el-switching-regulators"],"related":["ph-energy-physics"],"unlocks":["el-energy-innovations"],"order":244,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-energy-harvesting-1","name":"Solar energy harvesting"},{"id":"el-energy-harvesting-2","name":"Thermal energy (thermoelectric generators)"},{"id":"el-energy-harvesting-3","name":"Vibration energy (piezoelectric, electromagnetic)"},{"id":"el-energy-harvesting-4","name":"RF energy harvesting"},{"id":"el-energy-harvesting-5","name":"Ambient light harvesting"},{"id":"el-energy-harvesting-6","name":"Energy storage for harvesting systems"}]},{"id":"el-high-power-converters","name":"Grid-Connected & High-Power Converters","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Converters for grids, drives and renewables: multilevel and modular multilevel converters, grid synchronization, grid-forming control and solid-state transformers.","prerequisites":["el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters","el-control-theory"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-hvdc-facts"],"order":258,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-high-power-converters-1","name":"Multilevel topologies: NPC, flying capacitor, cascaded H-bridge"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-2","name":"Modular multilevel converter (MMC)"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-3","name":"Grid synchronization with PLLs and dq-frame current control"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-4","name":"Grid-following vs grid-forming control"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-5","name":"LCL filters and harmonic standards"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-6","name":"Wide-bandgap high-power design (SiC modules)"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-7","name":"Solid-state transformers"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-8","name":"Medium-voltage drives"},{"id":"el-high-power-converters-9","name":"Converter protection and fault ride-through"}]},{"id":"el-power-factor-correction-pfc","name":"Power Factor Correction (PFC)","category":"Power Electronics & Power Management","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Making AC-DC supplies draw sinusoidal current: passive, active and bridgeless PFC, power factor and THD.","prerequisites":["el-ac-dc-conversion","el-switched-mode-power-supply-smps-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":302,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-factor-correction-pfc-1","name":"Active PFC"},{"id":"el-power-factor-correction-pfc-2","name":"Passive PFC"},{"id":"el-power-factor-correction-pfc-3","name":"Bridgeless PFC topologies"},{"id":"el-power-factor-correction-pfc-4","name":"Power factor and THD (Total Harmonic Distortion)"}]},{"id":"el-electrical-installations","name":"Electrical Installations, Earthing & Safety","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Low-voltage building wiring done safely: earthing systems, protective devices, cable sizing, wiring regulations and safe working practice.","prerequisites":["el-ac-circuits-power"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-product-safety"],"order":97,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"el-electrical-installations-1","name":"Effects of current on the body, shock and arc-flash hazards"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-2","name":"Wiring regulations overview (IEC 60364, BS 7671, NEC)"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-3","name":"Earthing systems: TN-S, TN-C-S, TT and IT"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-4","name":"Overcurrent protection: fuses, MCBs, MCCBs and discrimination"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-5","name":"Residual-current devices (RCD/GFCI) and fault-loop impedance"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-6","name":"Cable sizing: ampacity, voltage drop and derating"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-7","name":"Final circuits, distribution boards and consumer units"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-8","name":"Motor circuits and starters"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-9","name":"Lightning protection and surge protective devices"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-10","name":"Inspection, testing and certification of installations"},{"id":"el-electrical-installations-11","name":"Safe isolation, lockout/tagout and NFPA 70E"}]},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers","name":"Magnetic Circuits & Transformers","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Magnetic circuits and the transformer, the basis of electromechanical energy conversion and of every power system.","prerequisites":["el-ac-circuits-power","el-electromagnetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-electrical-machines","el-power-system-fundamentals"],"order":212,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-1","name":"Magnetic circuits, reluctance and B-H curves"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-2","name":"Hysteresis and eddy-current losses"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-3","name":"Inductor design"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-4","name":"Ideal and practical transformers"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-5","name":"Transformer equivalent circuit; open- and short-circuit tests"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-6","name":"Voltage regulation and efficiency"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-7","name":"Three-phase transformer connections and vector groups"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-8","name":"Autotransformers and instrument transformers"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-9","name":"Per-unit representation"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-10","name":"Inrush current, harmonics and transformer cooling"},{"id":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers-11","name":"Electromechanical energy conversion: force and torque from energy and co-energy"}]},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals","name":"Power System Fundamentals","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Modelling the electric grid: per-unit analysis, line parameters and models, power transfer, reactive power and network matrices.","prerequisites":["el-magnetic-circuits-transformers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-high-voltage-engineering","el-power-flow-analysis","el-power-quality","el-power-system-fault-analysis","el-smart-grid-energy","el-transmission-distribution"],"order":268,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-1","name":"Structure of the power system: generation, transmission, distribution"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-2","name":"Three-phase power review and the per-unit system"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-3","name":"Transmission-line parameters: resistance, inductance, capacitance, bundling"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-4","name":"Short, medium and long line models"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-5","name":"Power transfer, voltage regulation and the power-angle curve"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-6","name":"Reactive power and voltage control"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-7","name":"Synchronous generator models for system studies"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-8","name":"Transformer models including tap-changing and phase-shifting"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-9","name":"Network matrices: Ybus and Zbus"},{"id":"el-power-system-fundamentals-10","name":"Load models"}]},{"id":"el-electrical-machines","name":"Rotating Electrical Machines","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How DC, induction and synchronous machines produce torque and power, and how they are modelled, tested and controlled.","prerequisites":["el-magnetic-circuits-transformers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-electric-drives","el-pm-special-machines","el-power-generation"],"order":269,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-electrical-machines-1","name":"Rotating magnetic fields and winding MMF"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-2","name":"DC machines: construction, EMF and torque equations"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-3","name":"DC motor characteristics and speed control; DC generators"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-4","name":"Three-phase induction motors: equivalent circuit and torque-speed curve"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-5","name":"Induction motor starting, braking and speed control"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-6","name":"Single-phase induction motors"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-7","name":"Synchronous generators: phasor diagrams, synchronous reactance, OC/SC tests"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-8","name":"Synchronous motors and power-factor control"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-9","name":"Parallel operation and the infinite bus"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-10","name":"Losses, efficiency, ratings and standards (IEC, NEMA)"},{"id":"el-electrical-machines-11","name":"Park (dq) transformation and dynamic machine models"}]},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis","name":"Fault Analysis & Symmetrical Components","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Calculating short-circuit currents in power networks with symmetrical components, as the basis for equipment ratings and protection.","prerequisites":["el-power-system-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-power-system-protection"],"order":312,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-1","name":"Symmetrical three-phase faults and short-circuit MVA"},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-2","name":"Fault calculations with the Zbus matrix"},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-3","name":"Symmetrical components"},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-4","name":"Sequence networks of generators, transformers and lines"},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-5","name":"Single-line-to-ground, line-to-line and double-line-to-ground faults"},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-6","name":"Open-conductor faults"},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-7","name":"Short-circuit standards (IEC 60909, ANSI)"},{"id":"el-power-system-fault-analysis-8","name":"Circuit-breaker ratings and selection"}]},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis","name":"Load Flow & Economic Dispatch","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Computing the steady state of a power network and operating it economically: load flow, contingency analysis, economic dispatch and OPF.","prerequisites":["el-power-system-fundamentals","ma-root-finding-algorithms"],"related":["ma-nonlinear-programming"],"unlocks":["el-hvdc-facts","el-power-system-operation","el-power-system-stability"],"order":313,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-1","name":"Bus classification (slack, PV, PQ) and power-flow equations"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-2","name":"Gauss-Seidel load flow"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-3","name":"Newton-Raphson load flow"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-4","name":"Fast-decoupled and DC power flow"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-5","name":"Control of power flow: taps, phase shifters, reactive support"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-6","name":"Contingency analysis"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-7","name":"Economic dispatch and incremental cost"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-8","name":"Optimal power flow (OPF)"},{"id":"el-power-flow-analysis-9","name":"Power-flow software tools (MATPOWER, pandapower, PSS/E)"}]},{"id":"el-power-generation","name":"Power Generation Technologies","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How electricity is produced: thermal, nuclear, hydro, wind and solar plants, energy storage, and the economics of generation.","prerequisites":["el-electrical-machines","me-engineering-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","me-power-plants-energy-conversion","me-renewable-energy-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":314,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-generation-1","name":"Energy resources and the generation mix"},{"id":"el-power-generation-2","name":"Thermal plants: Rankine, gas turbine and combined cycle"},{"id":"el-power-generation-3","name":"Nuclear power plants"},{"id":"el-power-generation-4","name":"Hydropower and pumped storage"},{"id":"el-power-generation-5","name":"Wind energy conversion: turbines and generator types (DFIG, PMSG)"},{"id":"el-power-generation-6","name":"Solar photovoltaic systems: cells, modules, arrays, MPPT"},{"id":"el-power-generation-7","name":"Other renewables: geothermal, tidal, biomass"},{"id":"el-power-generation-8","name":"Energy storage: batteries, flywheels, CAES, hydrogen"},{"id":"el-power-generation-9","name":"Generation economics: capacity factor and LCOE"},{"id":"el-power-generation-10","name":"Environmental impact of generation"}]},{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy","name":"Smart Grid & Energy","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The digital grid: smart meters, demand response, distributed energy resources, microgrid control, renewables and vehicle-to-grid.","prerequisites":["el-power-system-fundamentals","el-iot-architecture-layers"],"related":["el-renewable-grid-integration"],"unlocks":[],"order":316,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy-1","name":"Smart meters (electricity, gas, water)"},{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy-2","name":"Demand response systems"},{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy-3","name":"Distributed energy resources (DER)"},{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy-4","name":"Microgrid control"},{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy-5","name":"Grid stability and fault detection"},{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy-6","name":"Renewable energy integration (solar, wind)"},{"id":"el-smart-grid-energy-7","name":"Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) systems"}]},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution","name":"Transmission & Distribution Systems","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The hardware and design of the grid between plant and customer: overhead lines, cables, substations and distribution networks.","prerequisites":["el-power-system-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":317,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-1","name":"Overhead line design: conductors, sag-tension, insulators, towers"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-2","name":"Underground cables: construction, capacitance, ampacity"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-3","name":"Corona and radio interference"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-4","name":"Substations: layouts, switchgear and busbar schemes"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-5","name":"Distribution system architectures (radial, loop, network)"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-6","name":"Distribution transformers and voltage regulation (tap changers, capacitor banks)"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-7","name":"Neutral grounding of power systems"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-8","name":"Distribution automation and fault location (FLISR)"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-9","name":"Losses and efficiency in T&D"},{"id":"el-transmission-distribution-10","name":"Distributed generation in distribution networks and hosting capacity"}]},{"id":"el-power-quality","name":"Power Quality & Harmonics","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Voltage sags, transients, flicker and harmonics: their sources, effects, standards, measurement and mitigation.","prerequisites":["el-power-system-fundamentals","el-power-electronics-fundamentals"],"related":["el-power-analysis"],"unlocks":[],"order":321,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-quality-1","name":"Power-quality phenomena: sags, swells, interruptions, transients, flicker"},{"id":"el-power-quality-2","name":"Harmonics: sources, effects and THD"},{"id":"el-power-quality-3","name":"Harmonic standards (IEEE 519, IEC 61000-3)"},{"id":"el-power-quality-4","name":"Passive and active harmonic filters"},{"id":"el-power-quality-5","name":"Voltage unbalance"},{"id":"el-power-quality-6","name":"Power-quality monitoring (IEC 61000-4-30)"},{"id":"el-power-quality-7","name":"Mitigation devices: UPS, DVR, STATCOM"},{"id":"el-power-quality-8","name":"Wiring and grounding problems that cause PQ issues"}]},{"id":"el-electric-drives","name":"Electric Drives","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Controlling motors with power electronics: DC drives, V/f and vector control of AC machines, DTC, sensorless and traction drives.","prerequisites":["el-electrical-machines","el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters"],"related":["el-motor-control","el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":327,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-electric-drives-1","name":"Drive system elements, load dynamics and four-quadrant operation"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-2","name":"DC motor drives (choppers and phase-controlled rectifiers)"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-3","name":"Scalar V/f control of induction motors"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-4","name":"Field-oriented (vector) control"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-5","name":"Direct torque control"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-6","name":"PMSM and BLDC drives"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-7","name":"Sensorless control techniques"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-8","name":"Regenerative braking"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-9","name":"Variable-frequency drive applications and efficiency standards"},{"id":"el-electric-drives-10","name":"Traction drives for EVs and rail"}]},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering","name":"High-Voltage Engineering","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Insulation and breakdown at high voltage: gas, liquid and solid dielectrics, HV generation and testing, overvoltages and insulation coordination.","prerequisites":["el-electrical-materials","el-power-system-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":336,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-1","name":"Electric field stress and field control"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-2","name":"Breakdown in gases: Townsend and streamer mechanisms, Paschen's law"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-3","name":"Breakdown in liquid and solid dielectrics"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-4","name":"Partial discharge and its measurement"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-5","name":"Generation of high AC, DC and impulse voltages (Marx generator)"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-6","name":"High-voltage measurement: dividers and sphere gaps"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-7","name":"Lightning and switching overvoltages"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-8","name":"Insulation coordination and surge arresters"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-9","name":"High-voltage testing of equipment (IEC 60060)"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-10","name":"Insulators, bushings and HV cables"},{"id":"el-high-voltage-engineering-11","name":"Gas-insulated switchgear"}]},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines","name":"Permanent-Magnet & Special Machines","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Machine theory and design of BLDC, PMSM, switched-reluctance and other special machines used in EVs, drones and robots.","prerequisites":["el-electrical-machines"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":338,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-1","name":"Permanent-magnet materials and magnetic design"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-2","name":"BLDC motors: trapezoidal back-EMF and construction"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-3","name":"PMSM: sinusoidal back-EMF, dq model, surface vs interior magnets"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-4","name":"Switched-reluctance machines"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-5","name":"Stepper and synchronous-reluctance machines"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-6","name":"Axial-flux and in-wheel machines"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-7","name":"Machine design: winding layouts, slot/pole combinations, cogging torque"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-8","name":"Finite-element analysis of machines"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-9","name":"Thermal design of machines"},{"id":"el-pm-special-machines-10","name":"Linear motors"}]},{"id":"el-power-system-stability","name":"Power System Dynamics, Stability & Control","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Keeping the grid synchronized: rotor-angle, frequency and voltage stability, excitation and governor control, and low-inertia systems.","prerequisites":["el-power-flow-analysis","el-control-theory"],"related":["ma-dynamical-systems"],"unlocks":["el-renewable-grid-integration"],"order":346,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-system-stability-1","name":"Classification of power system stability"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-2","name":"The swing equation and equal-area criterion"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-3","name":"Multi-machine transient stability simulation"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-4","name":"Small-signal stability and power system stabilizers"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-5","name":"Excitation systems and automatic voltage regulators"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-6","name":"Governors, load-frequency control and AGC"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-7","name":"Voltage stability: PV and QV curves"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-8","name":"Low-inertia grids and synthetic inertia"},{"id":"el-power-system-stability-9","name":"Dynamic simulation tools (PSS/E, PowerFactory)"}]},{"id":"el-power-system-protection","name":"Power System Protection & Switchgear","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Detecting and isolating faults: protective relays and schemes, coordination, circuit breakers and digital substations.","prerequisites":["el-power-system-fault-analysis"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":347,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-system-protection-1","name":"Protection philosophy: zones, selectivity, speed, reliability"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-2","name":"Current and voltage transformers for protection, CT saturation"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-3","name":"Overcurrent relays and time-current coordination"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-4","name":"Directional protection"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-5","name":"Distance protection of lines"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-6","name":"Differential protection of transformers, generators and busbars"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-7","name":"Pilot and communication-assisted line protection"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-8","name":"Generator and motor protection"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-9","name":"Circuit breakers: arc interruption, SF6 and vacuum"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-10","name":"Numerical relays and IEC 61850 digital substations"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-11","name":"Distribution protection: fuses, reclosers and sectionalizers"},{"id":"el-power-system-protection-12","name":"Protection challenges with inverter-based resources"}]},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts","name":"HVDC & FACTS","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Power-electronic transmission: line-commutated and VSC HVDC, multi-terminal DC grids and flexible AC transmission devices.","prerequisites":["el-high-power-converters","el-power-flow-analysis"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":349,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-1","name":"Why HVDC: economics and applications"},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-2","name":"Line-commutated converter HVDC (6- and 12-pulse)"},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-3","name":"Voltage-source converter HVDC and MMC stations"},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-4","name":"HVDC control and protection, DC circuit breakers"},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-5","name":"Multi-terminal DC grids"},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-6","name":"FACTS devices: SVC, TCSC, STATCOM, SSSC, UPFC"},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-7","name":"Reactive power compensation"},{"id":"el-hvdc-facts-8","name":"Applications: offshore wind connection and interconnectors"}]},{"id":"el-power-system-operation","name":"Power System Operation, Planning & Markets","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How grids are operated and planned: control centres, state estimation, unit commitment, reserves, electricity markets and reliability.","prerequisites":["el-power-flow-analysis"],"related":["ma-integer-programming","ma-operations-research"],"unlocks":[],"order":350,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-system-operation-1","name":"SCADA, EMS and control-centre operations"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-2","name":"State estimation"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-3","name":"Unit commitment"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-4","name":"Reserves and ancillary services"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-5","name":"Electricity markets: day-ahead, real-time and locational marginal prices"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-6","name":"Security-constrained economic dispatch"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-7","name":"Generation and transmission expansion planning"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-8","name":"Reliability indices (LOLE, SAIDI, SAIFI)"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-9","name":"Demand response programmes"},{"id":"el-power-system-operation-10","name":"Power-grid cyber security (NERC CIP)"}]},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration","name":"Grid Integration of Renewables & Energy Storage","category":"Electrical Machines & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Running a grid dominated by wind, solar and batteries: inverter-based resources, grid codes, microgrids, storage and flexibility.","prerequisites":["el-power-system-stability","el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","me-renewable-energy-systems","el-smart-grid-energy"],"unlocks":[],"order":354,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-1","name":"Variability and forecasting of wind and solar"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-2","name":"Inverter-based resources and grid codes (fault ride-through, IEEE 1547)"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-3","name":"Hosting capacity and voltage management"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-4","name":"Grid-forming vs grid-following inverters"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-5","name":"Frequency response and synthetic inertia"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-6","name":"Battery energy storage systems: sizing and grid services"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-7","name":"Microgrids: architectures, droop and hierarchical control"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-8","name":"Virtual power plants and DER aggregation"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-9","name":"Flexibility, curtailment and demand-side resources"},{"id":"el-renewable-grid-integration-10","name":"EV integration and vehicle-to-grid"}]},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals","name":"Embedded Systems Fundamentals","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The engineering view of microcontroller systems: architecture, memory map, C at the register level, interrupts, timers, ADCs and serial buses.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers","el-sequential-logic","cs-systems-programming"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-bare-metal-programming","el-battery-management-systems-bms","el-debug-interfaces","el-development-kits-evaluation-boards","el-ethernet-networking","el-iot-architecture-layers","el-microcontroller-families","el-ml-algorithms-for-resource-constrained-devices","el-peripheral-controllers","el-processor-architecture-concepts","el-sensor-interfacing","el-serial-protocols","el-short-range-wireless","el-software-debugging","el-synchronous-serial-protocols","el-tinyml-tiny-machine-learning","ai-edge-ai-embedded-ml","ae-command-data-handling"],"order":32,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-1","name":"What makes a system embedded: constraints and examples"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-2","name":"Microcontroller architecture: CPU core, buses, memory map, peripherals"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-3","name":"Toolchain overview: compiler, linker, flashing and debugging"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-4","name":"C for embedded systems: fixed-width types, bit manipulation, volatile"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-5","name":"GPIO configuration and electrical characteristics (push-pull, open-drain, pull-ups)"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-6","name":"Interrupts and the exception model"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-7","name":"Timers, counters, input capture and PWM"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-8","name":"ADC and DAC usage"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-9","name":"Serial interfaces overview: UART, I2C, SPI"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-10","name":"Clock trees and power modes"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-11","name":"Memory types: flash, SRAM, EEPROM"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-12","name":"Software architectures: super-loop, interrupt-driven, event-driven"},{"id":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals-13","name":"An embedded design project from requirements to test"}]},{"id":"el-peripheral-controllers","name":"Peripheral Controllers","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Programming the on-chip peripherals every firmware engineer uses: timers and PWM, ADC/DAC, DMA, RTC, watchdogs, GPIO, interrupt controllers and CRC.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-device-drivers","el-low-power-design","el-motor-control"],"order":63,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-peripheral-controllers-1","name":"Timers and PWM (Pulse Width Modulation)"},{"id":"el-peripheral-controllers-2","name":"ADC and DAC peripherals"},{"id":"el-peripheral-controllers-3","name":"DMA controllers"},{"id":"el-peripheral-controllers-4","name":"Real-Time Clock (RTC)"},{"id":"el-peripheral-controllers-5","name":"Watchdog 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Macrocell)"},{"id":"el-debug-interfaces-5","name":"CoreSight debug architecture"},{"id":"el-debug-interfaces-6","name":"On-chip debugging features"}]},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families","name":"Microcontroller Families","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The main processor families in embedded products (ARM Cortex-M/A/R, AVR, PIC, MSP430, RISC-V, x86, 8051) and how to choose between them.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-system-on-chip-platforms"],"order":72,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-1","name":"ARM Cortex-M series (M0, M0+, M3, M4, M7, M33, M55)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-2","name":"ARM Cortex-A series (application processors)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-3","name":"ARM Cortex-R series (real-time processors)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-4","name":"AVR (ATmega, ATtiny)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-5","name":"PIC (8-bit, 16-bit, 32-bit)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-6","name":"MSP430 (ultra-low-power)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-7","name":"RISC-V cores (open architecture)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-8","name":"x86 embedded (Intel Atom, AMD)"},{"id":"el-microcontroller-families-9","name":"8051 architecture (legacy but still used)"}]},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts","name":"Processor Architecture Concepts","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How processors execute code: ISAs, RISC vs CISC, pipelining, branch prediction, caches, coherency, MMUs, MPUs and virtual memory.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":["cs-computer-organization","cs-computer-architecture"],"unlocks":["el-boot-startup","el-hardware-accelerators","el-soft-processors-ip-cores","el-system-on-chip-soc"],"order":78,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-10","name":"Von Neumann vs Harvard architectures and the instruction cycle"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-11","name":"Computer arithmetic and the ALU"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-1","name":"RISC vs CISC architectures"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-2","name":"Instruction set architecture (ISA)"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-3","name":"Pipelining and superscalar execution"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-4","name":"Branch prediction and speculative execution"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-5","name":"Cache hierarchy (L1, L2, L3)"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-6","name":"Cache coherency protocols"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-7","name":"Memory Management Unit (MMU)"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-8","name":"Memory Protection Unit (MPU)"},{"id":"el-processor-architecture-concepts-9","name":"Virtual memory and paging"}]},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms","name":"System-on-Chip Platforms","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Popular commercial chips and platforms (ESP32, STM32, i.MX, nRF, RP2040, Snapdragon) and their typical applications.","prerequisites":["el-microcontroller-families"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":102,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-1","name":"ESP32, ESP8266 (Wi-Fi/Bluetooth)"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-2","name":"STM32 series (STMicroelectronics)"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-3","name":"NXP i.MX series (multimedia applications)"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-4","name":"Qualcomm Snapdragon (mobile)"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-5","name":"MediaTek SoCs"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-6","name":"Raspberry Pi RP2040"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-7","name":"Nordic nRF series (Bluetooth/wireless)"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-platforms-8","name":"Texas Instruments CC series"}]},{"id":"el-boot-startup","name":"Boot & Startup","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"What happens from reset to main(): bootloaders, startup code and C runtime initialization, vector tables and chains of trust.","prerequisites":["el-bare-metal-programming","el-processor-architecture-concepts"],"related":["cs-advanced-operating-systems"],"unlocks":["el-board-support-packages-bsp","el-embedded-linux","el-firmware-updates-ota","el-secure-boot-root-of-trust"],"order":114,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-boot-startup-1","name":"Boot process and initialization"},{"id":"el-boot-startup-2","name":"Bootloaders (U-Boot, GRUB, custom)"},{"id":"el-boot-startup-3","name":"Startup code and C runtime initialization"},{"id":"el-boot-startup-4","name":"Vector table and exception handlers"},{"id":"el-boot-startup-5","name":"Memory initialization"},{"id":"el-boot-startup-6","name":"Peripheral initialization"},{"id":"el-boot-startup-7","name":"Secure boot and chain of trust"}]},{"id":"el-low-power-design","name":"Low-Power Design","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The hardware mechanisms for saving energy: sleep modes, DVFS, clock and power gating, power domains and wake-up sources.","prerequisites":["el-peripheral-controllers"],"related":["el-low-power-design-strategies"],"unlocks":["el-implantable-devices","el-low-power-design-strategies","el-wearable-technology-deep-dive"],"order":128,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-low-power-design-1","name":"Power modes (sleep, deep sleep, standby, shutdown)"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-2","name":"Dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS)"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-3","name":"Clock gating and power gating"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-4","name":"Power domains and isolation"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-5","name":"Wake-up sources and wake-up latency"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-6","name":"Energy profiling and optimization"}]},{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies","name":"Low-Power Design Strategies","category":"Microcontrollers, Processors & Architectures","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"System-level strategies for battery life: duty cycling, peripheral power management, sub-microamp modes and power profiling.","prerequisites":["el-low-power-design"],"related":["el-low-power-design"],"unlocks":[],"order":177,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies-1","name":"Duty cycling and sleep modes"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies-2","name":"Dynamic Voltage and Frequency Scaling (DVFS)"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies-3","name":"Clock gating and power gating"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies-4","name":"Peripheral power management"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies-5","name":"Wake-up source optimization"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies-6","name":"Ultra-low-power modes (sub-µA)"},{"id":"el-low-power-design-strategies-7","name":"Power profiling and optimization tools"}]},{"id":"el-programming-languages","name":"Programming Languages for Embedded Systems","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The languages used in embedded systems (C, C++, assembly, Rust, MicroPython, Ada, Lua) and their trade-offs.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":["cs-systems-programming","cs-modern-systems-languages"],"unlocks":["el-build-systems","el-embedded-cc-best-practices"],"order":47,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-programming-languages-1","name":"C (embedded C standards)"},{"id":"el-programming-languages-2","name":"C++ (embedded C++, modern C++)"},{"id":"el-programming-languages-3","name":"Assembly language (ARM, x86, AVR, RISC-V)"},{"id":"el-programming-languages-4","name":"Rust (memory-safe embedded programming)"},{"id":"el-programming-languages-5","name":"Python (MicroPython, CircuitPython)"},{"id":"el-programming-languages-6","name":"Ada (safety-critical systems)"},{"id":"el-programming-languages-7","name":"Lua (embedded scripting)"},{"id":"el-programming-languages-8","name":"Java ME (Java Micro Edition)"}]},{"id":"el-bare-metal-programming","name":"Bare-Metal Programming","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Programming a microcontroller without an operating system: register access, bit manipulation, memory-mapped I/O and interrupt service routines.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":["cs-systems-programming"],"unlocks":["el-boot-startup","el-concurrency-synchronization","el-embedded-cc-best-practices","el-firmware-development"],"order":59,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-bare-metal-programming-1","name":"Direct register manipulation"},{"id":"el-bare-metal-programming-2","name":"Bitwise operations and bit manipulation"},{"id":"el-bare-metal-programming-3","name":"Volatile keyword usage"},{"id":"el-bare-metal-programming-4","name":"Memory-mapped I/O"},{"id":"el-bare-metal-programming-5","name":"Interrupt service routines 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optimization.","prerequisites":["el-bare-metal-programming","el-programming-languages"],"related":["cs-systems-programming"],"unlocks":["el-firmware-software-security","el-memory-management","el-multi-device-multi-platform-development","el-static-analysis-linters","el-testing-strategies"],"order":121,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices-1","name":"Coding standards (MISRA C, CERT C)"},{"id":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices-2","name":"Const correctness and type safety"},{"id":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices-3","name":"Static and inline functions"},{"id":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices-4","name":"Function pointers and callbacks"},{"id":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices-5","name":"Bit fields and unions"},{"id":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices-6","name":"Preprocessor macros and conditional compilation"},{"id":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices-7","name":"Optimization levels and compiler flags"}]},{"id":"el-firmware-development","name":"Firmware 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probing"},{"id":"el-device-drivers-7","name":"Interrupt handling in drivers"}]},{"id":"el-embedded-linux","name":"Embedded Linux","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Running Linux on embedded hardware: kernel configuration, PREEMPT_RT, device trees, kernel modules and building images with Yocto and Buildroot.","prerequisites":["el-boot-startup","cs-operating-systems"],"related":["cs-advanced-operating-systems","cs-linux-system-administration"],"unlocks":["el-boot-time-optimization","el-linux-system-services"],"order":168,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-embedded-linux-1","name":"Linux kernel for embedded systems"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-2","name":"Real-time patches (PREEMPT_RT)"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-3","name":"Yocto Project (custom Linux distributions)"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-4","name":"Buildroot (lightweight build system)"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-5","name":"OpenWrt (router/networking focused)"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-6","name":"Device tree and kernel configuration"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-7","name":"Kernel modules and drivers"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-8","name":"User space vs kernel space"},{"id":"el-embedded-linux-9","name":"System calls and interfaces"}]},{"id":"el-memory-management","name":"Embedded Memory Management","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Managing scarce memory safely: stack vs heap, fragmentation, memory pools, overflow detection, protection and linker scripts.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-cc-best-practices"],"related":["cs-systems-programming"],"unlocks":[],"order":169,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-memory-management-1","name":"Stack vs heap allocation"},{"id":"el-memory-management-2","name":"Memory fragmentation"},{"id":"el-memory-management-3","name":"Static and dynamic allocation"},{"id":"el-memory-management-4","name":"Memory pools and custom allocators"},{"id":"el-memory-management-5","name":"Stack overflow detection"},{"id":"el-memory-management-6","name":"Memory protection and bounds checking"},{"id":"el-memory-management-7","name":"Linker scripts and memory sections"}]},{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota","name":"Firmware Updates & OTA","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Updating firmware safely in the field: bootloader design, A/B partitions, delta updates, signing, rollback protection and recovery.","prerequisites":["el-firmware-development","el-boot-startup"],"related":["el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies"],"unlocks":["el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies"],"order":172,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota-1","name":"Over-the-air (OTA) update mechanisms"},{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota-2","name":"Bootloader design for updates"},{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota-3","name":"A/B partition schemes"},{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota-4","name":"Delta updates and differential patching"},{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota-5","name":"Update security (signing, encryption)"},{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota-6","name":"Rollback protection"},{"id":"el-firmware-updates-ota-7","name":"Update failure recovery"}]},{"id":"el-device-configuration-management","name":"Device Configuration Management","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Managing settings on deployed devices: factory defaults, user parameters, file formats, versioning, remote updates and backup.","prerequisites":["el-firmware-development"],"related":["el-configuration-management"],"unlocks":[],"order":194,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-device-configuration-management-1","name":"Factory defaults"},{"id":"el-device-configuration-management-2","name":"User-configurable parameters"},{"id":"el-device-configuration-management-3","name":"Configuration file formats"},{"id":"el-device-configuration-management-4","name":"Configuration versioning"},{"id":"el-device-configuration-management-5","name":"Over-the-air configuration updates"},{"id":"el-device-configuration-management-6","name":"Configuration backup and restore"}]},{"id":"el-internationalization-i18n-localization-l10n","name":"Internationalization (i18n) & Localization (l10n)","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Making device software work across languages and regions: Unicode, formats for dates, numbers, currencies and units.","prerequisites":["el-firmware-development"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":207,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-internationalization-i18n-localization-l10n-1","name":"Multi-language support"},{"id":"el-internationalization-i18n-localization-l10n-2","name":"Unicode and UTF-8 handling"},{"id":"el-internationalization-i18n-localization-l10n-3","name":"Date, time, and number formatting"},{"id":"el-internationalization-i18n-localization-l10n-4","name":"Currency and unit conversions"},{"id":"el-internationalization-i18n-localization-l10n-5","name":"Locale-specific features"}]},{"id":"el-rtos-concepts","name":"RTOS Concepts","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How an RTOS kernel schedules work: tasks, preemptive and cooperative scheduling, rate-monotonic and EDF, context switching.","prerequisites":["el-real-time-concepts"],"related":["cs-operating-systems"],"unlocks":["el-rtos-services"],"order":215,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-rtos-concepts-1","name":"Task/thread management"},{"id":"el-rtos-concepts-2","name":"Scheduling algorithms (preemptive, cooperative, round-robin)"},{"id":"el-rtos-concepts-3","name":"Priority-based scheduling"},{"id":"el-rtos-concepts-4","name":"Rate-Monotonic Scheduling (RMS)"},{"id":"el-rtos-concepts-5","name":"Earliest Deadline First (EDF)"},{"id":"el-rtos-concepts-6","name":"Context switching overhead"},{"id":"el-rtos-concepts-7","name":"Idle task and hook functions"}]},{"id":"el-linux-system-services","name":"Linux System Services","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The user-space side of embedded Linux: init systems, processes and threads, IPC, flash file systems, networking and security modules.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-linux"],"related":["cs-linux-system-administration"],"unlocks":["el-containers-virtualization"],"order":229,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-linux-system-services-1","name":"init systems (systemd, SysVinit, OpenRC)"},{"id":"el-linux-system-services-2","name":"Process management (fork, exec, pthread)"},{"id":"el-linux-system-services-3","name":"IPC mechanisms (pipes, sockets, shared memory, message queues)"},{"id":"el-linux-system-services-4","name":"File systems (ext4, squashfs, JFFS2, UBIFS)"},{"id":"el-linux-system-services-5","name":"Networking stack"},{"id":"el-linux-system-services-6","name":"Security modules (SELinux, AppArmor)"}]},{"id":"el-board-support-packages-bsp","name":"Board Support Packages (BSP)","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Bringing up software on a new board: BSP structure, hardware initialization, board configuration and porting.","prerequisites":["el-device-drivers","el-boot-startup"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":241,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"el-board-support-packages-bsp-1","name":"BSP architecture and components"},{"id":"el-board-support-packages-bsp-2","name":"Hardware initialization"},{"id":"el-board-support-packages-bsp-3","name":"Peripheral drivers"},{"id":"el-board-support-packages-bsp-4","name":"Board-specific configuration"},{"id":"el-board-support-packages-bsp-5","name":"BSP customization and porting"}]},{"id":"el-boot-time-optimization","name":"Boot Time Optimization","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Making devices start fast: streamlined bootloaders, parallel and deferred initialization and fast Linux boot techniques.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-linux"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":254,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-boot-time-optimization-1","name":"Bootloader streamlining"},{"id":"el-boot-time-optimization-2","name":"Parallel initialization"},{"id":"el-boot-time-optimization-3","name":"Deferred initialization"},{"id":"el-boot-time-optimization-4","name":"Fast boot techniques for Linux"},{"id":"el-boot-time-optimization-5","name":"Splash screen optimization"},{"id":"el-boot-time-optimization-6","name":"Cold start vs warm start"}]},{"id":"el-rtos-services","name":"RTOS Services","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Using RTOS APIs in practice: task creation, synchronization primitives, software timers, memory and interrupt management, tick configuration.","prerequisites":["el-rtos-concepts"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos"],"order":280,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-rtos-services-1","name":"Task creation and deletion"},{"id":"el-rtos-services-2","name":"Task synchronization primitives"},{"id":"el-rtos-services-3","name":"Timers (software timers)"},{"id":"el-rtos-services-4","name":"Memory management APIs"},{"id":"el-rtos-services-5","name":"Interrupt management"},{"id":"el-rtos-services-6","name":"Time management and tick configuration"}]},{"id":"el-containers-virtualization","name":"Containers & Virtualization","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Isolating embedded workloads with containers (Docker, balena, LXC), hypervisors (KVM, Xen) and microkernels.","prerequisites":["el-linux-system-services"],"related":["cs-virtualization-containers"],"unlocks":[],"order":291,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-containers-virtualization-1","name":"Docker containers on embedded"},{"id":"el-containers-virtualization-2","name":"Balena (container platform for IoT)"},{"id":"el-containers-virtualization-3","name":"LXC (Linux Containers)"},{"id":"el-containers-virtualization-4","name":"Hypervisors for embedded (KVM, Xen)"},{"id":"el-containers-virtualization-5","name":"Microkernel architectures"}]},{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies","name":"Over-the-Air (OTA) Update Strategies","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Fleet-scale update strategy: full vs delta images, staged rollouts, verification, rollback and resumable background downloads.","prerequisites":["el-firmware-updates-ota","el-device-management"],"related":["el-firmware-updates-ota"],"unlocks":[],"order":300,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies-1","name":"Full firmware updates"},{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies-2","name":"Delta/differential updates"},{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies-3","name":"A/B partition updates"},{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies-4","name":"Staged rollouts"},{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies-5","name":"Update verification and rollback"},{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies-6","name":"Resume interrupted updates"},{"id":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies-7","name":"Background downloads"}]},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos","name":"RTOS Landscape","category":"Embedded Software, Firmware & RTOS","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"A tour of real RTOSes (FreeRTOS, Zephyr, ThreadX, VxWorks, QNX, RTEMS, SafeRTOS) and how to choose one.","prerequisites":["el-rtos-services"],"related":["cs-operating-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":315,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-1","name":"FreeRTOS"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-2","name":"Zephyr RTOS"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-3","name":"ThreadX (Azure RTOS)"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-4","name":"VxWorks"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-5","name":"RTEMS (Real-Time Executive for Multiprocessor Systems)"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-6","name":"QNX"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-7","name":"embOS"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-8","name":"µC/OS (MicroC/OS-II, III)"},{"id":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos-9","name":"SafeRTOS (safety-certified)"}]},{"id":"el-hardware-description-languages-hdl","name":"Hardware Description Languages (HDL)","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Describing hardware in code with VHDL, Verilog and SystemVerilog, plus newer HDLs such as Chisel and SpinalHDL.","prerequisites":["el-sequential-logic"],"related":["cs-computer-architecture"],"unlocks":["el-asic-physical-design","el-design-verification","el-fpga-architectures"],"order":33,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-hardware-description-languages-hdl-1","name":"VHDL (VHSIC Hardware Description Language)"},{"id":"el-hardware-description-languages-hdl-2","name":"Verilog"},{"id":"el-hardware-description-languages-hdl-3","name":"SystemVerilog"},{"id":"el-hardware-description-languages-hdl-4","name":"Chisel (Scala-based HDL)"},{"id":"el-hardware-description-languages-hdl-5","name":"MyHDL (Python-based)"},{"id":"el-hardware-description-languages-hdl-6","name":"SpinalHDL"}]},{"id":"el-integrated-circuit-types","name":"Integrated Circuit Types","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"An overview of the kinds of integrated circuits: digital, analog, mixed-signal, power management, ASICs and ASSPs.","prerequisites":["el-active-components"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":40,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-integrated-circuit-types-1","name":"Digital ICs (logic gates, registers, counters, ALUs)"},{"id":"el-integrated-circuit-types-2","name":"Analog ICs (op-amps, comparators, voltage regulators)"},{"id":"el-integrated-circuit-types-3","name":"Mixed-signal ICs (ADC, DAC, codec)"},{"id":"el-integrated-circuit-types-4","name":"Power management ICs (PMIC)"},{"id":"el-integrated-circuit-types-5","name":"Application-Specific ICs (ASIC)"},{"id":"el-integrated-circuit-types-6","name":"Application-Specific Standard Products (ASSP)"}]},{"id":"el-fpga-architectures","name":"FPGA Architectures","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"What is inside an FPGA: logic blocks, interconnect, I/O and transceivers, block RAM, DSP slices and clock management.","prerequisites":["el-hardware-description-languages-hdl"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-fpga-design-flow","el-fpga-vendors-families"],"order":83,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-fpga-architectures-1","name":"Logic blocks and configurable logic elements"},{"id":"el-fpga-architectures-2","name":"Programmable interconnects"},{"id":"el-fpga-architectures-3","name":"I/O blocks and transceivers"},{"id":"el-fpga-architectures-4","name":"Embedded memory blocks (BRAM, URAM)"},{"id":"el-fpga-architectures-5","name":"DSP slices and hard IP"},{"id":"el-fpga-architectures-6","name":"Clock management (PLL, MMCM, DLL)"}]},{"id":"el-design-verification","name":"Digital Design Verification","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Proving that a chip design is correct before tape-out: SystemVerilog testbenches, UVM, coverage, assertions, formal methods and emulation.","prerequisites":["el-hardware-description-languages-hdl"],"related":["ma-formal-verification"],"unlocks":["el-system-on-chip-soc"],"order":91,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-design-verification-1","name":"Verification planning and coverage-driven verification"},{"id":"el-design-verification-2","name":"SystemVerilog for verification: classes, interfaces, randomization"},{"id":"el-design-verification-3","name":"Constrained-random testbenches and scoreboards"},{"id":"el-design-verification-4","name":"UVM methodology"},{"id":"el-design-verification-5","name":"Functional and code coverage"},{"id":"el-design-verification-6","name":"SystemVerilog assertions (SVA)"},{"id":"el-design-verification-7","name":"Formal verification: equivalence and model checking"},{"id":"el-design-verification-8","name":"Emulation and FPGA prototyping for verification"},{"id":"el-design-verification-9","name":"Gate-level simulation"},{"id":"el-design-verification-10","name":"SoC-level and IP integration verification"},{"id":"el-design-verification-11","name":"Open-source verification (cocotb, Verilator)"}]},{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow","name":"FPGA Design Flow","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Taking an FPGA design from RTL to a working bitstream: simulation, synthesis, place and route, timing closure and configuration.","prerequisites":["el-fpga-architectures","el-timing-synchronization"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-high-level-synthesis-hls","el-soft-processors-ip-cores"],"order":109,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow-1","name":"RTL design and coding"},{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow-2","name":"Simulation and testbenches"},{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow-3","name":"Synthesis (logic synthesis)"},{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow-4","name":"Place and route"},{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow-5","name":"Timing analysis and timing closure"},{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow-6","name":"Bitstream generation"},{"id":"el-fpga-design-flow-7","name":"Programming and configuration"}]},{"id":"el-fpga-vendors-families","name":"FPGA Vendors & Families","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"The FPGA market: AMD/Xilinx, Intel/Altera, Lattice, Microchip and newer vendors, and which families suit which jobs.","prerequisites":["el-fpga-architectures"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":150,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-fpga-vendors-families-1","name":"Xilinx (AMD): Spartan, Artix, Kintex, Virtex, Zynq"},{"id":"el-fpga-vendors-families-2","name":"Intel (Altera): Cyclone, Arria, Stratix"},{"id":"el-fpga-vendors-families-3","name":"Lattice Semiconductor: iCE40, ECP5, CrossLink"},{"id":"el-fpga-vendors-families-4","name":"Microchip (Microsemi): PolarFire, IGLOO"},{"id":"el-fpga-vendors-families-5","name":"Gowin, Efinix (emerging vendors)"}]},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-soc","name":"System-on-Chip (SoC) Design","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Architecting a system-on-chip: IP integration, on-chip buses (AXI/AHB/APB), heterogeneous multicore, HW/SW co-design and SoC verification.","prerequisites":["el-processor-architecture-concepts","el-design-verification"],"related":["cs-advanced-computer-architecture"],"unlocks":["el-hardware-software-codesign"],"order":152,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-system-on-chip-soc-1","name":"SoC architecture and integration"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-soc-2","name":"IP (Intellectual Property) cores"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-soc-3","name":"On-chip buses (AXI, AHB, APB, Wishbone)"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-soc-4","name":"Multi-core and heterogeneous systems"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-soc-5","name":"Hardware-software co-design"},{"id":"el-system-on-chip-soc-6","name":"SoC verification and validation"}]},{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores","name":"Soft Processors & IP Cores","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Building systems inside an FPGA from soft processors (MicroBlaze, Nios, RISC-V) and IP cores on AXI, Avalon or Wishbone buses.","prerequisites":["el-fpga-design-flow","el-processor-architecture-concepts"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-advanced-fpga-techniques"],"order":185,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores-1","name":"MicroBlaze (Xilinx soft processor)"},{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores-2","name":"Nios II (Intel soft processor)"},{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores-3","name":"RISC-V soft cores (VexRiscv, PicoRV32)"},{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores-4","name":"IP core integration"},{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores-5","name":"AXI bus protocol"},{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores-6","name":"Avalon bus protocol"},{"id":"el-soft-processors-ip-cores-7","name":"Wishbone bus"}]},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign","name":"Hardware/Software Co-Design","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Deciding what runs in software and what becomes hardware, then designing both together for performance, power and cost.","prerequisites":["el-system-on-chip-soc"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":210,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-1","name":"Co-design motivation and design-space exploration"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-2","name":"System modelling and executable specifications"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-3","name":"Profiling and hotspot analysis"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-4","name":"Hardware/software partitioning"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-5","name":"Accelerators and custom instructions"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-6","name":"Interfaces: buses, DMA, memory-mapped I/O"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-7","name":"High-level synthesis in co-design flows"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-8","name":"Virtual prototypes and co-simulation"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-9","name":"Driver and firmware for custom hardware"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-10","name":"Performance, power and area trade-offs"},{"id":"el-hardware-software-codesign-11","name":"Case studies: DSP, crypto and ML accelerators"}]},{"id":"el-high-level-synthesis-hls","name":"High-Level Synthesis (HLS)","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Generating hardware from C/C++ with HLS tools and directives for pipelining, unrolling and interface synthesis.","prerequisites":["el-fpga-design-flow"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":211,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-high-level-synthesis-hls-1","name":"C/C++ to RTL conversion"},{"id":"el-high-level-synthesis-hls-2","name":"Xilinx Vitis 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acceleration"},{"id":"el-advanced-fpga-techniques-5","name":"FPGA-based prototyping"},{"id":"el-advanced-fpga-techniques-6","name":"Multi-FPGA systems"}]},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design","name":"Digital VLSI Circuit Design","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing digital logic at the transistor level in CMOS: inverters, gates, sizing, logical effort, interconnect, power, datapaths and memories.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-devices","el-logic-families"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-asic-physical-design","el-neuromorphic-computing"],"order":272,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-1","name":"MOS transistor models for digital design"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-2","name":"CMOS inverter: voltage transfer curve, noise margins, delay and power"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-3","name":"Static CMOS logic and transistor sizing"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-4","name":"Logical effort and gate-delay optimization"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-5","name":"Ratioed, dynamic and pass-transistor logic"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-6","name":"Sequential elements: latches, flip-flops and their timing"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-7","name":"Interconnect RC and wire delay"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-8","name":"Dynamic and leakage power; low-power circuit techniques"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-9","name":"Datapath design: adders and multipliers"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-10","name":"Memory arrays: SRAM cells and sense amplifiers"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-11","name":"Layout, design rules and stick diagrams"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-12","name":"Process variation and design corners"},{"id":"el-digital-vlsi-design-13","name":"Clocking and clock distribution"}]},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design","name":"Analog Integrated Circuit Design","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing analog circuits on silicon: MOS models for analog, amplifiers, op-amps and compensation, references, noise, mismatch and layout.","prerequisites":["el-amplifier-design","el-semiconductor-devices"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-rf-ic-design"],"order":288,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-1","name":"MOS models for analog design and the gm/ID methodology"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-2","name":"Single-stage amplifiers and cascodes"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-3","name":"Differential amplifiers"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-4","name":"Current mirrors and biasing"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-5","name":"Op-amp design (two-stage, folded cascode) and compensation"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-6","name":"Noise in integrated circuits"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-7","name":"Bandgap references and PTAT circuits"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-8","name":"Switched-capacitor circuits"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-9","name":"Comparators"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-10","name":"Mismatch, offset and matching"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-11","name":"Analog layout techniques"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-12","name":"Data-converter building blocks (SAR, sigma-delta)"},{"id":"el-analog-ic-design-13","name":"On-chip PLLs, oscillators and LDOs"}]},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design","name":"ASIC Design Flow: RTL to GDSII","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The industrial chip implementation flow: synthesis, design-for-test, floorplanning, placement, clock-tree synthesis, routing, timing closure and sign-off.","prerequisites":["el-digital-vlsi-design","el-hardware-description-languages-hdl"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":326,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-1","name":"ASIC vs FPGA and the design flow overview"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-2","name":"Standard-cell libraries and PDKs"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-3","name":"Logic synthesis and timing constraints (SDC)"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-4","name":"Design for test: scan insertion, ATPG, BIST, boundary scan"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-5","name":"Floorplanning and power planning"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-6","name":"Placement"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-7","name":"Clock-tree synthesis"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-8","name":"Routing"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-9","name":"Static timing analysis and timing closure (setup/hold, OCV, MMMC)"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-10","name":"Power analysis and IR drop"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-11","name":"Parasitic extraction and sign-off"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-12","name":"Physical verification: DRC, LVS and antenna checks"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-13","name":"ECOs and tape-out (GDSII)"},{"id":"el-asic-physical-design-14","name":"Open-source flows (OpenROAD, SkyWater PDK)"}]},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design","name":"RF Integrated Circuit Design","category":"FPGA, ASIC & VLSI Design","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Radio transceivers on a chip: LNAs, mixers, VCOs, synthesizers and power amplifiers in CMOS and SiGe.","prerequisites":["el-analog-ic-design","el-rf-microwave-engineering"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":340,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-1","name":"Transceiver architectures: heterodyne, zero-IF, low-IF"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-2","name":"Low-noise amplifier design"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-3","name":"Mixers"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-4","name":"VCOs and phase noise"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-5","name":"Frequency synthesizers (integer-N, fractional-N)"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-6","name":"Power amplifiers and linearization"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-7","name":"On-chip passives: inductors, varactors, transformers"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-8","name":"mmWave CMOS and phased-array ICs"},{"id":"el-rf-ic-design-9","name":"RF IC layout and electromagnetic simulation"}]},{"id":"el-actuators","name":"Actuators","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The devices that make things move: DC, brushless, stepper and servo motors, solenoids, relays and piezo, SMA and voice-coil actuators.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":["el-actuators-drives","ai-actuators-sensors"],"unlocks":["el-actuators-drives","el-motor-control"],"order":36,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-actuators-1","name":"DC motors (brushed, brushless BLDC)"},{"id":"el-actuators-2","name":"Stepper motors (bipolar, unipolar)"},{"id":"el-actuators-3","name":"Servo motors (RC servos, industrial servos)"},{"id":"el-actuators-4","name":"Linear actuators"},{"id":"el-actuators-5","name":"Solenoids and electromagnets"},{"id":"el-actuators-6","name":"Pneumatic and hydraulic actuators"},{"id":"el-actuators-7","name":"Piezoelectric actuators"},{"id":"el-actuators-8","name":"Shape memory alloy (SMA) actuators"},{"id":"el-actuators-9","name":"Voice coil actuators"},{"id":"el-actuators-10","name":"Relays (electromechanical, solid-state)"}]},{"id":"el-environmental-sensors","name":"Environmental Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Measuring temperature, humidity, pressure, air quality, gases and weather with the right sensor technology.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-environmental-climate-monitoring","el-precision-agriculture"],"order":38,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-environmental-sensors-1","name":"Temperature sensors (thermistors, RTD, thermocouple, IC sensors, infrared)"},{"id":"el-environmental-sensors-2","name":"Humidity sensors (capacitive, resistive)"},{"id":"el-environmental-sensors-3","name":"Pressure sensors (barometric, differential, absolute, gauge)"},{"id":"el-environmental-sensors-4","name":"Air quality sensors (CO2, CO, VOC, PM2.5, PM10, ozone, NOx)"},{"id":"el-environmental-sensors-5","name":"Gas sensors (electrochemical, semiconductor, catalytic, infrared)"},{"id":"el-environmental-sensors-6","name":"Weather sensors (wind speed, wind direction, rainfall, UV index)"},{"id":"el-environmental-sensors-7","name":"Altitude sensors"}]},{"id":"el-inertial-sensors","name":"Inertial Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers and IMUs: how they work and how to use them for motion and orientation.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-avionics-systems","el-entertainment-gaming","el-sensor-fusion"],"order":39,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-inertial-sensors-1","name":"Accelerometers (MEMS, piezoelectric, capacitive)"},{"id":"el-inertial-sensors-2","name":"Gyroscopes (MEMS, ring laser, fiber optic)"},{"id":"el-inertial-sensors-3","name":"Inertial Measurement Units (IMU) - 6-axis, 9-axis"},{"id":"el-inertial-sensors-4","name":"Magnetometers (Hall effect, magnetoresistive, fluxgate)"},{"id":"el-inertial-sensors-5","name":"Tilt sensors and inclinometers"},{"id":"el-inertial-sensors-6","name":"Compass modules"}]},{"id":"el-motion-position-sensors","name":"Motion & Position Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Detecting motion and measuring position with PIR and microwave sensors, encoders, potentiometers, LVDTs and resolvers.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":42,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-motion-position-sensors-1","name":"PIR (Passive Infrared) motion sensors"},{"id":"el-motion-position-sensors-2","name":"Microwave motion sensors"},{"id":"el-motion-position-sensors-3","name":"Encoders (rotary, linear, absolute, incremental)"},{"id":"el-motion-position-sensors-4","name":"Potentiometers and rotary position sensors"},{"id":"el-motion-position-sensors-5","name":"Linear variable differential transformers (LVDT)"},{"id":"el-motion-position-sensors-6","name":"Resolver"}]},{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors","name":"Optical & Light Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Sensing light, colour, UV and infrared with photodiodes, phototransistors and integrated light sensors.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-imaging-vision-sensors"],"order":43,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors-1","name":"Photodiodes and phototransistors"},{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors-2","name":"Ambient light sensors (ALS)"},{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors-3","name":"Color sensors (RGB, spectral)"},{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors-4","name":"UV sensors"},{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors-5","name":"Infrared sensors"},{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors-6","name":"Light-to-frequency converters"},{"id":"el-optical-light-sensors-7","name":"Lux meters"}]},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors","name":"Proximity & Distance Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Detecting presence and measuring distance with infrared, ultrasonic, LiDAR, ToF, radar, capacitive, inductive and Hall-effect sensors.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":48,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-1","name":"Infrared proximity sensors"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-2","name":"Ultrasonic distance sensors (ToF)"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-3","name":"LIDAR (Light Detection and Ranging) - 1D, 2D, 3D"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-4","name":"Laser rangefinders"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-5","name":"Time-of-Flight (ToF) cameras"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-6","name":"Radar sensors (mmWave, UWB)"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-7","name":"Capacitive proximity sensors"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-8","name":"Inductive proximity sensors"},{"id":"el-proximity-distance-sensors-9","name":"Hall effect sensors"}]},{"id":"el-acoustic-vibration-sensors","name":"Acoustic & Vibration Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Capturing sound and vibration with microphones, ultrasonic transducers, piezo and accelerometer-based sensors.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":["ph-acoustics"],"unlocks":["el-underwater-systems"],"order":49,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-acoustic-vibration-sensors-1","name":"Microphones (MEMS, electret, dynamic)"},{"id":"el-acoustic-vibration-sensors-2","name":"Ultrasonic transducers"},{"id":"el-acoustic-vibration-sensors-3","name":"Piezoelectric vibration sensors"},{"id":"el-acoustic-vibration-sensors-4","name":"Accelerometers for vibration"},{"id":"el-acoustic-vibration-sensors-5","name":"Acoustic emission sensors"},{"id":"el-acoustic-vibration-sensors-6","name":"Sound level meters"}]},{"id":"el-flow-liquid-sensors","name":"Flow & Liquid Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Measuring flow, liquid level, leaks and water quality with mechanical, ultrasonic, electromagnetic and electrochemical sensors.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":50,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-flow-liquid-sensors-1","name":"Flow rate sensors (turbine, ultrasonic, electromagnetic, thermal)"},{"id":"el-flow-liquid-sensors-2","name":"Level sensors (float, capacitive, ultrasonic, radar, pressure-based)"},{"id":"el-flow-liquid-sensors-3","name":"Leak detection sensors"},{"id":"el-flow-liquid-sensors-4","name":"Water quality sensors (pH, conductivity, turbidity, dissolved oxygen)"}]},{"id":"el-touch-haptic-sensors","name":"Touch & Haptic Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Touch, gesture and fingerprint sensing and the haptic actuators that give feedback.","prerequisites":["el-intro-microcontrollers"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":51,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-touch-haptic-sensors-1","name":"Capacitive touch sensors"},{"id":"el-touch-haptic-sensors-2","name":"Resistive touch screens"},{"id":"el-touch-haptic-sensors-3","name":"Force-sensing touch"},{"id":"el-touch-haptic-sensors-4","name":"Gesture recognition sensors"},{"id":"el-touch-haptic-sensors-5","name":"Fingerprint sensors"},{"id":"el-touch-haptic-sensors-6","name":"Haptic feedback actuators"}]},{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors","name":"Imaging & Vision Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Image sensors and cameras: CMOS and CCD, thermal, depth, event, line-scan and hyperspectral imaging.","prerequisites":["el-optical-light-sensors"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-advanced-sensing","el-image-acquisition"],"order":84,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors-1","name":"CMOS image sensors"},{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors-2","name":"CCD image sensors"},{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors-3","name":"Thermal cameras (LWIR, MWIR)"},{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors-4","name":"Depth cameras (structured light, ToF)"},{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors-5","name":"Event cameras (neuromorphic vision)"},{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors-6","name":"Line scan cameras"},{"id":"el-imaging-vision-sensors-7","name":"Hyperspectral cameras"}]},{"id":"el-motor-control","name":"Motor Control","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Driving motors from a microcontroller: H-bridges, driver ICs, PWM, current sensing, encoder feedback, sensorless and field-oriented control.","prerequisites":["el-actuators","el-peripheral-controllers","el-diode-transistor-circuits"],"related":["el-electric-drives","ai-actuators-sensors"],"unlocks":[],"order":129,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"el-motor-control-1","name":"H-bridge motor drivers"},{"id":"el-motor-control-2","name":"Motor driver ICs"},{"id":"el-motor-control-3","name":"PWM speed control"},{"id":"el-motor-control-4","name":"Current sensing and limiting"},{"id":"el-motor-control-5","name":"Encoder feedback"},{"id":"el-motor-control-6","name":"Sensorless control (back-EMF detection)"},{"id":"el-motor-control-7","name":"Field-Oriented Control (FOC)"},{"id":"el-motor-control-8","name":"Trapezoidal vs sinusoidal commutation"}]},{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing","name":"Sensor Interfacing","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Connecting sensors to a microcontroller reliably: analog conditioning, digital sensor buses, calibration, compensation and linearity correction.","prerequisites":["el-signal-conditioning","el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":["el-signal-conditioning"],"unlocks":["el-biosensors-medical-sensors","el-chemical-sensors","el-force-strain-load-sensors"],"order":155,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing-1","name":"Analog signal conditioning"},{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing-2","name":"Digital interfaces (I2C, SPI, UART, 1-Wire)"},{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing-3","name":"Sensor calibration techniques"},{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing-4","name":"Temperature compensation"},{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing-5","name":"Linearity correction"},{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing-6","name":"Multi-point calibration"},{"id":"el-sensor-interfacing-7","name":"Factory vs field calibration"}]},{"id":"el-sensor-fusion","name":"Sensor Fusion","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Combining sensors into better estimates with complementary, Kalman (EKF/UKF), Madgwick/Mahony and particle filters.","prerequisites":["el-inertial-sensors","el-signal-processing-fundamentals","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["ai-probabilistic-ai","ae-estimation-kalman-filtering","ai-actuators-sensors"],"unlocks":["el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas","el-advanced-sensing","el-perception-sensing","el-underwater-systems"],"order":184,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-sensor-fusion-1","name":"Kalman filtering (EKF, UKF)"},{"id":"el-sensor-fusion-2","name":"Complementary filters"},{"id":"el-sensor-fusion-3","name":"Madgwick and Mahony algorithms"},{"id":"el-sensor-fusion-4","name":"Particle filters"},{"id":"el-sensor-fusion-5","name":"Multi-sensor data fusion"},{"id":"el-sensor-fusion-6","name":"Sensor redundancy and voting"}]},{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors","name":"Force, Strain & Load Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Measuring force, weight, torque and pressure with strain-gauge load cells, FSRs and piezoelectric sensors.","prerequisites":["el-sensor-interfacing"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":213,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors-1","name":"Load cells and strain gauges"},{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors-2","name":"Force-sensitive resistors (FSR)"},{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors-3","name":"Piezoelectric force sensors"},{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors-4","name":"Torque sensors"},{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors-5","name":"Pressure mats"},{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors-6","name":"Wheatstone bridges and strain-gauge amplifiers"},{"id":"el-force-strain-load-sensors-7","name":"Load-cell calibration, creep and drift"}]},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors","name":"Biosensors & Medical Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Sensing the body: PPG heart rate, SpO2, ECG, EMG, EEG, blood pressure, glucose, bioimpedance and respiration.","prerequisites":["el-sensor-interfacing","bi-human-physiology"],"related":["ch-bioanalytical-chemistry-sensors"],"unlocks":["el-bio-integrated-electronics","el-biomedical-signal-processing","el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices","el-patient-monitoring","el-therapeutic-devices","el-wearable-technology-deep-dive"],"order":240,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-1","name":"Heart rate sensors (optical PPG, ECG)"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-2","name":"SpO2 sensors (pulse oximetry)"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-3","name":"Blood pressure sensors"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-4","name":"Glucose sensors (continuous glucose monitoring)"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-5","name":"EMG sensors (electromyography)"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-6","name":"EEG sensors (electroencephalography)"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-7","name":"Body temperature sensors"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-8","name":"Bioimpedance sensors"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-9","name":"Respiratory rate sensors"},{"id":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors-10","name":"Galvanic skin response (GSR) sensors"}]},{"id":"el-chemical-sensors","name":"Chemical Sensors","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Detecting chemical species with pH, ion-selective, electrochemical, chemiresistive and spectroscopic sensors.","prerequisites":["el-sensor-interfacing","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics"],"related":["ch-electroanalytical-chemistry","ch-bioanalytical-chemistry-sensors"],"unlocks":[],"order":243,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"el-chemical-sensors-1","name":"pH sensors"},{"id":"el-chemical-sensors-2","name":"Ion-selective electrodes"},{"id":"el-chemical-sensors-3","name":"Electrochemical sensors"},{"id":"el-chemical-sensors-4","name":"Chemical resistance sensors"},{"id":"el-chemical-sensors-5","name":"Spectroscopy-based sensors"}]},{"id":"el-mems-sensor-technologies","name":"MEMS Sensor Technologies","category":"Sensors, Transducers & Actuators","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The transduction principles behind MEMS sensors: capacitive, piezoresistive, resonant and optical sensing.","prerequisites":["el-mems-devices"],"related":["el-mems-devices"],"unlocks":[],"order":320,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-mems-sensor-technologies-1","name":"MEMS fabrication principles"},{"id":"el-mems-sensor-technologies-2","name":"Capacitive MEMS sensing"},{"id":"el-mems-sensor-technologies-3","name":"Piezoresistive MEMS"},{"id":"el-mems-sensor-technologies-4","name":"Resonant MEMS sensors"},{"id":"el-mems-sensor-technologies-5","name":"Optical MEMS"}]},{"id":"el-prototyping","name":"Prototyping","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"Turning an idea into working hardware quickly: breadboards, perfboard, quick-turn PCBs, 3D-printed enclosures and dev boards.","prerequisites":["el-hands-on-electronics"],"related":["el-prototyping-rapid-development"],"unlocks":["el-product-development"],"order":23,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-prototyping-1","name":"Breadboarding"},{"id":"el-prototyping-2","name":"Perfboard / stripboard"},{"id":"el-prototyping-3","name":"Rapid prototyping services"},{"id":"el-prototyping-4","name":"3D printed enclosures"},{"id":"el-prototyping-5","name":"Arduino/Raspberry Pi shields"},{"id":"el-prototyping-6","name":"Development boards and eval kits"}]},{"id":"el-schematic-design","name":"Schematic Design","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Capturing a circuit professionally in an EDA tool: part selection and libraries, hierarchical sheets, ERC and BOM generation.","prerequisites":["el-hands-on-electronics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-eda-electronic-design-automation-tools","el-pcb-layout","el-supply-chain-sourcing"],"order":25,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-schematic-design-1","name":"Schematic capture tools (KiCad, Eagle, Altium, OrCAD)"},{"id":"el-schematic-design-2","name":"Component selection and part libraries"},{"id":"el-schematic-design-3","name":"Symbol creation"},{"id":"el-schematic-design-4","name":"Hierarchical and multi-sheet design"},{"id":"el-schematic-design-5","name":"Design rule checking (ERC)"},{"id":"el-schematic-design-6","name":"Bill of Materials (BOM) generation"},{"id":"el-schematic-design-7","name":"Net naming and annotation"}]},{"id":"el-pcb-layout","name":"PCB Layout","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Laying out a printed circuit board: stack-ups, placement, routing, trace widths, vias, planes and clearances.","prerequisites":["el-schematic-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi","el-high-speed-design","el-manufacturing-processes","el-pcb-materials","el-power-integrity","el-thermal-design"],"order":35,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-pcb-layout-1","name":"Layer stackup design (2-layer, 4-layer, 6+ layers)"},{"id":"el-pcb-layout-2","name":"Component placement strategies"},{"id":"el-pcb-layout-3","name":"Routing techniques (manual, auto-routing)"},{"id":"el-pcb-layout-4","name":"Trace width and current capacity"},{"id":"el-pcb-layout-5","name":"Via types (through-hole, blind, buried, micro-vias)"},{"id":"el-pcb-layout-6","name":"Copper pour and ground planes"},{"id":"el-pcb-layout-7","name":"Keep-out zones and clearances"}]},{"id":"el-supply-chain-sourcing","name":"Supply Chain & Sourcing","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Getting parts and boards built: distributors, lead times, counterfeit avoidance, compliance, obsolescence and contract manufacturers.","prerequisites":["el-schematic-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-end-of-life-management"],"order":56,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-supply-chain-sourcing-1","name":"Component sourcing (Digi-Key, Mouser, Farnell, Arrow)"},{"id":"el-supply-chain-sourcing-2","name":"Lead times and availability"},{"id":"el-supply-chain-sourcing-3","name":"Counterfeit prevention"},{"id":"el-supply-chain-sourcing-4","name":"RoHS and REACH compliance"},{"id":"el-supply-chain-sourcing-5","name":"End-of-life (EOL) management"},{"id":"el-supply-chain-sourcing-6","name":"Contract manufacturing (CM) and EMS providers"}]},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes","name":"PCB Manufacturing & Assembly Processes","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How boards are fabricated and assembled: etching and plating, SMT and through-hole, reflow, wave and selective soldering, AOI and X-ray.","prerequisites":["el-pcb-layout"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-design-for-assembly-dfa","el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm","el-post-assembly"],"order":73,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-1","name":"PCB fabrication (etching, plating)"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-2","name":"Surface Mount Technology (SMT)"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-3","name":"Through-Hole Technology (THT)"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-4","name":"Reflow soldering"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-5","name":"Wave soldering"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-6","name":"Selective soldering"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-7","name":"Pick-and-place machines"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-8","name":"Automated Optical Inspection (AOI)"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-processes-9","name":"X-ray inspection"}]},{"id":"el-pcb-materials","name":"PCB Materials","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Choosing substrates: FR-4, high-frequency laminates, flex and rigid-flex, metal-core and ceramic boards.","prerequisites":["el-pcb-layout"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":87,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-pcb-materials-1","name":"FR-4 substrates"},{"id":"el-pcb-materials-2","name":"High-frequency materials (Rogers, Taconic)"},{"id":"el-pcb-materials-3","name":"Flexible PCBs (polyimide, polyester)"},{"id":"el-pcb-materials-4","name":"Rigid-flex PCBs"},{"id":"el-pcb-materials-5","name":"Metal-core PCBs (MCPCB) for thermal management"},{"id":"el-pcb-materials-6","name":"Ceramic substrates"}]},{"id":"el-design-for-assembly-dfa","name":"Design for Assembly (DFA)","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing boards that assemble reliably: orientation and polarity, SMT vs THT, pick-and-place, stencils and defect prevention.","prerequisites":["el-manufacturing-processes"],"related":["el-design-for-x-dfx"],"unlocks":[],"order":118,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-design-for-assembly-dfa-1","name":"Component orientation and polarity"},{"id":"el-design-for-assembly-dfa-2","name":"SMT vs through-hole considerations"},{"id":"el-design-for-assembly-dfa-3","name":"Pick-and-place optimization"},{"id":"el-design-for-assembly-dfa-4","name":"Tombstoning and bridging prevention"},{"id":"el-design-for-assembly-dfa-5","name":"Stencil design for paste application"},{"id":"el-design-for-assembly-dfa-6","name":"Assembly documentation"}]},{"id":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm","name":"Design for Manufacturing (DFM)","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing boards that fabricate cleanly: fab constraints, panelization, fiducials, solder mask, surface finishes and test points.","prerequisites":["el-manufacturing-processes"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-design-for-x-dfx"],"order":119,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm-1","name":"Manufacturing constraints (minimum trace width, spacing)"},{"id":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm-2","name":"Panelization and depanelization"},{"id":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm-3","name":"Fiducial marks"},{"id":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm-4","name":"Solder mask and silkscreen"},{"id":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm-5","name":"Surface finish (HASL, ENIG, OSP)"},{"id":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm-6","name":"Test points and bed-of-nails fixtures"}]},{"id":"el-power-integrity","name":"Power Integrity","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Delivering clean power across a board: PDN design, decoupling, plane design, voltage-drop analysis and sequencing.","prerequisites":["el-pcb-layout","el-ac-circuits-power"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":132,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"el-power-integrity-1","name":"Power distribution network (PDN) design"},{"id":"el-power-integrity-2","name":"Decoupling and bypass capacitors"},{"id":"el-power-integrity-3","name":"Power plane design"},{"id":"el-power-integrity-4","name":"Voltage drop analysis"},{"id":"el-power-integrity-5","name":"Power sequencing"},{"id":"el-power-integrity-6","name":"Target impedance and PDN impedance analysis"},{"id":"el-power-integrity-7","name":"Simultaneous switching noise and ground bounce"},{"id":"el-power-integrity-8","name":"Power-integrity simulation and measurement"}]},{"id":"el-post-assembly","name":"Post-Assembly","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Finishing a board for the real world: conformal coating, potting, cable assemblies, connectors and final integration.","prerequisites":["el-manufacturing-processes"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":145,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"el-post-assembly-1","name":"Conformal coating (protection from moisture, chemicals)"},{"id":"el-post-assembly-2","name":"Potting and encapsulation"},{"id":"el-post-assembly-3","name":"Cable assemblies and connectors"},{"id":"el-post-assembly-4","name":"Final assembly and integration"}]},{"id":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi","name":"Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC/EMI)","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing products that neither emit nor suffer interference: coupling mechanisms, shielding, grounding, filtering, layout and EMC testing.","prerequisites":["el-pcb-layout","el-electromagnetics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-regulatory-compliance-testing"],"order":226,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi-1","name":"EMI sources and coupling mechanisms"},{"id":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi-2","name":"Shielding techniques (enclosures, shields, cans)"},{"id":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi-3","name":"Grounding strategies (single-point, multi-point, star)"},{"id":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi-4","name":"Filtering (ferrite beads, common-mode chokes)"},{"id":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi-5","name":"Layout techniques for EMC"},{"id":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi-6","name":"EMC testing and certification (FCC, CE, CISPR)"}]},{"id":"el-high-speed-design","name":"High-Speed PCB Design","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"PCB techniques for fast signals: controlled impedance, differential pairs, length matching, return paths and termination.","prerequisites":["el-pcb-layout","el-transmission-lines"],"related":["el-high-speed-digital-design"],"unlocks":[],"order":274,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-high-speed-design-1","name":"Impedance control (controlled impedance traces)"},{"id":"el-high-speed-design-2","name":"Differential pairs (USB, Ethernet, PCIe, LVDS)"},{"id":"el-high-speed-design-3","name":"Length matching and skew control"},{"id":"el-high-speed-design-4","name":"Signal integrity analysis"},{"id":"el-high-speed-design-5","name":"Return path management"},{"id":"el-high-speed-design-6","name":"Termination strategies"}]},{"id":"el-thermal-design","name":"PCB Thermal Design","category":"PCB Design & Hardware Development","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Thermal design at board level: simulation, heatsinks, thermal vias, heat spreading, derating and sensor placement.","prerequisites":["el-pcb-layout","el-thermal-management","me-heat-transfer"],"related":["me-thermal-management-compact-power","el-thermal-management"],"unlocks":[],"order":276,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"el-thermal-design-1","name":"Thermal analysis and simulation"},{"id":"el-thermal-design-2","name":"Heatsink selection and design"},{"id":"el-thermal-design-3","name":"Thermal vias and heat spreading"},{"id":"el-thermal-design-4","name":"Component derating"},{"id":"el-thermal-design-5","name":"Thermal relief pads"},{"id":"el-thermal-design-6","name":"Temperature sensors placement"}]},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming","name":"PLC Programming","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Programming industrial controllers with the IEC 61131-3 languages: ladder logic, function blocks, structured text and SFC.","prerequisites":["el-combinational-logic"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":29,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-1","name":"Ladder logic"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-2","name":"Function block diagrams (FBD)"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-3","name":"Structured text (ST)"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-4","name":"Sequential function charts (SFC)"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-5","name":"IEC 61131-3 standard"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-6","name":"PLC hardware: CPU, I/O modules and the scan cycle"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-7","name":"Timers, counters and sequencing"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-8","name":"HMI and SCADA integration"},{"id":"el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming-9","name":"PLC program structure, simulation and testing"}]},{"id":"el-serial-protocols","name":"Serial Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Asynchronous serial links: UART framing and the RS-232, RS-422 and RS-485 physical layers.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-automotive-protocols","el-avionics-buses-protocols","el-industrial-protocols","el-one-wire-protocols","el-protocol-debugging","el-usb-universal-serial-bus"],"order":64,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-serial-protocols-1","name":"UART (Universal Asynchronous Receiver-Transmitter)"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-2","name":"USART (synchronous mode)"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-3","name":"RS-232 (voltage levels, DB9 connectors)"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-4","name":"RS-485 (differential, multi-drop)"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-5","name":"RS-422 (differential, point-to-point)"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-6","name":"Baud rate, framing, parity and error detection"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-7","name":"Flow control (RTS/CTS, XON/XOFF)"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-8","name":"Line transceivers and USB-UART bridges"},{"id":"el-serial-protocols-9","name":"Designing robust RS-485 networks (termination, biasing)"}]},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols","name":"Synchronous Serial Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The on-board buses that connect chips: SPI, QSPI, I2C and Microwire.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-audio-protocols","el-protocol-debugging"],"order":67,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-1","name":"SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) - Master-slave, MISO/MOSI/SCK/SS"},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-2","name":"I²C / I2C / TWI (Two-Wire Interface) - Multi-master, addressing"},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-3","name":"Microwire"},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-4","name":"QSPI (Quad SPI)"},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-5","name":"SPI modes (CPOL/CPHA), chip selects and daisy-chaining"},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-6","name":"I2C electrical design: pull-ups, bus capacitance and speed modes"},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-7","name":"I2C clock stretching, arbitration and bus recovery"},{"id":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols-8","name":"SMBus, PMBus and I3C"}]},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking","name":"Ethernet & Networking","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Wired networking for embedded devices: Ethernet PHY/MAC and MII interfaces, the TCP/IP stack, time protocols and PoE.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals","cs-computer-networks"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-deterministic-networking","el-industrial-protocols","el-iot-application-protocols","el-localization-time-synchronization","el-network-security","el-secure-communication"],"order":82,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-1","name":"Ethernet (10BASE-T, 100BASE-TX, 1000BASE-T)"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-2","name":"MAC and PHY layers"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-3","name":"MII, RMII, RGMII interfaces"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-4","name":"TCP/IP stack"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-5","name":"UDP and TCP protocols"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-6","name":"ARP, ICMP, DHCP, DNS"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-7","name":"IPv4 and IPv6"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-8","name":"Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN)"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-9","name":"IEEE 1588 Precision Time Protocol (PTP)"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-10","name":"Network Time Protocol (NTP)"},{"id":"el-ethernet-networking-11","name":"Power over Ethernet (PoE, PoE+)"}]},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless","name":"Short-Range Wireless","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Short-range radios for devices: Bluetooth Classic and BLE, Wi-Fi, Zigbee, Thread, Matter, Z-Wave, NFC, RFID and UWB.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":["cs-advanced-networking"],"unlocks":["el-cellular-technologies","el-long-range-wireless-lpwan","el-mesh-networking","el-retail-pos-systems","el-satellite-communication","el-wireless-telecom-standards"],"order":86,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-1","name":"Bluetooth Classic (BR/EDR) - profiles (A2DP, HFP, SPP)"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-2","name":"Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) - GATT, GAP, advertising, connections"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-3","name":"Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11) - 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (Wi-Fi 6), 802.11be (Wi-Fi 7)"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-4","name":"Wi-Fi HaLow (802.11ah) - sub-1GHz, long-range"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-5","name":"Zigbee (802.15.4 based) - mesh networking, ZigBee 3.0"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-6","name":"Thread - IPv6 mesh networking for IoT"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-7","name":"Z-Wave - home automation, mesh"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-8","name":"Matter (CHIP) - unified smart home standard"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-9","name":"NFC (Near Field Communication) - passive, active, card emulation"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-10","name":"RFID - LF, HF, UHF tags and readers"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-11","name":"Ultra-Wideband (UWB) - precise ranging and positioning"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-12","name":"ANT/ANT+ - fitness and sports sensors"},{"id":"el-short-range-wireless-13","name":"Infrared (IR) - IrDA, consumer remote controls"}]},{"id":"el-one-wire-protocols","name":"One-Wire Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":2,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Single-wire buses such as Dallas 1-Wire and single-wire debug, with their timing and addressing schemes.","prerequisites":["el-serial-protocols"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":104,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-one-wire-protocols-1","name":"1-Wire (Dallas Semiconductor)"},{"id":"el-one-wire-protocols-3","name":"1-Wire ROM commands, addressing and the search algorithm"},{"id":"el-one-wire-protocols-4","name":"Parasitic power and timing slots"},{"id":"el-one-wire-protocols-5","name":"Single-wire LED protocols (WS2812/NeoPixel)"},{"id":"el-one-wire-protocols-2","name":"SWDIO (Single Wire Debug I/O)"}]},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols","name":"Automotive Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Vehicle buses and diagnostics: CAN and CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay, MOST, automotive Ethernet and UDS.","prerequisites":["el-serial-protocols"],"related":["el-in-vehicle-networking"],"unlocks":["el-in-vehicle-networking","el-vehicle-electronics-architecture"],"order":113,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-1","name":"CAN (Controller Area Network) - CAN 2.0A, 2.0B"},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-2","name":"CAN FD (Flexible Data-rate CAN)"},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-3","name":"LIN (Local Interconnect Network)"},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-4","name":"FlexRay (deterministic, fault-tolerant)"},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-5","name":"MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport)"},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-6","name":"Automotive Ethernet (100BASE-T1, 1000BASE-T1)"},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-7","name":"ISO 14229 (UDS - Unified Diagnostic Services)"},{"id":"el-automotive-protocols-8","name":"ISO 15765 (CAN Transport Protocol)"}]},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies","name":"Cellular Technologies","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Cellular generations from 2G to 5G NR and RedCap from the point of view of connecting devices.","prerequisites":["el-short-range-wireless"],"related":["cs-advanced-networking"],"unlocks":["el-infotainment-telematics"],"order":115,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-1","name":"2G/GSM - legacy voice and data"},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-2","name":"3G/UMTS - mobile broadband"},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-3","name":"4G/LTE - high-speed data, VoLTE"},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-4","name":"5G NR - sub-6GHz and mmWave, ultra-low latency, massive IoT"},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-5","name":"5G RedCap (Reduced Capability) - mid-tier IoT"},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-6","name":"Cellular modules, SIM/eSIM/iSIM and AT commands"},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-7","name":"Power-saving modes (PSM, eDRX)"},{"id":"el-cellular-technologies-8","name":"Bands, network registration and carrier certification"}]},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols","name":"Industrial Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The protocols of factory automation: Modbus, PROFIBUS/PROFINET, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, CANopen, HART, AS-i and more.","prerequisites":["el-serial-protocols","el-ethernet-networking"],"related":["el-field-level-buses","el-industrial-ethernet"],"unlocks":["el-field-level-buses","el-industrial-ethernet","el-mining-heavy-industry","el-opc-ua-opc-unified-architecture"],"order":125,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-1","name":"Modbus (RTU, ASCII, TCP)"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-2","name":"Profibus (DP, PA, FMS)"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-3","name":"PROFINET (Industrial Ethernet)"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-4","name":"EtherCAT (Ethernet for Control Automation Technology)"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-5","name":"Ethernet/IP"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-6","name":"CANopen"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-7","name":"DeviceNet"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-8","name":"CC-Link"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-9","name":"HART (Highway Addressable Remote Transducer)"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-10","name":"AS-Interface (AS-i)"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-11","name":"POWERLINK"},{"id":"el-industrial-protocols-12","name":"SERCOS III"}]},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols","name":"IoT Application Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The messaging protocols devices use to talk to the cloud and each other: MQTT, CoAP, HTTP, WebSocket, AMQP, DDS, OPC UA and LwM2M.","prerequisites":["el-ethernet-networking"],"related":["cs-computer-networks"],"unlocks":["el-iot-cloud-platforms","el-iot-data-models","el-iot-middleware"],"order":126,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-1","name":"MQTT (Message Queuing Telemetry Transport) - publish/subscribe"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-2","name":"MQTT-SN (MQTT for Sensor Networks)"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-3","name":"CoAP (Constrained Application Protocol) - RESTful for IoT"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-4","name":"HTTP/HTTPS - web-based IoT"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-5","name":"WebSocket - full-duplex communication"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-6","name":"AMQP (Advanced Message Queuing Protocol) - enterprise messaging"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-7","name":"DDS (Data Distribution Service) - real-time pub-sub"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-8","name":"OPC UA (Open Platform Communications Unified Architecture) - industrial interoperability"},{"id":"el-iot-application-protocols-9","name":"LWM2M (Lightweight M2M) - device management"}]},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan","name":"Long-Range Wireless (LPWAN)","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Low-power wide-area networks for kilometre-range IoT: LoRaWAN, Sigfox, NB-IoT and LTE-M.","prerequisites":["el-short-range-wireless"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-environmental-climate-monitoring","el-precision-agriculture","el-smart-cities"],"order":127,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-1","name":"LoRa / LoRaWAN - chirp spread spectrum, long-range"},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-2","name":"Sigfox - ultra-narrowband, global network"},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-3","name":"NB-IoT (Narrowband IoT) - 3GPP cellular standard"},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-4","name":"LTE-M (Cat-M1) - LTE for machines"},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-5","name":"EC-GSM-IoT - extended coverage GSM"},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-6","name":"LPWAN link budgets, duty-cycle limits and battery life"},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-7","name":"LoRaWAN network architecture: gateways, network and join servers"},{"id":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan-8","name":"Choosing between LPWAN technologies"}]},{"id":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus","name":"USB (Universal Serial Bus)","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How USB works from enumeration to device classes, host/device/OTG roles, Type-C and USB Power Delivery.","prerequisites":["el-serial-protocols"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":139,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus-1","name":"USB 1.1, 2.0, 3.0, 3.1, 3.2, 4.0"},{"id":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus-2","name":"USB device classes (CDC, HID, MSC, audio, video)"},{"id":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus-3","name":"USB host, device, and OTG modes"},{"id":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus-4","name":"USB-C and USB Power Delivery (PD)"},{"id":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus-5","name":"USB Type-C alternate modes"},{"id":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus-6","name":"USB descriptors and enumeration"}]},{"id":"el-audio-protocols","name":"Audio Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Digital audio interfaces between chips and equipment: I2S, TDM, PCM, S/PDIF and AES3.","prerequisites":["el-synchronous-serial-protocols"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":140,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-audio-protocols-1","name":"I²S (Inter-IC Sound)"},{"id":"el-audio-protocols-2","name":"TDM (Time Division Multiplexing)"},{"id":"el-audio-protocols-3","name":"PCM (Pulse Code Modulation)"},{"id":"el-audio-protocols-4","name":"S/PDIF (Sony/Philips Digital Interface)"},{"id":"el-audio-protocols-5","name":"AES3 (AES/EBU)"}]},{"id":"el-mesh-networking","name":"Mesh Networking","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Self-healing mesh networks for IoT: Zigbee, Thread, Bluetooth Mesh, Wi-Fi mesh and 6LoWPAN.","prerequisites":["el-short-range-wireless","cs-computer-networks"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":143,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-mesh-networking-1","name":"Zigbee mesh"},{"id":"el-mesh-networking-2","name":"Thread mesh"},{"id":"el-mesh-networking-3","name":"Bluetooth Mesh"},{"id":"el-mesh-networking-4","name":"LoRa mesh (unofficial)"},{"id":"el-mesh-networking-5","name":"IEEE 802.11s (Wi-Fi mesh)"},{"id":"el-mesh-networking-6","name":"6LoWPAN (IPv6 over Low-Power Wireless Personal Area Networks)"}]},{"id":"el-satellite-communication","name":"Satellite Communication","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Satellite links and positioning for devices: LEO and GEO constellations, satellite IoT and GNSS.","prerequisites":["el-short-range-wireless"],"related":["el-space-satellite-systems","ae-space-communications-link-budgets"],"unlocks":["el-space-satellite-systems"],"order":146,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-satellite-communication-1","name":"LEO (Low Earth Orbit) - Starlink, Iridium, Globalstar"},{"id":"el-satellite-communication-2","name":"GEO (Geostationary) - traditional satellite"},{"id":"el-satellite-communication-3","name":"Satellite IoT - Swarm, Myriota, Astrocast"},{"id":"el-satellite-communication-4","name":"GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems) - GPS, GLONASS, Galileo, BeiDou"}]},{"id":"el-localization-time-synchronization","name":"Time Synchronization & Timekeeping","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Keeping device clocks right: GPS time, NTP, PTP/IEEE 1588, RTC calibration and time-zone handling.","prerequisites":["el-ethernet-networking"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":148,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-localization-time-synchronization-1","name":"GPS time sync"},{"id":"el-localization-time-synchronization-2","name":"NTP (Network Time Protocol)"},{"id":"el-localization-time-synchronization-3","name":"PTP (Precision Time Protocol / IEEE 1588)"},{"id":"el-localization-time-synchronization-4","name":"RTC calibration"},{"id":"el-localization-time-synchronization-5","name":"Time zone handling"},{"id":"el-localization-time-synchronization-6","name":"Daylight saving time"}]},{"id":"el-field-level-buses","name":"Field-Level Buses","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Fieldbuses that connect sensors and actuators to controllers: PROFIBUS DP/PA, DeviceNet, CANopen, AS-i, Foundation Fieldbus and HART.","prerequisites":["el-industrial-protocols"],"related":["el-industrial-protocols"],"unlocks":[],"order":195,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-field-level-buses-1","name":"Profibus DP/PA"},{"id":"el-field-level-buses-2","name":"DeviceNet"},{"id":"el-field-level-buses-3","name":"CANopen"},{"id":"el-field-level-buses-4","name":"AS-Interface (AS-i)"},{"id":"el-field-level-buses-5","name":"Foundation Fieldbus"},{"id":"el-field-level-buses-6","name":"HART protocol"}]},{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet","name":"Industrial Ethernet","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Real-time Ethernet variants for automation: PROFINET, EtherCAT, EtherNet/IP, POWERLINK, SERCOS III, Modbus TCP and CC-Link IE.","prerequisites":["el-industrial-protocols"],"related":["el-industrial-protocols"],"unlocks":["el-safety-protocols"],"order":197,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet-1","name":"PROFINET (IEC 61158, IEC 61784)"},{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet-2","name":"EtherCAT (IEC 61158)"},{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet-3","name":"Ethernet/IP (CIP over Ethernet)"},{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet-4","name":"POWERLINK"},{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet-5","name":"SERCOS III"},{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet-6","name":"Modbus TCP"},{"id":"el-industrial-ethernet-7","name":"CC-Link IE"}]},{"id":"el-opc-ua-opc-unified-architecture","name":"OPC UA (OPC Unified Architecture)","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"OPC UA for industrial interoperability: client-server and pub-sub, information modelling, security and OPC UA over TSN.","prerequisites":["el-industrial-protocols"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":203,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-opc-ua-opc-unified-architecture-1","name":"Client-server and pub-sub models"},{"id":"el-opc-ua-opc-unified-architecture-2","name":"Information modeling"},{"id":"el-opc-ua-opc-unified-architecture-3","name":"Security features"},{"id":"el-opc-ua-opc-unified-architecture-4","name":"Interoperability"},{"id":"el-opc-ua-opc-unified-architecture-5","name":"OPC UA over TSN"}]},{"id":"el-deterministic-networking","name":"Deterministic Networking","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Networks with guaranteed timing: bounded latency and jitter, QoS, priority queuing, traffic shaping and scheduling.","prerequisites":["el-ethernet-networking","el-real-time-concepts"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn"],"order":256,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-deterministic-networking-1","name":"Bounded latency and jitter"},{"id":"el-deterministic-networking-2","name":"Quality of Service (QoS)"},{"id":"el-deterministic-networking-3","name":"Priority queuing"},{"id":"el-deterministic-networking-4","name":"Traffic policing and shaping"},{"id":"el-deterministic-networking-5","name":"Real-time scheduling"}]},{"id":"el-safety-protocols","name":"Safety Protocols","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Functional-safety communication layers: FSoE, PROFIsafe, CIP Safety and openSAFETY.","prerequisites":["el-industrial-ethernet","el-safety-standards"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":264,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"el-safety-protocols-1","name":"Safety over EtherCAT (FSoE)"},{"id":"el-safety-protocols-2","name":"PROFIsafe"},{"id":"el-safety-protocols-3","name":"CIP Safety"},{"id":"el-safety-protocols-4","name":"openSAFETY"}]},{"id":"el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn","name":"Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN)","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"IEEE 802.1 TSN: gPTP time synchronization, scheduled traffic, frame preemption and redundancy for deterministic Ethernet.","prerequisites":["el-deterministic-networking"],"related":["cs-advanced-networking"],"unlocks":[],"order":307,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn-1","name":"IEEE 802.1 TSN standards"},{"id":"el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn-2","name":"Time synchronization (IEEE 802.1AS, gPTP)"},{"id":"el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn-3","name":"Traffic shaping and scheduling"},{"id":"el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn-4","name":"Frame preemption"},{"id":"el-time-sensitive-networking-tsn-5","name":"Redundancy and reliability"}]},{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces","name":"High-Speed Interfaces","category":"Communication Protocols & Connectivity","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Multi-gigabit interfaces: PCIe, SATA and NVMe, MIPI CSI/DSI, DisplayPort, HDMI and Thunderbolt.","prerequisites":["el-high-speed-digital-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":319,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces-1","name":"PCIe (PCI Express) - lanes, endpoints, switches"},{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces-2","name":"SATA (Serial ATA) - for storage"},{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces-3","name":"NVMe (Non-Volatile Memory Express)"},{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces-4","name":"MIPI (CSI, DSI) - camera and display interfaces"},{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces-5","name":"DisplayPort and eDP"},{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces-6","name":"HDMI (High-Definition Multimedia Interface)"},{"id":"el-high-speed-interfaces-7","name":"Thunderbolt"}]},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers","name":"IoT Architecture Layers","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The layers of an IoT system, from sensors and gateways through networks to cloud platforms and applications.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-cloud-computing-for-iot","el-data-serialization-formats","el-edge-computing","el-iot-reference-architectures","el-privacy-protection","el-smart-grid-energy"],"order":71,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-1","name":"Device/sensor layer (edge devices)"},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-2","name":"Gateway/fog layer (edge processing)"},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-3","name":"Network/connectivity layer"},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-4","name":"Cloud/platform layer"},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-5","name":"Application layer"},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-6","name":"Requirements that shape IoT architectures (power, latency, cost, scale)"},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-7","name":"Device-to-cloud data flow through gateways"},{"id":"el-iot-architecture-layers-8","name":"Security across the IoT layers"}]},{"id":"el-data-serialization-formats","name":"Data Serialization Formats","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Encoding data for storage and transmission: JSON, XML, CBOR, MessagePack, Protocol Buffers, Avro, YAML and TOML.","prerequisites":["el-iot-architecture-layers"],"related":["cs-backend-development"],"unlocks":["el-api-architectures","el-data-compression","el-file-formats","el-iot-data-models","el-message-schemas"],"order":95,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-data-serialization-formats-1","name":"JSON (JavaScript Object 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fleets.","prerequisites":["el-iot-architecture-layers"],"related":["cs-cloud-computing"],"unlocks":["el-data-management","el-iot-cloud-platforms"],"order":116,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-1","name":"Scalable data storage and processing"},{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-2","name":"Centralized management and analytics"},{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-3","name":"Infrastructure as a Service (IaaS)"},{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-4","name":"Platform as a Service (PaaS)"},{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-5","name":"Software as a Service (SaaS)"},{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-6","name":"Serverless functions and event-driven processing"},{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-7","name":"Scalability, availability and cost models"},{"id":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot-8","name":"Cloud identity and access control for devices"}]},{"id":"el-edge-computing","name":"Edge Computing","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Processing data near where it is produced: local filtering and analytics, low-latency decisions, edge servers and MEC.","prerequisites":["el-iot-architecture-layers"],"related":["cs-emerging-systems"],"unlocks":["el-edge-intelligence","el-fog-computing"],"order":120,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-edge-computing-1","name":"Local data processing and filtering"},{"id":"el-edge-computing-2","name":"Edge analytics and ML inference"},{"id":"el-edge-computing-3","name":"Low-latency decision-making"},{"id":"el-edge-computing-4","name":"Bandwidth optimization"},{"id":"el-edge-computing-5","name":"Edge servers and mini data centers"},{"id":"el-edge-computing-6","name":"Multi-access edge computing (MEC)"}]},{"id":"el-iot-reference-architectures","name":"IoT Reference Architectures","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Standard ways of structuring IoT systems: three- and five-layer models, fog architecture and the edge-cloud continuum.","prerequisites":["el-iot-architecture-layers"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":142,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-iot-reference-architectures-1","name":"Three-layer architecture (perception, network, application)"},{"id":"el-iot-reference-architectures-2","name":"Five-layer architecture (physical, network, middleware, application, business)"},{"id":"el-iot-reference-architectures-3","name":"Fog computing architecture"},{"id":"el-iot-reference-architectures-4","name":"Edge-cloud continuum"}]},{"id":"el-file-formats","name":"File Formats","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"File formats for logged and scientific data: CSV/TSV, HDF5, Parquet and NetCDF.","prerequisites":["el-data-serialization-formats"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":157,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-file-formats-1","name":"CSV (Comma-Separated Values)"},{"id":"el-file-formats-2","name":"TSV (Tab-Separated Values)"},{"id":"el-file-formats-3","name":"HDF5 (Hierarchical Data Format)"},{"id":"el-file-formats-4","name":"Parquet (columnar storage)"},{"id":"el-file-formats-5","name":"NetCDF (scientific data)"}]},{"id":"el-api-architectures","name":"API Architectures","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing the interfaces between devices, services and apps: REST, gRPC, GraphQL, SOAP and WebSocket.","prerequisites":["el-data-serialization-formats","cs-web-fundamentals"],"related":["cs-backend-development"],"unlocks":[],"order":163,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-api-architectures-1","name":"REST (Representational State Transfer)"},{"id":"el-api-architectures-2","name":"RESTful API design principles"},{"id":"el-api-architectures-3","name":"gRPC (Google Remote Procedure Call)"},{"id":"el-api-architectures-4","name":"GraphQL"},{"id":"el-api-architectures-5","name":"SOAP (legacy web services)"},{"id":"el-api-architectures-6","name":"WebSocket (full-duplex communication)"}]},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms","name":"IoT Cloud Platforms","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The commercial and open-source IoT platforms (AWS IoT, Azure IoT, ThingsBoard, Particle, Arduino Cloud and others) and what they provide.","prerequisites":["el-cloud-computing-for-iot","el-iot-application-protocols"],"related":["cs-cloud-computing"],"unlocks":["el-device-management","el-digital-twins","el-smart-cities"],"order":175,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-1","name":"AWS IoT Core - device connectivity, IoT Greengrass (edge)"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-2","name":"Microsoft Azure IoT Hub - device management, Azure IoT Edge"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-3","name":"Google Cloud IoT - Cloud IoT Core, Edge TPU"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-4","name":"IBM Watson IoT - cognitive IoT platform"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-5","name":"ThingsBoard - open-source IoT platform"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-6","name":"Kaa IoT Platform - open-source, enterprise-grade"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-7","name":"Particle - cellular IoT platform"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-8","name":"Balena - container-based device fleet management"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-9","name":"Arduino Cloud - maker-friendly platform"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-10","name":"Blynk - mobile IoT platform"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-11","name":"Ubidots - data visualization and analytics"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-12","name":"ThingSpeak - MATLAB-based IoT analytics"},{"id":"el-iot-cloud-platforms-13","name":"Losant - low-code IoT platform"}]},{"id":"el-data-management","name":"IoT Data Management","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Storing and moving IoT data: time-series and NoSQL databases, stream processing, data lakes, retention and data quality.","prerequisites":["el-cloud-computing-for-iot","cs-databases"],"related":["ai-databases","ai-data-engineering","cs-data-engineering"],"unlocks":["el-analytics-visualization"],"order":176,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-data-management-1","name":"Time-series databases (InfluxDB, TimescaleDB, QuestDB)"},{"id":"el-data-management-2","name":"NoSQL databases (MongoDB, Cassandra, DynamoDB)"},{"id":"el-data-management-3","name":"Stream processing (Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, AWS Kinesis)"},{"id":"el-data-management-4","name":"Data lakes and data warehouses"},{"id":"el-data-management-5","name":"Data retention and archival"},{"id":"el-data-management-6","name":"Data quality and validation"}]},{"id":"el-data-compression","name":"Data Compression","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Shrinking data for storage and transmission: lossless (zlib, LZ4, Brotli), lossy and streaming compression for telemetry.","prerequisites":["el-data-serialization-formats"],"related":["ma-information-theory"],"unlocks":[],"order":193,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-data-compression-1","name":"Lossless compression (zlib, LZ4, Brotli)"},{"id":"el-data-compression-2","name":"Lossy compression (for audio, video, images)"},{"id":"el-data-compression-3","name":"Streaming compression"},{"id":"el-data-compression-4","name":"Compression for telemetry data"}]},{"id":"el-fog-computing","name":"Fog Computing","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Hierarchical edge-to-cloud computing with fog nodes, distributed storage and orchestration.","prerequisites":["el-edge-computing"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":196,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-fog-computing-1","name":"Hierarchical edge-to-cloud architecture"},{"id":"el-fog-computing-2","name":"Distributed computing and storage"},{"id":"el-fog-computing-3","name":"Fog nodes and orchestration"},{"id":"el-fog-computing-4","name":"OpenFog reference architecture"}]},{"id":"el-iot-data-models","name":"IoT Data Models","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Shared vocabularies that let devices interoperate: LwM2M objects, oneM2M, OCF, W3C Web of Things and semantic models.","prerequisites":["el-data-serialization-formats","el-iot-application-protocols"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-data-exchange-standards"],"order":198,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-iot-data-models-1","name":"LWM2M (Lightweight M2M) objects"},{"id":"el-iot-data-models-2","name":"OMA 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adaptation"}]},{"id":"el-message-schemas","name":"Message Schemas","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Defining and validating message structure with JSON Schema, XSD, Protobuf, OpenAPI and AsyncAPI.","prerequisites":["el-data-serialization-formats"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":201,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-message-schemas-1","name":"JSON Schema"},{"id":"el-message-schemas-2","name":"XML Schema (XSD)"},{"id":"el-message-schemas-3","name":"Protobuf schema definitions"},{"id":"el-message-schemas-4","name":"OpenAPI/Swagger specifications"},{"id":"el-message-schemas-5","name":"AsyncAPI for event-driven APIs"}]},{"id":"el-device-management","name":"Device Management","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Operating device fleets: provisioning, remote configuration and updates, health monitoring, device shadows and lifecycle management.","prerequisites":["el-iot-cloud-platforms"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-observability-telemetry","el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies"],"order":224,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-device-management-1","name":"Device provisioning and onboarding"},{"id":"el-device-management-2","name":"Device configuration and remote updates"},{"id":"el-device-management-3","name":"Device monitoring and health checks"},{"id":"el-device-management-4","name":"Firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates"},{"id":"el-device-management-5","name":"Device lifecycle management"},{"id":"el-device-management-6","name":"Device shadowing / device twins"},{"id":"el-device-management-7","name":"Fleet management at scale"}]},{"id":"el-analytics-visualization","name":"IoT Analytics & Visualization","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Turning device data into insight: dashboards, BI tools, anomaly detection and predictive analytics.","prerequisites":["el-data-management"],"related":["ai-exploratory-data-analysis-eda","cs-information-visualization"],"unlocks":[],"order":228,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-analytics-visualization-1","name":"Real-time dashboards (Grafana, Kibana)"},{"id":"el-analytics-visualization-2","name":"Business intelligence tools"},{"id":"el-analytics-visualization-3","name":"Machine learning and AI analytics"},{"id":"el-analytics-visualization-4","name":"Anomaly detection"},{"id":"el-analytics-visualization-5","name":"Predictive analytics"},{"id":"el-analytics-visualization-6","name":"Custom reporting"}]},{"id":"el-data-exchange-standards","name":"Data Exchange Standards","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Industrial data-exchange standards: OPC UA information models, AutomationML, FDI and MTConnect.","prerequisites":["el-iot-data-models"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":255,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-data-exchange-standards-1","name":"OPC UA information models"},{"id":"el-data-exchange-standards-2","name":"AutomationML"},{"id":"el-data-exchange-standards-3","name":"FDI (Field Device Integration)"},{"id":"el-data-exchange-standards-4","name":"MTConnect (manufacturing data)"}]},{"id":"el-digital-twins","name":"Digital Twins","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Virtual replicas of physical assets kept in sync with real data for simulation, what-if analysis and predictive maintenance.","prerequisites":["el-iot-cloud-platforms"],"related":["me-machine-learning-digital-twins"],"unlocks":["el-extended-reality-integration"],"order":257,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-digital-twins-1","name":"Virtual representation of physical devices"},{"id":"el-digital-twins-2","name":"Real-time synchronization"},{"id":"el-digital-twins-3","name":"Simulation and modeling"},{"id":"el-digital-twins-4","name":"Predictive maintenance and what-if analysis"},{"id":"el-digital-twins-5","name":"Azure Digital Twins, AWS IoT TwinMaker"}]},{"id":"el-observability-telemetry","name":"Observability & Telemetry","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Seeing what deployed devices are doing: metrics, event logs, traces, health reports and telemetry dashboards.","prerequisites":["el-device-management"],"related":["cs-site-reliability-engineering"],"unlocks":["el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting","el-product-analytics-telemetry"],"order":283,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-observability-telemetry-1","name":"Metrics collection (CPU, memory, temperature)"},{"id":"el-observability-telemetry-2","name":"Event logging and tracing"},{"id":"el-observability-telemetry-3","name":"Health status reporting"},{"id":"el-observability-telemetry-4","name":"Remote diagnostics"},{"id":"el-observability-telemetry-5","name":"Distributed tracing"},{"id":"el-observability-telemetry-6","name":"Time-series telemetry"},{"id":"el-observability-telemetry-7","name":"Dashboard visualization"}]},{"id":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting","name":"Field Diagnostics & Remote Troubleshooting","category":"IoT Architectures, Platforms & Data","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Fixing devices you cannot touch: remote access, log and core-dump retrieval, field profiling and built-in self-test.","prerequisites":["el-observability-telemetry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":318,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting-1","name":"Remote access (SSH, VPN)"},{"id":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting-2","name":"Log file collection"},{"id":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting-3","name":"Core dump retrieval"},{"id":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting-4","name":"Performance profiling in field"},{"id":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting-5","name":"Remote firmware updates"},{"id":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting-6","name":"Self-diagnostics and BIT (Built-In Test)"}]},{"id":"el-cryptography-fundamentals","name":"Cryptography Fundamentals","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The cryptographic primitives used in devices: symmetric and public-key encryption, hashes, MACs, signatures and key exchange.","prerequisites":["ma-elementary-number-theory"],"related":["ma-cryptography","ma-cryptographic-number-theory","cs-applied-cryptography"],"unlocks":["el-blockchain-for-iot","el-firmware-software-security","el-key-management","el-secure-boot-root-of-trust","el-side-channel-attacks"],"order":28,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-cryptography-fundamentals-1","name":"Symmetric encryption (AES, DES, 3DES, ChaCha20)"},{"id":"el-cryptography-fundamentals-2","name":"Asymmetric encryption (RSA, ECC, DSA)"},{"id":"el-cryptography-fundamentals-3","name":"Hashing algorithms (SHA-256, SHA-3, BLAKE2)"},{"id":"el-cryptography-fundamentals-4","name":"Message Authentication Codes (HMAC)"},{"id":"el-cryptography-fundamentals-5","name":"Digital signatures"},{"id":"el-cryptography-fundamentals-6","name":"Key exchange protocols (Diffie-Hellman, ECDH)"}]},{"id":"el-key-management","name":"Key Management","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Creating, storing, provisioning and rotating keys safely, from eFuses and OTP to PKI.","prerequisites":["el-cryptography-fundamentals"],"related":["cs-applied-cryptography"],"unlocks":["el-device-identity-authentication","el-secure-communication"],"order":54,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-key-management-1","name":"Key generation and storage"},{"id":"el-key-management-2","name":"Key derivation functions (KDF)"},{"id":"el-key-management-3","name":"Secure key provisioning"},{"id":"el-key-management-4","name":"Key rotation and lifecycle"},{"id":"el-key-management-5","name":"Hardware key storage (eFuses, OTP memory)"},{"id":"el-key-management-6","name":"Public Key Infrastructure (PKI)"}]},{"id":"el-blockchain-for-iot","name":"Blockchain for IoT","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"Using distributed ledgers for device management, supply-chain traceability and decentralized identity.","prerequisites":["el-cryptography-fundamentals"],"related":["el-blockchain-distributed-ledger","cs-blockchain"],"unlocks":["el-blockchain-distributed-ledger"],"order":57,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-blockchain-for-iot-1","name":"Distributed ledger technology"},{"id":"el-blockchain-for-iot-2","name":"Smart contracts for device management"},{"id":"el-blockchain-for-iot-3","name":"Supply chain traceability"},{"id":"el-blockchain-for-iot-4","name":"Decentralized identity"},{"id":"el-blockchain-for-iot-5","name":"IOTA and other IoT-focused blockchains"}]},{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication","name":"Device Identity & Authentication","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Giving each device a trustworthy identity: certificates, unique IDs, PUFs, attestation and authentication protocols.","prerequisites":["el-key-management"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":81,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication-1","name":"Device certificates and credentials"},{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication-2","name":"Unique device identifiers"},{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication-3","name":"Hardware-based identity (PUF - Physically Unclonable Functions)"},{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication-4","name":"Device attestation"},{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication-5","name":"Authentication protocols (X.509, EAP)"},{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication-6","name":"Provisioning identities during manufacturing"},{"id":"el-device-identity-authentication-7","name":"Zero-touch onboarding (e.g. FIDO Device Onboard)"}]},{"id":"el-side-channel-attacks","name":"Side-Channel Attacks","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Attacks that exploit physical leakage (power, timing, EM emissions, fault injection) and how to harden against them.","prerequisites":["el-cryptography-fundamentals","el-oscilloscope-techniques"],"related":["cs-systems-security"],"unlocks":[],"order":92,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-side-channel-attacks-1","name":"Power analysis attacks (SPA, DPA)"},{"id":"el-side-channel-attacks-2","name":"Timing attacks"},{"id":"el-side-channel-attacks-3","name":"Electromagnetic emissions"},{"id":"el-side-channel-attacks-4","name":"Fault injection attacks"},{"id":"el-side-channel-attacks-5","name":"Countermeasures and hardening"}]},{"id":"el-network-security","name":"Network Security","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Defending networks of devices: firewalls, IDS/IPS, segmentation and VLANs, ACLs, DDoS protection and secure gateways.","prerequisites":["el-ethernet-networking","cs-computer-security"],"related":["cs-network-security"],"unlocks":["el-threat-mitigation"],"order":130,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-network-security-1","name":"Firewall and packet filtering"},{"id":"el-network-security-2","name":"Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)"},{"id":"el-network-security-3","name":"Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS)"},{"id":"el-network-security-4","name":"Network segmentation and VLANs"},{"id":"el-network-security-5","name":"Access control lists (ACL)"},{"id":"el-network-security-6","name":"DDoS protection"},{"id":"el-network-security-7","name":"Secure gateway design"}]},{"id":"el-privacy-protection","name":"Privacy Protection","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Protecting personal data collected by devices: anonymization, differential privacy, on-device processing and consent.","prerequisites":["el-iot-architecture-layers"],"related":["ai-privacy-in-ai","cs-security-governance-privacy"],"unlocks":["el-compliance-regulations","el-medical-data-security"],"order":134,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-privacy-protection-1","name":"Data anonymization and pseudonymization"},{"id":"el-privacy-protection-2","name":"Privacy-preserving techniques"},{"id":"el-privacy-protection-3","name":"Differential privacy"},{"id":"el-privacy-protection-4","name":"Federated learning"},{"id":"el-privacy-protection-5","name":"On-device processing vs cloud"},{"id":"el-privacy-protection-6","name":"Consent management"},{"id":"el-privacy-protection-7","name":"Right to erasure (GDPR)"}]},{"id":"el-secure-communication","name":"Secure Communication","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Protecting data in transit: TLS, DTLS, mutual TLS, IPsec/VPN, certificates and OAuth/JWT for devices.","prerequisites":["el-key-management","el-ethernet-networking"],"related":["cs-network-security"],"unlocks":[],"order":138,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-secure-communication-1","name":"TLS/SSL (Transport Layer Security)"},{"id":"el-secure-communication-2","name":"DTLS (Datagram TLS for UDP)"},{"id":"el-secure-communication-3","name":"mTLS (mutual TLS authentication)"},{"id":"el-secure-communication-4","name":"IPsec and VPN"},{"id":"el-secure-communication-5","name":"End-to-end encryption"},{"id":"el-secure-communication-6","name":"Certificate management"},{"id":"el-secure-communication-7","name":"OAuth 2.0 and JWT for IoT"}]},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations","name":"Compliance & Regulations","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The privacy and cybersecurity rules connected products must meet: GDPR, CCPA, HIPAA, ISO 27001, NIST CSF, IEC 62443 and OWASP IoT.","prerequisites":["el-privacy-protection"],"related":["el-cybersecurity-standards","cs-security-governance-privacy"],"unlocks":[],"order":164,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-1","name":"GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation)"},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-2","name":"CCPA (California Consumer Privacy Act)"},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-3","name":"HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act)"},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-4","name":"ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security Management)"},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-5","name":"NIST Cybersecurity Framework"},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-6","name":"IEC 62443 (Industrial cybersecurity)"},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-7","name":"UL 2900 (Cybersecurity for network-connectable products)"},{"id":"el-compliance-regulations-8","name":"OWASP IoT Top 10"}]},{"id":"el-firmware-software-security","name":"Firmware & Software Security","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Hardening firmware: code signing, secure coding, static and dynamic analysis, fuzzing, runtime protections and anti-tampering.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-cc-best-practices","el-cryptography-fundamentals","cs-computer-security"],"related":["cs-application-security"],"unlocks":["el-threat-mitigation"],"order":171,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-firmware-software-security-1","name":"Code signing and verification"},{"id":"el-firmware-software-security-2","name":"Secure coding practices (CERT C, MISRA)"},{"id":"el-firmware-software-security-3","name":"Static analysis (linting, SAST tools)"},{"id":"el-firmware-software-security-4","name":"Dynamic analysis and fuzzing"},{"id":"el-firmware-software-security-5","name":"Runtime protection (stack canaries, ASLR, DEP)"},{"id":"el-firmware-software-security-6","name":"Anti-tampering and obfuscation"},{"id":"el-firmware-software-security-7","name":"Rollback 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(TPM)"},{"id":"el-secure-boot-root-of-trust-7","name":"Hardware Security Module (HSM)"},{"id":"el-secure-boot-root-of-trust-8","name":"Secure Element (SE)"},{"id":"el-secure-boot-root-of-trust-9","name":"Trusted Execution Environment (TEE)"}]},{"id":"el-threat-mitigation","name":"Threat Mitigation","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Finding and reducing risk: threat modelling (STRIDE), vulnerability scanning, penetration testing, audits and zero trust.","prerequisites":["el-firmware-software-security","el-network-security"],"related":["cs-offensive-security","cs-computer-security"],"unlocks":["el-cybersecurity-standards"],"order":237,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"el-threat-mitigation-1","name":"Vulnerability scanning and assessment"},{"id":"el-threat-mitigation-2","name":"Penetration testing"},{"id":"el-threat-mitigation-3","name":"Security audits"},{"id":"el-threat-mitigation-4","name":"Threat modeling (STRIDE, DREAD)"},{"id":"el-threat-mitigation-5","name":"Attack surface reduction"},{"id":"el-threat-mitigation-6","name":"Zero trust architecture"}]},{"id":"el-physical-security","name":"Physical Security","category":"Security, Privacy & Trust","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Protecting hardware from physical attack: tamper detection, secure enclosures, mesh barriers and secure manufacturing.","prerequisites":["el-secure-boot-root-of-trust"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":247,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-physical-security-1","name":"Tamper detection and response"},{"id":"el-physical-security-2","name":"Secure enclosures"},{"id":"el-physical-security-3","name":"Mesh barriers and coatings"},{"id":"el-physical-security-4","name":"Environmental sensors (temperature, light)"},{"id":"el-physical-security-5","name":"Secure manufacturing and supply chain"}]},{"id":"el-version-control","name":"Version Control","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"Tracking changes to code and hardware designs with Git: branching, workflows, hosting services, submodules and monorepos.","prerequisites":["cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["cs-version-control-git"],"unlocks":["el-continuous-integration-continuous-deployment-cicd","el-documentation"],"order":16,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"el-version-control-1","name":"Git fundamentals (branches, commits, merges)"},{"id":"el-version-control-2","name":"GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket"},{"id":"el-version-control-3","name":"Git workflows (feature branch, gitflow, trunk-based)"},{"id":"el-version-control-4","name":"Submodules and monorepos"},{"id":"el-version-control-5","name":"Version control for hardware (KiCad, Altium)"},{"id":"el-version-control-6","name":"Commits, history and good commit messages"},{"id":"el-version-control-7","name":"Pull requests and code review"},{"id":"el-version-control-8","name":"Git LFS and binary design files"}]},{"id":"el-documentation","name":"Engineering Documentation","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Writing the documents engineering teams rely on: code docs with Doxygen, READMEs, ADRs, API specs, manuals and datasheets.","prerequisites":["el-version-control"],"related":["cs-software-engineering-process","cs-professional-practice"],"unlocks":[],"order":21,"stage":4,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"el-documentation-1","name":"Code comments and inline documentation"},{"id":"el-documentation-2","name":"Doxygen (documentation generation)"},{"id":"el-documentation-3","name":"Markdown for README and wikis"},{"id":"el-documentation-4","name":"Architecture decision records (ADR)"},{"id":"el-documentation-5","name":"API documentation (Swagger/OpenAPI)"},{"id":"el-documentation-6","name":"User manuals and datasheets"}]},{"id":"el-software-debugging","name":"Software 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Development Practices & Debugging","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Getting information out of running firmware: UART logging, Segger RTT, semihosting, log levels and ring buffers.","prerequisites":["el-software-debugging"],"related":["cs-site-reliability-engineering"],"unlocks":[],"order":99,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-logging-monitoring-1","name":"UART logging"},{"id":"el-logging-monitoring-2","name":"RTT (Real-Time Transfer) - Segger J-Link"},{"id":"el-logging-monitoring-3","name":"Semihosting"},{"id":"el-logging-monitoring-4","name":"Remote logging"},{"id":"el-logging-monitoring-5","name":"Log levels (debug, info, warning, error)"},{"id":"el-logging-monitoring-6","name":"Circular buffers for logging"}]},{"id":"el-cross-compilation","name":"Cross-Compilation","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Building code for a different target: GCC/Clang/IAR/Keil toolchains, sysroots, target selection and QEMU emulation.","prerequisites":["el-build-systems"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-multi-device-multi-platform-development"],"order":117,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-cross-compilation-1","name":"Toolchains (GCC, Clang/LLVM, IAR, Keil)"},{"id":"el-cross-compilation-2","name":"Target architecture selection"},{"id":"el-cross-compilation-3","name":"Sysroot and cross-compiling libraries"},{"id":"el-cross-compilation-4","name":"qemu for emulation"},{"id":"el-cross-compilation-5","name":"Toolchain components: compiler, assembler, linker and C library"},{"id":"el-cross-compilation-6","name":"Building toolchains and SDKs (crosstool-NG, vendor SDKs)"},{"id":"el-cross-compilation-7","name":"Linker scripts, map files and binary formats (ELF, HEX, BIN)"},{"id":"el-cross-compilation-8","name":"Running and debugging cross-compiled code on target"}]},{"id":"el-hardware-debugging","name":"Hardware Debugging","category":"Embedded Development Practices & 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problems"}]},{"id":"el-protocol-debugging","name":"Protocol Debugging","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Diagnosing bus and network problems with CAN, SPI/I2C and USB analyzers, Wireshark and serial monitors.","prerequisites":["el-serial-protocols","el-synchronous-serial-protocols","el-test-equipment"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":136,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-protocol-debugging-1","name":"CAN analyzers"},{"id":"el-protocol-debugging-2","name":"SPI/I²C analyzers"},{"id":"el-protocol-debugging-3","name":"USB protocol analyzers (Beagle, Total Phase)"},{"id":"el-protocol-debugging-4","name":"Ethernet packet capture (Wireshark)"},{"id":"el-protocol-debugging-5","name":"UART/serial monitors"},{"id":"el-protocol-debugging-6","name":"Logic analyzers and protocol decoders"},{"id":"el-protocol-debugging-7","name":"Diagnosing bus errors: timing, noise and termination"}]},{"id":"el-package-management","name":"Package Management","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Managing third-party dependencies for embedded projects with Conan, vcpkg, opkg/apt and Yocto layers.","prerequisites":["el-build-systems"],"related":["cs-command-line-shell"],"unlocks":[],"order":144,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-package-management-1","name":"Conan (C/C++ package manager)"},{"id":"el-package-management-2","name":"vcpkg (Microsoft C++ library manager)"},{"id":"el-package-management-3","name":"opkg (embedded Linux)"},{"id":"el-package-management-4","name":"apt/dpkg (Debian-based)"},{"id":"el-package-management-5","name":"Yocto recipes and layers"}]},{"id":"el-configuration-management","name":"Software Configuration Management","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Managing build-time configuration: config file formats, environment-specific builds, feature flags and provisioning data.","prerequisites":["el-build-systems"],"related":["el-device-configuration-management","cs-devops-cicd"],"unlocks":[],"order":147,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-configuration-management-1","name":"Configuration files (JSON, YAML, TOML, INI)"},{"id":"el-configuration-management-2","name":"Environment-specific builds"},{"id":"el-configuration-management-3","name":"Feature flags"},{"id":"el-configuration-management-4","name":"Device provisioning data"}]},{"id":"el-error-handling-diagnostics","name":"Error Handling & Diagnostics","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Handling and diagnosing failures: reset-cause detection, fault handlers, core dumps, crash reporting and health monitoring.","prerequisites":["el-firmware-development","el-software-debugging"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":170,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-error-handling-diagnostics-1","name":"Watchdog timer diagnostics"},{"id":"el-error-handling-diagnostics-2","name":"Reset cause detection"},{"id":"el-error-handling-diagnostics-3","name":"Fault handlers (hard fault, bus fault)"},{"id":"el-error-handling-diagnostics-4","name":"Core dump analysis"},{"id":"el-error-handling-diagnostics-5","name":"Crash reporting and analytics"},{"id":"el-error-handling-diagnostics-6","name":"Health monitoring and telemetry"}]},{"id":"el-static-analysis-linters","name":"Static Analysis & Linters","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Finding bugs before running code: linters, MISRA checkers, Coverity/SonarQube, sanitizers and SAST 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unit tests on host, integration, system and HIL testing, TDD/BDD and coverage.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-cc-best-practices"],"related":["cs-software-testing","el-software-testing"],"unlocks":["el-continuous-integration-continuous-deployment-cicd","el-software-testing","el-testing-validation"],"order":189,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-testing-strategies-1","name":"Unit testing (CUnit, Unity, Google Test, Catch2)"},{"id":"el-testing-strategies-2","name":"Integration testing"},{"id":"el-testing-strategies-3","name":"System testing and acceptance testing"},{"id":"el-testing-strategies-4","name":"Hardware-in-the-loop (HIL) testing"},{"id":"el-testing-strategies-5","name":"Simulation and emulation"},{"id":"el-testing-strategies-6","name":"Test-driven development (TDD)"},{"id":"el-testing-strategies-7","name":"Behavior-driven development (BDD)"},{"id":"el-testing-strategies-8","name":"Code coverage analysis (gcov, lcov)"}]},{"id":"el-multi-device-multi-platform-development","name":"Multi-Device & Multi-Platform Development","category":"Embedded Development Practices & Debugging","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Supporting many boards and product variants from one code base with abstraction layers and portable code.","prerequisites":["el-cross-compilation","el-embedded-cc-best-practices"],"related":["cs-mobile-development"],"unlocks":[],"order":202,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-multi-device-multi-platform-development-1","name":"Cross-compilation toolchains"},{"id":"el-multi-device-multi-platform-development-2","name":"Platform abstraction layers"},{"id":"el-multi-device-multi-platform-development-3","name":"Portable code practices"},{"id":"el-multi-device-multi-platform-development-4","name":"Conditional compilation"},{"id":"el-multi-device-multi-platform-development-5","name":"Device families and 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firmware.","prerequisites":["el-continuous-integration-continuous-deployment-cicd"],"related":["cs-software-engineering-process","cs-devops-cicd"],"unlocks":[],"order":286,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-agile-devops-for-embedded-1","name":"Scrum, Kanban methodologies"},{"id":"el-agile-devops-for-embedded-2","name":"Sprint planning and retrospectives"},{"id":"el-agile-devops-for-embedded-3","name":"DevOps practices for hardware teams"},{"id":"el-agile-devops-for-embedded-4","name":"Infrastructure as Code (IaC)"},{"id":"el-agile-devops-for-embedded-5","name":"Continuous improvement"}]},{"id":"el-ml-algorithms-for-resource-constrained-devices","name":"ML Algorithms for Resource-Constrained Devices","category":"Machine Learning & Edge AI","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Classical ML algorithms that fit on small devices: decision trees and forests, k-NN, SVM, regression, naive Bayes and anomaly 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transformers, autoencoders and generative models on edge devices.","prerequisites":["el-model-optimization-techniques","el-ml-frameworks-for-embedded"],"related":["ai-edge-ai-embedded-ml","el-edge-ai-for-vision"],"unlocks":["el-edge-intelligence","el-federated-learning"],"order":292,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"el-deep-learning-on-edge-1","name":"Convolutional Neural Networks (CNN)"},{"id":"el-deep-learning-on-edge-2","name":"Recurrent Neural Networks (RNN, LSTM, GRU)"},{"id":"el-deep-learning-on-edge-3","name":"Transformer models (lightweight variants)"},{"id":"el-deep-learning-on-edge-4","name":"Autoencoders"},{"id":"el-deep-learning-on-edge-5","name":"Generative models"}]},{"id":"el-efficient-neural-network-architectures","name":"Efficient Neural Network Architectures","category":"Machine Learning & Edge AI","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Network architectures designed for efficiency: MobileNet, EfficientNet, SqueezeNet, ShuffleNet, GhostNet 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time-of-flight.","prerequisites":["el-feature-detection-matching"],"related":["ai-3d-computer-vision"],"unlocks":["el-3d-vision"],"order":305,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-stereo-vision-depth-1","name":"Stereo camera calibration"},{"id":"el-stereo-vision-depth-2","name":"Disparity map computation"},{"id":"el-stereo-vision-depth-3","name":"Depth estimation"},{"id":"el-stereo-vision-depth-4","name":"Structured light systems"},{"id":"el-stereo-vision-depth-5","name":"Time-of-Flight (ToF) cameras"}]},{"id":"el-3d-vision","name":"3D Vision","category":"Machine Learning & Edge AI","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Working with 3D data: point clouds, reconstruction, 3D SLAM and 3D object recognition.","prerequisites":["el-stereo-vision-depth"],"related":["ai-3d-computer-vision"],"unlocks":[],"order":329,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-stereo-vision-depth-6","name":"Point cloud 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learning)"}]},{"id":"el-federated-learning","name":"Federated Learning","category":"Machine Learning & Edge AI","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Training models across many devices without centralizing data: on-device updates, aggregation and privacy.","prerequisites":["el-deep-learning-on-edge"],"related":["ai-privacy-in-ai"],"unlocks":[],"order":335,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"el-federated-learning-1","name":"Distributed training across devices"},{"id":"el-federated-learning-2","name":"Privacy-preserving ML"},{"id":"el-federated-learning-3","name":"On-device model updates"},{"id":"el-federated-learning-4","name":"Aggregation strategies"}]},{"id":"el-in-vehicle-networking","name":"In-Vehicle Networking","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing the in-vehicle network: CAN/CAN FD, LIN, FlexRay, automotive Ethernet, MOST and gateway ECUs.","prerequisites":["el-automotive-protocols"],"related":["el-automotive-protocols"],"unlocks":[],"order":174,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-in-vehicle-networking-1","name":"CAN and CAN FD"},{"id":"el-in-vehicle-networking-2","name":"LIN bus"},{"id":"el-in-vehicle-networking-3","name":"FlexRay"},{"id":"el-in-vehicle-networking-4","name":"Automotive Ethernet (100BASE-T1, 1000BASE-T1)"},{"id":"el-in-vehicle-networking-5","name":"MOST (Media Oriented Systems Transport)"},{"id":"el-in-vehicle-networking-6","name":"Gateway ECUs and routing"}]},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance","name":"Reliability & Fault Tolerance","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing systems that keep working when parts fail: redundancy and TMR, watchdogs, built-in test, graceful degradation and FDIR.","prerequisites":["el-reliability-testing","el-firmware-development"],"related":["ae-aerospace-safety-reliability"],"unlocks":["el-environmental-challenges"],"order":180,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-1","name":"Redundancy (dual, triple modular)"},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-2","name":"Watchdog timers and health monitoring"},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-3","name":"Built-in test (BIT) and diagnostics"},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-4","name":"Graceful degradation"},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-5","name":"Fault detection, isolation, and recovery (FDIR)"},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-6","name":"Reliability block diagrams and fault-tree analysis"},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-7","name":"Error-detecting and correcting memory (ECC, EDAC)"},{"id":"el-reliability-fault-tolerance-8","name":"Safe states and fail-operational design"}]},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture","name":"Vehicle Electronics Architecture","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How a modern vehicle's electronics are organized: ECUs, domain and zonal architectures, central compute and service-oriented software.","prerequisites":["el-automotive-protocols"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-automotive-standards","el-chassis-safety-systems","el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems","el-infotainment-telematics","el-powertrain-systems"],"order":191,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-1","name":"Electronic Control Units (ECUs)"},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-2","name":"Domain controllers (powertrain, chassis, body, infotainment)"},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-3","name":"Zonal architectures"},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-4","name":"Central compute platforms"},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-5","name":"Service-Oriented Architecture (SOA)"},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-6","name":"Vehicle power distribution and wiring harnesses"},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-7","name":"Automotive-grade components (AEC-Q100) and operating environment"},{"id":"el-vehicle-electronics-architecture-8","name":"Software-defined vehicles"}]},{"id":"el-avionics-systems","name":"Avionics Systems","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The electronic systems of an aircraft: flight management, autopilot, navigation, air data, AHRS, weather radar, TCAS, GPWS and EFIS.","prerequisites":["el-inertial-sensors","el-control-theory","ae-principles-of-flight"],"related":["ae-flight-dynamics","ae-aerospace-navigation-systems","ae-flight-control-systems","ai-aerial-robotics-drones"],"unlocks":["el-aircraft-communication","el-avionics-buses-protocols","el-safety-certification"],"order":192,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-avionics-systems-1","name":"Flight Management System (FMS)"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-2","name":"Autopilot and flight control"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-3","name":"Navigation systems (INS, GPS, VOR, ILS)"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-4","name":"Air Data Computer (ADC)"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-5","name":"Attitude and Heading Reference System (AHRS)"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-6","name":"Weather radar"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-7","name":"Traffic Collision Avoidance System (TCAS)"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-8","name":"Ground Proximity Warning System (GPWS)"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-9","name":"Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS)"},{"id":"el-avionics-systems-10","name":"Flight Data Recorder (black box)"}]},{"id":"el-automotive-standards","name":"Automotive Standards","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The standards automotive electronics is built to: AUTOSAR, ISO 26262 and ASILs, ASPICE, MISRA and ISO/SAE 21434.","prerequisites":["el-vehicle-electronics-architecture","el-safety-standards"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-testing-validation"],"order":218,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"el-automotive-standards-1","name":"AUTOSAR (Classic and Adaptive)"},{"id":"el-automotive-standards-2","name":"ISO 26262 (Functional Safety)"},{"id":"el-automotive-standards-3","name":"ASIL levels (A, B, C, D)"},{"id":"el-automotive-standards-4","name":"ASPICE (Automotive SPICE)"},{"id":"el-automotive-standards-5","name":"MISRA C/C++ coding standards"},{"id":"el-automotive-standards-6","name":"Cybersecurity (ISO/SAE 21434)"}]},{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems","name":"Electric Vehicle (EV) Systems","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The electrical system of an EV: battery pack and BMS, traction inverter and motor, DC-DC and on-board chargers, charging standards and thermal management.","prerequisites":["el-battery-management-systems-bms","el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters","el-vehicle-electronics-architecture"],"related":["el-electric-drives","me-automotive-engineering","me-energy-storage-power-integration"],"unlocks":[],"order":225,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems-1","name":"Battery Management System (BMS)"},{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems-2","name":"Motor controllers and inverters"},{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems-3","name":"DC-DC converters"},{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems-4","name":"On-board chargers (AC-DC)"},{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems-5","name":"Charging standards (CCS, CHAdeMO, Tesla)"},{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems-6","name":"Thermal management systems"},{"id":"el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems-7","name":"Range estimation and energy management"}]},{"id":"el-aircraft-communication","name":"Aircraft Communication","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How aircraft communicate: VHF/UHF radio, ACARS, SATCOM, ADS-B and data links.","prerequisites":["el-avionics-systems","el-analog-communications"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":238,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"el-aircraft-communication-1","name":"VHF/UHF radio"},{"id":"el-aircraft-communication-2","name":"ACARS (Aircraft Communications Addressing and Reporting System)"},{"id":"el-aircraft-communication-3","name":"Satellite communication (SATCOM)"},{"id":"el-aircraft-communication-4","name":"ADS-B (Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast)"},{"id":"el-aircraft-communication-5","name":"Datalinks and telemetry"}]},{"id":"el-avionics-buses-protocols","name":"Avionics Buses & Protocols","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Aircraft and spacecraft data buses: ARINC 429, AFDX, MIL-STD-1553, CAN Aerospace and SpaceWire.","prerequisites":["el-avionics-systems","el-serial-protocols"],"related":["ae-avionics-systems-integration","ae-command-data-handling"],"unlocks":[],"order":239,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"el-avionics-buses-protocols-1","name":"ARINC 429 (avionics data bus)"},{"id":"el-avionics-buses-protocols-2","name":"ARINC 664 / AFDX (Avionics Full-Duplex Ethernet)"},{"id":"el-avionics-buses-protocols-3","name":"MIL-STD-1553 (military avionics bus)"},{"id":"el-avionics-buses-protocols-4","name":"CAN Aerospace"},{"id":"el-avionics-buses-protocols-5","name":"SpaceWire (spacecraft)"}]},{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems","name":"Chassis & Safety Systems","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Electronic chassis and safety systems: ABS, stability and traction control, electric power steering, cruise control and parking brakes.","prerequisites":["el-vehicle-electronics-architecture","el-control-theory"],"related":["me-vehicle-dynamics"],"unlocks":["el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas"],"order":242,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems-1","name":"Anti-lock Braking System (ABS)"},{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems-2","name":"Electronic Stability Control (ESC)"},{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems-3","name":"Traction Control System (TCS)"},{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems-4","name":"Electronic Power Steering (EPS)"},{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems-5","name":"Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC)"},{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems-6","name":"Electronic Parking Brake"},{"id":"el-chassis-safety-systems-7","name":"Hill-start assist"}]},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics","name":"Infotainment & Telematics","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"In-car entertainment, navigation, smartphone integration, connectivity, OTA updates and fleet telematics.","prerequisites":["el-vehicle-electronics-architecture","el-cellular-technologies"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":245,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-1","name":"Head units and displays"},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-2","name":"Navigation systems"},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-3","name":"Connectivity (Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular)"},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-4","name":"Voice recognition and virtual assistants"},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-5","name":"Android Auto and Apple CarPlay"},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-6","name":"Over-the-air (OTA) updates"},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-7","name":"Vehicle diagnostics and telematics"},{"id":"el-infotainment-telematics-8","name":"Fleet management"}]},{"id":"el-powertrain-systems","name":"Powertrain Systems","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Electronic control of engines and transmissions: ECM, TCM, fuel injection, ignition, valve timing, turbo and EGR control.","prerequisites":["el-vehicle-electronics-architecture","el-control-theory"],"related":["me-internal-combustion-engines","me-automotive-engineering"],"unlocks":[],"order":248,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"el-powertrain-systems-1","name":"Engine Control Module (ECM)"},{"id":"el-powertrain-systems-2","name":"Transmission Control Module (TCM)"},{"id":"el-powertrain-systems-3","name":"Fuel injection systems"},{"id":"el-powertrain-systems-4","name":"Ignition control"},{"id":"el-powertrain-systems-5","name":"Variable valve timing"},{"id":"el-powertrain-systems-6","name":"Turbocharger control"},{"id":"el-powertrain-systems-7","name":"Exhaust gas recirculation (EGR)"}]},{"id":"el-safety-certification","name":"Avionics Safety & Certification","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Certifying airborne electronics: DO-178C software, DO-254 hardware, DO-160 environmental testing, ARP4754A and design assurance levels.","prerequisites":["el-safety-standards","el-avionics-systems"],"related":["ae-airworthiness-certification"],"unlocks":[],"order":253,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"el-safety-certification-1","name":"DO-178C (software development)"},{"id":"el-safety-certification-2","name":"DO-254 (hardware development)"},{"id":"el-safety-certification-3","name":"DO-160 (environmental testing)"},{"id":"el-safety-certification-4","name":"ARP4754A (development process)"},{"id":"el-safety-certification-5","name":"Design Assurance Levels (DAL A-E)"}]},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas","name":"Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS)","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Driver-assistance features and their sensors: adaptive cruise, lane keeping, blind-spot detection, emergency braking, surround view and driver monitoring.","prerequisites":["el-chassis-safety-systems","el-sensor-fusion"],"related":["ai-autonomous-driving"],"unlocks":["el-autonomous-driving"],"order":289,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-1","name":"Adaptive cruise control"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-2","name":"Lane departure warning and lane keeping assist"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-3","name":"Blind spot detection"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-4","name":"Collision avoidance and mitigation"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-5","name":"Automatic emergency braking"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-6","name":"Traffic sign recognition"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-7","name":"Parking assistance and surround view"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-8","name":"Driver monitoring systems"},{"id":"el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas-9","name":"Night vision systems"}]},{"id":"el-testing-validation","name":"Automotive Testing & Validation (XiL)","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Validating vehicle electronics with model-, software-, hardware- and vehicle-in-the-loop testing plus environmental and EMC tests.","prerequisites":["el-automotive-standards","el-testing-strategies"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":290,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"el-testing-validation-1","name":"Hardware-in-the-Loop (HIL)"},{"id":"el-testing-validation-2","name":"Software-in-the-Loop (SIL)"},{"id":"el-testing-validation-3","name":"Model-in-the-Loop (MIL)"},{"id":"el-testing-validation-4","name":"Vehicle-in-the-Loop (VIL)"},{"id":"el-testing-validation-5","name":"Environmental testing"},{"id":"el-testing-validation-6","name":"EMC testing"}]},{"id":"el-environmental-challenges","name":"Harsh-Environment Electronics","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Electronics for harsh environments: radiation effects and hardening, extreme temperatures, vibration, shock, altitude and qualification.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-devices","el-reliability-fault-tolerance"],"related":["ae-space-environment","mt-space-environment-materials"],"unlocks":["el-spacecraft-electronics"],"order":296,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":36,"topics":[{"id":"el-environmental-challenges-1","name":"Radiation effects (SEU, SEL, TID)"},{"id":"el-environmental-challenges-2","name":"Extreme temperatures"},{"id":"el-environmental-challenges-3","name":"Vibration and shock"},{"id":"el-environmental-challenges-4","name":"Altitude and pressure"},{"id":"el-environmental-challenges-5","name":"Radiation-hardening techniques"},{"id":"el-environmental-challenges-6","name":"Derating and qualification"}]},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving","name":"Autonomous Driving","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The self-driving stack: multi-sensor perception, HD-map localization, planning, control, V2X, safety standards and SAE autonomy levels.","prerequisites":["el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas","el-perception-sensing","el-path-planning-navigation"],"related":["ai-autonomous-driving"],"unlocks":[],"order":330,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":46,"topics":[{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-1","name":"Sensor fusion (camera, LIDAR, radar, ultrasonic)"},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-2","name":"Localization and HD mapping"},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-3","name":"Perception and object detection"},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-4","name":"Path planning and decision-making"},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-5","name":"Motion control and actuation"},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-6","name":"Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) communication"},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-7","name":"Safety standards (ISO 26262, SOTIF ISO 21448)"},{"id":"el-autonomous-driving-8","name":"Levels of autonomy (SAE J3016)"}]},{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics","name":"Spacecraft Electronics","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The electronic subsystems of a spacecraft: attitude control, command and data handling, power, thermal, propulsion control and payload interfaces.","prerequisites":["el-environmental-challenges","el-control-theory","ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals"],"related":["el-space-satellite-systems","ae-spacecraft-power-systems","ae-command-data-handling","ae-attitude-control"],"unlocks":["el-space-satellite-systems"],"order":342,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":45,"topics":[{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics-1","name":"Attitude Determination and Control System (ADCS)"},{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics-2","name":"Command and Data Handling (C&DH)"},{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics-3","name":"Power systems (solar panels, batteries)"},{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics-4","name":"Thermal control systems"},{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics-5","name":"Propulsion control"},{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics-6","name":"Payload interfaces"},{"id":"el-spacecraft-electronics-7","name":"Radiation-hardened electronics"}]},{"id":"el-defense-electronics","name":"Defense Electronics","category":"Automotive, Aerospace & Defense Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Military electronic systems: radar, electronic warfare, IRST, missile guidance, secure communications, ISR and IFF.","prerequisites":["el-radar-systems","el-digital-communications"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":348,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"el-defense-electronics-1","name":"Radar systems (search, tracking, fire control)"},{"id":"el-defense-electronics-2","name":"Electronic Warfare (EW) - jamming, countermeasures"},{"id":"el-defense-electronics-3","name":"Infrared search and track (IRST)"},{"id":"el-defense-electronics-4","name":"Missile guidance systems"},{"id":"el-defense-electronics-5","name":"Combat management systems"},{"id":"el-defense-electronics-6","name":"Secure communications"},{"id":"el-defense-electronics-7","name":"Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance (ISR)"},{"id":"el-defense-electronics-8","name":"Friend-or-Foe (IFF) identification"}]},{"id":"el-regulatory-standards","name":"Medical Device Regulation & Standards","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The regulatory path for medical electronics: FDA 510(k)/PMA, EU MDR, IEC 60601, IEC 62304, ISO 13485 and ISO 14971.","prerequisites":["el-international-standards-organizations"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-medical-data-security","el-therapeutic-devices"],"order":12,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"el-regulatory-standards-1","name":"FDA regulations (510(k), PMA, De Novo)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-standards-2","name":"CE marking and MDR (Medical Device Regulation)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-standards-3","name":"IEC 60601 (electrical safety)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-standards-4","name":"IEC 62304 (software lifecycle)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-standards-5","name":"ISO 13485 (quality management)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-standards-6","name":"ISO 14971 (risk management)"},{"id":"el-regulatory-standards-7","name":"21 CFR Part 11 (electronic records)"}]},{"id":"el-entertainment-gaming","name":"Entertainment & Gaming","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"Electronics for play: consoles and controllers, haptics, motion tracking, VR/AR headsets and interactive installations.","prerequisites":["el-inertial-sensors"],"related":["cs-game-development"],"unlocks":[],"order":77,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"el-entertainment-gaming-1","name":"Gaming consoles and controllers"},{"id":"el-entertainment-gaming-2","name":"Haptic feedback systems"},{"id":"el-entertainment-gaming-3","name":"Motion tracking and gesture recognition"},{"id":"el-entertainment-gaming-4","name":"VR/AR headsets"},{"id":"el-entertainment-gaming-5","name":"Arcade machines"},{"id":"el-entertainment-gaming-6","name":"Interactive installations"}]},{"id":"el-retail-pos-systems","name":"Retail & POS Systems","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Retail electronics: POS and payment terminals (EMV, NFC), barcode and RFID scanning, inventory and digital signage.","prerequisites":["el-short-range-wireless"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":151,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-retail-pos-systems-1","name":"Point-of-Sale (POS) terminals"},{"id":"el-retail-pos-systems-2","name":"Barcode and RFID scanning"},{"id":"el-retail-pos-systems-3","name":"Payment terminals (EMV, NFC)"},{"id":"el-retail-pos-systems-4","name":"Inventory management"},{"id":"el-retail-pos-systems-5","name":"Customer analytics"},{"id":"el-retail-pos-systems-6","name":"Digital signage"}]},{"id":"el-medical-data-security","name":"Medical Data Security","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Protecting health data in devices and systems: HIPAA compliance, encryption, secure transmission, access control and audit trails.","prerequisites":["el-privacy-protection","el-regulatory-standards"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":200,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-medical-data-security-1","name":"HIPAA compliance"},{"id":"el-medical-data-security-2","name":"Data encryption and anonymization"},{"id":"el-medical-data-security-3","name":"Secure data transmission"},{"id":"el-medical-data-security-4","name":"Access control and audit trails"},{"id":"el-medical-data-security-5","name":"Privacy by design"}]},{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring","name":"Environmental & Climate Monitoring","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Sensor networks for the planet: air and water quality, seismic and tsunami warning, wildfire detection, ice and wildlife monitoring.","prerequisites":["el-environmental-sensors","el-long-range-wireless-lpwan"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":206,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring-1","name":"Air quality monitoring networks"},{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring-2","name":"Water quality monitoring"},{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring-3","name":"Seismic sensors"},{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring-4","name":"Tsunami warning systems"},{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring-5","name":"Wildfire detection"},{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring-6","name":"Glacier and ice monitoring"},{"id":"el-environmental-climate-monitoring-7","name":"Wildlife tracking"}]},{"id":"el-mining-heavy-industry","name":"Mining & Heavy Industry","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Electronics for mines and heavy industry: remote monitoring, autonomous vehicles, safety systems, asset tracking and explosion-proof design.","prerequisites":["el-industrial-protocols"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":208,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"el-mining-heavy-industry-1","name":"Remote equipment monitoring"},{"id":"el-mining-heavy-industry-2","name":"Autonomous mining vehicles"},{"id":"el-mining-heavy-industry-3","name":"Environmental and safety monitoring"},{"id":"el-mining-heavy-industry-4","name":"Predictive maintenance"},{"id":"el-mining-heavy-industry-5","name":"Asset tracking"},{"id":"el-mining-heavy-industry-6","name":"Explosion-proof electronics"}]},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture","name":"Precision Agriculture","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Electronics on the farm: soil and weather sensing, drones, automated irrigation, livestock tracking and yield prediction.","prerequisites":["el-environmental-sensors","el-long-range-wireless-lpwan"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":209,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-1","name":"Soil moisture and nutrient sensors"},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-2","name":"Weather stations"},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-3","name":"Drone-based crop monitoring"},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-4","name":"Automated irrigation systems"},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-5","name":"Livestock tracking and health monitoring"},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-6","name":"Crop disease detection"},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-7","name":"Yield prediction and optimization"},{"id":"el-precision-agriculture-8","name":"Farm management software"}]},{"id":"el-smart-cities","name":"Smart Cities","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"IoT at city scale: transport, parking, street lighting, waste, public safety, buildings and energy management.","prerequisites":["el-iot-cloud-platforms","el-long-range-wireless-lpwan"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":250,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-smart-cities-1","name":"Intelligent transportation systems (ITS)"},{"id":"el-smart-cities-2","name":"Smart parking"},{"id":"el-smart-cities-3","name":"Smart street lighting"},{"id":"el-smart-cities-4","name":"Waste management optimization"},{"id":"el-smart-cities-5","name":"Public safety systems"},{"id":"el-smart-cities-6","name":"Environmental monitoring"},{"id":"el-smart-cities-7","name":"Smart buildings and BMS"},{"id":"el-smart-cities-8","name":"Energy management"}]},{"id":"el-underwater-systems","name":"Underwater Systems","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"Electronics under water: acoustic and optical communication, AUVs and ROVs, subsea sensors, localization and pressure housings.","prerequisites":["el-acoustic-vibration-sensors","el-sensor-fusion"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":266,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-underwater-systems-1","name":"Underwater communication (acoustic, optical)"},{"id":"el-underwater-systems-2","name":"Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUV)"},{"id":"el-underwater-systems-3","name":"Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROV)"},{"id":"el-underwater-systems-4","name":"Subsea sensors and monitoring"},{"id":"el-underwater-systems-5","name":"Underwater localization"},{"id":"el-underwater-systems-6","name":"Pressure-resistant enclosures"}]},{"id":"el-biomedical-signal-processing","name":"Biomedical Signal Processing","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Extracting clinical information from ECG, EEG, EMG, PPG and medical images.","prerequisites":["el-digital-signal-processing-dsp","el-biosensors-medical-sensors"],"related":["bi-neurotechnology-methods","ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons"],"unlocks":["el-diagnostic-equipment"],"order":281,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"el-biomedical-signal-processing-1","name":"ECG signal processing and QRS detection"},{"id":"el-biomedical-signal-processing-2","name":"EEG signal analysis and artifact removal"},{"id":"el-biomedical-signal-processing-3","name":"EMG feature extraction"},{"id":"el-biomedical-signal-processing-4","name":"Vital sign extraction from PPG"},{"id":"el-biomedical-signal-processing-5","name":"Medical image processing"}]},{"id":"el-patient-monitoring","name":"Patient Monitoring","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Monitoring patients in hospital and at home: multi-parameter, bedside, ambulatory, wearable and remote monitors and alarm management.","prerequisites":["el-biosensors-medical-sensors"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-home-healthcare-devices","el-telemedicine-digital-health"],"order":284,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"el-patient-monitoring-1","name":"Vital signs monitors (multi-parameter)"},{"id":"el-patient-monitoring-2","name":"Bedside monitors"},{"id":"el-patient-monitoring-3","name":"Ambulatory monitors"},{"id":"el-patient-monitoring-4","name":"Wearable health monitors"},{"id":"el-patient-monitoring-5","name":"Remote patient monitoring (RPM)"},{"id":"el-patient-monitoring-6","name":"Hospital information systems (HIS) integration"},{"id":"el-patient-monitoring-7","name":"Alarm management"}]},{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive","name":"Wearable Technology Deep-Dive","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Designing wearables: biosignal acquisition, activity and fall detection, sleep staging and other body-worn sensing.","prerequisites":["el-biosensors-medical-sensors","el-low-power-design"],"related":["ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons"],"unlocks":[],"order":285,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive-1","name":"Bio-signal acquisition"},{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive-2","name":"Motion analysis and activity recognition"},{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive-3","name":"Fall detection"},{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive-4","name":"Medication adherence tracking"},{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive-5","name":"UV exposure monitoring"},{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive-6","name":"Hydration monitoring"},{"id":"el-wearable-technology-deep-dive-7","name":"Sleep staging and analysis"}]},{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices","name":"Laboratory & Diagnostic Devices","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Electronic lab and point-of-care devices: blood analyzers, glucose meters, spectrophotometers, PCR and immunoassay instruments.","prerequisites":["el-biosensors-medical-sensors"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":287,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices-1","name":"Blood analyzers"},{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices-2","name":"Glucose meters"},{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices-3","name":"Point-of-care testing (POCT)"},{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices-4","name":"Spectrophotometers"},{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices-5","name":"Centrifuges"},{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices-6","name":"PCR and genetic testing equipment"},{"id":"el-laboratory-diagnostic-devices-7","name":"Immunoassay analyzers"}]},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices","name":"Therapeutic Devices","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Devices that treat patients: ventilators, CPAP, dialysis and infusion pumps, defibrillators, electrosurgery, laser and radiation therapy.","prerequisites":["el-regulatory-standards","el-biosensors-medical-sensors"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-implantable-devices"],"order":306,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-1","name":"Ventilators and respirators"},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-2","name":"CPAP/BiPAP machines"},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-3","name":"Dialysis machines"},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-4","name":"Infusion pumps (IV, PCA, syringe)"},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-5","name":"Defibrillators (AED, manual)"},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-6","name":"Surgical instruments and electrosurgery"},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-7","name":"Laser therapy devices"},{"id":"el-therapeutic-devices-8","name":"Radiation therapy equipment"}]},{"id":"el-home-healthcare-devices","name":"Home Healthcare Devices","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Consumer health devices: blood-pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, thermometers, nebulizers and hearing aids.","prerequisites":["el-patient-monitoring"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":323,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"el-home-healthcare-devices-1","name":"Blood pressure monitors"},{"id":"el-home-healthcare-devices-2","name":"Pulse oximeters"},{"id":"el-home-healthcare-devices-3","name":"Thermometers"},{"id":"el-home-healthcare-devices-4","name":"Nebulizers"},{"id":"el-home-healthcare-devices-5","name":"Hearing aids"},{"id":"el-home-healthcare-devices-6","name":"Mobility aids with electronics"}]},{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health","name":"Telemedicine & Digital Health","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Connected care: teleconsultation, remote diagnostics, EHRs, health information exchange, mHealth apps and decision support.","prerequisites":["el-patient-monitoring"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":325,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health-1","name":"Teleconsultation platforms"},{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health-2","name":"Remote diagnostics"},{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health-3","name":"Electronic Health Records (EHR)"},{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health-4","name":"Health Information Exchange (HIE)"},{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health-5","name":"mHealth applications"},{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health-6","name":"Prescription management"},{"id":"el-telemedicine-digital-health-7","name":"Clinical decision support systems"}]},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment","name":"Diagnostic Equipment","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How diagnostic systems work: ECG, EEG and EMG equipment, ultrasound, MRI, CT, X-ray, PET and endoscopy.","prerequisites":["el-biomedical-signal-processing"],"related":["ph-medical-physics"],"unlocks":[],"order":333,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":38,"topics":[{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-1","name":"Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) systems"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-2","name":"Electroencephalogram (EEG) systems"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-3","name":"Electromyography (EMG) equipment"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-4","name":"Ultrasound imaging"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-5","name":"MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging)"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-6","name":"CT (Computed Tomography)"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-7","name":"X-ray systems"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-8","name":"PET (Positron Emission Tomography)"},{"id":"el-diagnostic-equipment-9","name":"Endoscopy systems"}]},{"id":"el-implantable-devices","name":"Implantable Devices","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Electronics inside the body: pacemakers and ICDs, insulin pumps, neurostimulators, cochlear and retinal implants, biocompatibility.","prerequisites":["el-therapeutic-devices","el-low-power-design"],"related":["mt-biomaterials"],"unlocks":[],"order":337,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":38,"topics":[{"id":"el-implantable-devices-1","name":"Pacemakers and defibrillators (ICDs)"},{"id":"el-implantable-devices-2","name":"Insulin pumps"},{"id":"el-implantable-devices-3","name":"Neurostimulators (DBS, SCS, VNS)"},{"id":"el-implantable-devices-4","name":"Cochlear implants"},{"id":"el-implantable-devices-5","name":"Retinal implants"},{"id":"el-implantable-devices-6","name":"Drug delivery implants"},{"id":"el-implantable-devices-7","name":"Biocompatibility testing (ISO 10993)"}]},{"id":"el-space-satellite-systems","name":"Space & Satellite Systems","category":"Medical, Industrial & Other Application Domains","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"Building small satellites: CubeSats, communication payloads, radiation-hard design, thermal and power systems and attitude control.","prerequisites":["el-spacecraft-electronics","el-satellite-communication"],"related":["ae-small-satellites-cubesats","el-satellite-communication","el-spacecraft-electronics"],"unlocks":[],"order":351,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":48,"topics":[{"id":"el-space-satellite-systems-1","name":"Cubesats and nanosatellites"},{"id":"el-space-satellite-systems-2","name":"Satellite communication payloads"},{"id":"el-space-satellite-systems-3","name":"Radiation-hardened systems"},{"id":"el-space-satellite-systems-4","name":"Thermal management in vacuum"},{"id":"el-space-satellite-systems-5","name":"Power systems for spacecraft"},{"id":"el-space-satellite-systems-6","name":"Orbital mechanics and attitude control"}]},{"id":"el-blockchain-distributed-ledger","name":"Blockchain & Distributed Ledger","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"Distributed ledgers for connected devices: blockchain identity, traceability, smart contracts and tokenized IoT data.","prerequisites":["el-blockchain-for-iot"],"related":["cs-blockchain","el-blockchain-for-iot"],"unlocks":[],"order":93,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-blockchain-distributed-ledger-1","name":"Device identity on blockchain"},{"id":"el-blockchain-distributed-ledger-2","name":"Supply chain traceability"},{"id":"el-blockchain-distributed-ledger-3","name":"Smart contracts for IoT"},{"id":"el-blockchain-distributed-ledger-4","name":"Decentralized IoT platforms"},{"id":"el-blockchain-distributed-ledger-5","name":"Tokenization of IoT data"}]},{"id":"el-advanced-sensing","name":"Advanced Sensing","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Frontier sensing: electronic noses, quantum sensors, hyperspectral and radar imaging, the tactile internet and multimodal fusion.","prerequisites":["el-sensor-fusion","el-imaging-vision-sensors"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":267,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"el-advanced-sensing-1","name":"Chemical sensing arrays (electronic nose)"},{"id":"el-advanced-sensing-2","name":"Quantum sensors"},{"id":"el-advanced-sensing-3","name":"Hyperspectral imaging"},{"id":"el-advanced-sensing-4","name":"Radar imaging"},{"id":"el-advanced-sensing-5","name":"Tactile internet and haptics"},{"id":"el-advanced-sensing-6","name":"Multi-modal sensor fusion"}]},{"id":"el-energy-innovations","name":"Energy Innovations","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Emerging energy technologies for devices: solid-state batteries, supercapacitors, fuel cells, advanced harvesting and wireless power.","prerequisites":["el-battery-technologies","el-energy-harvesting"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen","mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen"],"unlocks":[],"order":294,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"el-energy-innovations-1","name":"Solid-state batteries"},{"id":"el-energy-innovations-2","name":"Supercapacitor technology"},{"id":"el-energy-innovations-3","name":"Hydrogen fuel cells"},{"id":"el-energy-innovations-4","name":"Advanced energy harvesting"},{"id":"el-energy-innovations-5","name":"Wireless power transfer (near-field, far-field)"},{"id":"el-energy-innovations-6","name":"Kinetic energy harvesting"}]},{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics","name":"Flexible & Printed Electronics","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Electronics on flexible and stretchable substrates: printed sensors and displays, conductive inks, roll-to-roll, e-textiles and paper electronics.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-devices"],"related":["ai-soft-robotics"],"unlocks":["el-bio-integrated-electronics"],"order":295,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics-1","name":"Printed Circuit Boards (flexible substrates)"},{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics-2","name":"Printed sensors and displays"},{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics-3","name":"Conductive inks and materials"},{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics-4","name":"Roll-to-roll manufacturing"},{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics-5","name":"Stretchable electronics"},{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics-6","name":"Electronic textiles (e-textiles)"},{"id":"el-flexible-printed-electronics-7","name":"Paper electronics"}]},{"id":"el-photonics-silicon-photonics","name":"Photonics & Silicon Photonics","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Integrating optics on chips: photonic integrated circuits, optical interconnects, optical computing and optical sensors.","prerequisites":["el-optoelectronic-devices","el-electromagnetic-waves"],"related":["ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics","ph-modern-optics"],"unlocks":[],"order":301,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"el-photonics-silicon-photonics-1","name":"Optical interconnects"},{"id":"el-photonics-silicon-photonics-2","name":"Photonic integrated circuits"},{"id":"el-photonics-silicon-photonics-3","name":"Optical computing"},{"id":"el-photonics-silicon-photonics-4","name":"Optical sensors"}]},{"id":"el-extended-reality-integration","name":"Extended Reality Integration","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"Combining AR/VR/MR with IoT: spatial computing, immersive digital twins, remote assistance and holographic displays.","prerequisites":["el-digital-twins"],"related":["cs-virtual-augmented-reality","ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar"],"unlocks":[],"order":308,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-extended-reality-integration-1","name":"AR/VR/MR with IoT"},{"id":"el-extended-reality-integration-2","name":"Spatial computing"},{"id":"el-extended-reality-integration-3","name":"Digital twins with immersive visualization"},{"id":"el-extended-reality-integration-4","name":"Remote assistance and training"},{"id":"el-extended-reality-integration-5","name":"Holographic displays"}]},{"id":"el-advanced-materials","name":"Advanced Materials","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"New materials for electronics: graphene, carbon nanotubes, 2D semiconductors, organic and perovskite materials and metamaterials.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-devices"],"related":["ph-quantum-materials","ph-materials-physics","mt-2d-materials","mt-nanomaterials","mt-metamaterials"],"unlocks":[],"order":309,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-advanced-materials-1","name":"Graphene electronics"},{"id":"el-advanced-materials-2","name":"Carbon nanotubes"},{"id":"el-advanced-materials-3","name":"2D materials (MoS₂, phosphorene)"},{"id":"el-advanced-materials-4","name":"Organic semiconductors"},{"id":"el-advanced-materials-5","name":"Perovskite materials"},{"id":"el-advanced-materials-6","name":"Metamaterials"}]},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics","name":"Nanoelectronics & Beyond-CMOS Devices","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Research-level devices that may succeed or complement CMOS: quantum transport, tunnel FETs, 2D-material and spintronic devices, and memristive computing.","prerequisites":["el-semiconductor-devices","ph-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ph-spintronics","ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","mt-2d-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":310,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-1","name":"Limits of CMOS scaling"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-2","name":"Quantum transport basics: Landauer formalism and ballistic conduction"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-3","name":"Tunnel FETs and negative-capacitance FETs"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-4","name":"2D-material and carbon-nanotube transistors"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-5","name":"Spintronic devices: MTJs, STT- and SOT-MRAM"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-6","name":"Single-electron and molecular devices"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-7","name":"Memristors and resistive RAM"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-8","name":"Ferroelectric FETs and in-memory computing"},{"id":"el-nanoelectronics-9","name":"Monolithic 3D integration"}]},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies","name":"Quantum Technologies","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The electrical engineering of quantum technology: qubit hardware and control electronics, quantum sensing, QKD, QRNGs and post-quantum crypto.","prerequisites":["ph-solid-state-physics"],"related":["ph-quantum-information-science","ph-quantum-sensing-metrology","ma-quantum-computation-theory","cs-quantum-computing"],"unlocks":[],"order":311,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-1","name":"Quantum computing basics"},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-6","name":"Qubit hardware platforms (superconducting, trapped-ion, spin, photonic)"},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-7","name":"Microwave control and readout electronics for qubits"},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-8","name":"Cryogenic electronics and cryo-CMOS"},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-2","name":"Quantum sensors and metrology"},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-3","name":"Quantum communication and cryptography"},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-4","name":"Quantum random number generators (QRNG)"},{"id":"el-quantum-technologies-5","name":"Post-quantum cryptography"}]},{"id":"el-bio-integrated-electronics","name":"Bio-Integrated Electronics","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Electronics that merge with biology: biointerfaces, implantable biosensors, brain-machine interfaces and biodegradable devices.","prerequisites":["el-flexible-printed-electronics","el-biosensors-medical-sensors"],"related":["bi-brain-computer-interfaces"],"unlocks":["el-bio-nano-things"],"order":343,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":39,"topics":[{"id":"el-bio-integrated-electronics-1","name":"Bioelectronics and biointerfaces"},{"id":"el-bio-integrated-electronics-2","name":"Implantable biosensors"},{"id":"el-bio-integrated-electronics-3","name":"Neural interfaces (brain-machine interfaces)"},{"id":"el-bio-integrated-electronics-4","name":"Tissue-integrated electronics"},{"id":"el-bio-integrated-electronics-5","name":"Biodegradable electronics"},{"id":"el-bio-integrated-electronics-6","name":"Biohybrid systems"}]},{"id":"el-edge-intelligence","name":"Edge Intelligence","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Distributed and collaborative AI across edge devices and the cloud, including swarm intelligence and hierarchical processing.","prerequisites":["el-deep-learning-on-edge","el-edge-computing"],"related":["ai-edge-ai-embedded-ml"],"unlocks":[],"order":344,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"el-edge-intelligence-1","name":"Distributed AI across edge devices"},{"id":"el-edge-intelligence-2","name":"Swarm intelligence"},{"id":"el-edge-intelligence-3","name":"Collaborative sensing and learning"},{"id":"el-edge-intelligence-4","name":"Edge-cloud collaboration"},{"id":"el-edge-intelligence-5","name":"Hierarchical processing architectures"}]},{"id":"el-neuromorphic-computing","name":"Neuromorphic Computing","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Brain-inspired hardware: spiking neural networks, event-driven computation, neuromorphic chips and event cameras.","prerequisites":["el-digital-vlsi-design","ai-neural-network-foundations"],"related":["ai-bio-inspired-ai","bi-computational-neuroscience","cs-emerging-systems","ai-hardware-for-ai"],"unlocks":[],"order":345,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"el-neuromorphic-computing-1","name":"Spiking Neural Networks (SNN)"},{"id":"el-neuromorphic-computing-2","name":"Event-driven computation"},{"id":"el-neuromorphic-computing-3","name":"Brain-inspired architectures"},{"id":"el-neuromorphic-computing-4","name":"Neuromorphic chips (Intel Loihi, IBM TrueNorth, BrainScaleS)"},{"id":"el-neuromorphic-computing-5","name":"Energy-efficient AI"},{"id":"el-neuromorphic-computing-6","name":"Event-based cameras (DVS sensors)"}]},{"id":"el-advanced-connectivity","name":"Advanced Connectivity","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Next-generation links: 6G concepts, terahertz and free-space optical communication, Li-Fi and molecular and underwater networks.","prerequisites":["el-wireless-communications"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":352,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"el-advanced-connectivity-1","name":"6G research and concepts"},{"id":"el-advanced-connectivity-2","name":"Terahertz (THz) communication"},{"id":"el-advanced-connectivity-3","name":"Free-space optical communication"},{"id":"el-advanced-connectivity-4","name":"Visible Light Communication (VLC / Li-Fi)"},{"id":"el-advanced-connectivity-5","name":"Molecular communication"},{"id":"el-advanced-connectivity-6","name":"Underwater acoustic networks"}]},{"id":"el-bio-nano-things","name":"Bio-Nano Things","category":"Emerging & Advanced Topics","level":5,"priority":"optional","summary":"Speculative nano-scale networks: molecular communication, molecular motors, DNA computing and in-vivo sensing.","prerequisites":["el-bio-integrated-electronics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":353,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":40,"topics":[{"id":"el-bio-nano-things-1","name":"Nano-scale communication"},{"id":"el-bio-nano-things-2","name":"Molecular motors"},{"id":"el-bio-nano-things-3","name":"DNA computing"},{"id":"el-bio-nano-things-4","name":"In-vivo sensing and actuation"}]},{"id":"el-international-standards-organizations","name":"International Standards Organizations","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Who writes the standards electronics must follow: IEEE, IEC, ISO, ITU, ANSI and ETSI.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-environmental-chemical-compliance","el-industry-specific-standards","el-product-safety","el-quality-management","el-regulatory-standards","el-safety-standards","el-wireless-telecom-standards"],"order":4,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-international-standards-organizations-1","name":"IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers)"},{"id":"el-international-standards-organizations-2","name":"IEC (International Electrotechnical Commission)"},{"id":"el-international-standards-organizations-3","name":"ISO (International Organization for Standardization)"},{"id":"el-international-standards-organizations-4","name":"ITU (International Telecommunication Union)"},{"id":"el-international-standards-organizations-5","name":"ANSI (American National Standards Institute)"},{"id":"el-international-standards-organizations-6","name":"ETSI (European Telecommunications Standards Institute)"}]},{"id":"el-environmental-chemical-compliance","name":"Environmental & Chemical Compliance","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"Environmental rules for electronic products: RoHS, REACH, WEEE, Prop 65 and conflict minerals.","prerequisites":["el-international-standards-organizations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":11,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"el-environmental-chemical-compliance-1","name":"RoHS (Restriction of Hazardous Substances)"},{"id":"el-environmental-chemical-compliance-2","name":"REACH (Registration, Evaluation, Authorization of Chemicals)"},{"id":"el-environmental-chemical-compliance-3","name":"WEEE (Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment)"},{"id":"el-environmental-chemical-compliance-4","name":"California Prop 65"},{"id":"el-environmental-chemical-compliance-5","name":"Conflict minerals (Dodd-Frank Act)"}]},{"id":"el-industry-specific-standards","name":"Industry-Specific Standards","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Sector standards: AUTOSAR, CENELEC railway, ISA automation, ASHRAE building and IEEE 2030 smart-grid standards.","prerequisites":["el-international-standards-organizations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":13,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"el-industry-specific-standards-1","name":"AUTOSAR (Automotive)"},{"id":"el-industry-specific-standards-2","name":"CENELEC for railways"},{"id":"el-industry-specific-standards-3","name":"ANSI/ISA standards (Industrial Automation)"},{"id":"el-industry-specific-standards-4","name":"ASHRAE (HVAC systems)"},{"id":"el-industry-specific-standards-5","name":"Smart grid standards (IEEE 2030)"}]},{"id":"el-quality-management","name":"Quality Management","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Quality-management systems for electronics manufacturers: ISO 9001, ISO 13485, AS9100, IATF 16949, Six Sigma and Lean.","prerequisites":["el-international-standards-organizations"],"related":["me-manufacturing-systems-quality"],"unlocks":[],"order":14,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"el-quality-management-1","name":"ISO 9001 (Quality Management Systems)"},{"id":"el-quality-management-2","name":"ISO 13485 (Medical Devices QMS)"},{"id":"el-quality-management-3","name":"AS9100 (Aerospace QMS)"},{"id":"el-quality-management-4","name":"IATF 16949 (Automotive QMS)"},{"id":"el-quality-management-5","name":"Six Sigma and Lean Manufacturing"}]},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards","name":"Wireless & Telecom Standards","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Radio regulations and certification schemes: FCC Parts 15 and 18, RED, ISED, MIC, ACMA and Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and LoRa certification.","prerequisites":["el-short-range-wireless","el-international-standards-organizations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":149,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-1","name":"FCC Part 15 (unlicensed RF devices)"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-2","name":"FCC Part 18 (ISM equipment)"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-3","name":"RED (Radio Equipment Directive) - Europe"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-4","name":"IC (Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada)"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-5","name":"MIC (Japan)"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-6","name":"ACMA (Australia)"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-7","name":"Bluetooth SIG certification"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-8","name":"Wi-Fi Alliance certification"},{"id":"el-wireless-telecom-standards-9","name":"LoRa Alliance certification"}]},{"id":"el-product-safety","name":"Product Safety","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Electrical product-safety certification: UL, CSA, TUV, the CB Scheme and IEC 62368-1.","prerequisites":["el-international-standards-organizations","el-electrical-installations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":179,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"el-product-safety-1","name":"UL (Underwriters Laboratories) standards"},{"id":"el-product-safety-2","name":"CSA (Canadian Standards Association)"},{"id":"el-product-safety-3","name":"TÜV certifications"},{"id":"el-product-safety-4","name":"CB Scheme (international safety)"},{"id":"el-product-safety-5","name":"IEC 62368-1 (audio/video/ICT equipment safety)"},{"id":"el-product-safety-6","name":"Hazard-based safety engineering (IEC 62368-1)"},{"id":"el-product-safety-7","name":"Insulation, creepage and clearance"},{"id":"el-product-safety-8","name":"Touch current, fire enclosures and safety markings"}]},{"id":"el-safety-standards","name":"Safety Standards","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Functional-safety standards across industries: IEC 61508, ISO 26262, IEC 62304, IEC 60601, DO-178C/DO-254 and EN 50128.","prerequisites":["el-international-standards-organizations","el-reliability-testing"],"related":["cs-program-analysis-verification"],"unlocks":["el-automotive-standards","el-safety-certification","el-safety-protocols"],"order":182,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"el-safety-standards-1","name":"IEC 61508 (Functional Safety)"},{"id":"el-safety-standards-2","name":"ISO 26262 (Automotive Functional Safety)"},{"id":"el-safety-standards-3","name":"IEC 62304 (Medical Device Software)"},{"id":"el-safety-standards-4","name":"IEC 60601 (Medical Electrical Equipment)"},{"id":"el-safety-standards-5","name":"DO-178C (Avionics Software)"},{"id":"el-safety-standards-6","name":"DO-254 (Avionics Hardware)"},{"id":"el-safety-standards-7","name":"EN 50128 (Railway Safety Software)"}]},{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards","name":"Cybersecurity Standards","category":"Standards, Compliance & Certifications","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Security standards for products and organizations: NIST CSF, ISO 27001, IEC 62443, ISO/SAE 21434, Common Criteria and FIPS 140.","prerequisites":["el-threat-mitigation"],"related":["el-compliance-regulations","cs-security-governance-privacy"],"unlocks":[],"order":271,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards-1","name":"NIST Cybersecurity Framework"},{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards-2","name":"ISO/IEC 27001 (Information Security)"},{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards-3","name":"IEC 62443 (Industrial Automation Security)"},{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards-4","name":"ISO/SAE 21434 (Automotive Cybersecurity)"},{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards-5","name":"OWASP IoT Top 10"},{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards-6","name":"Common Criteria (CC)"},{"id":"el-cybersecurity-standards-7","name":"FIPS 140-2/3 (Cryptographic Modules)"}]},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice","name":"Engineering Ethics & Professional Practice","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"The professional side of electrical engineering: licensure, codes of ethics, intellectual property, liability, safety culture and sustainability.","prerequisites":[],"related":["cs-computing-ethics","me-professional-practice-engineering-economics"],"unlocks":[],"order":1,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-1","name":"The engineering profession and licensure (PE, CEng) and the FE exam"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-2","name":"Codes of ethics (IEEE, NSPE, NCEES Model Law)"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-3","name":"Ethical decision-making and case studies (Therac-25, Boeing 737 MAX)"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-4","name":"Intellectual property: patents, copyright, trade secrets, trademarks"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-5","name":"Open-source licences for hardware and software"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-6","name":"Contracts, liability and product responsibility"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-7","name":"Safety culture and risk communication"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-8","name":"Sustainability and environmental responsibility"},{"id":"el-engineering-ethics-practice-9","name":"Communicating engineering work: reports, presentations, design reviews"}]},{"id":"el-communities-organizations","name":"Communities & Organizations","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"The communities around electronics: IEEE and ACM, makerspaces, forums, open-source projects and maker publications.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":2,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-communities-organizations-1","name":"IEEE (professional society)"},{"id":"el-communities-organizations-2","name":"ACM (Association for Computing Machinery)"},{"id":"el-communities-organizations-3","name":"Hackerspaces and makerspaces"},{"id":"el-communities-organizations-4","name":"Online forums (Stack Overflow, Reddit, EEVblog)"},{"id":"el-communities-organizations-5","name":"GitHub and open-source projects"},{"id":"el-communities-organizations-6","name":"Meetup groups and local clubs"},{"id":"el-communities-organizations-7","name":"Hackaday, Instructables, Element14 Community"}]},{"id":"el-competitions-challenges","name":"Competitions & Challenges","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Hackathons, design contests, robotics competitions and hardware-security CTFs to build skills.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":3,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-competitions-challenges-1","name":"Hackathons"},{"id":"el-competitions-challenges-2","name":"Design competitions (IEEE, ACM)"},{"id":"el-competitions-challenges-3","name":"Robotics competitions (FIRST, VEX, RoboCup)"},{"id":"el-competitions-challenges-4","name":"Capture the Flag (CTF) for embedded security"},{"id":"el-competitions-challenges-5","name":"Innovation challenges and startup competitions"}]},{"id":"el-learning-platforms","name":"Learning Platforms","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Where to learn electronics: online courses, university programmes, certifications, webinars and tutorials.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":5,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-learning-platforms-1","name":"Online courses (Coursera, edX, Udemy)"},{"id":"el-learning-platforms-2","name":"University programs (BS, MS, PhD in ECE/CS)"},{"id":"el-learning-platforms-3","name":"Professional certifications"},{"id":"el-learning-platforms-4","name":"Technical webinars and workshops"},{"id":"el-learning-platforms-5","name":"Documentation and tutorials"}]},{"id":"el-maker-tools-equipment","name":"Maker Tools & Equipment","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Equipping a workshop: 3D printers, CNC, laser cutters, soldering and rework stations, benches and hand tools.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":6,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-maker-tools-equipment-1","name":"3D printers (FDM, SLA, SLS)"},{"id":"el-maker-tools-equipment-2","name":"CNC machines (milling, routing)"},{"id":"el-maker-tools-equipment-3","name":"Laser cutters and engravers"},{"id":"el-maker-tools-equipment-4","name":"Soldering stations and hot air rework"},{"id":"el-maker-tools-equipment-5","name":"Electronics workbenches"},{"id":"el-maker-tools-equipment-6","name":"Hand tools and precision instruments"}]},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware","name":"Open-Source Hardware","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"The open hardware ecosystem: Arduino, Raspberry Pi, ESP32, BeagleBone, Adafruit/SparkFun breakouts, Teensy and RISC-V boards.","prerequisites":[],"related":["el-development-kits-evaluation-boards"],"unlocks":[],"order":7,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-1","name":"Arduino (Uno, Mega, Nano, ESP32-based)"},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-2","name":"Raspberry Pi (Zero, 3, 4, 5, Pico)"},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-3","name":"ESP8266 / ESP32"},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-4","name":"BeagleBone (Black, AI)"},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-5","name":"Adafruit and SparkFun breakout boards"},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-6","name":"micro:bit, Teensy"},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-7","name":"STM32 Nucleo and Discovery boards"},{"id":"el-open-source-hardware-8","name":"RISC-V development boards"}]},{"id":"el-project-management","name":"Project Management","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Running engineering projects: waterfall vs agile, Scrum and Kanban, critical path, scheduling, risk and resources.","prerequisites":[],"related":["cs-software-engineering-process"],"unlocks":[],"order":8,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-project-management-1","name":"Waterfall vs Agile methodologies"},{"id":"el-project-management-2","name":"Scrum framework (sprints, retrospectives)"},{"id":"el-project-management-3","name":"Kanban boards"},{"id":"el-project-management-4","name":"Critical path method (CPM)"},{"id":"el-project-management-5","name":"Gantt charts and project scheduling"},{"id":"el-project-management-6","name":"Risk management and mitigation"},{"id":"el-project-management-7","name":"Resource allocation"}]},{"id":"el-technical-publications","name":"Technical Publications","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Keeping up with the field: IEEE journals, trade magazines, conference proceedings, application notes and reference designs.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":10,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"el-technical-publications-1","name":"IEEE journals and transactions"},{"id":"el-technical-publications-2","name":"Technical magazines (Circuit Cellar, Elektor, EDN, EE Times)"},{"id":"el-technical-publications-3","name":"Conference proceedings (ISSCC, DAC, DATE, ICRA)"},{"id":"el-technical-publications-4","name":"Application notes and white papers"},{"id":"el-technical-publications-5","name":"Datasheets and reference designs"}]},{"id":"el-prototyping-rapid-development","name":"Prototyping & Rapid Development","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Fast prototyping with shields, click boards and modular systems such as Grove and Qwiic, plus quick-turn fabrication services.","prerequisites":["el-hands-on-electronics"],"related":["el-prototyping"],"unlocks":[],"order":24,"stage":5,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"el-prototyping-rapid-development-1","name":"Breadboarding and prototyping"},{"id":"el-prototyping-rapid-development-2","name":"Development shields and click boards"},{"id":"el-prototyping-rapid-development-3","name":"Modular systems (Grove, Qwiic)"},{"id":"el-prototyping-rapid-development-4","name":"Prototyping services (PCB fab, 3D printing)"},{"id":"el-prototyping-rapid-development-5","name":"Low-volume manufacturing"}]},{"id":"el-product-development","name":"Product Development","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How electronic products are conceived: requirements, customer discovery, use cases, roadmaps, feasibility studies and proofs of concept.","prerequisites":["el-prototyping"],"related":["me-product-design-development"],"unlocks":["el-cost-engineering","el-field-support-maintenance","el-go-to-market-strategy"],"order":46,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-product-development-1","name":"Requirements gathering and analysis"},{"id":"el-product-development-2","name":"Market research and customer discovery"},{"id":"el-product-development-3","name":"Use case and user story definition"},{"id":"el-product-development-4","name":"Product roadmap planning"},{"id":"el-product-development-5","name":"Technical feasibility studies"},{"id":"el-product-development-6","name":"Proof-of-concept (POC) development"}]},{"id":"el-eda-electronic-design-automation-tools","name":"EDA (Electronic Design Automation) Tools","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"The main EDA tools: KiCad, Altium, OrCAD and Cadence for boards; Virtuoso and Synopsys for chips; Vivado and Quartus for FPGAs.","prerequisites":["el-schematic-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":52,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"el-eda-electronic-design-automation-tools-1","name":"Schematic capture: KiCad, Eagle, Altium Designer, OrCAD, Cadence"},{"id":"el-eda-electronic-design-automation-tools-2","name":"PCB layout tools"},{"id":"el-eda-electronic-design-automation-tools-3","name":"IC design: Cadence Virtuoso, Mentor Graphics, Synopsys"},{"id":"el-eda-electronic-design-automation-tools-4","name":"FPGA tools: Xilinx Vivado, Intel Quartus"},{"id":"el-eda-electronic-design-automation-tools-5","name":"Simulation and verification tools"}]},{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools","name":"Simulation & Modeling Tools","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Simulation tools for electrical engineers: SPICE, MATLAB/Simulink, LabVIEW, Multisim, Proteus, Ansys and COMSOL.","prerequisites":["el-circuit-theory"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":75,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools-1","name":"SPICE simulation (LTspice, PSPICE, Ngspice)"},{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools-2","name":"MATLAB and Simulink"},{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools-3","name":"LabVIEW"},{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools-4","name":"Multisim"},{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools-5","name":"Proteus (circuit and PCB simulation)"},{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools-6","name":"Ansys (electromagnetic simulation)"},{"id":"el-simulation-modeling-tools-7","name":"COMSOL Multiphysics"}]},{"id":"el-development-kits-evaluation-boards","name":"Development Kits & Evaluation Boards","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"Vendor evaluation boards and development kits for MCUs, FPGAs, DSPs, AI accelerators and sensors.","prerequisites":["el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":["el-open-source-hardware"],"unlocks":[],"order":76,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"el-development-kits-evaluation-boards-1","name":"Vendor evaluation boards (TI, ST, NXP, Nordic)"},{"id":"el-development-kits-evaluation-boards-2","name":"FPGA development kits"},{"id":"el-development-kits-evaluation-boards-3","name":"DSP starter kits"},{"id":"el-development-kits-evaluation-boards-4","name":"AI/ML development boards (Jetson Nano, Coral Dev Board)"},{"id":"el-development-kits-evaluation-boards-5","name":"Sensor evaluation kits"}]},{"id":"el-cost-engineering","name":"Cost Engineering & Engineering Economics","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Engineering economics for products: time value of money, BOM and manufacturing cost, value engineering, break-even and total cost of ownership.","prerequisites":["el-product-development"],"related":["me-professional-practice-engineering-economics"],"unlocks":[],"order":80,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-cost-engineering-7","name":"Engineering economics: time value of money, present and future worth, annuities"},{"id":"el-cost-engineering-8","name":"Investment appraisal: NPV, IRR and payback period"},{"id":"el-cost-engineering-1","name":"Bill of Materials (BOM) costing"},{"id":"el-cost-engineering-2","name":"Component cost analysis"},{"id":"el-cost-engineering-3","name":"Manufacturing cost estimation"},{"id":"el-cost-engineering-4","name":"Cost reduction strategies (value engineering)"},{"id":"el-cost-engineering-5","name":"Break-even analysis"},{"id":"el-cost-engineering-6","name":"Total Cost of Ownership (TCO)"}]},{"id":"el-end-of-life-management","name":"End-of-Life Management","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Ending a product responsibly: lifecycle planning, obsolescence and last-time buys, legacy support and e-waste recycling.","prerequisites":["el-supply-chain-sourcing"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":88,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-end-of-life-management-1","name":"Product lifecycle planning"},{"id":"el-end-of-life-management-2","name":"Obsolescence management"},{"id":"el-end-of-life-management-3","name":"Last-time-buy strategies"},{"id":"el-end-of-life-management-4","name":"Legacy support"},{"id":"el-end-of-life-management-5","name":"Recycling and disposal (e-waste)"}]},{"id":"el-field-support-maintenance","name":"Field Support & Maintenance","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Supporting products after sale: technical support, warranty and RMA, spare parts, field service and customer training.","prerequisites":["el-product-development"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":89,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-field-support-maintenance-1","name":"Technical support infrastructure"},{"id":"el-field-support-maintenance-2","name":"Warranty and RMA processes"},{"id":"el-field-support-maintenance-3","name":"Spare parts management"},{"id":"el-field-support-maintenance-4","name":"Field service procedures"},{"id":"el-field-support-maintenance-5","name":"Customer training"}]},{"id":"el-go-to-market-strategy","name":"Go-to-Market Strategy","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Taking a hardware product to market: target markets, competition, pricing, sales channels and marketing material.","prerequisites":["el-product-development"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":90,"stage":7,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"el-go-to-market-strategy-1","name":"Target market identification"},{"id":"el-go-to-market-strategy-2","name":"Competitive analysis"},{"id":"el-go-to-market-strategy-3","name":"Pricing strategy"},{"id":"el-go-to-market-strategy-4","name":"Sales channels (direct, distributors, online)"},{"id":"el-go-to-market-strategy-5","name":"Marketing materials and collateral"}]},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx","name":"Design for X (DFX)","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing for the whole lifecycle: manufacturing, assembly, test, reliability and sustainability.","prerequisites":["el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm"],"related":["el-design-for-assembly-dfa","me-design-for-manufacture-assembly"],"unlocks":["el-manufacturing-scale-up"],"order":166,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-1","name":"Design for Manufacturing (DFM)"},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-2","name":"Design for Assembly (DFA)"},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-3","name":"Design for Test (DFT)"},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-4","name":"Design for Reliability (DFR)"},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-5","name":"Design for Sustainability"},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-6","name":"Design for serviceability and repair"},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-7","name":"Design for cost"},{"id":"el-design-for-x-dfx-8","name":"DFX reviews and checklists"}]},{"id":"el-manufacturing-scale-up","name":"Manufacturing Scale-Up","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Moving from prototypes to volume: pilot runs, process validation, yield improvement, supplier qualification and quality control.","prerequisites":["el-design-for-x-dfx"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":260,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"el-manufacturing-scale-up-1","name":"Pilot production runs"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-scale-up-2","name":"Process validation"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-scale-up-3","name":"Yield optimization"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-scale-up-4","name":"Supplier qualification"},{"id":"el-manufacturing-scale-up-5","name":"Quality control procedures"}]},{"id":"el-certification-regulatory-strategy","name":"Certification & Regulatory Strategy","category":"Professional Practice, Business & Community","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"Planning a product's route to market approval: regulatory pathways, pre-compliance, choosing test labs, documentation and post-market duties.","prerequisites":["el-regulatory-compliance-testing"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":322,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"el-certification-regulatory-strategy-1","name":"Regulatory pathway planning"},{"id":"el-certification-regulatory-strategy-2","name":"Pre-compliance testing"},{"id":"el-certification-regulatory-strategy-3","name":"Certification body selection"},{"id":"el-certification-regulatory-strategy-4","name":"Documentation 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Processing","category":"Natural Language & Speech Processing","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"How machines hear and speak: audio signal features, automatic speech recognition, text-to-speech, speaker recognition and general audio understanding.","prerequisites":["ai-attention-transformers","el-digital-signal-processing-dsp"],"related":["ph-acoustics","ai-nlp-tasks-applications"],"unlocks":["ai-audio-visual-learning","ai-conversational-ai-voice-assistants"],"order":95,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ai-speech-audio-processing-1","name":"Speech production, perception and phonetics"},{"id":"ai-speech-audio-processing-2","name":"Digital audio: sampling, framing, STFT and spectrograms"},{"id":"ai-speech-audio-processing-3","name":"Acoustic features: MFCCs and log-mel filterbanks"},{"id":"ai-speech-audio-processing-4","name":"Classical ASR: HMM-GMM acoustic models, WFST decoding, n-gram language 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servoing.","prerequisites":["ai-kinematics-dynamics","ma-integral-transforms"],"related":["ma-control-theory","el-control-theory","el-robot-control","me-feedback-control"],"unlocks":["ai-aerial-robotics-drones","ai-legged-locomotion","ai-manipulation","ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons"],"order":58,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ai-control-systems-1","name":"Classical Control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-1-1","name":"PID control","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-1"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-1-2","name":"Lead-lag compensators","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-1"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-2","name":"Modern Control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-2-1","name":"State-space representation","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-2"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-2-2","name":"Pole placement","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-2"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-3","name":"Optimal Control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-3-1","name":"LQR (Linear Quadratic Regulator)","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-3"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-3-2","name":"LQG (Linear Quadratic Gaussian)","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-3"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-4","name":"Nonlinear Control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-4-1","name":"Feedback linearization","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-4"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-4-2","name":"Sliding mode control","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-4"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-4-3","name":"Lyapunov methods","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-4"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-5","name":"Robust Control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-5-1","name":"H∞ control","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-5"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-5-2","name":"μ-synthesis","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-5"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-6","name":"Model Predictive Control (MPC)"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-7","name":"Adaptive Control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-8","name":"Force Control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-8-1","name":"Impedance control","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-8"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-8-2","name":"Admittance control","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-8"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-8-3","name":"Hybrid force/position control","depth":1,"parent":"ai-control-systems-8"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-9","name":"Visual Servoing"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-10","name":"Computed-torque (inverse dynamics) joint control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-11","name":"Operational-space (task-space) control"},{"id":"ai-control-systems-12","name":"Whole-body and multi-task control"}]},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation","name":"Motion Planning & Navigation","category":"Robotics Foundations","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Planning collision-free paths and trajectories with graph search, sampling-based planners and optimization, plus localization and SLAM for navigation.","prerequisites":["ai-kinematics-dynamics","ai-classical-ai-gofai-good-old-fashioned-ai"],"related":["el-path-planning-navigation","el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam","el-autonomous-navigation-systems","ai-mobile-robotics"],"unlocks":["ai-manipulation","ai-mobile-robotics"],"order":61,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-7","name":"Configuration space and obstacles"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-8","name":"Collision checking"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-1","name":"Path Planning"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-1-1","name":"A*","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-1"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-1-2","name":"Dijkstra's algorithm","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-1"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-1-3","name":"D* and D* Lite","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-1"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-2","name":"Sampling-Based Planning"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-2-1","name":"Rapidly-exploring Random Trees (RRT)","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-2"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-2-2","name":"RRT*","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-2"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-2-3","name":"Probabilistic Roadmaps (PRM)","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-2"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-3","name":"Trajectory Optimization"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-3-1","name":"Minimum jerk","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-3"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-3-2","name":"Time-optimal trajectories","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-3"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-4","name":"Motion Primitives"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5","name":"SLAM (Simultaneous Localization and Mapping)"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5-1","name":"EKF-SLAM","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5-2","name":"FastSLAM","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5-3","name":"Graph-based SLAM","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5-4","name":"Visual SLAM","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5-5","name":"LiDAR SLAM","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-5"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6","name":"Localization"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6-1","name":"Kalman filters","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6-2","name":"Extended Kalman filters","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6-3","name":"Unscented Kalman filters","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6-4","name":"Particle filters","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6-5","name":"Monte Carlo localization","depth":1,"parent":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-6"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-9","name":"Artificial potential fields"},{"id":"ai-motion-planning-navigation-10","name":"Optimization-based motion planning (CHOMP, TrajOpt)"}]},{"id":"ai-robot-perception","name":"Robot Perception","category":"Robotics Foundations","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How robots interpret sensor data: object recognition, pose estimation, depth and 3D reconstruction, point clouds, calibration and visual odometry.","prerequisites":["ai-actuators-sensors","ai-core-vision-tasks"],"related":["el-perception-sensing","ai-3d-computer-vision","el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam"],"unlocks":["ai-aerial-robotics-drones","ai-manipulation","ai-mobile-robotics"],"order":87,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ai-robot-perception-1","name":"Computer Vision for Robotics"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-2","name":"Object Recognition"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-3","name":"Pose Estimation"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-4","name":"Scene Understanding"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-5","name":"3D Reconstruction"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-6","name":"Depth Perception"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-7","name":"Visual Odometry"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-8","name":"Point-cloud processing and registration (PCL, ICP)"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-9","name":"Sensor calibration: camera intrinsics, camera-lidar and hand-eye"},{"id":"ai-robot-perception-10","name":"Tactile and force perception"}]},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications","name":"Types of Robots & Applications","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"A survey of robot families and application domains, from industrial arms and self-driving cars to drones, legged, medical, field, soft, swarm and micro robots.","prerequisites":["ai-robot-fundamentals"],"related":["el-robot-types-applications","ai-legged-locomotion","ai-humanoid-robotics"],"unlocks":[],"order":5,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-1","name":"Industrial Robotics"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-1-1","name":"Manufacturing robots","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-1"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-1-2","name":"Assembly robots","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-1"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-1-3","name":"Welding robots","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-1"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2","name":"Autonomous Vehicles"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2-1","name":"Self-driving cars","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2-2","name":"Perception systems","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2-3","name":"Decision making","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2-4","name":"V2X communication","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-2"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-3","name":"Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs/Drones)"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-3-1","name":"Quadcopters","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-3"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-3-2","name":"Fixed-wing UAVs","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-3"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-3-3","name":"Flight control","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-3"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-4","name":"Autonomous Mobile Robots (AMRs)"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-5","name":"Legged Robots"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-5-1","name":"Bipeds","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-5"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-5-2","name":"Quadrupeds","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-5"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-5-3","name":"Hexapods","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-5"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-6","name":"Humanoid Robots"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-7","name":"Medical & Healthcare Robotics"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-7-1","name":"Surgical robots","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-7"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-7-2","name":"Rehabilitation robots","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-7"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-7-3","name":"Assistive robots","depth":1,"parent":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-7"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-8","name":"Agricultural Robotics"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-9","name":"Space Robotics"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-10","name":"Underwater Robotics (AUVs/ROVs)"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-11","name":"Soft Robotics"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-12","name":"Swarm Robotics"},{"id":"ai-types-of-robots-applications-13","name":"Micro/Nano Robotics"}]},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion","name":"Legged Locomotion","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How walking and running robots balance and move, from simple inverted-pendulum models and ZMP to model-predictive control and learned locomotion policies.","prerequisites":["ai-control-systems"],"related":["ai-types-of-robots-applications","bi-biomechanics"],"unlocks":["ai-humanoid-robotics"],"order":83,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-1","name":"Legged morphologies and gaits"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-2","name":"Static versus dynamic stability"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-3","name":"Simplified models: linear inverted pendulum and SLIP"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-4","name":"Zero-moment point and capture point"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-5","name":"Hybrid dynamics, limit cycles and passive dynamic walking"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-6","name":"Contact modelling and friction cones"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-7","name":"Centroidal dynamics"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-8","name":"Trajectory optimization through contact"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-9","name":"Model-predictive and whole-body control for quadrupeds"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-10","name":"State estimation for legged robots"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-11","name":"Reinforcement-learned locomotion and sim-to-real transfer"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-12","name":"Perceptive locomotion over rough terrain"},{"id":"ai-legged-locomotion-13","name":"Leg design and quasi-direct-drive actuators"}]},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics","name":"Mobile Robotics","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Wheeled robots that move through the world: locomotion and kinematic models, probabilistic localization, mapping, SLAM and autonomous navigation.","prerequisites":["ai-motion-planning-navigation","ai-robot-perception","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["ai-motion-planning-navigation","el-autonomous-navigation-systems"],"unlocks":["ai-autonomous-driving","ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems"],"order":101,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":39,"topics":[{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-1","name":"Wheeled locomotion: differential drive, skid-steer, Ackermann, omnidirectional"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-2","name":"Nonholonomic constraints and kinematic models"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-3","name":"Odometry and dead-reckoning error"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-4","name":"Probabilistic motion and sensor models"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-5","name":"Bayes-filter localization: Markov, EKF and Monte Carlo (AMCL)"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-6","name":"Occupancy-grid mapping"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-7","name":"SLAM in practice: Cartographer, SLAM Toolbox, ORB-SLAM"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-8","name":"Global and local planning: A*, DWA, TEB, MPC"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-9","name":"Costmaps and obstacle avoidance"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-10","name":"Exploration and coverage planning"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-11","name":"Visual-inertial odometry"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-12","name":"Outdoor and field navigation: GNSS/RTK and rough terrain"},{"id":"ai-mobile-robotics-13","name":"Warehouse AMRs and fleet management"}]},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones","name":"Aerial Robotics & Drones","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Modelling, controlling and automating flying robots, from quadrotor dynamics and flight controllers to vision-based navigation in GPS-denied spaces.","prerequisites":["ai-control-systems","ai-robot-perception","ae-aerospace-dynamics"],"related":["el-avionics-systems","ae-flight-dynamics","ae-uav-drone-engineering"],"unlocks":[],"order":102,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":36,"topics":[{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-1","name":"UAV types: multirotor, fixed-wing, VTOL and hybrids"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-2","name":"Quadrotor rigid-body dynamics"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-3","name":"Attitude representation and attitude control"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-4","name":"Position and trajectory control: cascaded PID and geometric control on SE(3)"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-5","name":"Differential flatness and minimum-snap trajectories"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-6","name":"State estimation: IMU, GPS and barometer fusion with an EKF"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-7","name":"Visual-inertial odometry for GPS-denied flight"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-8","name":"Autopilot stacks: PX4, ArduPilot, MAVLink"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-9","name":"Perception-aware planning and obstacle avoidance"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-10","name":"Aerial manipulation and payloads"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-11","name":"Multi-drone coordination"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-12","name":"Learning-based agile flight and drone racing"},{"id":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones-13","name":"Regulations and safety (FAA Part 107, EASA)"}]},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics","name":"Soft Robotics","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Robots built from compliant materials, with soft actuators and sensors, continuum models and control, for safe grasping, medical devices and bio-inspired motion.","prerequisites":["ai-kinematics-dynamics","ai-actuators-sensors","mt-polymer-properties"],"related":["ph-soft-matter-physics","el-flexible-printed-electronics","mt-soft-materials","mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles","me-soft-robotics-mechanics","ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons"],"unlocks":[],"order":111,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-1","name":"Soft materials: elastomers, hydrogels and compliance"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-2","name":"Soft actuators: pneumatic networks, fibre-reinforced, McKibben muscles"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-3","name":"Electroactive and smart-material actuators: dielectric elastomers, HASEL, SMA"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-4","name":"Variable stiffness and jamming"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-5","name":"Soft and stretchable sensors"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-6","name":"Modelling: constant curvature, Cosserat rods and FEM"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-7","name":"Control of soft robots: model-based and learned"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-8","name":"Fabrication: moulding and 3D printing"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-9","name":"Soft grippers and manipulation"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-10","name":"Bio-inspired soft robots (octopus, worms, fish)"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-11","name":"Soft wearable robots and exosuits"},{"id":"ai-soft-robotics-12","name":"Medical and surgical soft robots"}]},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving","name":"Autonomous Driving","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The AI stack of self-driving vehicles: multi-sensor perception, prediction, planning and control, plus simulation, datasets and safety assurance.","prerequisites":["ai-mobile-robotics","ai-3d-computer-vision"],"related":["el-autonomous-driving","el-advanced-driver-assistance-systems-adas"],"unlocks":[],"order":115,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":41,"topics":[{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-1","name":"AV system architecture and SAE levels of automation"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-2","name":"Sensor suite and calibration: cameras, lidar, radar, GNSS/IMU"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-3","name":"3D object detection from lidar and cameras"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-4","name":"Bird's-eye-view perception and occupancy networks"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-5","name":"HD maps and localization"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-6","name":"Multi-object tracking"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-7","name":"Motion forecasting and behaviour prediction"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-8","name":"Behaviour and motion planning (lattice planners, MPC)"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-9","name":"Vehicle dynamics and control: pure pursuit, Stanley, MPC"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-10","name":"End-to-end driving and imitation learning"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-11","name":"Simulation and scenario-based testing (CARLA)"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-12","name":"Safety: ISO 26262, SOTIF and safety cases"},{"id":"ai-autonomous-driving-13","name":"Datasets and benchmarks: KITTI, nuScenes, Waymo Open"}]},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics","name":"Humanoid Robotics","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Human-shaped robots that walk, balance and manipulate, covering design, whole-body control, teleoperation and learned general-purpose skills.","prerequisites":["ai-legged-locomotion","ai-manipulation"],"related":["ai-types-of-robots-applications","me-robot-mechanism-design"],"unlocks":[],"order":117,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":42,"topics":[{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-1","name":"Humanoid design and actuation: from ASIMO to Atlas, Optimus and Figure"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-2","name":"Bipedal walking control: ZMP and preview control"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-3","name":"Whole-body control and task prioritization"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-4","name":"Balance, push recovery and fall mitigation"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-5","name":"Dexterous hands and humanoid manipulation"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-6","name":"Motion retargeting from human motion capture"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-7","name":"Teleoperation and data collection for humanoids"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-8","name":"Learning whole-body skills with reinforcement and imitation learning"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-9","name":"Vision-language-action models for humanoids"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-10","name":"Safety and operation around people"},{"id":"ai-humanoid-robotics-11","name":"Applications and economics of humanoids"}]},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems","name":"Swarm & Multi-Robot Systems","category":"Robot Platforms & Locomotion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Coordinating teams and swarms of robots with task allocation, formation control, consensus and self-organizing collective behaviours.","prerequisites":["ai-mobile-robotics","ai-multi-agent-systems"],"related":["ai-evolutionary-computation"],"unlocks":[],"order":118,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":44,"topics":[{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-1","name":"Multi-robot architectures: centralized, decentralized and distributed"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-2","name":"Task allocation: market-based and auction methods"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-3","name":"Consensus and formation control"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-4","name":"Multi-robot path planning and deconfliction (conflict-based search)"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-5","name":"Cooperative localization and multi-robot SLAM"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-6","name":"Coordination under limited communication"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-7","name":"Swarm intelligence principles: self-organization and stigmergy"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-8","name":"Swarm behaviours: aggregation, flocking, foraging, collective transport"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-9","name":"Swarm platforms and simulators (Kilobots, ARGoS)"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-10","name":"Evolved and learned swarm controllers"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-11","name":"Heterogeneous teams and human-swarm interaction"},{"id":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems-12","name":"Applications: warehouse fleets, drone shows, search and rescue"}]},{"id":"ai-manipulation","name":"Manipulation","category":"Manipulation & Robot Learning","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Robots that grasp and handle objects: grasp planning and force closure, contact dynamics, dexterous and non-prehensile manipulation, and task and motion planning.","prerequisites":["ai-control-systems","ai-motion-planning-navigation","ai-robot-perception"],"related":["me-robot-mechanism-design","me-robot-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ai-humanoid-robotics","ai-robot-learning"],"order":105,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":40,"topics":[{"id":"ai-manipulation-6","name":"Grippers and robot hands"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-1","name":"Grasping"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-1-1","name":"Grasp planning","depth":1,"parent":"ai-manipulation-1"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-1-2","name":"Grasp synthesis","depth":1,"parent":"ai-manipulation-1"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-1-3","name":"Force closure","depth":1,"parent":"ai-manipulation-1"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-2","name":"Object Manipulation"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-3","name":"Dexterous Manipulation"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-4","name":"Contact Dynamics"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-5","name":"Task and Motion Planning (TAMP)"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-7","name":"Pick-and-place pipelines and bin picking"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-8","name":"Non-prehensile manipulation (pushing, sliding)"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-9","name":"Deformable-object manipulation"},{"id":"ai-manipulation-10","name":"Tactile sensing for manipulation"}]},{"id":"ai-robot-learning","name":"Robot Learning","category":"Manipulation & Robot Learning","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Teaching robots skills from data: learning from demonstration, RL for robotics, sim-to-real transfer, diffusion policies and robot foundation models.","prerequisites":["ai-manipulation","ai-deep-reinforcement-learning"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":114,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":48,"topics":[{"id":"ai-robot-learning-1","name":"Learning from Demonstration"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-2","name":"Reinforcement Learning for Robotics"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-3","name":"Sim-to-Real Transfer"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-4","name":"Foundation Models for Robotics"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-5","name":"Robot Skill Learning"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-6","name":"Manipulation Policies"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-7","name":"Diffusion policies"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-8","name":"Domain randomization"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-9","name":"Robot datasets and teleoperation data collection (Open X-Embodiment)"},{"id":"ai-robot-learning-10","name":"Vision-language-action (VLA) models"}]},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri","name":"Human-Robot Interaction (HRI)","category":"Human-Centred Robotics & Augmentation","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How people and robots work together: physical and social HRI, cobots, communication, trust, safety, teleoperation and shared autonomy.","prerequisites":["ai-actuators-sensors"],"related":["cs-hci"],"unlocks":["ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons"],"order":37,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-1","name":"Physical HRI"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-2","name":"Collaborative Robots (Cobots)"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-3","name":"Social Robotics"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-4","name":"Robot Communication"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-4-1","name":"Gesture recognition","depth":1,"parent":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-4"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-4-2","name":"Speech interaction","depth":1,"parent":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-4"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-4-3","name":"Gaze tracking","depth":1,"parent":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-4"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-5","name":"Safety in HRI"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-6","name":"Teleoperation"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-7","name":"Shared Autonomy"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-8","name":"Haptics and haptic feedback"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-9","name":"Trust, transparency and explainable robots"},{"id":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri-10","name":"HRI study design and evaluation"}]},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons","name":"Wearable Robotics & Exoskeletons","category":"Human-Centred Robotics & Augmentation","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Robots worn on the body, including powered exoskeletons, soft exosuits and prostheses, that augment or restore human strength and mobility.","prerequisites":["ai-control-systems","ai-human-robot-interaction-hri","bi-biomechanics","me-machine-design-fundamentals"],"related":["el-wearable-technology-deep-dive","el-biomedical-signal-processing","ai-soft-robotics","me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons","bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation"],"unlocks":[],"order":97,"stage":12,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-1","name":"Taxonomy: upper- and lower-limb, full-body, rigid exoskeletons and soft exosuits"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-2","name":"Human biomechanics and gait analysis for wearable design"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-3","name":"Kinematic compatibility and joint misalignment"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-4","name":"Actuation for wearables: series-elastic, cable-driven, quasi-direct-drive, hydraulic"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-5","name":"Power and energy: batteries, efficiency and metabolic cost"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-6","name":"Detecting user intent: EMG, EEG/brain-computer interfaces, force and IMU sensing"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-7","name":"Gait-phase estimation"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-8","name":"Control strategies: assist-as-needed, impedance/admittance and torque control"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-9","name":"Human-in-the-loop optimization of assistance"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-10","name":"Powered prostheses: ankle, knee and hand"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-11","name":"Industrial and military exoskeletons for load carrying and strength augmentation"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-12","name":"Rehabilitation exoskeletons and clinical evaluation"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-13","name":"Human-machine interfaces and feedback (haptics, heads-up displays)"},{"id":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons-14","name":"Safety, standards (ISO 13482) and regulation"}]},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar","name":"Wearable AI Assistants & Augmented Reality","category":"Human-Centred Robotics & Augmentation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"AI that sees and hears from the wearer's point of view and overlays information on the world, as in smart glasses, heads-up displays and AR headsets.","prerequisites":["ai-3d-computer-vision","ai-conversational-ai-voice-assistants"],"related":["el-extended-reality-integration","el-display-technologies","cs-virtual-augmented-reality"],"unlocks":[],"order":119,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-1","name":"AR and MR fundamentals: optical versus video see-through, heads-up displays"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-2","name":"Head tracking and visual-inertial odometry on headsets"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-3","name":"Spatial mapping and scene understanding for AR"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-4","name":"Hand tracking and gesture input"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-5","name":"Eye tracking and gaze interaction"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-6","name":"Egocentric vision: activity recognition and episodic memory (Ego4D)"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-7","name":"Multimodal assistant pipelines: voice plus vision"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-8","name":"On-device models under power, thermal and latency budgets"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-9","name":"Information display and attention management on HUDs"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-10","name":"Privacy and bystander concerns"},{"id":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar-11","name":"Case studies: smart glasses, pilot and soldier HUDs"}]},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy","name":"AI Governance & Policy","category":"AI Safety, Ethics & Governance","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How AI is governed: regulation, standards, responsible-AI frameworks, audits, documentation such as model cards, and impact assessment.","prerequisites":["ai-core-ai-concepts"],"related":["cs-computing-ethics"],"unlocks":[],"order":7,"stage":3,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-9","name":"AI ethics principles and frameworks"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-1","name":"AI Regulation"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-2","name":"AI Standards"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-3","name":"Responsible AI Frameworks"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-4","name":"AI Auditing"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-5","name":"Model Cards"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-6","name":"Datasheets for Datasets"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-7","name":"Human-in-the-Loop Systems"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-8","name":"AI Impact Assessment"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-10","name":"Major regimes: EU AI Act, NIST AI RMF, ISO/IEC 42001"},{"id":"ai-ai-governance-policy-11","name":"Liability, intellectual property and copyright in generative AI"}]},{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai","name":"Privacy in AI","category":"AI Safety, Ethics & Governance","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Protecting personal data in ML with differential privacy, federated learning, secure computation, homomorphic encryption and machine unlearning.","prerequisites":["ai-types-of-machine-learning","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["el-privacy-protection","el-federated-learning","cs-security-governance-privacy","cs-advanced-cryptographic-systems","ai-robustness-security"],"unlocks":[],"order":42,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai-1","name":"Differential Privacy"},{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai-2","name":"Federated Learning"},{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai-3","name":"Secure Multi-Party Computation"},{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai-4","name":"Homomorphic Encryption"},{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai-5","name":"Privacy-Preserving ML"},{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai-6","name":"Machine unlearning"},{"id":"ai-privacy-in-ai-7","name":"Training-data extraction attacks on language models"}]},{"id":"ai-ai-safety","name":"AI Safety","category":"AI Safety, Ethics & Governance","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Making advanced AI systems do what we intend: alignment, reward hacking, specification gaming, distribution shift, oversight and corrigibility.","prerequisites":["ai-neural-network-foundations"],"related":["ai-llm-evaluation","ai-rl-fundamentals"],"unlocks":[],"order":50,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ai-ai-safety-1","name":"Alignment Problem"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-2","name":"Reward Hacking"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-3","name":"Goal Misgeneralization"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-4","name":"Distributional Shift"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-5","name":"Specification Gaming"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-6","name":"Safe Exploration"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-7","name":"Scalable Oversight"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-8","name":"Corrigibility"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-9","name":"Value Learning"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-10","name":"Deceptive alignment and situational awareness"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-11","name":"Dangerous-capability evaluations"},{"id":"ai-ai-safety-12","name":"AI control and monitoring of untrusted models"}]},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai","name":"Interpretability & Explainability (XAI)","category":"AI Safety, Ethics & Governance","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Understanding why models make their predictions, from feature attributions like SHAP and LIME to counterfactuals and mechanistic interpretability.","prerequisites":["ai-neural-network-foundations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":52,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-9","name":"Interpretable-by-design models (GAMs, rule lists, sparse linear models)"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-1","name":"Feature Attribution"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-1-1","name":"SHAP","depth":1,"parent":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-1"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-1-2","name":"LIME","depth":1,"parent":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-1"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-1-3","name":"Integrated Gradients","depth":1,"parent":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-1"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-2","name":"Attention Visualization"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-3","name":"Concept-Based Explanations"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-4","name":"Counterfactual Explanations"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-5","name":"Prototype-Based Explanations"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-6","name":"Mechanistic Interpretability"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-7","name":"Probing Classifiers"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-8","name":"Saliency Maps"},{"id":"ai-interpretability-explainability-xai-10","name":"Evaluating explanations: faithfulness and plausibility"}]},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml","name":"Fairness in ML","category":"AI Safety, Ethics & Governance","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Detecting, measuring and mitigating unfair bias in ML systems, with fairness metrics, mitigation methods and algorithmic audits.","prerequisites":["ai-ml-experimentation-evaluation"],"related":["cs-computing-ethics"],"unlocks":[],"order":64,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-5","name":"Sources of bias: historical, representation and measurement bias"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-1","name":"Bias Detection"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-2","name":"Fairness Metrics"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-2-1","name":"Demographic parity","depth":1,"parent":"ai-fairness-in-ml-2"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-2-2","name":"Equalized odds","depth":1,"parent":"ai-fairness-in-ml-2"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-2-3","name":"Calibration","depth":1,"parent":"ai-fairness-in-ml-2"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-3","name":"Bias Mitigation"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-3-1","name":"Pre-processing","depth":1,"parent":"ai-fairness-in-ml-3"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-3-2","name":"In-processing","depth":1,"parent":"ai-fairness-in-ml-3"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-3-3","name":"Post-processing","depth":1,"parent":"ai-fairness-in-ml-3"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-4","name":"Algorithmic Auditing"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-6","name":"Impossibility results and fairness trade-offs"},{"id":"ai-fairness-in-ml-7","name":"Bias in language and generative models"}]},{"id":"ai-robustness-security","name":"Robustness & Security","category":"AI Safety, Ethics & Governance","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Attacks on and defences for ML systems: adversarial examples, poisoning and backdoors, model extraction, membership inference and certified robustness.","prerequisites":["ai-convolutional-neural-networks-cnns"],"related":["ai-privacy-in-ai"],"unlocks":[],"order":82,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ai-robustness-security-1","name":"Adversarial Examples"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-2","name":"Adversarial Training"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-3","name":"Certified Robustness"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-4","name":"Backdoor Attacks"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-5","name":"Data Poisoning"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-6","name":"Model Extraction"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-7","name":"Membership Inference"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-8","name":"Differential Privacy"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-9","name":"Federated Learning Security"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-10","name":"Out-of-distribution detection"},{"id":"ai-robustness-security-11","name":"Prompt injection and jailbreaks in LLMs"}]},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation","name":"Evolutionary Computation","category":"Cognitive & Nature-Inspired AI","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Population-based search inspired by evolution and swarms: genetic algorithms, genetic programming, evolution strategies, swarm intelligence and neuroevolution.","prerequisites":["ai-classical-ai-gofai-good-old-fashioned-ai"],"related":["ma-stochastic-optimization","ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":23,"stage":6,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-1","name":"Genetic Algorithms"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-2","name":"Genetic Programming"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-3","name":"Evolution Strategies"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-4","name":"Swarm Intelligence"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-4-1","name":"Particle swarm optimization","depth":1,"parent":"ai-evolutionary-computation-4"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-4-2","name":"Ant colony optimization","depth":1,"parent":"ai-evolutionary-computation-4"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-4-3","name":"Bee algorithms","depth":1,"parent":"ai-evolutionary-computation-4"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-5","name":"Neuroevolution"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-5-1","name":"NEAT","depth":1,"parent":"ai-evolutionary-computation-5"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-5-2","name":"HyperNEAT","depth":1,"parent":"ai-evolutionary-computation-5"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-6","name":"Differential Evolution"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-7","name":"Selection, crossover and mutation operators and fitness landscapes"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-8","name":"CMA-ES"},{"id":"ai-evolutionary-computation-9","name":"Multi-objective evolutionary algorithms (NSGA-II)"}]},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures","name":"Cognitive Architectures","category":"Cognitive & Nature-Inspired AI","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Unified computational theories of mind such as ACT-R and Soar, with their memory systems and use in cognitive modelling.","prerequisites":["ai-knowledge-representation-reasoning"],"related":["bi-cognitive-neuroscience","ai-cognitive-ai"],"unlocks":[],"order":41,"stage":8,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1","name":"Classical Architectures"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1-1","name":"ACT-R","depth":1,"parent":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1-2","name":"Soar","depth":1,"parent":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1-3","name":"CLARION","depth":1,"parent":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1-4","name":"LIDA","depth":1,"parent":"ai-cognitive-architectures-1"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-2","name":"Memory Systems"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-2-1","name":"Working memory","depth":1,"parent":"ai-cognitive-architectures-2"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-architectures-2-2","name":"Long-term 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models.","prerequisites":["ai-knowledge-representation-reasoning","ai-neural-network-foundations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":57,"stage":9,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ai-neuro-symbolic-ai-1","name":"Neural-Symbolic Integration"},{"id":"ai-neuro-symbolic-ai-2","name":"Differentiable Programming"},{"id":"ai-neuro-symbolic-ai-3","name":"Neural Theorem Proving"},{"id":"ai-neuro-symbolic-ai-4","name":"Symbolic Reasoning with Neural Networks"},{"id":"ai-neuro-symbolic-ai-5","name":"Knowledge-Enhanced Language Models"}]},{"id":"ai-bio-inspired-ai","name":"Bio-Inspired AI","category":"Cognitive & Nature-Inspired AI","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"AI modelled on the brain: spiking neural networks, neuromorphic computing, brain-computer interfaces, Hebbian learning and predictive coding.","prerequisites":["ai-neural-network-foundations","bi-neuroscience-fundamentals"],"related":["el-neuromorphic-computing","bi-computational-neuroscience","bi-brain-computer-interfaces"],"unlocks":[],"order":70,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ai-bio-inspired-ai-1","name":"Spiking Neural Networks"},{"id":"ai-bio-inspired-ai-2","name":"Neuromorphic Computing"},{"id":"ai-bio-inspired-ai-3","name":"Brain-Computer Interfaces"},{"id":"ai-bio-inspired-ai-4","name":"Evolutionary Neural Networks"},{"id":"ai-bio-inspired-ai-5","name":"Hebbian Learning"},{"id":"ai-bio-inspired-ai-6","name":"Predictive Coding"}]},{"id":"ai-cognitive-ai","name":"Cognitive AI","category":"Cognitive & Nature-Inspired AI","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Human-like reasoning capabilities for AI: common sense, theory of mind, causal, analogical and abstract reasoning.","prerequisites":["ai-knowledge-representation-reasoning","ai-large-language-models-llms"],"related":["ai-cognitive-architectures"],"unlocks":[],"order":112,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ai-cognitive-ai-1","name":"Cognitive Simulation"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-ai-2","name":"Common Sense Reasoning"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-ai-3","name":"Theory of Mind"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-ai-4","name":"Causal Reasoning"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-ai-5","name":"Analogical Reasoning"},{"id":"ai-cognitive-ai-6","name":"Abstract Reasoning"}]},{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning","name":"Continual & Lifelong Learning","category":"Emerging & Frontier Fields","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Learning from a stream of tasks without forgetting: catastrophic forgetting, regularization, replay and architectural methods.","prerequisites":["ai-regularization-normalization"],"related":["ai-types-of-machine-learning"],"unlocks":[],"order":71,"stage":10,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning-1","name":"Catastrophic Forgetting"},{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning-2","name":"Elastic Weight Consolidation"},{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning-3","name":"Progressive Neural Networks"},{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning-4","name":"Memory-Augmented Networks"},{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning-5","name":"Replay Methods"},{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning-6","name":"Evaluation settings: task-, domain- and class-incremental learning"},{"id":"ai-continual-lifelong-learning-7","name":"Parameter-isolation and modular methods"}]},{"id":"ai-quantum-machine-learning","name":"Quantum Machine Learning","category":"Emerging & Frontier Fields","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Machine learning with quantum computers: variational quantum circuits, quantum kernels, quantum optimization and sampling.","prerequisites":["ai-types-of-machine-learning","ph-quantum-information-science"],"related":["ma-quantum-computation-theory","cs-quantum-computing"],"unlocks":[],"order":84,"stage":11,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ai-quantum-machine-learning-1","name":"Quantum Neural Networks"},{"id":"ai-quantum-machine-learning-2","name":"Variational Quantum Algorithms"},{"id":"ai-quantum-machine-learning-3","name":"Quantum Kernel Methods"},{"id":"ai-quantum-machine-learning-4","name":"Quantum Optimization"},{"id":"ai-quantum-machine-learning-5","name":"Quantum Sampling"}]},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science","name":"AI for Science","category":"Emerging & Frontier Fields","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Using ML to accelerate science: protein structure, drug and materials discovery, climate, physics, chemistry and mathematics.","prerequisites":["ai-graph-neural-networks","ai-special-deep-learning-topics"],"related":["ph-computational-physics","bi-machine-learning-biology","ch-cheminformatics-ml","mt-materials-informatics","ch-automated-ai-driven-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":109,"stage":13,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-1","name":"AI for Drug Discovery"},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-2","name":"AI for Materials Science"},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-3","name":"AI for Climate Modeling"},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-4","name":"AI for Physics"},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-5","name":"AI for Biology (AlphaFold, etc.)"},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-6","name":"AI for Chemistry"},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-7","name":"AI for Mathematics"},{"id":"ai-ai-for-science-8","name":"Scientific Machine Learning"}]},{"id":"ai-world-models-simulation","name":"World Models & Simulation","category":"Emerging & Frontier Fields","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Learned models of how the world evolves, video prediction, physics simulation, embodied AI environments and synthetic data.","prerequisites":["ai-advanced-rl-topics","ai-generative-models"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":120,"stage":14,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"ai-world-models-simulation-1","name":"Learned World Models"},{"id":"ai-world-models-simulation-2","name":"Video Prediction"},{"id":"ai-world-models-simulation-3","name":"Physical Simulation"},{"id":"ai-world-models-simulation-4","name":"Embodied AI Environments"},{"id":"ai-world-models-simulation-5","name":"Synthetic Data Generation"}]},{"id":"ai-generative-ai-frontiers","name":"Generative AI Frontiers","category":"Emerging & Frontier Fields","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Research frontiers in generation: 3D and 4D generation, neural rendering, controllable, multimodal and interactive generation.","prerequisites":["ai-cross-modal-generation","ai-3d-computer-vision"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":121,"stage":15,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"ai-generative-ai-frontiers-1","name":"3D Generative AI"},{"id":"ai-generative-ai-frontiers-2","name":"4D Generation (3D + Time)"},{"id":"ai-generative-ai-frontiers-3","name":"Neural Rendering"},{"id":"ai-generative-ai-frontiers-4","name":"Controllable Generation"},{"id":"ai-generative-ai-frontiers-5","name":"Multi-Modal Generation"},{"id":"ai-generative-ai-frontiers-6","name":"Interactive Generation"}]}]},{"id":"mechanical","name":"Mechanical Engineering","icon":"⚙️","color":"#f87171","prefix":"me","description":"Mechanical engineering designs, analyses and makes machines and thermal-fluid systems: mechanics, materials, thermodynamics, fluids and heat transfer, machine design, manufacturing, dynamics and control, robotics and energy systems, from first workshop skills to research frontiers.","categories":["Foundations & Professional Practice","Engineering Graphics, CAD & Tolerancing","Engineering Mechanics","Engineering Materials","Solid Mechanics & Structures","Thermal-Fluid Sciences","System Dynamics, Measurement & Control","Vibrations & Acoustics","Mechanisms & Kinematics of Machinery","Machine Design & Machine Elements","Manufacturing Engineering","Computational Engineering & Simulation","Design Methodology, Product Development & Reliability","Fluid Power","Mechatronics & Robotics","Biomechanics & Wearable Systems","Energy & Power Systems","Automotive & Vehicle Engineering","Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering"],"chapters":[{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools","name":"Workshop Practice & Hand Tools","category":"Foundations & Professional Practice","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"Hands-on workshop skills: safe use of measuring instruments, hand and power tools, basic machine tools, sheet metal and fastening.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":1,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-1","name":"Workshop safety, PPE and risk awareness"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-2","name":"Measuring and marking out: rules, squares, scribers, height gauges, surface plates"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-3","name":"Precision measurement instruments"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-3-1","name":"Vernier and digital calipers","depth":1,"parent":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-3"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-3-2","name":"Micrometers","depth":1,"parent":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-3"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-3-3","name":"Dial indicators and gauge blocks","depth":1,"parent":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-3"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-4","name":"Hand tools: files, hacksaws, chisels, hammers, wrenches and screwdrivers"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-5","name":"Drilling, reaming, countersinking and hand tapping/threading"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-6","name":"Power tools: drills, angle grinders, band saws and bench grinders"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-7","name":"Introduction to the manual lathe (facing, turning, drilling, threading)"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-8","name":"Introduction to the manual milling machine (squaring, slots, pockets)"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-9","name":"Sheet-metal work: cutting, bending, riveting"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-10","name":"Soldering, brazing and introductory welding"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-11","name":"Fasteners, threads and torque tightening in practice"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-12","name":"Workholding: vises, clamps, V-blocks and simple fixtures"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-13","name":"Fitting, deburring and finishing by hand"},{"id":"me-workshop-practice-hand-tools-14","name":"Maker tools: desktop 3D printers, laser cutters and CNC routers"}]},{"id":"me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design","name":"Introduction to Engineering & Mechanical Design","category":"Foundations & Professional Practice","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"A first contact with how mechanical engineers think and work: units, estimation, structured problem solving and a simple design-build-test process.","prerequisites":["ma-elementary-intermediate-algebra"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-engineering-computation","me-engineering-materials","me-how-machines-work","me-professional-practice-engineering-economics","me-statics"],"order":3,"stage":2,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design-1","name":"What mechanical engineers do: fields, industries and career paths"},{"id":"me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design-2","name":"SI and US customary units, unit conversion 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engines, pumps, refrigerators and robots, explaining the working principle of each.","prerequisites":["me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":4,"stage":3,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"me-how-machines-work-1","name":"Simple machines and mechanical advantage"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-1-1","name":"Lever, wheel and axle, pulley","depth":1,"parent":"me-how-machines-work-1"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-1-2","name":"Inclined plane, wedge and screw","depth":1,"parent":"me-how-machines-work-1"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-2","name":"Gears, belts and chains: trading speed for torque"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-3","name":"Linkages and cams: converting rotary and linear motion"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-4","name":"Bearings, shafts and couplings: supporting and transmitting rotation"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-5","name":"Springs, dampers, clutches and brakes: storing, controlling and dissipating energy"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-6","name":"Heat engines: how car engines and gas turbines turn fuel into work"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-7","name":"Pumps, fans, compressors and turbines"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-8","name":"Refrigerators, air conditioners and heat pumps"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-9","name":"Hydraulic and pneumatic machines (jacks, excavators, air tools)"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-10","name":"Electric motors and generators from a mechanical viewpoint"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-11","name":"Integrated machines: clocks, bicycles, cars and teardown/dissection exercises"},{"id":"me-how-machines-work-12","name":"Robots and automated machines: sensors, actuators and control in outline"}]},{"id":"me-professional-practice-engineering-economics","name":"Professional Practice, Ethics & Engineering Economics","category":"Foundations & Professional Practice","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The professional side of engineering: ethics, licensure, codes 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communication: reports, presentations and design documentation"}]},{"id":"me-engineering-computation","name":"Engineering Computation & Numerical Methods","category":"Foundations & Professional Practice","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Programming and numerical methods that mechanical engineers use daily to solve equations, fit data and simulate systems.","prerequisites":["me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design","ma-calculus","cs-programming-fundamentals","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ma-numerical-methods-for-calculus","ph-computational-physics","ae-computational-methods-aerospace"],"unlocks":["me-computational-fluid-dynamics","me-finite-element-analysis"],"order":9,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"me-engineering-computation-1","name":"Programming for engineers in Python or MATLAB: variables, control flow, functions"},{"id":"me-engineering-computation-2","name":"Arrays, vectorisation and plotting engineering 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visualisation"}]},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching","name":"Engineering Drawing & Sketching","category":"Engineering Graphics, CAD & Tolerancing","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"The graphical language of engineering: freehand sketching, orthographic and pictorial views, sections, dimensions and reading drawings.","prerequisites":["ma-euclidean-geometry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-cad-solid-modeling"],"order":2,"stage":2,"depth":3,"ancestorCount":2,"topics":[{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-1","name":"Freehand sketching techniques: lines, circles and proportions"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-2","name":"Pictorial views: isometric, oblique and perspective sketches"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-3","name":"Orthographic projection: first-angle and third-angle"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-4","name":"Multiview drawings, hidden lines and centre lines"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-5","name":"Auxiliary views"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-6","name":"Section views (full, half, offset, broken-out, revolved) and hatching conventions"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-7","name":"Dimensioning rules and practices (ASME Y14.5 / ISO 129 basics)"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-8","name":"Representing threads, fasteners and standard features"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-9","name":"Drawing sheets: title blocks, scales, line types, notes and revisions"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-10","name":"Assembly drawings, exploded views and bills of materials"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-11","name":"Reading and interpreting real engineering drawings"},{"id":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching-12","name":"Introduction to 2D CAD drafting"}]},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling","name":"CAD & Parametric Solid Modeling","category":"Engineering Graphics, CAD & Tolerancing","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Building 3D parametric part and assembly models, generating drawings and managing design data in modern CAD systems.","prerequisites":["me-engineering-drawing-sketching"],"related":["cs-geometric-modeling"],"unlocks":["me-additive-manufacturing","me-cnc-cam","me-product-design-development","me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology"],"order":5,"stage":3,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":3,"topics":[{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-1","name":"CAD landscape: parametric, direct and cloud CAD (SolidWorks, Fusion, Onshape, NX, CATIA, Creo)"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-2","name":"Sketches, geometric constraints and design intent"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-3","name":"Feature-based modeling: extrude, revolve, sweep, loft, fillet, shell, patterns"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-4","name":"Parameters, equations and configurations/design tables"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-5","name":"Assemblies: mates/joints, top-down vs bottom-up design, interference checking"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-6","name":"Motion studies and mechanism simulation inside CAD"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-7","name":"Detail drawings generated from 3D models"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-8","name":"Sheet-metal, weldment and mold-tooling features"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-9","name":"Surface modeling for complex shapes"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-10","name":"Standard part libraries and purchased components"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-11","name":"Mass properties and basic in-CAD simulation"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-12","name":"File formats and interoperability (STEP, IGES, STL, 3MF, Parasolid)"},{"id":"me-cad-solid-modeling-13","name":"Product data management (PDM/PLM), revision control and model-based definition (MBD)"}]},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology","name":"Tolerancing, GD&T & Dimensional Metrology","category":"Engineering Graphics, CAD & Tolerancing","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Specifying and verifying allowable variation: limits and fits, geometric dimensioning and tolerancing, tolerance stack-ups and inspection.","prerequisites":["me-cad-solid-modeling","me-manufacturing-processes","ma-descriptive-statistics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-manufacturing-systems-quality"],"order":10,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-1","name":"Why variation matters: interchangeability and cost vs tolerance"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-2","name":"Limits, fits and tolerance grades (ISO 286, ANSI B4.1): clearance, transition, interference"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-3","name":"Surface texture specification (Ra, Rz, lay symbols)"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-4","name":"GD&T fundamentals and ASME Y14.5 rules (Rule #1, feature control frames)"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-5","name":"Datums and datum reference frames"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-6","name":"Form tolerances: flatness, straightness, circularity, cylindricity"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-7","name":"Orientation tolerances: perpendicularity, parallelism, angularity"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-8","name":"Position tolerance, MMC/LMC modifiers and bonus tolerance"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-9","name":"Profile and runout tolerances"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-10","name":"ISO GPS system vs ASME Y14.5"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-11","name":"Tolerance stack-up analysis"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-11-1","name":"Worst-case","depth":1,"parent":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-11"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-11-2","name":"Root-sum-square (RSS)","depth":1,"parent":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-11"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-11-3","name":"Monte Carlo simulation","depth":1,"parent":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-11"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-12","name":"Dimensional metrology: gauges, CMMs, optical and 3D-scanning inspection"},{"id":"me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology-13","name":"Functional gauging and inspection planning"}]},{"id":"me-statics","name":"Engineering Statics","category":"Engineering Mechanics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Equilibrium of particles and rigid bodies: forces, moments, free-body diagrams, trusses, frames, friction and section properties.","prerequisites":["me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design","ma-calculus","ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":["ph-classical-mechanics","ma-classical-mechanics"],"unlocks":["me-dynamics","me-mechanics-of-materials","mt-mechanical-properties"],"order":13,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"me-statics-1","name":"Vectors, force components and resultants"},{"id":"me-statics-2","name":"Equilibrium of a particle in 2D and 3D"},{"id":"me-statics-3","name":"Moments of a force and couples; equivalent force systems"},{"id":"me-statics-4","name":"Free-body diagrams and support reactions"},{"id":"me-statics-5","name":"Equilibrium of rigid bodies in 2D and 3D"},{"id":"me-statics-6","name":"Trusses: method of joints and method of sections"},{"id":"me-statics-7","name":"Frames and machines"},{"id":"me-statics-8","name":"Internal forces in beams; introduction to shear and bending-moment diagrams"},{"id":"me-statics-9","name":"Distributed loads, centroids and centres of gravity"},{"id":"me-statics-10","name":"Area moments of inertia, parallel-axis theorem and polar moment"},{"id":"me-statics-11","name":"Mass moments of inertia"},{"id":"me-statics-12","name":"Dry (Coulomb) friction: wedges, screws, belts and bearings"},{"id":"me-statics-13","name":"Cables and hydrostatic loads"},{"id":"me-statics-14","name":"Virtual work and stability of equilibrium"}]},{"id":"me-dynamics","name":"Engineering Dynamics","category":"Engineering Mechanics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Motion of particles and rigid bodies under forces, using Newton's laws, work-energy and impulse-momentum methods.","prerequisites":["me-statics"],"related":["ph-classical-mechanics","ae-aerospace-dynamics"],"unlocks":["bi-biomechanics","el-kinematics-dynamics","ai-kinematics-dynamics","me-advanced-dynamics-multibody","me-biomechanics","me-fluid-mechanics","me-kinematics-of-mechanisms","me-robot-mechanics","me-system-dynamics","mt-impact-protective-materials"],"order":14,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"me-dynamics-1","name":"Particle kinematics: rectilinear and curvilinear motion"},{"id":"me-dynamics-2","name":"Coordinate systems: rectangular, normal-tangential, polar/cylindrical"},{"id":"me-dynamics-3","name":"Relative and dependent motion"},{"id":"me-dynamics-4","name":"Newton's second law for particles; kinetic friction"},{"id":"me-dynamics-5","name":"Work-energy principle, power and efficiency"},{"id":"me-dynamics-6","name":"Conservative forces and potential energy"},{"id":"me-dynamics-7","name":"Linear impulse-momentum and impact (coefficient of restitution)"},{"id":"me-dynamics-8","name":"Angular momentum; systems of particles and variable-mass systems"},{"id":"me-dynamics-9","name":"Planar rigid-body kinematics: rotation, general plane motion, instantaneous centre"},{"id":"me-dynamics-10","name":"Relative motion in rotating frames (Coriolis acceleration)"},{"id":"me-dynamics-11","name":"Planar rigid-body kinetics: Newton-Euler equations"},{"id":"me-dynamics-12","name":"Work-energy and impulse-momentum for rigid bodies"},{"id":"me-dynamics-13","name":"Introduction to 3D rigid-body kinematics and kinetics"},{"id":"me-dynamics-14","name":"Introduction to free vibration"}]},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody","name":"Advanced Dynamics & Multibody Systems","category":"Engineering Mechanics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Three-dimensional rigid-body dynamics and the analytical methods used to model and simulate complex machines, vehicles and robots.","prerequisites":["me-dynamics","ph-classical-mechanics","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ma-classical-mechanics","ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics","ae-flight-dynamics","cs-computer-animation-simulation"],"unlocks":[],"order":31,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-1","name":"Rotation representations: rotation matrices, Euler angles, axis-angle, quaternions"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-2","name":"Angular velocity and acceleration in 3D; rotating reference frames"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-3","name":"Inertia tensor, principal axes and Euler's equations"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-4","name":"Gyroscopic effects, spinning tops and gyroscopes"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-5","name":"Generalised coordinates, holonomic and nonholonomic constraints, virtual work"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-6","name":"Lagrange's equations for engineering systems"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-7","name":"Kane's method and recursive Newton-Euler formulations"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-8","name":"Multibody system formulations and constraint stabilisation"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-9","name":"Contact, impact and friction in multibody simulation"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-10","name":"Numerical multibody simulation tools (Simscape Multibody, MSC Adams, MuJoCo)"},{"id":"me-advanced-dynamics-multibody-11","name":"Linearisation and stability of motion"}]},{"id":"me-engineering-materials","name":"Engineering Materials for Mechanical Engineers","category":"Engineering Materials","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"How the structure of metals, polymers, ceramics and composites determines their properties, and how processing and heat treatment change them.","prerequisites":["me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design","ch-introductory-chemistry","mt-intro-to-materials"],"related":["ph-materials-physics","mt-atomic-bonding","mt-crystal-structures","mt-phase-diagrams","mt-mechanical-properties"],"unlocks":["me-fatigue-fracture-creep","me-machine-design-fundamentals","me-manufacturing-processes","me-materials-selection","ae-aerospace-materials"],"order":6,"stage":3,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"me-engineering-materials-1","name":"Material classes and property overview (mechanical, thermal, electrical, chemical)"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-2","name":"Atomic bonding and crystal structures (BCC, FCC, HCP)"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-3","name":"Crystal defects, dislocations and strengthening mechanisms"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-4","name":"Mechanical testing"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-4-1","name":"Tensile test and stress-strain diagrams","depth":1,"parent":"me-engineering-materials-4"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-4-2","name":"Hardness tests","depth":1,"parent":"me-engineering-materials-4"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-4-3","name":"Impact (Charpy) testing","depth":1,"parent":"me-engineering-materials-4"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-5","name":"Phase diagrams and the iron-carbon system"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-6","name":"Phase transformations, TTT/CCT diagrams and heat treatment (annealing, quenching, tempering, case hardening)"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-7","name":"Steels and cast irons: classification and designations (AISI/SAE, UNS)"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-8","name":"Nonferrous alloys: aluminium, titanium, magnesium, copper and nickel alloys"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-9","name":"Polymers and elastomers: thermoplastics vs thermosets, viscoelastic behaviour"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-10","name":"Ceramics and glasses"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-11","name":"Composite materials: fibres, matrices and rule of mixtures"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-12","name":"Corrosion mechanisms and control (galvanic, pitting, stress corrosion, coatings, cathodic protection)"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-13","name":"Overview of failure mechanisms: ductile and brittle fracture, fatigue, creep, wear"},{"id":"me-engineering-materials-14","name":"Material data sources and standards"}]},{"id":"me-materials-selection","name":"Materials & Process Selection in Design","category":"Engineering Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Systematic choice of materials and processes using Ashby charts, performance indices, shape factors and cost and environmental criteria.","prerequisites":["me-engineering-materials","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["mt-materials-selection","ae-aerospace-materials"],"unlocks":["me-lightweight-structures-composites"],"order":29,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"me-materials-selection-1","name":"Design-led selection strategy: translate, screen, rank, document"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-2","name":"Material property charts (Ashby charts)"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-3","name":"Performance indices for stiffness-, strength- and energy-limited design"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-4","name":"Multiple constraints and conflicting objectives (trade-off surfaces, penalty functions)"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-5","name":"Shape factors and efficient sections"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-6","name":"Process selection and process-material compatibility"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-7","name":"Cost modelling of materials and processes"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-8","name":"Hybrid materials: sandwiches, lattices and segmented structures"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-9","name":"Eco-selection: embodied energy, carbon footprint and life-cycle assessment"},{"id":"me-materials-selection-10","name":"Selection software and databases (e.g. Granta EduPack)"}]},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials","name":"Mechanics of Materials (Strength of Materials)","category":"Solid Mechanics & Structures","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Stress, strain and deformation in loaded members under axial load, torsion, bending, shear and combined loads, plus column buckling.","prerequisites":["me-statics"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics","mt-mechanical-properties"],"unlocks":["ma-solid-mechanics","bi-biomechanics","ea-engineering-geology","me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","me-biomechanics","me-casting-forming-molding","me-fatigue-fracture-creep","me-finite-element-analysis","me-machine-design-fundamentals","me-machining-processes","me-materials-selection","mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing","mt-fracture-mechanics","mt-materials-selection","mt-tribology","ae-aerospace-structures"],"order":16,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-1","name":"Stress and strain; normal and shear stress"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-2","name":"Hooke's law, Poisson's ratio and properties from the stress-strain curve"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-3","name":"Axially loaded members: deformation, statically indeterminate bars, thermal stress"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-4","name":"Torsion of circular shafts: shear stress, angle of twist, power transmission"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-5","name":"Shear-force and bending-moment diagrams"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-6","name":"Flexural (bending) stress in beams; composite beams"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-7","name":"Transverse shear stress and shear flow"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-8","name":"Stress transformation, principal stresses and Mohr's circle"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-9","name":"Strain transformation and strain-gauge rosettes"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-10","name":"Thin-walled pressure vessels"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-11","name":"Combined loading"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-12","name":"Beam deflection: integration, superposition and moment-area methods"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-13","name":"Statically indeterminate beams"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-14","name":"Column buckling: Euler load, end conditions, secant and Johnson formulas"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-15","name":"Strain energy and introduction to energy methods"},{"id":"me-mechanics-of-materials-16","name":"Stress concentrations and introduction to failure theories"}]},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","name":"Advanced Mechanics of Materials","category":"Solid Mechanics & Structures","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Beyond elementary strength of materials: energy methods, unsymmetric bending, thick cylinders, rotating discs, contact stresses and plates.","prerequisites":["me-mechanics-of-materials","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes"],"related":["ae-aerospace-structures"],"unlocks":["me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity","me-lightweight-structures-composites","me-micro-nano-mechanics","me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms","me-pressure-vessels-piping","me-tribology"],"order":23,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-1","name":"3D stress and strain; generalised Hooke's law"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-2","name":"Failure criteria for ductile and brittle materials (Tresca, von Mises, Mohr-Coulomb)"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-3","name":"Energy methods: Castigliano's theorems and the unit-load method"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-4","name":"Unsymmetrical bending and the shear centre"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-5","name":"Curved beams"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-6","name":"Torsion of non-circular and thin-walled sections (membrane analogy)"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-7","name":"Thick-walled cylinders and shrink fits (Lamé equations)"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-8","name":"Rotating discs and cylinders"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-9","name":"Beams on elastic foundations"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-10","name":"Contact stresses (Hertz theory)"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-11","name":"Bending of thin plates (introduction)"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-12","name":"Stress concentration and notch analysis"},{"id":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials-13","name":"Experimental stress analysis: strain gauges, photoelasticity, digital image correlation"}]},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep","name":"Fatigue, Fracture & Creep","category":"Solid Mechanics & Structures","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How and when components fail under cyclic loads, cracks and high temperature, and how engineers design and inspect against it.","prerequisites":["me-mechanics-of-materials","me-engineering-materials"],"related":["mt-fracture-mechanics","mt-fatigue-failure-analysis","mt-creep","ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance"],"unlocks":[],"order":26,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-1","name":"Failure analysis methodology and fractography"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-2","name":"Stress-life (S-N) approach: endurance limit and modifying factors"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-3","name":"Mean-stress effects (Goodman, Gerber, Soderberg, Smith-Watson-Topper)"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-4","name":"Notches: fatigue notch factor and notch sensitivity"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-5","name":"Strain-life approach: Coffin-Manson, cyclic stress-strain, Neuber's rule"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-6","name":"Variable-amplitude loading: rainflow counting and Miner's rule"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-7","name":"Linear elastic fracture mechanics: stress intensity factor and fracture toughness"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-8","name":"Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics: CTOD and the J-integral"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-9","name":"Fatigue crack growth (Paris law) and damage-tolerant design"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-10","name":"Fatigue of welded joints and multiaxial fatigue"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-11","name":"Creep, stress rupture, Larson-Miller parameter and creep-fatigue interaction"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-12","name":"Environmental effects: corrosion fatigue, hydrogen embrittlement, fretting"},{"id":"me-fatigue-fracture-creep-13","name":"Nondestructive inspection for cracks (ultrasonic, magnetic particle, dye penetrant, eddy current, radiography)"}]},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites","name":"Lightweight Structures & Composite Design","category":"Solid Mechanics & Structures","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing stiff, strong structures at minimum mass with thin-walled sections, sandwich panels, composite laminates, lattices and structural optimisation.","prerequisites":["me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","me-materials-selection","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["mt-composites","mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing","mt-lightweight-structures","ae-composite-structures","ae-lightweight-structural-design"],"unlocks":[],"order":47,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-1","name":"Lightweighting strategy: specific stiffness/strength and structural efficiency"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-2","name":"Thin-walled open and closed sections: bending, torsion and shear flow"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-3","name":"Plate and shell buckling; stiffened panels and crippling"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-4","name":"Sandwich structures: face/core design and failure modes"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-5","name":"Composite lamina mechanics: micromechanics and orthotropic properties"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-6","name":"Classical laminate theory (ABD matrix) and laminate stacking design"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-7","name":"Composite failure criteria (Tsai-Wu, Hashin) and damage"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-8","name":"Composite manufacturing routes (layup, RTM, filament winding, automated fibre placement) and design implications"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-9","name":"Joining lightweight structures: bonded and bolted composite joints"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-10","name":"Lattice and cellular structures for additive manufacturing"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-11","name":"Crashworthiness and energy absorption"},{"id":"me-lightweight-structures-composites-12","name":"Frames, shells and protective panels for wearable and mobile machines"}]},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity","name":"Continuum Mechanics, Elasticity & Plasticity","category":"Solid Mechanics & Structures","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The rigorous tensor theory of deformable solids, covering elasticity, hyperelasticity, viscoelasticity and plasticity for advanced stress analysis and modelling.","prerequisites":["me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes","ma-tensor-analysis"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics"],"unlocks":["me-mechanical-metamaterials","me-soft-robotics-mechanics"],"order":48,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-1","name":"Tensor algebra and index notation"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-2","name":"Kinematics of deformation: deformation gradient, finite and infinitesimal strain"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-3","name":"Stress tensors (Cauchy, Piola-Kirchhoff) and balance laws"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-4","name":"Linear elasticity: constitutive laws, anisotropy and boundary-value problems"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-5","name":"Plane stress and plane strain; Airy stress-function solutions"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-6","name":"Energy principles: minimum potential energy and Rayleigh-Ritz"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-7","name":"Hyperelasticity for rubbers and soft materials (neo-Hookean, Mooney-Rivlin, Ogden)"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-8","name":"Viscoelasticity: spring-dashpot models, creep, relaxation, time-temperature superposition"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-9","name":"Plasticity: yield surfaces, flow rules, hardening and limit analysis"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-10","name":"Thermoelasticity"},{"id":"me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity-11","name":"Elastic waves in solids"}]},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics","name":"Engineering Thermodynamics","category":"Thermal-Fluid Sciences","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Energy, heat and work in engineering systems: properties of substances, the first and second laws, entropy and exergy.","prerequisites":["ma-calculus","ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ma-thermodynamics","ch-chemical-thermodynamics"],"unlocks":["el-power-generation","me-applied-thermodynamics","me-fluid-mechanics","ae-aerospace-thermodynamics"],"order":15,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-1","name":"Systems, control volumes, properties, state and equilibrium"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-2","name":"Energy, heat and work; forms of energy"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-3","name":"Properties of pure substances: phase diagrams, property tables, quality"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-4","name":"Ideal-gas model and real-gas behaviour (compressibility factor)"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-5","name":"First law for closed systems"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-6","name":"Mass and energy analysis of control volumes"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-6-1","name":"Steady-flow devices: nozzles, diffusers, turbines, compressors, pumps","depth":1,"parent":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-6"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-6-2","name":"Throttling valves, mixing chambers and heat exchangers","depth":1,"parent":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-6"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-7","name":"Transient flow processes (tank filling and discharging)"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-8","name":"Second law: Kelvin-Planck and Clausius statements; heat engines, refrigerators and heat pumps"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-9","name":"Carnot cycle and reversibility"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-10","name":"Entropy, entropy generation and isentropic processes"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-11","name":"Isentropic efficiencies of turbines, compressors and nozzles"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-12","name":"Exergy (availability) and second-law efficiency"},{"id":"me-engineering-thermodynamics-13","name":"Thermodynamic property relations (Maxwell relations, Clapeyron equation)"}]},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics","name":"Engineering Fluid Mechanics","category":"Thermal-Fluid Sciences","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Fluid statics and flow for engineers: control-volume analysis, dimensional analysis, pipe flow, drag and lift, and pumps.","prerequisites":["me-dynamics","me-engineering-thermodynamics","ma-vector-calculus"],"related":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ma-fluid-mechanics","ch-transport-phenomena"],"unlocks":["me-advanced-fluid-mechanics","me-heat-transfer","me-hydraulics-pneumatics","me-internal-combustion-engines","me-pressure-vessels-piping","me-tribology","mt-polymer-processing","ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals"],"order":17,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-1","name":"Fluid properties: density, viscosity, surface tension, vapour pressure"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-2","name":"Fluid statics: pressure, manometry, hydrostatic forces on surfaces, buoyancy and stability"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-3","name":"Fluid kinematics: Lagrangian and Eulerian descriptions, streamlines"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-4","name":"Bernoulli equation and its limitations"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-5","name":"Control-volume analysis: conservation of mass, linear and angular momentum, energy"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-6","name":"Differential analysis: continuity and Navier-Stokes equations (introduction)"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-7","name":"Dimensional analysis, Buckingham Pi theorem and similitude"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-8","name":"Internal flow: laminar and turbulent pipe flow, Moody chart, major and minor losses"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-9","name":"Piping networks and flow measurement (Venturi, orifice, Pitot tube)"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-10","name":"External flow: boundary layers, drag and lift"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-11","name":"Open-channel flow (introduction)"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-12","name":"Pumps and fans: performance and system curves, affinity laws, NPSH and cavitation"},{"id":"me-fluid-mechanics-13","name":"Introduction to compressible flow: Mach number and speed of sound"}]},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics","name":"Applied Thermodynamics: Cycles, Mixtures & Combustion","category":"Thermal-Fluid Sciences","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Applying thermodynamics to power and refrigeration cycles, gas mixtures, psychrometrics, combustion and chemical equilibrium.","prerequisites":["me-engineering-thermodynamics","ch-introductory-chemistry"],"related":["ae-aerospace-thermodynamics"],"unlocks":["me-combustion-engineering","me-energy-storage-power-integration","me-hvac-refrigeration","me-internal-combustion-engines","me-renewable-energy-systems","me-thermal-fluid-systems-design","me-turbomachinery"],"order":19,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-1","name":"Gas power cycles: Otto, Diesel, dual, Stirling and Ericsson"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-2","name":"Brayton cycle with regeneration, intercooling and reheat; jet-propulsion cycle overview"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-3","name":"Vapour power cycles: Rankine with superheat, reheat and regeneration"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-4","name":"Combined and cogeneration cycles"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-5","name":"Refrigeration and heat pump cycles: vapour-compression, absorption and gas refrigeration"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-6","name":"Non-reacting gas mixtures (Dalton and Amagat models)"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-7","name":"Psychrometrics: humidity, dew point and the psychrometric chart"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-8","name":"Air-conditioning processes: heating, cooling, dehumidification, mixing, evaporative cooling, cooling towers"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-9","name":"Combustion: fuels, stoichiometry, air-fuel ratio and products"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-10","name":"Enthalpy of formation, adiabatic flame temperature and heating values"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-11","name":"Chemical and phase equilibrium"},{"id":"me-applied-thermodynamics-12","name":"Exergy analysis of cycles and energy systems"}]},{"id":"me-heat-transfer","name":"Heat & Mass Transfer","category":"Thermal-Fluid Sciences","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Conduction, convection and radiation, from fins and transient cooling to heat exchangers, boiling and mass transfer.","prerequisites":["me-fluid-mechanics","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes"],"related":["ch-transport-phenomena"],"unlocks":["el-thermal-design","me-combustion-engineering","me-energy-storage-power-integration","me-hvac-refrigeration","me-power-plants-energy-conversion","me-renewable-energy-systems","me-thermal-fluid-systems-design","mt-casting-solidification","mt-thermal-protection-systems","ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics","ae-liquid-rocket-engines","ae-spacecraft-thermal-control"],"order":35,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"me-heat-transfer-1","name":"Modes of heat transfer and the energy balance"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-2","name":"1D steady conduction: thermal-resistance networks, contact resistance, critical insulation"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-3","name":"Heat generation and extended surfaces (fins)"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-4","name":"2D steady conduction: shape factors and finite-difference methods"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-5","name":"Transient conduction: lumped capacitance, Biot and Fourier numbers, one-term solutions"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-6","name":"Convection fundamentals: boundary layers and dimensionless groups (Nu, Re, Pr)"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-7","name":"Forced convection in external flow: plates, cylinders and tube banks"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-8","name":"Forced convection in internal flow: pipes and ducts"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-9","name":"Natural (free) convection"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-10","name":"Boiling and condensation"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-11","name":"Heat exchangers: types, LMTD and effectiveness-NTU methods"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-12","name":"Radiation: blackbody, emissivity and view factors"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-13","name":"Radiation exchange between surfaces (radiosity networks)"},{"id":"me-heat-transfer-14","name":"Mass transfer: Fick's law, diffusion and heat-mass transfer analogies"}]},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics","name":"Advanced Fluid Mechanics & Compressible Flow","category":"Thermal-Fluid Sciences","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Viscous and inviscid flow theory, boundary layers, turbulence and compressible gas dynamics for engineering applications.","prerequisites":["me-fluid-mechanics","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes"],"related":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics","ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers"],"unlocks":["me-computational-fluid-dynamics","me-turbomachinery"],"order":40,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-1","name":"Navier-Stokes equations and exact solutions (Couette, Poiseuille, Stokes problems)"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-2","name":"Low-Reynolds-number (creeping) flow and lubrication theory"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-3","name":"Potential flow, vorticity and circulation"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-4","name":"Laminar boundary-layer theory (Blasius, integral methods) and separation"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-5","name":"Turbulence: Reynolds averaging, turbulent boundary layers, mixing length"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-6","name":"Isentropic compressible flow and nozzles"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-7","name":"Normal and oblique shock waves; Prandtl-Meyer expansion"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-8","name":"Flow with friction (Fanno) and heat addition (Rayleigh)"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-9","name":"Unsteady flow and water hammer"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-10","name":"Introduction to multiphase flow (bubbles, droplets, cavitation)"},{"id":"me-advanced-fluid-mechanics-11","name":"Experimental fluid mechanics: wind tunnels, PIV, hot-wire anemometry"}]},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design","name":"Thermal-Fluid Systems Design","category":"Thermal-Fluid Sciences","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Integrating thermodynamics, fluid mechanics and heat transfer to size, simulate and optimise complete thermal-fluid systems.","prerequisites":["me-heat-transfer","me-applied-thermodynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-thermal-management-compact-power"],"order":58,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-1","name":"Thermal system design process: workable vs optimum design"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-2","name":"Piping and duct system design; pipe networks (Hardy Cross)"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-3","name":"Pump, fan and compressor selection; system matching; series and parallel operation"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-4","name":"Heat exchanger design and rating (shell-and-tube, plate, compact)"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-5","name":"Cooling towers, condensers and evaporators"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-6","name":"Control valves: characteristics and sizing"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-7","name":"Steady-state system simulation and component modelling"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-8","name":"Economics of thermal systems (life-cycle cost, payback)"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-9","name":"Optimization of thermal systems (Lagrange multipliers, search methods)"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-10","name":"Energy recovery: waste heat, heat pipes and thermal storage"},{"id":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design-11","name":"Pinch analysis and heat exchanger networks"}]},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering","name":"Combustion Engineering","category":"Thermal-Fluid Sciences","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The chemistry and physics of flames, burners and fuels, with emphasis on engines, furnaces and pollutant control.","prerequisites":["me-applied-thermodynamics","me-heat-transfer","ch-chemical-kinetics"],"related":["ch-combustion-chemistry","ae-combustion-fundamentals","ae-combustion-instability"],"unlocks":[],"order":62,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-1","name":"Thermochemistry and equilibrium composition of combustion products"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-2","name":"Chemical kinetics: reaction rates, mechanisms and ignition delay"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-3","name":"Chemically reacting system models (well-stirred and plug-flow reactors)"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-4","name":"Conservation equations for reacting flows"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-5","name":"Laminar premixed flames: flame speed, flammability limits, quenching"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-6","name":"Laminar diffusion (non-premixed) flames"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-7","name":"Turbulent combustion basics"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-8","name":"Droplet evaporation, sprays and liquid-fuel combustion"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-9","name":"Solid-fuel combustion (coal, biomass)"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-10","name":"Pollutant formation and control: NOx, CO, soot, unburned hydrocarbons"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-11","name":"Burners, furnaces and combustion safety"},{"id":"me-combustion-engineering-12","name":"Alternative fuels: hydrogen, ammonia and biofuels"}]},{"id":"me-system-dynamics","name":"System Dynamics & Modeling","category":"System Dynamics, Measurement & Control","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Building and analysing mathematical models of mechanical, electrical, fluid and thermal systems as the foundation for vibrations, control and mechatronics.","prerequisites":["me-dynamics","ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism"],"related":["ma-systems-theory-control","ma-dynamical-systems"],"unlocks":["me-feedback-control","me-measurements-instrumentation","me-mechanical-vibrations"],"order":18,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"me-system-dynamics-1","name":"Modeling philosophy: lumped elements, assumptions and validation"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-2","name":"Mechanical translational and rotational systems (masses, springs, dampers, gears, levers)"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-3","name":"Electrical and electromechanical systems (DC motors, generators)"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-4","name":"Fluid and hydraulic systems (capacitance, resistance, inertance)"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-5","name":"Thermal systems"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-6","name":"Energy-based modeling and bond graphs"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-7","name":"Laplace transforms and transfer functions"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-8","name":"Block diagrams and signal-flow graphs"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-9","name":"State-space representation and linearisation"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-10","name":"Time response of first- and second-order systems"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-11","name":"Frequency response and Bode plots"},{"id":"me-system-dynamics-12","name":"Numerical simulation of dynamic systems (MATLAB/Simulink, Python)"}]},{"id":"me-feedback-control","name":"Feedback Control of Mechanical Systems","category":"System Dynamics, Measurement & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Designing controllers that make machines behave as intended: stability, PID, root locus, frequency-domain and state-space design, and implementation.","prerequisites":["me-system-dynamics"],"related":["el-control-theory","ma-control-theory","ai-control-systems","ae-feedback-control-aerospace"],"unlocks":["me-mechatronics","me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power","me-vehicle-dynamics"],"order":33,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"me-feedback-control-1","name":"Open- vs closed-loop control; benefits and costs of feedback"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-2","name":"Performance specifications: transient response and steady-state error"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-3","name":"Stability and the Routh-Hurwitz criterion"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-4","name":"PID control and practical tuning (Ziegler-Nichols, anti-windup)"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-5","name":"Root-locus analysis and design"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-6","name":"Frequency-response design: Bode and Nyquist plots, gain and phase margins"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-7","name":"Lead, lag and lead-lag compensation"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-8","name":"State-space control: controllability, observability, pole placement, observers"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-9","name":"Digital control: sampling, discretisation and z-transform basics"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-10","name":"Motion control: feedforward, trajectory tracking, cascaded position/velocity loops"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-11","name":"Nonlinearities: saturation, backlash and friction compensation"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-12","name":"Introduction to optimal (LQR) and model predictive control"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-13","name":"Introduction to robust, adaptive and nonlinear control"},{"id":"me-feedback-control-14","name":"Implementation on hardware and hardware-in-the-loop testing"}]},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation","name":"Measurements, Instrumentation & Experimental Methods","category":"System Dynamics, Measurement & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Planning experiments and measuring force, strain, pressure, temperature, flow and motion reliably, with proper uncertainty analysis and reporting.","prerequisites":["me-system-dynamics","el-circuit-theory","ma-inferential-statistics"],"related":["ph-measurement-instrumentation","el-sensor-interfacing","el-calibration","ae-aerospace-instrumentation"],"unlocks":["me-mechatronics"],"order":36,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-1","name":"Measurement system elements and static characteristics (accuracy, precision, resolution, linearity, hysteresis)"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-2","name":"Dynamic response of instruments (first- and second-order sensors)"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-3","name":"Statistics for experimentation and uncertainty analysis (propagation, confidence intervals)"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-4","name":"Calibration, traceability and standards"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-5","name":"Signal conditioning: bridges, amplifiers and filters"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-6","name":"Data acquisition: sampling, aliasing, quantisation and ADCs"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-7","name":"Spectral analysis and the FFT for measurement data"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-8","name":"Strain, force, torque and pressure measurement (strain gauges, load cells, transducers)"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-9","name":"Temperature measurement (thermocouples, RTDs, thermistors, infrared)"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-10","name":"Flow measurement (differential pressure, turbine, Coriolis, ultrasonic, hot-wire)"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-11","name":"Motion measurement: displacement (LVDT, encoders), velocity and acceleration (accelerometers)"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-12","name":"Design of experiments and test planning"},{"id":"me-measurements-instrumentation-13","name":"Technical reporting and presentation of experimental results"}]},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations","name":"Mechanical Vibrations","category":"Vibrations & Acoustics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Free and forced vibration of single- and multi-degree-of-freedom and continuous systems, and how to isolate, absorb and measure vibration.","prerequisites":["me-system-dynamics","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ph-waves-oscillations"],"unlocks":["me-acoustics-noise-control","me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics","me-micro-nano-mechanics","me-vehicle-dynamics","ae-structural-dynamics-vibration"],"order":37,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-1","name":"Free vibration of undamped single-degree-of-freedom systems; natural frequency"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-2","name":"Damped free vibration: viscous, Coulomb and structural damping; logarithmic decrement"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-3","name":"Harmonically forced vibration: resonance, magnification factor and phase"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-4","name":"Base excitation, rotating unbalance and transmissibility"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-5","name":"Vibration isolation and isolator selection"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-6","name":"Response to general excitation: impulse response, convolution and shock spectra"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-7","name":"Two-degree-of-freedom systems and dynamic vibration absorbers"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-8","name":"Multi-degree-of-freedom systems: eigenvalue problem, mode shapes and modal analysis"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-9","name":"Continuous systems: strings, bars, shafts and beams"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-10","name":"Rayleigh's method and other approximate methods"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-11","name":"Torsional vibration of shafts and drivetrains"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-12","name":"Vibration measurement and experimental modal analysis"},{"id":"me-mechanical-vibrations-13","name":"Balancing of rotors (single- and two-plane)"}]},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control","name":"Engineering Acoustics & Noise Control","category":"Vibrations & Acoustics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Sound generation, propagation and measurement, and the practical engineering of quieter machines, products and buildings.","prerequisites":["me-mechanical-vibrations"],"related":["ph-acoustics","ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics","ae-combustion-instability"],"unlocks":[],"order":54,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-1","name":"The acoustic wave equation; plane and spherical waves"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-2","name":"Decibels: sound pressure, intensity and power levels; combining sources"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-3","name":"Frequency analysis, octave bands and A-/C-weighting"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-4","name":"Human hearing, noise criteria and regulations; hearing conservation"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-5","name":"Sound measurement: microphones, sound level meters, intensity probes"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-6","name":"Outdoor sound propagation and barriers"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-7","name":"Room acoustics: reverberation time, absorption and the Sabine equation"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-8","name":"Sound transmission loss through walls and enclosures"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-9","name":"Mufflers and silencers (reactive and dissipative)"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-10","name":"Machinery noise sources: fans, gears, motors, flow noise and impacts"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-11","name":"Noise control at source, path and receiver; damping treatments"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-12","name":"HVAC system noise and vibration control"},{"id":"me-acoustics-noise-control-13","name":"Active noise control and sound quality"}]},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics","name":"Structural Dynamics, Advanced Vibrations & Rotordynamics","category":"Vibrations & Acoustics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Advanced vibration topics for real machines and structures: continuous and random vibration, nonlinear behaviour, rotordynamics, vibration control and condition monitoring.","prerequisites":["me-mechanical-vibrations","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics","ae-aeroelasticity","ae-structural-dynamics-vibration"],"unlocks":[],"order":64,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-1","name":"Vibration of plates and other continuous systems (analytical and numerical)"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-2","name":"Finite-element structural dynamics and model reduction"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-3","name":"Random vibration: power spectral density and response of linear systems"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-4","name":"Nonlinear vibrations: Duffing oscillator, jump phenomena and limit cycles"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-5","name":"Rotordynamics: critical speeds, whirl, Campbell diagrams, bearing and seal effects"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-6","name":"Passive, semi-active and active vibration control; tuned mass dampers"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-7","name":"Machine condition monitoring and vibration-based fault diagnosis"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-8","name":"Shock and impact response; shock isolation"},{"id":"me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics-9","name":"Fluid-structure interaction and flow-induced vibration"}]},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms","name":"Kinematics of Mechanisms","category":"Mechanisms & Kinematics of Machinery","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Analysis and synthesis of linkages, cams and gear trains that produce a desired motion.","prerequisites":["me-dynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-dynamics-of-machinery","me-gears-power-transmission"],"order":21,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-1","name":"Links, joints, kinematic chains and mechanism classification"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-2","name":"Degrees of freedom: Gruebler/Kutzbach criterion"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-3","name":"Grashof condition, four-bar linkage behaviour and inversions"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-4","name":"Position analysis of linkages (graphical, vector-loop, complex-number methods)"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-5","name":"Velocity analysis and instant centres (Kennedy's theorem)"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-6","name":"Acceleration analysis including Coriolis components"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-7","name":"Slider-crank, quick-return and other common mechanisms"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-8","name":"Linkage synthesis: function, path and motion generation (graphical and Freudenstein methods)"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-9","name":"Cam design: follower motions, SVAJ diagrams and cam-profile synthesis"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-10","name":"Gear-train kinematics: simple, compound, reverted and epicyclic trains"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-11","name":"Intermittent-motion mechanisms: Geneva wheels and ratchets"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-12","name":"Introduction to spatial mechanisms"},{"id":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms-13","name":"Mechanism simulation software"}]},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery","name":"Dynamics of Machinery","category":"Mechanisms & Kinematics of Machinery","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Forces in moving machinery: dynamic force analysis, engine dynamics, balancing, flywheels and cam dynamics.","prerequisites":["me-kinematics-of-mechanisms"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":42,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-1","name":"Dynamic force analysis of linkages (matrix method)"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-2","name":"Superposition and energy methods for machine force analysis"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-3","name":"Slider-crank engine dynamics: gas and inertia forces, crankshaft torque"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-4","name":"Multicylinder engine configurations and firing order"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-5","name":"Shaking forces and shaking moments"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-6","name":"Static and dynamic balancing of rotating masses"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-7","name":"Balancing of reciprocating machines and linkages"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-8","name":"Flywheel design and speed fluctuation"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-9","name":"Cam dynamics: follower jump and cam-follower vibration"},{"id":"me-dynamics-of-machinery-10","name":"Governors and gyroscopic couples in machines"}]},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals","name":"Machine Design: Stress, Deflection & Failure","category":"Machine Design & Machine Elements","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Designing machine components that do not fail: load analysis, stress concentration, static and fatigue failure theories and factors of safety.","prerequisites":["me-mechanics-of-materials","me-engineering-materials"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons","me-fasteners-joints-springs","me-gears-power-transmission","me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms","me-pressure-vessels-piping","me-product-design-development","me-reliability-safety-engineering","me-shafts-bearings-seals"],"order":22,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-1","name":"The mechanical design process, codes, standards and design factors"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-2","name":"Load analysis and free-body diagrams of machine components"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-3","name":"Stress analysis review: combined stresses and stress concentration"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-4","name":"Deflection and stiffness; stiffness-driven design"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-5","name":"Static failure theories for ductile and brittle materials"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-6","name":"Fatigue design: endurance limit, Marin factors, fully reversed and fluctuating stresses"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-7","name":"Fatigue failure criteria (modified Goodman, Gerber, ASME-elliptic)"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-8","name":"Factor of safety, reliability-based design factors and statistical considerations"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-9","name":"Surface failure and wear (introduction)"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-10","name":"Material selection for machine components"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-11","name":"Design of simple components: levers, brackets and frames"},{"id":"me-machine-design-fundamentals-12","name":"Case study: integrated design of a complete machine"}]},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs","name":"Fasteners, Joints, Springs & Power Screws","category":"Machine Design & Machine Elements","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Designing threaded fasteners, power and ball screws, welded, bonded and riveted joints, and springs of all common types.","prerequisites":["me-machine-design-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":32,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-1","name":"Thread standards and terminology"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-2","name":"Power screws: lifting and lowering torque, self-locking and efficiency"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-3","name":"Ball screws and roller screws"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-4","name":"Bolted joints: joint stiffness, preload and torque-tension relationship"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-5","name":"Bolted joints under tension and fatigue loading; gasketed joints"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-6","name":"Bolt and rivet groups under eccentric shear"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-7","name":"Welded joints: weld symbols, stresses in fillet and butt welds, static and fatigue strength"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-8","name":"Adhesive bonding: joint design and stress distribution"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-9","name":"Riveted and snap-fit joints"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-10","name":"Helical compression springs: stress, deflection, buckling, surge and fatigue"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-11","name":"Extension and torsion springs"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-12","name":"Belleville, leaf, wave and gas springs"},{"id":"me-fasteners-joints-springs-13","name":"Fastener materials, grades, corrosion and locking methods"}]},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission","name":"Gears, Belts, Chains, Clutches & Brakes","category":"Machine Design & Machine Elements","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Designing power-transmission elements: gears of every type, gearboxes, flexible drives, clutches, brakes and flywheels.","prerequisites":["me-machine-design-fundamentals","me-kinematics-of-mechanisms"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-actuators-drive-trains","me-automotive-engineering"],"order":34,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-1","name":"Gear types and nomenclature; involute profile and conjugate action"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-2","name":"Spur gear geometry: contact ratio, interference and undercutting"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-3","name":"Force analysis of spur, helical, bevel and worm gears"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-4","name":"AGMA bending and contact (pitting) stress for spur and helical gears"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-5","name":"Bevel and worm gear design"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-6","name":"Gearbox design and planetary gear sets"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-7","name":"Gear manufacturing, quality grades, lubrication and failure modes"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-8","name":"Specialised reducers: harmonic (strain-wave) and cycloidal drives"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-9","name":"Belt drives: flat, V- and synchronous (timing) belts"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-10","name":"Roller and silent chain drives"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-11","name":"Wire ropes and flexible shafts"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-12","name":"Clutches and brakes: friction analysis, energy dissipation and temperature rise"},{"id":"me-gears-power-transmission-13","name":"Flywheels in power transmission"}]},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals","name":"Shafts, Bearings, Couplings & Seals","category":"Machine Design & Machine Elements","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Designing rotating assemblies: shafts and their connections, rolling and sliding bearings, lubrication, couplings, seals and linear guides.","prerequisites":["me-machine-design-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-tribology"],"order":39,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-1","name":"Shaft layout and materials"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-2","name":"Shaft design for stress (static and fatigue) and deflection"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-3","name":"Critical speeds of shafts"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-4","name":"Keys, keyways, splines, set screws and pins"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-5","name":"Press and shrink fits; retaining rings"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-6","name":"Couplings: rigid, flexible, universal joints and constant-velocity joints"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-7","name":"Rolling-element bearings: types, load ratings and L10 life"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-8","name":"Bearing selection: combined loads, reliability, preload and mounting"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-9","name":"Lubrication fundamentals and viscosity"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-10","name":"Hydrodynamic journal bearings (Petroff, Sommerfeld number, Raimondi-Boyd charts)"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-11","name":"Hydrostatic, air and magnetic bearings (overview)"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-12","name":"Seals: gaskets, O-rings, lip seals and mechanical face seals"},{"id":"me-shafts-bearings-seals-13","name":"Linear motion guides and bushings"}]},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping","name":"Pressure Vessels & Piping Design","category":"Machine Design & Machine Elements","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Code-based design of pressure vessels, piping and their components, from wall thickness to pipe stress and overpressure protection.","prerequisites":["me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","me-machine-design-fundamentals","me-fluid-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":45,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-1","name":"Thin- and thick-walled pressure vessel theory review"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-2","name":"ASME Boiler and Pressure Vessel Code (Section VIII) design rules"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-3","name":"Heads, nozzles, openings and reinforcement"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-4","name":"Flanges, gaskets and bolting"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-5","name":"External pressure and vessel buckling"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-6","name":"Pressure relief devices and overpressure protection"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-7","name":"Piping codes (ASME B31.1, B31.3) and wall-thickness calculation"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-8","name":"Pipe stress analysis: thermal expansion, flexibility, supports and hangers"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-9","name":"Materials, welding and inspection of pressure equipment"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-10","name":"Hydrostatic testing, fitness-for-service and failure case studies"},{"id":"me-pressure-vessels-piping-11","name":"High-pressure gas and hydraulic vessels, including composite-overwrapped vessels"}]},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms","name":"Precision Machine Design & Compliant Mechanisms","category":"Machine Design & Machine Elements","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Designing machines for micrometre-level accuracy and mechanisms that move by flexing, using exact constraint, error budgets and flexures.","prerequisites":["me-machine-design-fundamentals","me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":51,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-1","name":"Accuracy, repeatability and resolution"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-2","name":"Error budgets and the Abbe principle"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-3","name":"Exact-constraint design and kinematic couplings"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-4","name":"Structural loops, stiffness and thermal error management"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-5","name":"Precision bearings and linear stages"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-6","name":"Flexure hinges and flexure-based stages"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-7","name":"Pseudo-rigid-body model of compliant mechanisms"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-8","name":"Compliant mechanism synthesis and topology optimisation"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-9","name":"Bistable and statically balanced mechanisms"},{"id":"me-precision-design-compliant-mechanisms-10","name":"Precision actuation and metrology frames"}]},{"id":"me-tribology","name":"Tribology: Friction, Wear & Lubrication","category":"Machine Design & Machine Elements","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The science of interacting surfaces in relative motion: contact, friction, wear, lubrication and surface engineering of machine elements.","prerequisites":["me-shafts-bearings-seals","me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","me-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["mt-tribology"],"unlocks":[],"order":65,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"me-tribology-1","name":"Surface topography and roughness characterisation"},{"id":"me-tribology-2","name":"Contact mechanics of rough surfaces (Greenwood-Williamson)"},{"id":"me-tribology-3","name":"Friction mechanisms and friction models"},{"id":"me-tribology-4","name":"Wear mechanisms: adhesive, abrasive, fatigue, corrosive, fretting and erosion"},{"id":"me-tribology-5","name":"Lubricants: oils, greases, additives and solid lubricants"},{"id":"me-tribology-6","name":"Lubrication regimes and the Stribeck curve"},{"id":"me-tribology-7","name":"Hydrodynamic lubrication and the Reynolds equation"},{"id":"me-tribology-8","name":"Elastohydrodynamic lubrication in gears and rolling bearings"},{"id":"me-tribology-9","name":"Surface engineering and coatings (DLC, nitriding, hard coatings)"},{"id":"me-tribology-10","name":"Tribological testing and tribology of seals, gears and bearings"},{"id":"me-tribology-11","name":"Tribology of polymers and biomedical implants"}]},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes","name":"Introduction to Manufacturing Processes","category":"Manufacturing Engineering","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"A survey of how parts are made, from casting and forming to machining, joining and additive manufacturing, and how to choose between processes.","prerequisites":["me-engineering-materials"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-additive-manufacturing","me-casting-forming-molding","me-design-for-manufacture-assembly","me-machining-processes","me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology","me-welding-joining","mt-additive-manufacturing","mt-deformation-processing","ae-aerospace-manufacturing"],"order":8,"stage":4,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-1","name":"Manufacturing in the product life cycle; process families and classification"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-2","name":"Casting processes overview"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-3","name":"Bulk deformation and sheet-metal forming overview"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-4","name":"Machining and material removal overview"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-5","name":"Polymer processing: injection molding, extrusion, thermoforming"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-6","name":"Powder metallurgy and ceramics processing"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-7","name":"Joining: welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives, mechanical fastening"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-8","name":"Additive manufacturing overview"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-9","name":"Surface treatments, coatings and heat treatment in production"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-10","name":"Process capability, achievable tolerances and surface finish by process"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-11","name":"Manufacturing cost estimation and process selection"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-processes-12","name":"Sustainability and environmental impact of manufacturing"}]},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing","name":"Additive Manufacturing","category":"Manufacturing Engineering","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Building parts layer by layer: the seven AM process families, materials, design for AM, process physics, post-processing and qualification.","prerequisites":["me-manufacturing-processes","me-cad-solid-modeling"],"related":["mt-additive-manufacturing","ae-aerospace-manufacturing"],"unlocks":["me-mechanical-metamaterials"],"order":11,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-1","name":"AM process categories (ISO/ASTM 52900) and the digital workflow (CAD, STL/3MF, slicing)"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-2","name":"Material extrusion (FDM/FFF)"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-3","name":"Vat photopolymerisation (SLA, DLP)"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-4","name":"Powder bed fusion: polymer (SLS, MJF) and metal (LPBF, EBM)"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-5","name":"Directed energy deposition and wire-arc AM"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-6","name":"Binder jetting, material jetting and sheet lamination"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-7","name":"AM materials: polymers, metals, composites and ceramics"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-8","name":"Design for additive manufacturing: overhangs, supports, orientation, part consolidation"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-9","name":"Lattices and topology-optimised parts"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-10","name":"Process physics, defects, residual stress and anisotropy"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-11","name":"Post-processing: support removal, heat treatment, HIP, machining and finishing"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-12","name":"Qualification, inspection and standards for AM parts"},{"id":"me-additive-manufacturing-13","name":"AM economics and applications (tooling, medical, aerospace, robotics)"}]},{"id":"me-welding-joining","name":"Welding & Joining Technology","category":"Manufacturing Engineering","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Fusion, solid-state and other joining processes, weld metallurgy, residual stress and distortion, inspection and welding codes.","prerequisites":["me-manufacturing-processes"],"related":["mt-joining"],"unlocks":[],"order":12,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"me-welding-joining-1","name":"Welding heat sources, heat flow and heat input"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-2","name":"Arc welding: SMAW, GMAW (MIG), GTAW (TIG), FCAW, SAW and plasma"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-3","name":"Resistance welding: spot, seam and projection"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-4","name":"High-energy-beam welding: laser and electron beam"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-5","name":"Solid-state welding: friction, friction stir, ultrasonic and diffusion bonding"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-6","name":"Brazing and soldering"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-7","name":"Welding metallurgy: fusion zone, heat-affected zone, weldability and preheat"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-8","name":"Residual stresses and distortion control"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-9","name":"Weld defects and nondestructive testing"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-10","name":"Welding codes and qualification (WPS/PQR, AWS D1.1, ASME Section IX)"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-11","name":"Joining dissimilar materials, plastics and composites"},{"id":"me-welding-joining-12","name":"Robotic and automated welding"}]},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding","name":"Casting, Forming & Molding","category":"Manufacturing Engineering","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Shaping metals and polymers by solidification and deformation: casting, forging, rolling, extrusion, sheet-metal forming and molding.","prerequisites":["me-manufacturing-processes","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["mt-casting-solidification","mt-deformation-processing","mt-polymer-processing"],"unlocks":[],"order":25,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-1","name":"Casting fundamentals: solidification, fluidity, Chvorinov's rule, gating and risering"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-2","name":"Expendable-mold casting: sand, investment and lost-foam"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-3","name":"Permanent-mold and die casting"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-4","name":"Casting defects and design for casting"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-5","name":"Metal-forming fundamentals: flow stress, strain hardening, hot vs cold working"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-6","name":"Forging (open-die, closed-die) and rolling"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-7","name":"Extrusion and drawing (wire, bar, tube)"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-8","name":"Sheet-metal operations: shearing, blanking, bending, deep drawing, stretch forming, springback"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-9","name":"Hydroforming, incremental and high-rate forming"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-10","name":"Plastic injection molding: machines, mold design, cooling and defects"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-11","name":"Blow molding, thermoforming, compression and transfer molding"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-12","name":"Composite part fabrication: layup, RTM, pultrusion"},{"id":"me-casting-forming-molding-13","name":"Powder metallurgy and metal injection molding"}]},{"id":"me-machining-processes","name":"Machining & Material Removal","category":"Manufacturing Engineering","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The mechanics, tooling and economics of turning, milling, drilling, grinding and nontraditional machining.","prerequisites":["me-manufacturing-processes","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-cnc-cam"],"order":27,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"me-machining-processes-1","name":"Mechanics of orthogonal cutting: chip formation, shear plane, Merchant's circle"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-2","name":"Cutting forces, power and temperature"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-3","name":"Cutting-tool materials, geometry and coatings"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-4","name":"Tool wear, tool life (Taylor equation) and machinability"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-5","name":"Turning and related lathe operations"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-6","name":"Milling operations and cutter types"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-7","name":"Drilling, reaming, boring and tapping"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-8","name":"Grinding and abrasive finishing (honing, lapping, polishing)"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-9","name":"Surface integrity and surface finish"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-10","name":"Cutting fluids, dry and minimum-quantity lubrication machining"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-11","name":"Nontraditional machining: EDM, ECM, laser, waterjet, ultrasonic"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-12","name":"Machining economics and optimum cutting speed"},{"id":"me-machining-processes-13","name":"Workholding and fixture design"}]},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality","name":"Manufacturing Systems, Automation & Quality","category":"Manufacturing Engineering","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Organising and controlling production: process planning, lean, statistical quality control, automation, robots and smart factories.","prerequisites":["me-tolerancing-gdt-metrology","ma-inferential-statistics"],"related":["el-plc-programmable-logic-controller-programming","el-quality-management","el-digital-twins"],"unlocks":[],"order":28,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-1","name":"Production systems: job shop, batch, flow line and cellular manufacturing"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-2","name":"Process planning and computer-aided process planning (CAPP)"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-3","name":"Production planning and control: scheduling and inventory"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-4","name":"Lean manufacturing: value-stream mapping, 5S, kanban, SMED"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-5","name":"Statistical process control: control charts and process capability (Cp, Cpk)"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-6","name":"Six Sigma, DMAIC and quality management systems (ISO 9001)"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-7","name":"Measurement system analysis (gauge R&R)"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-8","name":"Industrial automation: PLCs, sensors, conveyors and material handling"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-9","name":"Industrial robots in manufacturing cells"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-10","name":"Flexible manufacturing and automated assembly systems"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-11","name":"Industry 4.0: industrial IoT, digital twins and smart factories"},{"id":"me-manufacturing-systems-quality-12","name":"Facility layout and discrete-event simulation of manufacturing systems"}]},{"id":"me-cnc-cam","name":"CNC Machining & CAM","category":"Manufacturing Engineering","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Programming and running computer-numerically-controlled machine tools, by hand in G-code and from CAD models with CAM software.","prerequisites":["me-machining-processes","me-cad-solid-modeling"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":41,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"me-cnc-cam-1","name":"CNC machine architecture: axes, drives, spindles and controllers"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-2","name":"Coordinate systems, work offsets and tool-length compensation"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-3","name":"G-code and M-code programming by hand"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-4","name":"Canned cycles, subprograms and parametric (macro) programming"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-5","name":"CAM workflow: stock, setups, toolpaths and post-processors"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-6","name":"2.5D milling strategies: facing, pocketing, contouring, drilling"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-7","name":"3D surface machining and high-speed/adaptive toolpaths"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-8","name":"Multi-axis (4- and 5-axis) machining"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-9","name":"CNC turning and mill-turn"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-10","name":"Feeds and speeds, chip load and tool deflection"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-11","name":"Toolpath simulation, verification and collision checking"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-12","name":"Other CNC processes: routers, laser, plasma, waterjet and wire EDM"},{"id":"me-cnc-cam-13","name":"In-process probing and on-machine metrology"}]},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis","name":"Finite Element Analysis","category":"Computational Engineering & Simulation","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The finite element method for structural, thermal and dynamic analysis, from stiffness matrices to responsible use of commercial codes.","prerequisites":["me-mechanics-of-materials","me-engineering-computation"],"related":["ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes","ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace"],"unlocks":["me-design-optimization","me-machine-learning-digital-twins"],"order":20,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-1","name":"Overview of FEA and the direct stiffness method"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-2","name":"Spring, bar and truss elements; assembly and boundary conditions"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-3","name":"Beam and frame elements"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-4","name":"Weak forms, variational principles and the Galerkin method"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-5","name":"Shape functions and the isoparametric formulation"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-6","name":"2D elements for plane stress, plane strain and axisymmetry"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-7","name":"3D solid, plate and shell elements"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-8","name":"Numerical integration (Gauss quadrature)"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-9","name":"Meshing, element quality, convergence and error estimation"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-10","name":"Thermal (heat-transfer) FEA"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-11","name":"Modal and dynamic analysis"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-12","name":"Linear buckling analysis"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-13","name":"Nonlinear FEA: geometric nonlinearity, plasticity, hyperelasticity and contact"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-14","name":"Explicit dynamics, impact and crash simulation"},{"id":"me-finite-element-analysis-15","name":"Verification, validation and good practice with commercial codes (ANSYS, Abaqus)"}]},{"id":"me-design-optimization","name":"Design Optimization","category":"Computational Engineering & Simulation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Formulating and solving engineering design problems as optimisation problems, including topology optimisation and multidisciplinary design.","prerequisites":["me-finite-element-analysis","ma-optimization-algorithms"],"related":["ma-nonlinear-programming","ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization"],"unlocks":[],"order":49,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"me-design-optimization-1","name":"Formulating design optimization problems: variables, objectives and constraints"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-2","name":"Unconstrained gradient-based methods"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-3","name":"Constrained optimization: KKT conditions, SQP and penalty methods"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-4","name":"Sensitivity analysis and adjoint methods"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-5","name":"Gradient-free methods: genetic algorithms, particle swarm, simulated annealing"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-6","name":"Multi-objective optimization and Pareto fronts"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-7","name":"Surrogate models and design of computer experiments"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-8","name":"Shape and size optimization"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-9","name":"Topology optimization (SIMP, level-set) and generative design"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-10","name":"Robust and reliability-based design optimization"},{"id":"me-design-optimization-11","name":"Multidisciplinary design optimization (MDO)"}]},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics","name":"Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)","category":"Computational Engineering & Simulation","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Numerical solution of fluid-flow and heat-transfer problems, from discretisation schemes and turbulence models to validated engineering simulations.","prerequisites":["me-advanced-fluid-mechanics","me-engineering-computation","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes"],"related":["ph-computational-physics","ae-computational-fluid-dynamics","cs-high-performance-computing"],"unlocks":[],"order":69,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-1","name":"Governing equations in conservative form and their mathematical classification"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-2","name":"Finite-difference methods: discretisation, consistency, stability (CFL) and convergence"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-3","name":"Finite-volume method for diffusion and convection-diffusion problems"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-4","name":"Convection schemes: upwind, central and high-resolution (TVD)"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-5","name":"Pressure-velocity coupling: SIMPLE, PISO and projection methods"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-6","name":"Time integration for unsteady flows"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-7","name":"Mesh generation: structured, unstructured and boundary-layer meshing"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-8","name":"Turbulence modeling: RANS (k-epsilon, k-omega SST), LES and DNS"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-9","name":"Boundary conditions and wall functions"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-10","name":"Conjugate heat transfer and multiphase CFD"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-11","name":"Verification and validation; grid-convergence studies"},{"id":"me-computational-fluid-dynamics-12","name":"Practical CFD workflows (OpenFOAM, ANSYS Fluent, STAR-CCM+)"}]},{"id":"me-product-design-development","name":"Product Design & Development","category":"Design Methodology, Product Development & Reliability","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"A structured path from customer need to validated product: specifications, concept generation and selection, embodiment, prototyping and testing.","prerequisites":["me-cad-solid-modeling","me-machine-design-fundamentals"],"related":["el-product-development"],"unlocks":["me-design-for-manufacture-assembly"],"order":38,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"me-product-design-development-1","name":"Product development processes: stage-gate, spiral and agile hardware"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-2","name":"Opportunity identification and customer needs"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-3","name":"Product specifications and quality function deployment (QFD)"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-4","name":"Concept generation: brainstorming, morphological charts, biomimicry, TRIZ"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-5","name":"Concept selection: Pugh matrix and weighted decision matrices"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-6","name":"Product architecture and modularity"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-7","name":"Embodiment and detail design"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-8","name":"Industrial design, aesthetics and user experience"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-9","name":"Human factors and ergonomics in design (anthropometry, usability)"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-10","name":"Prototyping strategy: looks-like vs works-like models and rapid prototyping"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-11","name":"Design verification and validation testing"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-12","name":"Systems engineering basics: requirements, interfaces, V-model and trade studies"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-13","name":"Intellectual property: patents and freedom to operate"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-14","name":"Sustainable design and design for environment"},{"id":"me-product-design-development-15","name":"Project management, design reviews and the capstone design project"}]},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering","name":"Reliability, Safety & Risk Engineering","category":"Design Methodology, Product Development & Reliability","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Quantifying and improving how long machines last and how safely they fail: life data analysis, FMEA, fault trees, testing and machinery safety standards.","prerequisites":["me-machine-design-fundamentals","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["el-reliability-testing","el-reliability-fault-tolerance","ae-aerospace-safety-reliability"],"unlocks":[],"order":46,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-1","name":"Reliability concepts: failure rate, MTTF/MTBF and the bathtub curve"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-2","name":"Life distributions (exponential, Weibull, lognormal) and Weibull analysis of test data"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-3","name":"System reliability: series, parallel, k-out-of-n and redundancy"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-4","name":"Stress-strength interference and probabilistic design"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-5","name":"Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA/FMECA)"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-6","name":"Fault tree and event tree analysis"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-7","name":"Reliability testing: accelerated life testing, HALT/HASS, reliability growth"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-8","name":"Maintainability, availability and reliability-centred maintenance"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-9","name":"Prognostics and health management"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-10","name":"Machine safety and risk assessment (ISO 12100); guarding"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-11","name":"Functional safety of machinery (ISO 13849, IEC 62061)"},{"id":"me-reliability-safety-engineering-12","name":"Safety standards for robots and personal-care devices (ISO 10218, ISO 13482) and product liability"}]},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly","name":"Design for Manufacture & Assembly (DFMA)","category":"Design Methodology, Product Development & Reliability","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Shaping designs so they are cheap and reliable to make and assemble, using process-specific rules and structured DFA methods.","prerequisites":["me-product-design-development","me-manufacturing-processes"],"related":["el-design-for-x-dfx"],"unlocks":[],"order":53,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-1","name":"DFM/DFA principles and the cost of design decisions"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-2","name":"Boothroyd-Dewhurst design for assembly and part-count reduction"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-3","name":"Design for machining"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-4","name":"Design for casting and molding: draft, wall thickness, ribs and bosses"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-5","name":"Design for sheet-metal fabrication"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-6","name":"Design for injection-molded plastics and snap fits"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-7","name":"Design for additive manufacturing (process-aware geometry)"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-8","name":"Tolerance allocation and cost-tolerance trade-offs"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-9","name":"Design for X: serviceability, disassembly, recycling and testability"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-10","name":"Early cost estimation and should-cost models"},{"id":"me-design-for-manufacture-assembly-11","name":"Mistake-proofing (poka-yoke) and design for automated assembly"}]},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics","name":"Fluid Power: Hydraulics & Pneumatics","category":"Fluid Power","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Transmitting and controlling power with pressurised liquids and gases: pumps, actuators, valves, circuits and electro-hydraulic control.","prerequisites":["me-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["el-actuators-drives"],"unlocks":["me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power"],"order":43,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-1","name":"Fluid power fundamentals: Pascal's law, power and efficiency; hydraulic vs pneumatic vs electric"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-2","name":"Hydraulic fluids, contamination control and filtration"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-3","name":"Hydraulic pumps: gear, vane and piston; fixed and variable displacement"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-4","name":"Hydraulic actuators: cylinder sizing, cushioning and buckling; hydraulic motors"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-5","name":"Directional control valves and circuit symbols (ISO 1219)"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-6","name":"Pressure control valves: relief, reducing, sequence and counterbalance"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-7","name":"Flow control valves and speed-control circuits (meter-in, meter-out, bleed-off)"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-8","name":"Accumulators, reservoirs, coolers, hoses and fittings"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-9","name":"Hydraulic circuit design and analysis (regenerative, synchronising, hi-lo circuits)"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-10","name":"Pneumatic systems: compressors, air preparation (FRL), cylinders and valves"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-11","name":"Pneumatic circuit design, vacuum systems and grippers"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-12","name":"Electro-pneumatic and electro-hydraulic control with PLCs"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-13","name":"Losses, heat generation and troubleshooting of hydraulic systems"},{"id":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics-14","name":"Fluid power safety and maintenance"}]},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power","name":"Advanced Fluid Power & Servo-Hydraulic Actuation","category":"Fluid Power","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"High-performance, closed-loop and compact fluid-power actuation, including electro-hydrostatic actuators and hydraulics for legged robots and exoskeletons.","prerequisites":["me-hydraulics-pneumatics","me-feedback-control"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":61,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-1","name":"Proportional and servo valves: construction and flow-pressure characteristics"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-2","name":"Modeling valve-controlled cylinders and motors: hydraulic stiffness and natural frequency"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-3","name":"Pump-controlled systems and electro-hydrostatic actuators (EHA)"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-4","name":"Closed-loop position, velocity and force control of hydraulic actuators"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-5","name":"Load-sensing, energy-efficient and digital hydraulics"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-6","name":"Compact high-pressure hydraulics for legged robots and exoskeletons (integrated and 3D-printed manifolds)"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-7","name":"Pneumatic servo control and pneumatic artificial muscles (McKibben)"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-8","name":"Hydraulic power units: miniaturisation, power density and thermal limits"},{"id":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power-9","name":"Simulation of fluid power systems (Simscape Fluids, Amesim)"}]},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics","name":"Robot Mechanics: Kinematics & Dynamics","category":"Mechatronics & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The mechanics of robot arms, parallel robots and legged machines: rigid-body motion, forward and inverse kinematics, Jacobians, statics and dynamics.","prerequisites":["me-dynamics","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ai-kinematics-dynamics","el-kinematics-dynamics","ai-manipulation"],"unlocks":["bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation","me-robot-mechanism-design"],"order":30,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-1","name":"Configuration space, degrees of freedom and workspace"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-2","name":"Rigid-body motions: homogeneous transforms, SE(3), twists and screw theory"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-3","name":"Forward kinematics: Denavit-Hartenberg and product of exponentials"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-4","name":"Velocity kinematics: the Jacobian, singularities and manipulability"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-5","name":"Inverse kinematics: analytical and numerical methods"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-6","name":"Statics of open chains: wrenches and force transmission"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-7","name":"Manipulator dynamics: Newton-Euler and Lagrangian formulations"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-8","name":"Trajectory generation: point-to-point motion, time scaling and via points"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-9","name":"Closed-chain and parallel mechanisms (Stewart platform, delta robot)"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-10","name":"Robot control basics: joint-space, computed-torque, force and impedance control"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-11","name":"Grasping and contact mechanics"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanics-12","name":"Kinematics of wheeled mobile robots and legged locomotion"}]},{"id":"me-mechatronics","name":"Mechatronics","category":"Mechatronics & Robotics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Integrating mechanics, electronics, sensors, actuators and embedded control into working electromechanical products.","prerequisites":["me-measurements-instrumentation","me-feedback-control","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["el-motor-control","el-actuators","el-sensor-interfacing","el-microcontroller-families"],"unlocks":["me-actuators-drive-trains"],"order":56,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"me-mechatronics-1","name":"The mechatronic design approach and system integration"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-2","name":"Electronics for mechanical engineers: diodes, transistors, op-amps and power stages"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-3","name":"Microcontrollers and embedded programming: digital I/O, interrupts, timers"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-4","name":"Interfacing: ADC/DAC, PWM and serial buses (I2C, SPI, CAN)"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-5","name":"Sensors for mechatronics: encoders, Hall sensors, IMUs, force/torque sensors"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-6","name":"DC, brushless DC and stepper motors: characteristics and drivers"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-7","name":"Servo motor sizing and drive electronics"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-8","name":"Solenoids, voice coils and other electromagnetic actuators"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-9","name":"Real-time digital control implementation"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-10","name":"Power supplies and power electronics for mechatronic systems"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-11","name":"Communication and networking of mechatronic devices"},{"id":"me-mechatronics-12","name":"Mechatronic prototyping and system debugging"}]},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains","name":"Actuators & Drive Trains for Robots and Machines","category":"Mechatronics & Robotics","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Choosing and designing the motor, transmission and compliance that turn electrical or fluid power into controlled, power-dense mechanical motion.","prerequisites":["me-mechatronics","me-gears-power-transmission"],"related":["el-actuators","el-actuators-drives","el-motor-control","ai-actuators-sensors"],"unlocks":["me-robot-mechanism-design","me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles"],"order":68,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-1","name":"Actuator figures of merit: torque/force density, power density, bandwidth, efficiency, backdrivability"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-2","name":"Electric motor physics for mechanical designers: torque constant, torque-speed curves, thermal limits"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-3","name":"Motor and gear-ratio selection; inertia matching and reflected inertia"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-4","name":"High-ratio reducers for robots: planetary, harmonic and cycloidal trade-offs"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-5","name":"Quasi-direct-drive and proprioceptive actuators"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-6","name":"Series elastic and variable-stiffness actuators"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-7","name":"Linear actuation: ball screws, roller screws, belts and rack-and-pinion"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-8","name":"Cable and tendon drives, Bowden cables and capstan transmissions"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-9","name":"Hydraulic vs electric vs pneumatic actuation for mobile and wearable robots"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-10","name":"Actuator thermal modeling and duty-cycle rating"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-11","name":"Clutches, brakes and mechanical safety features in actuators"},{"id":"me-actuators-drive-trains-12","name":"Integrated actuator module design (motor, gearbox, encoder, driver, torque sensing)"}]},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design","name":"Robot Mechanism Design","category":"Mechatronics & Robotics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Turning robot requirements into hardware: arm, hand, leg and mobile-base architectures, link and joint design, and lightweight structures.","prerequisites":["me-robot-mechanics","me-actuators-drive-trains"],"related":["ai-robot-fundamentals","ai-types-of-robots-applications"],"unlocks":["me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons"],"order":72,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-1","name":"Robot requirements and kinematic architecture selection"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-2","name":"Serial arm design: link sizing, mass distribution and stiffness"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-3","name":"Parallel robot design: workspace and singularity optimisation"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-4","name":"Gripper and robotic hand design (underactuated and tendon-driven hands)"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-5","name":"Legged robot mechanism design: leg topologies, energy efficiency and impact tolerance"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-6","name":"Wheeled and tracked mobile platform design"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-7","name":"Cable-driven parallel robots"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-8","name":"Gravity compensation and counterbalancing"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-9","name":"Joint design: bearings, seals, cable routing through joints, slip rings"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-10","name":"Lightweight robot links (composites, additive manufacturing, topology optimisation)"},{"id":"me-robot-mechanism-design-11","name":"Safety by design and collaborative-robot mechanics"}]},{"id":"me-biomechanics","name":"Biomechanics","category":"Biomechanics & Wearable Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Mechanics applied to the human body: tissue mechanics, muscles and joints, human movement analysis and musculoskeletal modelling.","prerequisites":["me-mechanics-of-materials","me-dynamics","bi-human-anatomy"],"related":["ph-biophysics","ma-solid-mechanics","bi-biomechanics"],"unlocks":["me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons"],"order":24,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"me-biomechanics-1","name":"Musculoskeletal anatomy and terminology for engineers"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-2","name":"Mechanics of biological tissues: bone, cartilage, ligament and tendon"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-3","name":"Muscle mechanics: Hill model, force-length and force-velocity relations"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-4","name":"Joint mechanics: hip, knee, ankle, shoulder and spine"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-5","name":"Human gait and movement: gait phases, ground reaction forces and joint moments"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-6","name":"Motion capture, force plates, IMUs and EMG measurement"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-7","name":"Inverse dynamics and musculoskeletal modeling (OpenSim)"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-8","name":"Anthropometry and body-segment parameters"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-9","name":"Injury biomechanics and human tolerance limits"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-10","name":"Orthopaedic implant and prosthesis design"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-11","name":"Sports and occupational biomechanics; ergonomics of lifting"},{"id":"me-biomechanics-12","name":"Biofluid mechanics overview (blood flow, respiration)"}]},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons","name":"Wearable Mechanisms & Exoskeletons","category":"Biomechanics & Wearable Systems","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Designing machines worn on the body, from passive supports to powered exoskeletons and suits, with emphasis on human-machine joints and interfaces.","prerequisites":["me-biomechanics","me-robot-mechanism-design"],"related":["ai-human-robot-interaction-hri","ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons","bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation"],"unlocks":[],"order":74,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":41,"topics":[{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-1","name":"Exoskeleton and exosuit classes: passive/active, upper/lower body, industrial, medical, military"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-2","name":"Deriving requirements from human biomechanics: joint torques, powers and ranges of motion"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-3","name":"Human-machine joint alignment: misalignment, self-aligning and remote-centre-of-motion mechanisms"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-4","name":"Physical human-robot interface: cuffs, straps, pressure distribution and skin comfort"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-5","name":"Load paths, load transfer to the ground and body-weight support"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-6","name":"Actuation and transmission choices for wearables (cable-driven, series elastic, hydraulic)"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-7","name":"Soft exosuits and textile-based actuation"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-8","name":"Control: transparency, assist-as-needed, impedance and admittance control"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-9","name":"Intent detection: EMG, IMUs, force sensing and gait-phase estimation"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-10","name":"Evaluation: metabolic cost, kinematics and user acceptance"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-11","name":"Safety, fit, donning/doffing and standards (ISO 13482)"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-12","name":"Powered prostheses and orthoses"},{"id":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons-13","name":"Power, thermal and mass budgets for full-body powered suits"}]},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines","name":"Internal Combustion Engines","category":"Energy & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How reciprocating engines work and are designed: cycles, performance, air and fuel systems, combustion, emissions and boosting.","prerequisites":["me-applied-thermodynamics","me-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["el-powertrain-systems"],"unlocks":["me-automotive-engineering"],"order":44,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-1","name":"Engine types, operating cycles and geometry"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-2","name":"Performance parameters: IMEP, BMEP, efficiencies and specific fuel consumption"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-3","name":"Ideal and real engine cycles; fuel-air cycle analysis"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-4","name":"Air intake, volumetric efficiency and valve timing"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-5","name":"Fuel systems: port and direct injection"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-6","name":"Spark-ignition combustion, knock and octane rating"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-7","name":"Compression-ignition (diesel) combustion and cetane rating"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-8","name":"Turbocharging and supercharging"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-9","name":"Heat transfer, friction and lubrication in engines"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-10","name":"Emissions formation and aftertreatment (catalysts, particulate filters, SCR)"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-11","name":"Engine testing and dynamometers"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-12","name":"Advanced combustion modes and alternative fuels, including hydrogen engines"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-13","name":"Hybridisation and the future of the combustion engine"},{"id":"me-internal-combustion-engines-14","name":"Small engines for portable power and range extenders"}]},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration","name":"HVAC & Refrigeration","category":"Energy & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Heating, ventilating, air-conditioning and refrigeration of buildings and processes: loads, psychrometrics, equipment, distribution and controls.","prerequisites":["me-applied-thermodynamics","me-heat-transfer"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":55,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-1","name":"Thermal comfort and indoor air quality (ASHRAE 55 and 62.1)"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-2","name":"Psychrometric analysis of HVAC processes, including altitude effects"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-3","name":"Heating and cooling load calculations"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-4","name":"Air distribution: air handlers, duct design, terminal units and diffusers"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-5","name":"Hydronic systems: piping, pumps and balancing"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-6","name":"Vapour-compression refrigeration components: compressors, condensers, evaporators, expansion devices"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-7","name":"Refrigerants: properties, environmental impact (GWP/ODP) and regulations"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-8","name":"Chillers, cooling towers and heat rejection"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-9","name":"Heat pumps (air-, water- and ground-source) and VRF systems"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-10","name":"Boilers and furnaces"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-11","name":"Energy recovery ventilation: enthalpy wheels, heat pipes, run-around loops"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-12","name":"HVAC controls: economisers, reset strategies and building automation"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-13","name":"Commercial and industrial refrigeration, cold storage, freezing and cryogenics overview"},{"id":"me-hvac-refrigeration-14","name":"Building energy modeling and energy codes (ASHRAE 90.1)"}]},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems","name":"Renewable Energy Systems","category":"Energy & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Engineering of solar, wind, hydro, geothermal, marine and bioenergy systems, their storage and integration, and their economics.","prerequisites":["me-applied-thermodynamics","me-heat-transfer"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","el-smart-grid-energy"],"unlocks":[],"order":57,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-1","name":"Solar resource and solar geometry"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-2","name":"Solar thermal collectors and concentrating solar power"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-3","name":"Photovoltaic system sizing and balance of system"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-4","name":"Wind resource assessment"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-5","name":"Wind turbine design: rotor aerodynamics, drivetrain, structural loads and control"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-6","name":"Hydropower and marine energy (tidal, wave)"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-7","name":"Geothermal energy systems"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-8","name":"Biomass and bioenergy conversion"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-9","name":"Hydrogen production and fuel cells"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-10","name":"Energy storage for renewables (pumped hydro, batteries, thermal)"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-11","name":"Grid integration and hybrid energy systems"},{"id":"me-renewable-energy-systems-12","name":"Life-cycle and techno-economic assessment of renewables"}]},{"id":"me-turbomachinery","name":"Turbomachinery","category":"Energy & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Pumps, fans, compressors and turbines analysed with velocity triangles and similarity laws, and designed for performance.","prerequisites":["me-advanced-fluid-mechanics","me-applied-thermodynamics"],"related":["ae-turbomachinery","ae-gas-turbine-engines"],"unlocks":["me-power-plants-energy-conversion","ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems"],"order":59,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"me-turbomachinery-1","name":"Classification of turbomachines and energy transfer"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-2","name":"Euler turbomachine equation and velocity triangles"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-3","name":"Dimensional analysis: specific speed, specific diameter and similarity laws"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-4","name":"Centrifugal pumps: design, performance and cavitation"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-5","name":"Fans and blowers"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-6","name":"Centrifugal compressors"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-7","name":"Axial compressors: stage design, stall and surge"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-8","name":"Axial turbines: impulse and reaction stages"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-9","name":"Steam turbines"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-10","name":"Industrial gas turbines for power and mechanical drive"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-11","name":"Hydraulic turbines: Pelton, Francis and Kaplan"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-12","name":"Wind turbine aerodynamics overview (actuator disc, Betz limit)"},{"id":"me-turbomachinery-13","name":"Mechanical design of rotors: blade stresses, cooling and materials"}]},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration","name":"Energy Storage & Power-Dense Systems Integration","category":"Energy & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"The mechanical-engineering side of storing and delivering energy in mobile machines: batteries, fuel cells, flywheels and compact engines, pack design and thermal safety.","prerequisites":["me-heat-transfer","me-applied-thermodynamics","el-battery-technologies","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics"],"related":["el-battery-management-systems-bms","el-energy-harvesting","ph-energy-physics","ch-battery-chemistry","ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen","mt-battery-materials","ae-spacecraft-power-systems","ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility"],"unlocks":[],"order":60,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-1","name":"Energy and power density metrics and the Ragone plot"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-2","name":"Battery cell formats and mechanical pack design (structure, compression, vibration)"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-3","name":"Battery thermal behaviour and pack thermal management"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-4","name":"Thermal runaway, propagation prevention and pack safety"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-5","name":"Structural batteries and multifunctional energy storage"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-6","name":"Fuel cell systems: PEM stacks, balance of plant and hydrogen storage"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-7","name":"Flywheel energy storage"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-8","name":"Compressed-air and hydraulic-accumulator energy storage"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-9","name":"Supercapacitors and hybrid storage systems"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-10","name":"Thermal energy storage and phase-change materials"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-11","name":"Compact power sources: micro gas turbines, small engines and range extenders"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-12","name":"Power budgets and mission profiles for mobile robots and wearable suits"},{"id":"me-energy-storage-power-integration-13","name":"Integration: mass, volume, packaging, crash safety and serviceability"}]},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion","name":"Power Plants & Energy Conversion","category":"Energy & Power Systems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Large-scale conversion of fuel and natural energy into electricity and heat: steam, gas-turbine, combined-cycle, cogeneration, nuclear and hydro plants.","prerequisites":["me-turbomachinery","me-heat-transfer"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","el-power-generation"],"unlocks":[],"order":67,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-1","name":"Energy resources, demand and the power generation mix"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-2","name":"Steam power plants: layout and Rankine-cycle performance"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-3","name":"Boilers and steam generators: heat rate and efficiency"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-4","name":"Condensers, feedwater heaters and cooling systems (cooling towers)"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-5","name":"Gas-turbine power plants"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-6","name":"Combined-cycle plants and heat recovery steam generators"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-7","name":"Cogeneration and combined heat and power (CHP)"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-8","name":"Nuclear power plant systems overview"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-9","name":"Hydropower plants"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-10","name":"Emissions control and carbon capture"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-11","name":"Plant economics: levelised cost of electricity and load curves"},{"id":"me-power-plants-energy-conversion-12","name":"Reciprocating-engine gensets and distributed generation"}]},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power","name":"Thermal Management of Compact Power Systems","category":"Energy & Power Systems","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Keeping motors, drives, batteries and electronics in dense machines and wearables within temperature limits using conduction, liquid, phase-change and thermoelectric cooling.","prerequisites":["me-thermal-fluid-systems-design"],"related":["el-thermal-management","el-thermal-design","ae-spacecraft-thermal-control"],"unlocks":[],"order":70,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-1","name":"Heat sources and thermal budgets in compact machines (motors, drives, batteries, electronics)"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-2","name":"Heat spreading, heat sinks and fin optimisation"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-3","name":"Thermal interface materials and contact resistance"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-4","name":"Forced-air cooling and fan selection"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-5","name":"Liquid cooling: cold plates, pumps, radiators and loop design"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-6","name":"Microchannel and jet-impingement cooling"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-7","name":"Heat pipes, vapour chambers and loop heat pipes"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-8","name":"Phase-change materials for transient thermal buffering"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-9","name":"Thermoelectric coolers and heat pumps"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-10","name":"Two-phase and spray cooling"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-11","name":"Motor and actuator thermal management (winding temperature, potting, housings)"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-12","name":"Human-contact and wearable thermal limits (skin temperature, garment cooling)"},{"id":"me-thermal-management-compact-power-13","name":"Thermal simulation and testing (conjugate heat transfer CFD, IR thermography)"}]},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering","name":"Automotive Engineering","category":"Automotive & Vehicle Engineering","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The engineering of road vehicles as integrated machines: performance, powertrains, driveline, brakes, suspension, steering, structures and electric vehicles.","prerequisites":["me-internal-combustion-engines","me-gears-power-transmission"],"related":["el-electric-vehicle-ev-systems","el-chassis-safety-systems"],"unlocks":["me-vehicle-dynamics"],"order":52,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-1","name":"Vehicle architectures and packaging"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-2","name":"Vehicle performance: tractive effort, resistance forces, acceleration and gradeability"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-3","name":"Powertrains: combustion engines, electric motors and hybrids"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-4","name":"Transmissions: manual, automatic, CVT and dual-clutch"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-5","name":"Driveline: clutches, propeller shafts, differentials and axles"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-6","name":"Braking systems and brake design"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-7","name":"Suspension systems and components"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-8","name":"Steering systems and geometry (Ackermann, wheel alignment)"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-9","name":"Tyres: construction and basic mechanics"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-10","name":"Body structures, materials and crashworthiness"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-11","name":"Vehicle aerodynamics"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-12","name":"Vehicle noise, vibration and harshness (NVH)"},{"id":"me-automotive-engineering-13","name":"Electric vehicle design: battery packs, e-axles and thermal systems"}]},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics","name":"Vehicle Dynamics","category":"Automotive & Vehicle Engineering","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"How vehicles accelerate, brake, corner and ride: tyre mechanics, handling models, suspension kinematics and stability control.","prerequisites":["me-automotive-engineering","me-mechanical-vibrations","me-feedback-control"],"related":["el-chassis-safety-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":71,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-1","name":"Tyre mechanics: slip, cornering stiffness and the Pacejka Magic Formula"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-2","name":"Longitudinal dynamics: traction, braking and load transfer"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-3","name":"Lateral dynamics: bicycle model, understeer/oversteer, steady-state cornering"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-4","name":"Suspension kinematics and compliance; roll centres"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-5","name":"Ride dynamics: quarter-car and half-car models and ride comfort"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-6","name":"Roll dynamics and rollover"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-7","name":"Vehicle stability control, ABS and traction control"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-8","name":"Vehicle dynamics simulation and testing"},{"id":"me-vehicle-dynamics-9","name":"Motorsport vehicle dynamics and setup"}]},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins","name":"Machine Learning & Digital Twins in Mechanical Engineering","category":"Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Using data and learning algorithms alongside physics models to simulate, monitor, design and control mechanical systems.","prerequisites":["me-finite-element-analysis","ai-core-ml-concepts"],"related":["el-digital-twins","ai-ai-for-science"],"unlocks":[],"order":50,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-1","name":"Data-driven modelling of mechanical systems"},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-2","name":"Surrogate and reduced-order models for simulation"},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-3","name":"Physics-informed neural networks and scientific machine learning"},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-4","name":"Predictive maintenance and prognostics from sensor data"},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-5","name":"Digital twins of machines and production systems"},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-6","name":"Generative and AI-assisted design"},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-7","name":"Machine learning for manufacturing process monitoring and control"},{"id":"me-machine-learning-digital-twins-8","name":"Machine-learning-driven discovery of materials and structures"}]},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics","name":"Micro & Nano Mechanics","category":"Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Mechanics and manufacturing at micrometre and nanometre scales, where scaling laws change which forces dominate: thin films, MEMS structures and nanoscale testing.","prerequisites":["me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","me-mechanical-vibrations"],"related":["el-mems-devices","el-mems-sensor-technologies","ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","mt-nanomaterials"],"unlocks":[],"order":63,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-1","name":"Scaling laws in micro- and nanosystems"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-2","name":"Mechanics of thin films: residual stress, Stoney equation, delamination"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-3","name":"Micro-beams, plates and membranes; electrostatic actuation and pull-in"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-4","name":"MEMS resonators, damping and quality factor"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-5","name":"Microfabrication of mechanical structures (lithography, etching, micro-molding)"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-6","name":"Micro/nano-manufacturing: micro-machining, two-photon lithography, nanoimprint"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-7","name":"Size effects in plasticity and strength at small scales"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-8","name":"Nanoindentation and AFM-based mechanical characterisation"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-9","name":"Microfluidics fundamentals"},{"id":"me-micro-nano-mechanics-10","name":"Micro/nanoscale heat transfer"}]},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials","name":"Mechanical Metamaterials & Architected Materials","category":"Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Materials whose properties come from their designed geometry rather than their chemistry: lattices, auxetics, multistable, origami and phononic structures.","prerequisites":["me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity","me-additive-manufacturing"],"related":["mt-metamaterials","mt-lightweight-structures"],"unlocks":[],"order":66,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-1","name":"Architected lattices: stretch- vs bending-dominated behaviour and scaling laws"},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-2","name":"Auxetic (negative Poisson's ratio) structures"},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-3","name":"Negative stiffness, multistability and energy trapping"},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-4","name":"Origami- and kirigami-inspired structures"},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-5","name":"Programmable and reconfigurable metamaterials"},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-6","name":"Phononic crystals and vibration/acoustic band gaps"},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-7","name":"Impact-absorbing and protective architected materials"},{"id":"me-mechanical-metamaterials-8","name":"Computational and inverse design of metamaterials"}]},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles","name":"Smart Materials & Artificial Muscles","category":"Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Active materials that move or sense, such as piezoelectrics, shape-memory alloys, electroactive polymers and fibre muscles, and how to design actuators with them.","prerequisites":["me-actuators-drive-trains"],"related":["el-actuators","el-energy-harvesting","mt-smart-materials","mt-shape-memory-alloys","mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles"],"unlocks":["me-soft-robotics-mechanics"],"order":73,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-1","name":"Survey of active materials and actuator figures of merit (strain, stress, bandwidth, efficiency)"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-2","name":"Piezoelectric actuators and sensors: stack and bender design"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-3","name":"Shape memory alloys: phase transformation, actuator design and control"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-4","name":"Electroactive polymers: dielectric elastomers and ionic EAPs"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-5","name":"Hydraulically amplified electrostatic actuators (HASEL)"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-6","name":"Twisted and coiled polymer-fibre muscles"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-7","name":"Magnetostrictive, magnetorheological and electrorheological materials and devices"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-8","name":"Pneumatic artificial muscles"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-9","name":"Comparison with biological muscle and implications for wearable actuators"},{"id":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles-10","name":"Energy harvesting with smart materials"}]},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics","name":"Soft Robotics Mechanics","category":"Frontiers of Mechanical Engineering","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The mechanics, modelling and fabrication of robots made from compliant materials that bend, stretch and adapt to their environment.","prerequisites":["me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles","me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity"],"related":["ph-soft-matter-physics","ai-soft-robotics","mt-soft-materials"],"unlocks":[],"order":75,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":43,"topics":[{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-1","name":"Soft materials for robots: elastomers, hydrogels and fabrics"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-2","name":"Hyperelastic modelling of soft actuators"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-3","name":"Fluidic elastomer actuators (PneuNets, fibre-reinforced bending actuators)"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-4","name":"Modelling slender soft robots: Cosserat rods and piecewise-constant-curvature models"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-5","name":"Variable stiffness: granular and layer jamming, low-melting-point alloys"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-6","name":"Soft sensing and embedded strain/pressure sensors"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-7","name":"Fabrication: molding, casting and 3D printing of soft robots"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-8","name":"Soft grippers and soft wearable robots"},{"id":"me-soft-robotics-mechanics-9","name":"Modelling-based and learning-based control of soft robots"}]}]},{"id":"materials","name":"Materials Science & Engineering","icon":"🧱","color":"#2dd4bf","prefix":"mt","description":"How the structure of materials, from atoms to microstructure, controls their properties, and how processing and selection turn metals, ceramics, polymers, composites and functional materials into reliable, high-performance products.","categories":["Foundations","Structure of Materials","Thermodynamics & Kinetics","Mechanical Behaviour","Electronic, Optical, Magnetic & Thermal Properties","Metals & Alloys","Ceramics & Glasses","Polymers & Soft Matter","Composites","Materials Characterization","Materials Processing & Manufacturing","Corrosion, Wear & Degradation","Materials Selection, Design & Sustainability","Nanomaterials & Biomaterials","Energy Materials","Smart & Active Materials","Aerospace & Extreme-Environment Materials","Lightweight & Protective Structures","Computational Materials Science","Frontier Materials"],"chapters":[{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials","name":"Introduction to Materials","category":"Foundations","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"A first tour of what materials are, the main material classes, and how structure, properties, processing and performance are linked, using everyday objects.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":["me-engineering-materials","mt-atomic-bonding","mt-materials-history-society"],"order":1,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-1","name":"What materials science and engineering is (and how it differs from chemistry and physics)"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-2","name":"The materials tetrahedron: structure, properties, processing and performance"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-3","name":"The material classes: metals, ceramics, polymers, composites, semiconductors and biomaterials"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-4","name":"Length scales of structure: atoms, crystals, grains, microstructure and components"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-5","name":"Families of properties"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-5-1","name":"Mechanical (stiffness, strength, toughness, hardness)","depth":1,"parent":"mt-intro-to-materials-5"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-5-2","name":"Thermal (melting point, expansion, conductivity)","depth":1,"parent":"mt-intro-to-materials-5"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-5-3","name":"Electrical, magnetic and optical","depth":1,"parent":"mt-intro-to-materials-5"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-5-4","name":"Chemical (corrosion, degradation)","depth":1,"parent":"mt-intro-to-materials-5"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-6","name":"Why a paperclip bends, a mug shatters and a bottle stretches: property differences explained by bonding"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-7","name":"Everyday case studies: drink cans, smartphone glass, bicycle frames, tyres and non-stick pans"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-8","name":"How materials are made: an overview of casting, shaping, joining and finishing"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-9","name":"Units, orders of magnitude and reading a simple property chart (strength vs density)"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-10","name":"Materials failures in the news: why bridges, pipes and aircraft parts fail"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-11","name":"Materials and the environment: resources, energy and recycling at a glance"},{"id":"mt-intro-to-materials-12","name":"Careers and sub-fields in materials science and engineering"}]},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society","name":"Materials in Human History & Society","category":"Foundations","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"How the discovery and mastery of materials, from flint to silicon, shaped civilisations, economies and warfare.","prerequisites":["mt-intro-to-materials"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":2,"stage":2,"depth":2,"ancestorCount":1,"topics":[{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-1","name":"Stone, bone and fibre: the earliest engineered materials"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-2","name":"Ceramics and pottery: firing clay and the first kilns"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-3","name":"The Bronze Age: smelting copper and tin alloying"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-4","name":"The Iron Age: bloomeries, wrought iron and early steel (wootz, Damascus, tatara)"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-5","name":"Glass from antiquity to the float process"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-6","name":"Concrete from Rome to Portland cement"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-7","name":"The Industrial Revolution: Bessemer and open-hearth steel, aluminium by electrolysis"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-8","name":"The polymer age: Bakelite, nylon and the plastics boom"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-9","name":"The silicon age: transistors, integrated circuits and optical fibre"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-10","name":"Materials in war and flight: armour, jet engines and the space race"},{"id":"mt-materials-history-society-11","name":"Critical materials, geopolitics and supply chains today"}]},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding","name":"Atomic Structure, Bonding & Solid-State Chemistry","category":"Foundations","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Explains how electrons bind atoms into solids and how bond type controls melting point, stiffness, expansion and conductivity.","prerequisites":["mt-intro-to-materials","ch-introductory-chemistry"],"related":["ch-atomic-structure-periodicity","ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"unlocks":["el-electrical-materials","mt-crystal-structures","mt-mechanical-properties","mt-polymer-structure","mt-thermodynamics-of-materials"],"order":3,"stage":3,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-1","name":"Atomic structure: electrons, orbitals, quantum numbers and electron configurations"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-2","name":"The periodic table and periodic trends (radius, ionisation energy, electronegativity)"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-3","name":"Ionic bonding, lattice energy and the Born-Haber cycle"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-4","name":"Covalent bonding: Lewis structures, VSEPR, hybridisation and molecular orbitals"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-5","name":"Metallic bonding and the free-electron picture"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-6","name":"Secondary bonding: van der Waals, dipole interactions and hydrogen bonds"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-7","name":"Interatomic force and potential-energy curves (Lennard-Jones, Morse)"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-8","name":"Linking bond energy to melting point, elastic modulus and thermal expansion"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-9","name":"From molecular orbitals to energy bands: metals, semiconductors and insulators"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-10","name":"Mixed bonding and the bonding triangle (van Arkel-Ketelaar)"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-11","name":"Introduction to solid-state reactions, stoichiometry and chemical kinetics"},{"id":"mt-atomic-bonding-12","name":"Acids, bases, oxidation-reduction and solutions for materials engineers"}]},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures","name":"Crystal Structures","category":"Structure of Materials","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Describes how atoms pack into the crystal structures of metals, ceramics and polymers, and how to index directions and planes.","prerequisites":["mt-atomic-bonding"],"related":["ea-mineralogy","ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"unlocks":["mt-characterization-fundamentals","mt-crystallography-diffraction","mt-defects","mt-thermal-properties"],"order":4,"stage":4,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-1","name":"Crystalline versus amorphous solids"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-2","name":"Lattices, bases and unit cells; the seven crystal systems and 14 Bravais lattices"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-3","name":"Metallic crystal structures: FCC, BCC and HCP; coordination number and packing factor"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-4","name":"Close-packed planes and stacking sequences (ABAB, ABCABC)"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-5","name":"Density calculations from crystal structure"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-6","name":"Miller indices for directions and planes; Miller-Bravais indices for hexagonal crystals"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-7","name":"Linear and planar densities; slip-relevant planes"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-8","name":"Interstitial sites (tetrahedral and octahedral) and radius-ratio rules"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-9","name":"Ceramic crystal structures: rock salt, CsCl, zinc blende, fluorite, perovskite, spinel, corundum"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-10","name":"Silicate structures and carbon allotropes (diamond, graphite, fullerenes)"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-11","name":"Polymorphism and allotropy (iron, carbon, SiO2, ZrO2)"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-12","name":"Polycrystals, grains, texture and anisotropy"},{"id":"mt-crystal-structures-13","name":"Polymer crystallinity: chain folding and spherulites"}]},{"id":"mt-defects","name":"Defects in Crystals & Dislocations","category":"Structure of Materials","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Introduces point, line, planar and volume defects, which control diffusion, strength, conductivity and almost every useful property.","prerequisites":["mt-crystal-structures"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics"],"unlocks":["mt-ceramics","mt-diffusion","mt-plasticity-strengthening"],"order":6,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"mt-defects-1","name":"Why real crystals are imperfect: the thermodynamic necessity of vacancies"},{"id":"mt-defects-2","name":"Point defects in metals: vacancies, self-interstitials and equilibrium concentration"},{"id":"mt-defects-3","name":"Impurities and solid solutions: substitutional, interstitial and the Hume-Rothery rules"},{"id":"mt-defects-4","name":"Point defects in ionic crystals: Schottky and Frenkel defects, charge neutrality, Kröger-Vink notation"},{"id":"mt-defects-5","name":"Composition specification: weight and atom percent conversions"},{"id":"mt-defects-6","name":"Dislocations"},{"id":"mt-defects-6-1","name":"Edge, screw and mixed dislocations","depth":1,"parent":"mt-defects-6"},{"id":"mt-defects-6-2","name":"Burgers vector and Burgers circuit","depth":1,"parent":"mt-defects-6"},{"id":"mt-defects-6-3","name":"Stress fields and strain energy of dislocations","depth":1,"parent":"mt-defects-6"},{"id":"mt-defects-6-4","name":"Dislocation motion: glide and climb","depth":1,"parent":"mt-defects-6"},{"id":"mt-defects-6-5","name":"Partial dislocations and stacking faults","depth":1,"parent":"mt-defects-6"},{"id":"mt-defects-6-6","name":"Dislocation interactions, jogs and kinks","depth":1,"parent":"mt-defects-6"},{"id":"mt-defects-7","name":"Slip systems in FCC, BCC and HCP metals"},{"id":"mt-defects-8","name":"Interfacial defects: grain boundaries (low and high angle), twin boundaries, phase boundaries and surfaces"},{"id":"mt-defects-9","name":"Bulk defects: pores, cracks, inclusions and precipitates"},{"id":"mt-defects-10","name":"Observing defects: etch pits, TEM contrast and grain-size measurement (ASTM grain size)"},{"id":"mt-defects-11","name":"Defect-property relationships: how defects govern strength, diffusion and conductivity"}]},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction","name":"Crystallography & Diffraction","category":"Structure of Materials","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Covers the symmetry language of crystals and the diffraction theory used to determine structure from X-ray, electron and neutron scattering.","prerequisites":["mt-crystal-structures","ma-linear-algebra","ph-introductory-waves-sound-light"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics","ma-group-theory","ea-mineralogy","ch-structural-methods-diffraction"],"unlocks":["mt-electron-microscopy","mt-electronic-properties","mt-xray-neutron-methods"],"order":9,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-1","name":"Symmetry operations: rotation, reflection, inversion, screw axes and glide planes"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-2","name":"Point groups and crystal classes; Hermann-Mauguin notation"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-3","name":"Space groups and reading the International Tables for Crystallography"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-4","name":"Stereographic projection and Wulff nets"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-5","name":"Vector and matrix treatment of lattices; metric tensor; zone axes and the Weiss zone law"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-6","name":"The reciprocal lattice and its relation to lattice planes"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-7","name":"Bragg's law, the Laue equations and the Ewald sphere"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-8","name":"Atomic scattering factors and the structure factor; systematic absences"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-9","name":"Diffraction intensities: multiplicity, Lorentz-polarisation, temperature (Debye-Waller) factors"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-10","name":"Powder diffraction patterns and indexing cubic and non-cubic crystals"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-11","name":"Comparison of X-ray, electron and neutron diffraction"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-12","name":"Quasicrystals and incommensurate structures"},{"id":"mt-crystallography-diffraction-13","name":"Tensor properties of crystals and Neumann's principle (anisotropy of conductivity, elasticity, piezoelectricity)"}]},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials","name":"Thermodynamics of Materials","category":"Thermodynamics & Kinetics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Applies the laws of thermodynamics to solids and solutions to predict which phases are stable and what drives change in materials.","prerequisites":["mt-atomic-bonding","ma-multivariable-calculus"],"related":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ma-thermodynamics","ch-chemical-thermodynamics","me-engineering-thermodynamics"],"unlocks":["mt-diffusion","mt-electrochemistry","mt-phase-diagrams","mt-thermal-properties"],"order":7,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-1","name":"Thermodynamic systems, state functions and the first law; enthalpy and heat capacity"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-2","name":"Entropy and the second law; statistical interpretation of entropy"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-3","name":"Gibbs and Helmholtz free energies; conditions for equilibrium"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-4","name":"Third law and the temperature dependence of thermodynamic properties"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-5","name":"Maxwell relations and thermodynamic identities"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-6","name":"Unary phase equilibria: Clausius-Clapeyron equation and one-component phase diagrams"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-7","name":"Solutions: partial molar quantities and chemical potential"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-8","name":"Ideal, regular and non-ideal solutions; activity and activity coefficients"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-9","name":"Free-energy-composition curves and the common tangent construction"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-10","name":"Gibbs phase rule"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-11","name":"Reaction equilibria, equilibrium constants and Ellingham diagrams"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-12","name":"Thermodynamics of point defects"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-13","name":"Surfaces and interfaces: surface energy and capillarity (Gibbs-Thomson effect)"},{"id":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials-14","name":"Introduction to statistical thermodynamics: partition functions and Einstein/Debye solids"}]},{"id":"mt-diffusion","name":"Diffusion in Solids","category":"Thermodynamics & Kinetics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Explains how atoms move through solids, the mathematics of Fick's laws, and why diffusion controls heat treatment, doping and high-temperature behaviour.","prerequisites":["mt-defects","mt-thermodynamics-of-materials"],"related":["ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes","ch-transport-phenomena"],"unlocks":["mt-battery-materials","mt-computational-materials-intro","mt-creep","mt-high-temperature-oxidation","mt-phase-transformations","mt-semiconductor-materials"],"order":10,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"mt-diffusion-1","name":"Diffusion mechanisms: vacancy, interstitial, interstitialcy and exchange"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-2","name":"Fick's first law and steady-state diffusion"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-3","name":"Fick's second law; error-function solutions for semi-infinite solids"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-4","name":"Thin-film (Gaussian) and diffusion-couple solutions; carburising and doping profiles"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-5","name":"Temperature dependence: Arrhenius behaviour and activation energy"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-6","name":"Atomistic theory: random walk, jump frequency and correlation effects"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-7","name":"Diffusion in alloys: interdiffusion, Darken's equations and the Kirkendall effect"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-8","name":"Chemical potential as the true driving force; uphill diffusion"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-9","name":"Short-circuit paths: grain-boundary, dislocation-pipe and surface diffusion"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-10","name":"Diffusion in ionic crystals and semiconductors; ionic conductivity"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-11","name":"Diffusion in polymers and permeation of gases"},{"id":"mt-diffusion-12","name":"Numerical solution of diffusion problems with finite differences"}]},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams","name":"Phase Diagrams","category":"Thermodynamics & Kinetics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Teaches how to read and construct equilibrium phase diagrams and use them to predict the microstructure of alloys and ceramics.","prerequisites":["mt-thermodynamics-of-materials"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-calphad-icme","mt-ceramics","mt-phase-transformations","mt-thermal-analysis"],"order":12,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-1","name":"Phases, components and microstructure; solubility limits"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-2","name":"Binary isomorphous systems (Cu-Ni): liquidus, solidus, tie lines"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-3","name":"The lever rule and phase compositions/amounts"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-4","name":"Development of microstructure during equilibrium and non-equilibrium cooling (coring)"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-5","name":"Binary eutectic systems (Pb-Sn): eutectic microstructures and hypo/hypereutectic alloys"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-6","name":"Peritectic, monotectic, eutectoid and peritectoid reactions"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-7","name":"Intermediate phases and intermetallic compounds"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-8","name":"Congruent and incongruent phase transformations"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-9","name":"The iron-carbon (Fe-Fe3C) phase diagram: ferrite, austenite, cementite and pearlite"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-10","name":"Ceramic phase diagrams (Al2O3-Cr2O3, MgO-Al2O3, ZrO2-CaO, SiO2-Al2O3)"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-11","name":"Ternary phase diagrams: isothermal and vertical sections, liquidus projections"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-12","name":"Deriving phase diagrams from free-energy curves"},{"id":"mt-phase-diagrams-13","name":"Experimental determination of phase diagrams (thermal analysis, metallography, diffraction)"}]},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations","name":"Phase Transformations","category":"Thermodynamics & Kinetics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Covers how and how fast phases form: nucleation, growth, solidification, precipitation, spinodal and martensitic transformations, and TTT/CCT diagrams.","prerequisites":["mt-phase-diagrams","mt-diffusion"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-casting-solidification","mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution","mt-nonferrous-alloys","mt-shape-memory-alloys","mt-steels"],"order":17,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-1","name":"Classification of phase transformations: diffusional vs diffusionless, first vs second order"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-2","name":"Driving force and undercooling"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-3","name":"Homogeneous nucleation: critical radius and nucleation barrier"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-4","name":"Heterogeneous nucleation and wetting angle"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-5","name":"Growth kinetics: interface-controlled and diffusion-controlled growth"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-6","name":"Overall transformation kinetics: the Johnson-Mehl-Avrami-Kolmogorov equation"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-7","name":"Solidification: constitutional supercooling, planar/cellular/dendritic growth and eutectic growth"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-8","name":"Precipitation from supersaturated solid solution: GP zones, transition phases and age hardening"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-9","name":"Spinodal decomposition and the Cahn-Hilliard picture"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-10","name":"Eutectoid transformations: pearlite and bainite formation"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-11","name":"Martensitic transformations: crystallography, habit plane and athermal kinetics"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-12","name":"Order-disorder transformations"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-13","name":"Isothermal (TTT) and continuous-cooling (CCT) transformation diagrams"},{"id":"mt-phase-transformations-14","name":"Massive and discontinuous transformations"}]},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution","name":"Interfaces & Microstructure Evolution","category":"Thermodynamics & Kinetics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Studies surfaces and interfaces and the processes that reshape microstructure over time: recovery, recrystallisation, grain growth, coarsening and sintering.","prerequisites":["mt-phase-transformations"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-deformation-processing","mt-nanomaterials","mt-phase-field-mesoscale","mt-powder-processing","mt-thin-films-coatings"],"order":25,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-1","name":"Surface free energy, surface stress and the Wulff construction"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-2","name":"Grain-boundary structure: tilt and twist boundaries, CSL model, boundary energy and mobility"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-3","name":"Interphase interfaces: coherent, semi-coherent and incoherent"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-4","name":"Triple junctions, dihedral angles and wetting"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-5","name":"Adsorption and segregation to surfaces and grain boundaries"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-6","name":"Stored energy of cold work"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-7","name":"Recovery: polygonisation and subgrain formation"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-8","name":"Recrystallisation: nucleation, growth, kinetics and recrystallisation diagrams"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-9","name":"Normal and abnormal grain growth; Zener pinning"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-10","name":"Particle coarsening: Ostwald ripening and LSW theory"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-11","name":"Microstructural instabilities: spheroidisation and Rayleigh instability"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-12","name":"Texture evolution during deformation and annealing"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-13","name":"Introduction to sintering as capillarity-driven evolution"},{"id":"mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution-14","name":"Quantitative microstructure description: stereology, grain-size distributions"}]},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry","name":"Electrochemistry of Materials","category":"Thermodynamics & Kinetics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Provides the electrochemical thermodynamics and kinetics needed for corrosion, batteries, fuel cells, electroplating and extractive metallurgy.","prerequisites":["mt-thermodynamics-of-materials","ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics"],"related":["ch-electrochemistry"],"unlocks":["mt-battery-materials","mt-corrosion","mt-extractive-metallurgy","mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen"],"order":28,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-1","name":"Redox reactions, half-cells and electrochemical cells"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-2","name":"Electrode potentials, the standard hydrogen electrode and the electrochemical series"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-3","name":"The Nernst equation and concentration effects"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-4","name":"Pourbaix (potential-pH) diagrams"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-5","name":"Electrode kinetics: exchange current density and the Butler-Volmer equation"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-6","name":"Overpotentials: activation, concentration and ohmic; Tafel analysis"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-7","name":"Mass transport: diffusion, migration and convection; limiting current"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-8","name":"Electrolytes: aqueous, molten salt, polymer and solid ionic conductors"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-9","name":"The electrical double layer and capacitance"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-10","name":"Electrochemical techniques: cyclic voltammetry, potentiodynamic polarisation, impedance spectroscopy"},{"id":"mt-electrochemistry-11","name":"Faraday's laws and electrodeposition/electroplating"}]},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties","name":"Mechanical Properties & Testing","category":"Mechanical Behaviour","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Defines stress, strain, stiffness, strength, ductility and hardness, and shows how they are measured and why they differ between material classes.","prerequisites":["mt-atomic-bonding","me-statics"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics","me-mechanics-of-materials","me-engineering-materials"],"unlocks":["mt-ceramics","mt-construction-materials","mt-materials-selection","mt-plasticity-strengthening","mt-polymer-properties","mt-tribology"],"order":11,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-1","name":"Engineering stress and strain; tension, compression, shear and torsion"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-2","name":"Elastic deformation: Hooke's law, Young's, shear and bulk moduli, Poisson's ratio"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-3","name":"Generalised Hooke's law and elastic anisotropy"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-4","name":"Atomic origin of elasticity; rubber elasticity versus energy elasticity"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-5","name":"Anelasticity and damping"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-6","name":"The tensile test: yield strength, tensile strength, ductility, resilience and toughness"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-7","name":"True stress and true strain; necking and the Considère criterion"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-8","name":"Strain hardening and the Hollomon equation"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-9","name":"Hardness testing: Brinell, Rockwell, Vickers, Knoop and nanoindentation"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-10","name":"Compression, bend (flexural) and torsion tests; testing brittle materials"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-11","name":"Variability of properties, statistics of test data and design/safety factors"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-12","name":"Mechanical behaviour of ceramics and polymers compared with metals"},{"id":"mt-mechanical-properties-13","name":"Test standards (ASTM/ISO) and test machines, extensometers and strain gauges"}]},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening","name":"Plasticity & Strengthening Mechanisms","category":"Mechanical Behaviour","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Connects dislocation behaviour to macroscopic yielding and explains every major way to make metals stronger.","prerequisites":["mt-mechanical-properties","mt-defects"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics","me-continuum-mechanics-elasticity-plasticity"],"unlocks":["mt-creep","mt-deformation-processing","mt-fracture-mechanics","mt-nonferrous-alloys","mt-steels"],"order":18,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-1","name":"Theoretical shear strength and why real crystals are weaker"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-2","name":"Resolved shear stress and Schmid's law; critical resolved shear stress"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-3","name":"Single-crystal deformation: easy glide, multiple slip and stage I-III hardening"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-4","name":"Deformation by twinning"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-5","name":"Polycrystal plasticity: Taylor factor and compatibility"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-6","name":"Dislocation multiplication (Frank-Read sources) and forest hardening (Taylor equation)"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7","name":"Strengthening mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7-1","name":"Grain-size (Hall-Petch) strengthening","depth":1,"parent":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7-2","name":"Solid-solution strengthening","depth":1,"parent":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7-3","name":"Precipitation and dispersion strengthening (cutting vs Orowan looping)","depth":1,"parent":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7-4","name":"Strain (work) hardening","depth":1,"parent":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7-5","name":"Transformation and composite strengthening","depth":1,"parent":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-7"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-8","name":"Yield-point phenomena, strain ageing and Lüders bands"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-9","name":"Temperature and strain-rate dependence of flow stress; thermally activated glide; Peierls stress in BCC"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-10","name":"Yield criteria: Tresca and von Mises; flow rules and plastic anisotropy (Hill)"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-11","name":"Strength-ductility trade-off and strategies to overcome it (TRIP, TWIP, bimodal grains)"},{"id":"mt-plasticity-strengthening-12","name":"Introduction to crystal plasticity and dislocation dynamics modelling"}]},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics","name":"Fracture & Fracture Mechanics","category":"Mechanical Behaviour","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Explains how cracks cause failure, from Griffith's energy balance to fracture toughness testing and toughening mechanisms.","prerequisites":["mt-plasticity-strengthening","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics","me-fatigue-fracture-creep","ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance"],"unlocks":["mt-cryogenic-materials","mt-fatigue-failure-analysis","mt-impact-protective-materials","mt-nondestructive-evaluation"],"order":24,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-1","name":"Ductile versus brittle fracture; fractography basics"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-2","name":"Theoretical cohesive strength and stress concentration at flaws (Inglis)"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-3","name":"Griffith energy balance and strain energy release rate G"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-4","name":"Linear elastic fracture mechanics: stress intensity factor K and fracture modes I, II, III"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-5","name":"Fracture toughness K_IC and plane-strain testing (ASTM E399)"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-6","name":"Crack-tip plasticity: Irwin plastic zone and small-scale yielding"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-7","name":"Elastic-plastic fracture mechanics: CTOD and the J-integral"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-8","name":"Ductile fracture mechanisms: void nucleation, growth and coalescence"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-9","name":"Cleavage, intergranular fracture and the ductile-to-brittle transition (Charpy impact testing)"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-10","name":"R-curves and toughening mechanisms in metals, ceramics and composites"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-11","name":"Statistics of brittle fracture: Weibull analysis"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-12","name":"Environment-assisted cracking: stress-corrosion cracking and hydrogen embrittlement"},{"id":"mt-fracture-mechanics-13","name":"Damage-tolerant design and leak-before-break"}]},{"id":"mt-creep","name":"Creep & High-Temperature Deformation","category":"Mechanical Behaviour","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains time-dependent deformation at high temperature, the mechanisms behind it and how engineers predict creep life of turbine blades and power-plant parts.","prerequisites":["mt-plasticity-strengthening","mt-diffusion"],"related":["me-fatigue-fracture-creep"],"unlocks":["mt-radiation-nuclear-materials","mt-superalloys-refractory"],"order":27,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"mt-creep-1","name":"The creep curve: primary, secondary (steady-state) and tertiary creep"},{"id":"mt-creep-2","name":"Stress and temperature dependence: power-law creep and activation energy"},{"id":"mt-creep-3","name":"Dislocation creep: climb-controlled and glide-controlled mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-creep-4","name":"Diffusional creep: Nabarro-Herring and Coble creep"},{"id":"mt-creep-5","name":"Grain-boundary sliding and superplasticity"},{"id":"mt-creep-6","name":"Deformation-mechanism (Ashby) maps"},{"id":"mt-creep-7","name":"Creep fracture: cavitation, creep damage and Monkman-Grant relation"},{"id":"mt-creep-8","name":"Stress relaxation and its engineering consequences"},{"id":"mt-creep-9","name":"Larson-Miller and other time-temperature parameters for life prediction"},{"id":"mt-creep-10","name":"Creep-resistant alloy design: solid solution, precipitates, single crystals and ODS alloys"},{"id":"mt-creep-11","name":"Creep of ceramics and polymers"},{"id":"mt-creep-12","name":"Creep-fatigue interaction"}]},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis","name":"Fatigue & Failure Analysis","category":"Mechanical Behaviour","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Covers failure under cyclic loading and the forensic methods used to find out why real components broke.","prerequisites":["mt-fracture-mechanics"],"related":["el-reliability-testing","me-fatigue-fracture-creep","ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance"],"unlocks":["mt-aerospace-materials"],"order":35,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-1","name":"Cyclic stresses: amplitude, mean stress and stress ratio"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-2","name":"Stress-life (S-N) approach and endurance limit; mean-stress corrections (Goodman, Gerber)"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-3","name":"Strain-life approach: Coffin-Manson and cyclic stress-strain behaviour"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-4","name":"Fatigue crack initiation: persistent slip bands, notches and surface effects"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-5","name":"Fatigue crack growth: Paris law, threshold and crack closure"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-6","name":"Variable-amplitude loading and cumulative damage (Miner's rule)"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-7","name":"Factors affecting fatigue life: surface finish, residual stresses, shot peening, environment"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-8","name":"Thermal and thermomechanical fatigue; fretting fatigue"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-9","name":"Fatigue of welds, composites and polymers"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-10","name":"Failure analysis methodology: evidence gathering, visual inspection and fractography (beach marks, striations)"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-11","name":"Root-cause analysis tools: fault trees, fishbone diagrams and FMEA"},{"id":"mt-fatigue-failure-analysis-12","name":"Classic case studies: Liberty ships, Comet airliner, Aloha 243, Challenger O-rings, Columbia foam strike"}]},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties","name":"Thermal Properties of Materials","category":"Electronic, Optical, Magnetic & Thermal Properties","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains heat capacity, thermal expansion, thermal conductivity and thermal shock, and why they matter for engines, electronics and spacecraft.","prerequisites":["mt-thermodynamics-of-materials","mt-crystal-structures"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics","el-thermal-management","me-heat-transfer"],"unlocks":["mt-cryogenic-materials","mt-materials-selection","mt-thermal-protection-systems","mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy"],"order":13,"stage":7,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-1","name":"Heat capacity: classical Dulong-Petit, Einstein and Debye models"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-2","name":"Phonons as heat carriers: lattice vibrations and the phonon picture"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-3","name":"Thermal expansion: anharmonic potentials, coefficient of thermal expansion and the Grüneisen parameter"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-4","name":"Negative and near-zero expansion materials (Invar, ZrW2O8, Zerodur)"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-5","name":"Thermal conductivity in metals (Wiedemann-Franz law) and in insulators (phonon scattering, Umklapp)"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-6","name":"Thermal conductivity of polymers, composites, foams and aerogels"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-7","name":"Thermal diffusivity and transient heat flow"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-8","name":"Thermal stresses from constrained expansion and CTE mismatch"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-9","name":"Thermal shock resistance and thermal shock parameters"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-10","name":"Radiative properties: emissivity and absorptivity"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-11","name":"Measuring thermal properties: laser flash, dilatometry, DSC"},{"id":"mt-thermal-properties-12","name":"Thermal management materials: heat spreaders, thermal interface materials, insulators"}]},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties","name":"Electronic Properties of Materials","category":"Electronic, Optical, Magnetic & Thermal Properties","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Uses band theory to explain why metals conduct, semiconductors switch and insulators insulate, and how processing changes electrical behaviour.","prerequisites":["mt-crystallography-diffraction","ph-quantum-mechanics"],"related":["ph-solid-state-physics","el-semiconductor-physics"],"unlocks":["mt-dft","mt-dielectric-ferroic","mt-magnetic-materials","mt-nanomaterials","mt-optical-photonic-materials","mt-semiconductor-materials"],"order":23,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-1","name":"Ohm's law, conductivity, mobility and the Drude model"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-2","name":"Free-electron model: Fermi energy, density of states and Fermi-Dirac statistics"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-3","name":"Electrons in periodic potentials: Bloch's theorem, band gaps and Brillouin zones"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-4","name":"Tight-binding picture and band structures of real materials"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-5","name":"Metals: resistivity contributions from temperature, impurities and deformation (Matthiessen's rule)"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-6","name":"Intrinsic and extrinsic semiconductors; carrier concentration and temperature dependence"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-7","name":"Hall effect and carrier measurements"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-8","name":"Semiconductor junctions and devices from a materials viewpoint"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-9","name":"Ionic conduction and mixed conductors"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-10","name":"Electrical conduction in polymers and conducting polymers"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-11","name":"Superconductivity: phenomenology, type I/II, critical field and current"},{"id":"mt-electronic-properties-12","name":"Electronic properties at the nanoscale: quantum confinement and tunnelling"}]},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic","name":"Dielectric, Ferroelectric & Piezoelectric Materials","category":"Electronic, Optical, Magnetic & Thermal Properties","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains polarisation in insulators and the ferroic materials behind capacitors, sensors, actuators and ultrasonic transducers.","prerequisites":["mt-electronic-properties"],"related":["el-memory-devices","el-energy-harvesting"],"unlocks":["mt-smart-materials"],"order":38,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-1","name":"Dielectric polarisation mechanisms: electronic, ionic, orientational and space-charge"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-2","name":"Dielectric constant, loss tangent and frequency dependence"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-3","name":"Dielectric breakdown and insulating materials"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-4","name":"Capacitor dielectrics: BaTiO3 multilayer ceramic capacitors and polymer films"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-5","name":"Pyroelectricity and ferroelectricity; hysteresis loops and domains"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-6","name":"Perovskite ferroelectrics and the Curie temperature; relaxor ferroelectrics"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-7","name":"Piezoelectric effect: constitutive equations, d and g coefficients, coupling factor"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-8","name":"Piezoelectric materials: quartz, PZT, PMN-PT single crystals, PVDF and lead-free alternatives"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-9","name":"Poling and ageing of piezoceramics"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-10","name":"Electrostriction and flexoelectricity"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-11","name":"Applications: sensors, ultrasonic transducers, actuators and energy harvesters"},{"id":"mt-dielectric-ferroic-12","name":"Ferroelectric memories and multiferroics"}]},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials","name":"Magnetic Materials","category":"Electronic, Optical, Magnetic & Thermal Properties","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers the origins of magnetism in solids and the soft and hard magnetic materials used in motors, transformers, data storage and sensors.","prerequisites":["mt-electronic-properties"],"related":["ph-spintronics","ph-classical-electromagnetism"],"unlocks":["mt-smart-materials"],"order":40,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-1","name":"Magnetic field quantities: H, B, M, susceptibility and permeability"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-2","name":"Atomic origin of magnetic moments; diamagnetism and paramagnetism"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-3","name":"Ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism and ferrimagnetism; exchange interaction and Curie temperature"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-4","name":"Magnetic anisotropy: magnetocrystalline, shape and stress anisotropy"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-5","name":"Domains, domain walls and the magnetisation process; hysteresis"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-6","name":"Soft magnetic materials: electrical steels, Ni-Fe (permalloy), ferrites, amorphous and nanocrystalline alloys"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-7","name":"Core losses: hysteresis and eddy-current losses"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-8","name":"Hard (permanent) magnets: alnico, hard ferrites, SmCo and NdFeB; energy product (BH)max"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-9","name":"Rare-earth supply issues and rare-earth-free magnet research"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-10","name":"Magnetostriction and magnetostrictive materials (Terfenol-D, Galfenol)"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-11","name":"Magnetic recording and spintronic materials (GMR, TMR, MRAM)"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-12","name":"Magnetic nanoparticles and superparamagnetism"},{"id":"mt-magnetic-materials-13","name":"Magnetocaloric materials"}]},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials","name":"Optical & Photonic Materials","category":"Electronic, Optical, Magnetic & Thermal Properties","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains how light interacts with materials and the materials used for lenses, fibres, lasers, LEDs, displays and optical coatings.","prerequisites":["mt-electronic-properties","ph-classical-electromagnetism"],"related":["ph-modern-optics","el-optoelectronic-devices","el-photonics-silicon-photonics","ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics"],"unlocks":["mt-metamaterials","mt-photovoltaic-materials"],"order":44,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-1","name":"Electromagnetic radiation and its interaction with solids"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-2","name":"Refraction, reflection, absorption and transmission; the complex refractive index"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-3","name":"Colour in metals, semiconductors, insulators and pigments"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-4","name":"Dispersion and the Lorentz and Drude models of optical response"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-5","name":"Luminescence: photoluminescence, electroluminescence and phosphors"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-6","name":"Semiconductor emitters and detectors: LEDs, laser diodes, photodiodes"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-7","name":"Laser materials: gain media, Nd:YAG, fibre and solid-state lasers"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-8","name":"Optical fibres: glass purity, attenuation, dispersion and doped-fibre amplifiers"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-9","name":"Optical and anti-reflection coatings; thin-film interference"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-10","name":"Transparent conductors (ITO) and transparent ceramics"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-11","name":"Electro-optic, acousto-optic and nonlinear optical materials"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-12","name":"Photonic crystals and plasmonic materials"},{"id":"mt-optical-photonic-materials-13","name":"Infrared and optical window materials for sensors and spacecraft"}]},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials","name":"Semiconductor Materials & Electronic Packaging","category":"Electronic, Optical, Magnetic & Thermal Properties","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers the materials science of silicon, compound and wide-bandgap semiconductors, from crystal growth and doping to interconnects and packaging reliability.","prerequisites":["mt-electronic-properties","mt-diffusion"],"related":["el-semiconductor-physics","el-cmos-technology","el-power-devices","el-pcb-materials"],"unlocks":["mt-2d-materials","mt-photovoltaic-materials","mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy"],"order":46,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-1","name":"Elemental and compound semiconductors: Si, Ge, GaAs, InP, GaN, SiC, Ga2O3"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-2","name":"Band engineering: alloys, direct vs indirect gaps, heterostructures and strain"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-3","name":"Bulk crystal growth: Czochralski, float-zone and Bridgman methods"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-4","name":"Epitaxy: MBE, MOCVD and lattice-mismatch dislocations"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-5","name":"Doping by diffusion and ion implantation; dopant activation and annealing"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-6","name":"Defects in semiconductors: deep levels, recombination centres and gettering"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-7","name":"Oxides and dielectrics on silicon: thermal oxidation (Deal-Grove), high-k gate dielectrics"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-8","name":"Metallisation and contacts: silicides, Schottky vs ohmic contacts, copper interconnects"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-9","name":"Electromigration and stress voiding in interconnects"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-10","name":"Wide-bandgap materials for power electronics (SiC, GaN)"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-11","name":"Organic and amorphous semiconductors"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-12","name":"Electronic packaging materials: solders (Sn-Ag-Cu), die attach, underfill, substrates"},{"id":"mt-semiconductor-materials-13","name":"Packaging reliability: thermal cycling, solder fatigue and intermetallic growth"}]},{"id":"mt-steels","name":"Steels & Ferrous Alloys","category":"Metals & Alloys","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Covers the metallurgy of iron and steel, the world's most important structural material, from phase transformations to alloy families.","prerequisites":["mt-phase-transformations","mt-plasticity-strengthening"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-heat-treatment","mt-joining"],"order":26,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"mt-steels-1","name":"Iron and steel production overview: blast furnace, BOF, EAF, direct reduction and secondary steelmaking"},{"id":"mt-steels-2","name":"The Fe-C diagram revisited: ferrite, austenite, cementite and pearlite"},{"id":"mt-steels-3","name":"Transformation products: pearlite, bainite and martensite; tempered martensite"},{"id":"mt-steels-4","name":"Effects of alloying elements on phase stability and hardenability"},{"id":"mt-steels-5","name":"Hardenability and the Jominy end-quench test"},{"id":"mt-steels-6","name":"Plain-carbon and low-alloy steels; AISI/SAE designations"},{"id":"mt-steels-7","name":"High-strength low-alloy (HSLA) and microalloyed steels; thermomechanical processing"},{"id":"mt-steels-8","name":"Advanced high-strength steels for lightweight vehicles: DP, TRIP, TWIP, martensitic, Q&P"},{"id":"mt-steels-9","name":"Tool steels and bearing steels"},{"id":"mt-steels-10","name":"Stainless steels: ferritic, austenitic, martensitic, duplex and precipitation-hardening"},{"id":"mt-steels-11","name":"Maraging and ultra-high-strength steels for aerospace landing gear and rocket casings"},{"id":"mt-steels-12","name":"Cast irons: grey, ductile (nodular), white, malleable and compacted-graphite"},{"id":"mt-steels-13","name":"Hydrogen embrittlement and temper embrittlement in steels"}]},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys","name":"Light & Nonferrous Alloys","category":"Metals & Alloys","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers aluminium, magnesium, titanium, copper and nickel alloys: their metallurgy, heat treatment and where each is used.","prerequisites":["mt-phase-transformations","mt-plasticity-strengthening"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-aerospace-materials","mt-superalloys-refractory"],"order":30,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1","name":"Aluminium alloys"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1-1","name":"Wrought vs cast alloys and designation system","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1-2","name":"Precipitation hardening in 2xxx, 6xxx and 7xxx alloys; temper designations","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1-3","name":"Aluminium-lithium alloys for aerospace","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1-4","name":"Cast Al-Si alloys","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-1"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-2","name":"Magnesium alloys"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-2-1","name":"HCP deformation and formability limits","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-2"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-2-2","name":"AZ, AM and rare-earth Mg alloys","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-2"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-2-3","name":"Corrosion challenges","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-2"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3","name":"Titanium alloys"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3-1","name":"Alpha, alpha-beta and beta alloys; Ti-6Al-4V","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3-2","name":"Microstructure control: lamellar, bimodal and equiaxed","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3-3","name":"Titanium in airframes, engines and implants","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3-4","name":"Titanium aluminides","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-3"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-4","name":"Copper alloys"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-4-1","name":"Pure copper and conductivity","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-4"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-4-2","name":"Brasses, bronzes and Cu-Be","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-4"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-4-3","name":"Cu-Cr-Zr and GRCop alloys for rocket combustion chambers","depth":1,"parent":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-4"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-5","name":"Nickel and cobalt alloys (introduction; superalloys treated separately)"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-6","name":"Zinc, tin and lead alloys; solders and bearings"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-7","name":"Precious metals and their engineering uses"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-8","name":"Beryllium and its hazards"},{"id":"mt-nonferrous-alloys-9","name":"Comparing specific strength and stiffness of light alloys"}]},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy","name":"Extractive Metallurgy & Metal Production","category":"Metals & Alloys","level":3,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explains how metals are won from ores and scrap by mineral processing, pyrometallurgy, hydrometallurgy and electrometallurgy.","prerequisites":["mt-electrochemistry"],"related":["ea-ore-deposits-and-economic-geology","ch-industrial-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":48,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-1","name":"Ores, minerals and mineral processing: comminution, flotation and concentration"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-2","name":"Thermodynamics of extraction: Ellingham diagrams and predominance diagrams"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-3","name":"Pyrometallurgy: roasting, smelting, converting and refining; slags"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-4","name":"Ironmaking in the blast furnace and hydrogen-based direct reduction"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-5","name":"Hydrometallurgy: leaching, solvent extraction and precipitation"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-6","name":"Electrometallurgy: electrowinning and electrorefining; Hall-Héroult aluminium process"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-7","name":"Production of titanium (Kroll process) and emerging routes"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-8","name":"Rare-earth and battery-metal extraction (Li, Ni, Co)"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-9","name":"Vacuum and special melting: VIM, VAR and ESR for aerospace alloys"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-10","name":"Energy use and decarbonisation of metal production"},{"id":"mt-extractive-metallurgy-11","name":"Recycling as metal production: secondary aluminium and steel"}]},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory","name":"Superalloys & Refractory Metals","category":"Metals & Alloys","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Studies the nickel-base superalloys and refractory metals that make jet engines and rocket engines possible at temperatures near their melting points.","prerequisites":["mt-nonferrous-alloys","mt-creep"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-high-entropy-alloys"],"order":52,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-1","name":"Requirements of gas-turbine and rocket-engine hot sections"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-2","name":"Ni-base superalloy metallurgy: gamma matrix and gamma-prime precipitates"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-3","name":"Strengthening mechanisms: order strengthening, anomalous yield, solid-solution and carbides"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-4","name":"Topologically close-packed phases and alloy design (PHACOMP, d-electron methods)"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-5","name":"Wrought, cast, directionally solidified and single-crystal superalloys"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-6","name":"Investment casting of single-crystal turbine blades; grain selectors and defects"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-7","name":"Powder-metallurgy superalloy discs"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-8","name":"Co-base and Fe-Ni-base superalloys"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-9","name":"Oxidation-resistant coatings: aluminides, MCrAlY bond coats and thermal barrier coatings"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-10","name":"Refractory metals: Nb, Mo, Ta, W and Re; their alloys and oxidation problem"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-11","name":"Niobium alloys (C-103) for rocket nozzle extensions"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-12","name":"Superalloys for oxygen-rich rocket engines and hydrogen environments"},{"id":"mt-superalloys-refractory-13","name":"Emerging high-temperature alloys: refractory high-entropy alloys, Mo-Si-B, silicides"}]},{"id":"mt-construction-materials","name":"Construction & Natural Materials","category":"Ceramics & Glasses","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Introduces the high-volume materials of the built environment: cement and concrete, timber, stone, brick and asphalt.","prerequisites":["mt-mechanical-properties"],"related":["ea-engineering-geology"],"unlocks":[],"order":14,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"mt-construction-materials-1","name":"Portland cement: manufacture, clinker phases and hydration chemistry"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-2","name":"Concrete: mix design, strength development, curing and durability"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-3","name":"Reinforced and prestressed concrete from a materials viewpoint; rebar corrosion"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-4","name":"Low-carbon cements, geopolymers and supplementary cementitious materials"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-5","name":"Wood: cellular structure, anisotropy, moisture and engineered wood products"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-6","name":"Bamboo and other natural fibres"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-7","name":"Stone, brick and traditional ceramics"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-8","name":"Asphalt and bituminous materials"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-9","name":"Glass in buildings: float glass, laminated and tempered glass"},{"id":"mt-construction-materials-10","name":"Durability, weathering and service life of construction materials"}]},{"id":"mt-ceramics","name":"Ceramic Materials","category":"Ceramics & Glasses","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Covers the structure, defects, mechanical behaviour and applications of traditional and advanced engineering ceramics.","prerequisites":["mt-defects","mt-phase-diagrams","mt-mechanical-properties"],"related":["ch-solid-state-chemistry"],"unlocks":["mt-biomaterials","mt-ceramic-matrix-composites","mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen","mt-glasses","mt-impact-protective-materials","mt-powder-processing"],"order":15,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"mt-ceramics-1","name":"Classification: traditional (clay-based) vs advanced/technical ceramics"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-2","name":"Ceramic crystal structures and defect chemistry revisited"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-3","name":"Oxide ceramics: alumina, zirconia, magnesia, silica"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-4","name":"Non-oxide ceramics: silicon carbide, silicon nitride, boron carbide, aluminium nitride"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-5","name":"Mechanical behaviour: brittleness, flaw sensitivity and Weibull statistics"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-6","name":"Toughening mechanisms: transformation toughening (zirconia), crack deflection, bridging"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-7","name":"Refractories and high-temperature ceramics"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-8","name":"Ultra-high-temperature ceramics: ZrB2, HfB2, HfC and TaC"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-9","name":"Electroceramics overview: dielectrics, piezoceramics, ionic conductors, ferrites"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-10","name":"Bioceramics: alumina, zirconia, hydroxyapatite and bioactive glass"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-11","name":"Carbon materials: graphite, carbon fibres, diamond and DLC"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-12","name":"Ceramic processing overview (treated in depth under powder processing)"},{"id":"mt-ceramics-13","name":"Design with brittle materials: proof testing and probabilistic design"}]},{"id":"mt-glasses","name":"Glasses & Amorphous Materials","category":"Ceramics & Glasses","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains the structure of non-crystalline solids, the glass transition and the processing and strengthening of oxide and metallic glasses.","prerequisites":["mt-ceramics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":29,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"mt-glasses-1","name":"The glass transition: kinetics, fictive temperature and the Kauzmann paradox"},{"id":"mt-glasses-2","name":"Glass-forming ability and Zachariasen's rules"},{"id":"mt-glasses-3","name":"Structure of silicate glasses: network formers, modifiers and intermediates"},{"id":"mt-glasses-4","name":"Describing amorphous structure: radial distribution functions"},{"id":"mt-glasses-5","name":"Viscosity-temperature behaviour: fragility and the VFT equation; working points"},{"id":"mt-glasses-6","name":"Commercial glasses: soda-lime, borosilicate, aluminosilicate, fused silica"},{"id":"mt-glasses-7","name":"Glass forming: float, drawn, blown and pressed glass; fibre drawing"},{"id":"mt-glasses-8","name":"Strengthening glass: thermal tempering and chemical ion exchange (Gorilla Glass)"},{"id":"mt-glasses-9","name":"Glass-ceramics: controlled nucleation and crystallisation (Zerodur, cooktops)"},{"id":"mt-glasses-10","name":"Chalcogenide and fluoride glasses for infrared optics"},{"id":"mt-glasses-11","name":"Metallic glasses and bulk metallic glasses"},{"id":"mt-glasses-12","name":"Amorphous semiconductors and oxide thin films"}]},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure","name":"Polymer Structure & Synthesis","category":"Polymers & Soft Matter","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Introduces how polymer chains are made and how their chemistry, size and architecture determine whether a plastic is soft, tough, clear or crystalline.","prerequisites":["mt-atomic-bonding","ch-organic-structure-bonding"],"related":["ph-soft-matter-physics","ch-polymer-chemistry"],"unlocks":["mt-polymer-properties"],"order":32,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-1","name":"Hydrocarbon molecules, monomers and repeat units"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-2","name":"Chain-growth (addition) polymerisation: radical, ionic and coordination (Ziegler-Natta, metallocene)"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-3","name":"Step-growth (condensation) polymerisation: polyesters, polyamides and Carothers equation"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-4","name":"Molecular weight: number and weight averages, distribution and measurement (GPC)"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-5","name":"Molecular shape and configuration: tacticity, isomerism and conformations"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-6","name":"Architecture: linear, branched, cross-linked and network polymers"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-7","name":"Copolymers: random, alternating, block and graft"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-8","name":"Chain statistics: random walk, end-to-end distance and radius of gyration"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-9","name":"Polymer crystallinity: lamellae, spherulites and degree of crystallinity"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-10","name":"Thermoplastics, thermosets and elastomers"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-11","name":"Commodity and engineering polymers: PE, PP, PVC, PS, PET, PA, PC, PEEK, PTFE"},{"id":"mt-polymer-structure-12","name":"Additives: plasticisers, fillers, stabilisers and flame retardants"}]},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties","name":"Polymer Properties & Engineering Polymers","category":"Polymers & Soft Matter","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers the thermal, mechanical, viscoelastic and rheological behaviour of polymers and how to choose and design with them.","prerequisites":["mt-polymer-structure","mt-mechanical-properties"],"related":["ph-soft-matter-physics","ch-polymer-physical-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ai-soft-robotics","mt-biomaterials","mt-composites","mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles","mt-polymer-processing","mt-soft-materials"],"order":54,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-1","name":"Thermal transitions: glass transition and melting; factors that control Tg and Tm"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-2","name":"Polymer solutions and blends: Flory-Huggins theory and miscibility"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-3","name":"Stress-strain behaviour of glassy, semicrystalline and rubbery polymers"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-4","name":"Viscoelasticity: creep, stress relaxation, Maxwell and Kelvin-Voigt models"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-5","name":"Dynamic mechanical behaviour: storage and loss moduli"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-6","name":"Time-temperature superposition and the WLF equation"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-7","name":"Rubber elasticity: entropy springs, cross-link density and vulcanisation"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-8","name":"Yielding, crazing and shear banding; fracture and toughening of polymers"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-9","name":"Melt rheology: shear thinning, viscosity models and die swell"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-10","name":"High-performance polymers and fibres: aramid (Kevlar), UHMWPE (Dyneema), PBO, PEEK, polyimides"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-11","name":"Thermoset resins: epoxy, cyanate ester, phenolic and bismaleimide curing chemistry"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-12","name":"Polymer degradation, ageing and weathering"},{"id":"mt-polymer-properties-13","name":"Designing plastic parts: creep allowances, temperature limits and safety factors"}]},{"id":"mt-soft-materials","name":"Soft Materials: Colloids, Gels, Liquid Crystals & Foams","category":"Polymers & Soft Matter","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Studies soft matter, whose behaviour is dominated by weak interactions and thermal fluctuations, from colloids and gels to liquid crystals and self-assembly.","prerequisites":["mt-polymer-properties"],"related":["ph-soft-matter-physics","ch-colloid-interface-science"],"unlocks":[],"order":71,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"mt-soft-materials-1","name":"Intermolecular and surface forces: van der Waals, electrostatic double layer and DLVO theory"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-2","name":"Colloidal dispersions: stability, aggregation and Brownian motion"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-3","name":"Surfactants, micelles and emulsions"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-4","name":"Polymer and colloidal gels; hydrogels and swelling"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-5","name":"Liquid crystals: nematic, smectic and cholesteric phases; order parameter and displays"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-6","name":"Block-copolymer self-assembly and microphase separation"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-7","name":"Foams and granular materials"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-8","name":"Rheology of complex fluids: yield stress, shear thickening and thixotropy"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-9","name":"Elastomers and liquid-crystal elastomers"},{"id":"mt-soft-materials-10","name":"Active and responsive soft matter"}]},{"id":"mt-composites","name":"Composite Materials","category":"Composites","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Explains how combining fibres, particles and matrices produces materials stiffer, stronger and lighter than their constituents.","prerequisites":["mt-polymer-properties"],"related":["me-lightweight-structures-composites","ae-composite-structures"],"unlocks":["ch-high-performance-materials","mt-aerospace-materials","mt-biological-bioinspired","mt-ceramic-matrix-composites","mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing","mt-impact-protective-materials","mt-lightweight-structures","mt-self-healing-materials"],"order":66,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"mt-composites-1","name":"Classification: particle-, fibre- and structural composites; PMC, MMC and CMC"},{"id":"mt-composites-2","name":"Reinforcements: glass, carbon, aramid, UHMWPE, ceramic and natural fibres"},{"id":"mt-composites-3","name":"Matrices: thermoset, thermoplastic, metal and ceramic"},{"id":"mt-composites-4","name":"Particle-reinforced composites and cermets"},{"id":"mt-composites-5","name":"Rule of mixtures: longitudinal and transverse stiffness (Voigt and Reuss bounds)"},{"id":"mt-composites-6","name":"Short-fibre composites: critical fibre length and shear-lag theory"},{"id":"mt-composites-7","name":"The fibre-matrix interface: sizing, adhesion and load transfer"},{"id":"mt-composites-8","name":"Strength of unidirectional composites and failure modes"},{"id":"mt-composites-9","name":"Introduction to laminates: ply orientation and quasi-isotropic lay-ups"},{"id":"mt-composites-10","name":"Metal-matrix composites: SiC/Al, B/Al and their processing"},{"id":"mt-composites-11","name":"Sandwich structures and honeycomb cores"},{"id":"mt-composites-12","name":"Applications in aircraft, automotive, sports goods and wind turbines"}]},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing","name":"Fibre-Reinforced Composites: Mechanics & Manufacturing","category":"Composites","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Goes deep into laminate analysis, damage tolerance and manufacturing of advanced fibre composites such as the CFRP used in modern aircraft and rockets.","prerequisites":["mt-composites","ma-linear-algebra","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics","ae-composite-structures","me-lightweight-structures-composites"],"unlocks":[],"order":77,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-1","name":"Carbon-fibre manufacture: PAN and pitch precursors, stabilisation, carbonisation and graphitisation"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-2","name":"Anisotropic elasticity of a lamina: compliance and stiffness matrices"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-3","name":"Classical laminate theory: ABD matrix, coupling and symmetric/balanced laminates"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-4","name":"Hygrothermal stresses and residual stresses in laminates"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-5","name":"Lamina failure criteria: maximum stress, Tsai-Hill, Tsai-Wu, Hashin and Puck"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-6","name":"Progressive damage: matrix cracking, delamination and fibre failure"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-7","name":"Impact damage and compression-after-impact (CAI); damage-tolerant design"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-8","name":"Fatigue and environmental durability of composites"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-9","name":"Manufacturing: prepreg lay-up and autoclave curing, out-of-autoclave processes"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-10","name":"Liquid moulding (RTM, VARTM, infusion), filament winding and pultrusion"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-11","name":"Automated fibre placement and tape laying; thermoplastic composites and welding"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-12","name":"Defects: porosity, wrinkles and fibre misalignment; NDI of composites"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-13","name":"Joining composites: bonded and bolted joints"},{"id":"mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing-14","name":"Composite overwrapped pressure vessels (COPVs) and cryogenic composite tanks"}]},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals","name":"Characterization Fundamentals & Metallography","category":"Materials Characterization","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Introduces how materials are examined and measured: sample preparation, optical microscopy, quantitative microstructure and good experimental practice.","prerequisites":["mt-crystal-structures"],"related":["ph-experimental-techniques","ma-experimental-design","ch-instrumental-analysis"],"unlocks":["mt-electron-microscopy","mt-nondestructive-evaluation","mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe","mt-thermal-analysis","mt-xray-neutron-methods"],"order":5,"stage":5,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-1","name":"The characterization toolbox: what each family of techniques reveals (structure, chemistry, properties)"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-2","name":"Probes and signals: photons, electrons, ions and neutrons interacting with matter"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-3","name":"Sample preparation: sectioning, mounting, grinding, polishing and etching"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-4","name":"Optical (light) microscopy: resolution, contrast modes, polarised light and DIC"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-5","name":"Stereomicroscopy and macro-examination"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-6","name":"Quantitative metallography and stereology: grain size, phase fraction, particle size"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-7","name":"Image analysis with software (ImageJ/Fiji)"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-8","name":"Density, porosity and chemical analysis basics (Archimedes, ICP, combustion analysis)"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-9","name":"Measurement uncertainty, error propagation and calibration"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-10","name":"Statistics for materials data: distributions, confidence intervals, regression and Weibull plots"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-11","name":"Design of experiments for materials development"},{"id":"mt-characterization-fundamentals-12","name":"Laboratory safety, notebooks and reporting results"}]},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe","name":"Surface Analysis, Spectroscopy & Scanning Probes","category":"Materials Characterization","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers techniques that measure surface chemistry, bonding and topography: XPS, Auger, SIMS, vibrational spectroscopy and scanning probe microscopy.","prerequisites":["mt-characterization-fundamentals"],"related":["ph-experimental-techniques","ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ch-surface-analysis-microscopy"],"unlocks":[],"order":8,"stage":6,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":7,"topics":[{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-1","name":"Why surfaces need special techniques: information depth and ultra-high vacuum"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-2","name":"X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS): chemical states and depth profiling"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-3","name":"Auger electron spectroscopy"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-4","name":"Secondary ion mass spectrometry (SIMS) and ToF-SIMS"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-5","name":"Rutherford backscattering and ion-beam analysis"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-6","name":"Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy of polymers and surfaces"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-7","name":"Raman spectroscopy: phase identification, stress and carbon materials"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-8","name":"UV-visible spectroscopy and ellipsometry"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-9","name":"Solid-state NMR and Mössbauer spectroscopy (overview)"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-10","name":"Atomic force microscopy: contact, tapping and force spectroscopy modes"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-11","name":"Scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-12","name":"Kelvin probe, magnetic force and conductive AFM"},{"id":"mt-surface-spectroscopy-probe-13","name":"Contact angle and surface energy measurement"}]},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy","name":"Electron Microscopy & Microanalysis","category":"Materials Characterization","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers scanning and transmission electron microscopy and the analytical methods that image and analyse materials down to single atoms.","prerequisites":["mt-crystallography-diffraction","mt-characterization-fundamentals"],"related":["ph-experimental-techniques","ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry","bi-structural-biology"],"unlocks":[],"order":19,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-1","name":"Electron optics: sources, lenses, aberrations and resolution"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-2","name":"Electron-specimen interactions: secondary, backscattered and characteristic X-ray signals"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-3","name":"Scanning electron microscopy: imaging modes, contrast and fractography"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-4","name":"Energy- and wavelength-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDS/WDS) and electron probe microanalysis"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-5","name":"Electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD): orientation maps, grain boundaries and texture"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-6","name":"Focused ion beam (FIB): cross-sectioning, TEM lamella preparation and serial sectioning"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-7","name":"Transmission electron microscopy: bright field, dark field and diffraction contrast"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-8","name":"Selected-area and convergent-beam electron diffraction"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-9","name":"Imaging dislocations and defects: g·b analysis"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-10","name":"High-resolution TEM and aberration-corrected STEM (HAADF, Z-contrast)"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-11","name":"Electron energy-loss spectroscopy (EELS)"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-12","name":"In-situ TEM, cryo-EM of materials and 4D-STEM"},{"id":"mt-electron-microscopy-13","name":"Atom probe tomography"}]},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis","name":"Thermal Analysis & Thermophysical Testing","category":"Materials Characterization","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Uses controlled heating and cooling to measure transitions, reactions, stability and thermal properties of materials.","prerequisites":["mt-characterization-fundamentals","mt-phase-diagrams"],"related":["ch-instrumental-analysis"],"unlocks":[],"order":20,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-1","name":"Principles of thermal analysis and instrument calibration"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-2","name":"Differential scanning calorimetry (DSC): Tg, melting, crystallisation and cure"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-3","name":"Differential thermal analysis (DTA) for high-temperature transitions"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-4","name":"Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA): decomposition, oxidation and filler content"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-5","name":"Evolved gas analysis (TGA-MS, TGA-FTIR)"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-6","name":"Dilatometry: thermal expansion and phase-transformation start temperatures"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-7","name":"Dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and thermomechanical analysis (TMA)"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-8","name":"Thermal conductivity and diffusivity: laser flash, hot disk and guarded hot plate"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-9","name":"Kinetic analysis of thermal data (Kissinger, isoconversional methods)"},{"id":"mt-thermal-analysis-10","name":"Calorimetry for battery safety (accelerating rate calorimetry)"}]},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods","name":"X-ray, Neutron & Synchrotron Methods","category":"Materials Characterization","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Applies diffraction and scattering to identify phases, measure strain and texture, and probe structure from atoms to microns.","prerequisites":["mt-crystallography-diffraction","mt-characterization-fundamentals"],"related":["ph-experimental-techniques","ch-structural-methods-diffraction","ea-analytical-methods-in-geochemistry","bi-structural-biology"],"unlocks":[],"order":22,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-1","name":"Generating X-rays: tubes, characteristic spectra and filters; synchrotron sources"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-2","name":"Powder diffractometer geometry and data collection"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-3","name":"Phase identification with the PDF database"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-4","name":"Quantitative phase analysis and Rietveld refinement"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-5","name":"Crystallite size and microstrain from peak broadening (Scherrer, Williamson-Hall)"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-6","name":"Residual stress measurement (sin²ψ method)"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-7","name":"Texture measurement: pole figures and orientation distribution functions"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-8","name":"Single-crystal diffraction and Laue methods"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-9","name":"Thin-film methods: grazing incidence, reflectivity and high-resolution XRD"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-10","name":"Small-angle X-ray and neutron scattering (SAXS/SANS)"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-11","name":"Neutron diffraction: light elements, magnetic structure and bulk residual stress"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-12","name":"X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XANES/EXAFS) and X-ray fluorescence"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-13","name":"X-ray computed tomography and 3D/4D imaging"},{"id":"mt-xray-neutron-methods-14","name":"In-situ and operando diffraction at synchrotrons"}]},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation","name":"Nondestructive Evaluation (NDE)","category":"Materials Characterization","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Methods for finding cracks, voids and damage in parts without destroying them, used throughout aerospace and other safety-critical work.","prerequisites":["mt-characterization-fundamentals","mt-fracture-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":43,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-1","name":"Role of NDE in damage-tolerant design and probability of detection (POD)"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-2","name":"Visual inspection, liquid penetrant and magnetic particle testing"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-3","name":"Ultrasonic testing: pulse-echo, through-transmission, phased array and TOFD"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-4","name":"Radiography and industrial computed tomography"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-5","name":"Eddy-current testing"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-6","name":"Acoustic emission monitoring"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-7","name":"Infrared thermography and shearography"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-8","name":"NDI of composites: C-scans, delamination and porosity detection"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-9","name":"Inspection of welds and castings"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-10","name":"Structural health monitoring with embedded sensors"},{"id":"mt-nondestructive-evaluation-11","name":"NDE standards and inspector certification"}]},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification","name":"Casting & Solidification Processing","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Explains how molten metal is turned into shapes and how heat flow and solidification control the resulting microstructure and defects.","prerequisites":["mt-phase-transformations","me-heat-transfer"],"related":["me-casting-forming-molding"],"unlocks":["mt-additive-manufacturing","mt-joining"],"order":33,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-1","name":"Transport phenomena in processing: heat conduction, convection and fluid flow basics"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-2","name":"Heat flow in casting: Chvorinov's rule and mould-metal interface"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-3","name":"Solidification microstructures: chill, columnar and equiaxed zones; dendrite arm spacing"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-4","name":"Segregation: Scheil equation, microsegregation and macrosegregation"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-5","name":"Grain refinement and inoculation; eutectic modification"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-6","name":"Casting processes: sand, investment, die, permanent mould and centrifugal casting"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-7","name":"Continuous casting of steel and aluminium; ingot casting"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-8","name":"Directional solidification and single-crystal growth"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-9","name":"Casting defects: shrinkage, gas porosity, hot tearing and inclusions"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-10","name":"Gating, risering and casting simulation"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-11","name":"Rapid solidification and melt spinning"},{"id":"mt-casting-solidification-12","name":"Semi-solid processing (thixocasting, rheocasting)"}]},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment","name":"Heat Treatment & Thermomechanical Processing","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Shows how controlled heating and cooling set the properties of steels and alloys, and how to design heat-treatment schedules.","prerequisites":["mt-steels"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":36,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-1","name":"Annealing, normalising and stress relieving"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-2","name":"Austenitising, quenching media and quench severity"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-3","name":"Tempering and tempering diagrams"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-4","name":"Hardenability revisited: designing for section size"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-5","name":"Austempering, martempering and quench-and-partition treatments"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-6","name":"Surface hardening: carburising, nitriding, carbonitriding, induction and laser hardening"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-7","name":"Solution treatment and ageing of aluminium, titanium and nickel alloys"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-8","name":"Distortion, quench cracking and residual stresses"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-9","name":"Furnaces, atmospheres, vacuum heat treatment and hot isostatic pressing (HIP)"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-10","name":"Thermomechanical processing routes combining deformation and heat treatment"},{"id":"mt-heat-treatment-11","name":"Heat-treatment simulation and specification (AMS standards)"}]},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing","name":"Metal Forming & Deformation Processing","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers rolling, forging, extrusion, drawing and sheet forming, and how hot and cold working shape both the part and its microstructure.","prerequisites":["mt-plasticity-strengthening","mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution","me-manufacturing-processes"],"related":["me-casting-forming-molding"],"unlocks":[],"order":41,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-1","name":"Mechanics of forming: flow stress, friction and work of deformation"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-2","name":"Hot working vs cold working; dynamic recovery and recrystallisation"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-3","name":"Rolling: flat and shape rolling, roll forces and thermomechanically controlled rolling"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-4","name":"Forging: open-die, closed-die and isothermal forging"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-5","name":"Extrusion and wire/tube drawing"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-6","name":"Sheet-metal forming: bending, deep drawing, stretching and springback"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-7","name":"Formability: forming limit diagrams and r-value anisotropy"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-8","name":"Superplastic forming and diffusion bonding (aerospace titanium)"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-9","name":"Severe plastic deformation: ECAP, high-pressure torsion and ultrafine grains"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-10","name":"Processing maps and deformation defects"},{"id":"mt-deformation-processing-11","name":"Machinability of materials and surface integrity (materials view)"}]},{"id":"mt-powder-processing","name":"Powder Metallurgy & Ceramic Processing","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers making parts from powders: powder production, forming, sintering and densification of metals and ceramics.","prerequisites":["mt-ceramics","mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-additive-manufacturing"],"order":45,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"mt-powder-processing-1","name":"Powder production: atomisation, chemical reduction, milling and chemical synthesis"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-2","name":"Powder characterisation: size distribution, morphology and flowability"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-3","name":"Slurries, dispersion and rheology for ceramic forming"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-4","name":"Forming: die pressing, cold isostatic pressing, slip casting, tape casting and extrusion"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-5","name":"Powder injection moulding (MIM/CIM)"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-6","name":"Sintering theory: driving forces, neck growth, densification stages and mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-7","name":"Liquid-phase sintering and cemented carbides"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-8","name":"Pressure-assisted sintering: hot pressing, HIP and spark plasma sintering"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-9","name":"Sol-gel processing and chemical routes to ceramics"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-10","name":"Polymer-derived ceramics"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-11","name":"Firing of traditional ceramics and glazes"},{"id":"mt-powder-processing-12","name":"Defects in powder-processed parts and their control"}]},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings","name":"Thin Films, Coatings & Surface Engineering","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers depositing and engineering thin films and coatings, from semiconductor layers to wear-resistant and thermal-barrier coatings.","prerequisites":["mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution"],"related":["el-cmos-technology","ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":47,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-1","name":"Vacuum technology basics for deposition"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-2","name":"Physical vapour deposition: evaporation, sputtering and pulsed laser deposition"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-3","name":"Chemical vapour deposition and plasma-enhanced CVD"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-4","name":"Atomic layer deposition"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-5","name":"Epitaxial growth and film growth modes (Frank-van der Merwe, Volmer-Weber, Stranski-Krastanov)"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-6","name":"Nucleation and microstructure of films: structure-zone models"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-7","name":"Stress in thin films: Stoney equation, wafer curvature and delamination"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-8","name":"Electroplating and electroless deposition"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-9","name":"Thermal spray: plasma spray, HVOF and cold spray"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-10","name":"Hard and wear-resistant coatings: TiN, DLC and diamond"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-11","name":"Conversion coatings and anodising"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-12","name":"Surface modification: ion implantation, shot peening and laser surface treatment"},{"id":"mt-thin-films-coatings-13","name":"Measuring film thickness, adhesion and properties"}]},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing","name":"Additive Manufacturing of Materials","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers 3D printing of metals, polymers, ceramics and composites, with focus on process-structure-property relationships and qualification.","prerequisites":["mt-casting-solidification","mt-powder-processing","me-manufacturing-processes"],"related":["me-additive-manufacturing"],"unlocks":[],"order":53,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-1","name":"The seven ASTM/ISO additive manufacturing process categories"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-2","name":"Polymer AM: material extrusion (FDM), vat photopolymerisation (SLA/DLP) and powder bed fusion (SLS)"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-3","name":"Metal laser and electron-beam powder bed fusion"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-4","name":"Directed energy deposition and wire-arc AM"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-5","name":"Binder jetting and sintering; metal material extrusion"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-6","name":"Melt-pool physics: keyholing, balling and spatter"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-7","name":"Rapid solidification microstructures, texture and anisotropy in AM metals"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-8","name":"Defects: lack-of-fusion and gas porosity, residual stress and cracking"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-9","name":"Post-processing: HIP, heat treatment, machining and surface finishing"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-10","name":"Alloys designed for AM (e.g. printable high-strength aluminium)"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-11","name":"Ceramic and composite AM; continuous-fibre printing"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-12","name":"Design for AM: lattices, topology optimisation and part consolidation"},{"id":"mt-additive-manufacturing-13","name":"In-situ monitoring, qualification and certification of AM parts (e.g. rocket engine components)"}]},{"id":"mt-joining","name":"Welding & Joining of Materials","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains how materials are joined by welding, brazing, soldering, adhesives and mechanical fastening, and the metallurgy of the joint.","prerequisites":["mt-casting-solidification","mt-steels"],"related":["me-welding-joining"],"unlocks":[],"order":56,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"mt-joining-1","name":"Classification of joining processes"},{"id":"mt-joining-2","name":"Fusion welding processes: arc (SMAW, GMAW, GTAW), plasma, laser and electron-beam welding"},{"id":"mt-joining-3","name":"Weld thermal cycles and heat input"},{"id":"mt-joining-4","name":"Weld metallurgy: fusion zone solidification, heat-affected zone and weldability"},{"id":"mt-joining-5","name":"Weld defects: porosity, hot cracking, cold (hydrogen) cracking and lack of fusion"},{"id":"mt-joining-6","name":"Welding of aluminium, titanium, stainless steel and superalloys"},{"id":"mt-joining-7","name":"Solid-state joining: friction stir welding, inertia/linear friction welding, diffusion bonding"},{"id":"mt-joining-8","name":"Brazing and soldering"},{"id":"mt-joining-9","name":"Adhesive bonding: surface preparation, adhesive types and joint design"},{"id":"mt-joining-10","name":"Mechanical fastening and hybrid joints"},{"id":"mt-joining-11","name":"Joining dissimilar materials and ceramics-to-metals"},{"id":"mt-joining-12","name":"Residual stress, distortion and post-weld heat treatment; weld qualification"}]},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing","name":"Polymer Processing","category":"Materials Processing & Manufacturing","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers how polymers are melted, shaped and solidified by extrusion, moulding and forming, and how processing affects properties.","prerequisites":["mt-polymer-properties","me-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["me-casting-forming-molding"],"unlocks":[],"order":68,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-1","name":"Heat transfer and melt flow in polymer processing"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-2","name":"Extrusion: single- and twin-screw extruders, compounding and profile extrusion"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-3","name":"Injection moulding: cycle, mould design, shrinkage and warpage"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-4","name":"Blow moulding and film blowing"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-5","name":"Thermoforming and rotational moulding"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-6","name":"Processing of thermosets: reaction injection moulding and compression moulding"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-7","name":"Fibre spinning: melt, wet and gel spinning (e.g. UHMWPE and aramid)"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-8","name":"Orientation, residual stress and crystallinity induced by processing"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-9","name":"Foaming processes"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-10","name":"Processing defects and quality control"},{"id":"mt-polymer-processing-11","name":"Mould-filling simulation"}]},{"id":"mt-tribology","name":"Tribology: Friction, Wear & Lubrication","category":"Corrosion, Wear & Degradation","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains how surfaces in contact interact, why parts wear out, and how materials and lubricants are chosen to control friction and wear.","prerequisites":["mt-mechanical-properties","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["me-tribology","me-shafts-bearings-seals"],"unlocks":[],"order":21,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"mt-tribology-1","name":"Surface topography and roughness parameters"},{"id":"mt-tribology-2","name":"Contact mechanics: Hertzian contact and real area of contact"},{"id":"mt-tribology-3","name":"Friction laws and mechanisms: adhesion, ploughing and stick-slip"},{"id":"mt-tribology-4","name":"Wear mechanisms: adhesive, abrasive, erosive, fatigue and corrosive wear; Archard's law"},{"id":"mt-tribology-5","name":"Wear maps and wear testing (pin-on-disc)"},{"id":"mt-tribology-6","name":"Lubrication regimes: boundary, mixed, elastohydrodynamic and hydrodynamic; the Stribeck curve"},{"id":"mt-tribology-7","name":"Lubricants and additives; solid lubricants (MoS2, graphite, PTFE)"},{"id":"mt-tribology-8","name":"Tribology in vacuum and space mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-tribology-9","name":"Wear-resistant materials and coatings"},{"id":"mt-tribology-10","name":"Tribology of polymers, ceramics and biomedical joints"}]},{"id":"mt-corrosion","name":"Corrosion & Degradation of Materials","category":"Corrosion, Wear & Degradation","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Explains why and how metals corrode and other materials degrade, and the engineering methods used to prevent it.","prerequisites":["mt-electrochemistry"],"related":["ch-corrosion-science"],"unlocks":["mt-high-temperature-oxidation"],"order":34,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"mt-corrosion-1","name":"Economic and safety cost of corrosion"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-2","name":"Corrosion thermodynamics and kinetics: mixed-potential theory and Evans diagrams"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-3","name":"Passivity and passive films"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-4","name":"Galvanic corrosion and the galvanic series"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-5","name":"Localised corrosion: pitting, crevice and intergranular corrosion; sensitisation"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-6","name":"Dealloying, erosion-corrosion and cavitation"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-7","name":"Stress-corrosion cracking and corrosion fatigue"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-8","name":"Hydrogen damage and hydrogen embrittlement mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-9","name":"Atmospheric, marine, soil and microbiologically influenced corrosion"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-10","name":"Corrosion protection: materials selection, design, inhibitors, coatings and cathodic protection"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-11","name":"Corrosion testing and monitoring (salt spray, polarisation, EIS)"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-12","name":"Degradation of polymers: UV, oxidation, hydrolysis, swelling and environmental stress cracking"},{"id":"mt-corrosion-13","name":"Degradation of ceramics and concrete"}]},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation","name":"High-Temperature Oxidation & Protective Coatings","category":"Corrosion, Wear & Degradation","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Studies how metals and ceramics react with hot gases and how coatings protect engine and rocket components.","prerequisites":["mt-corrosion","mt-diffusion"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":59,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-1","name":"Thermodynamics of oxidation: Ellingham diagrams and oxide stability"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-2","name":"Oxidation kinetics: linear, parabolic and logarithmic rate laws"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-3","name":"Wagner theory of oxidation and defect structure of oxides"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-4","name":"Protective scales: chromia, alumina and silica formers"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-5","name":"Scale adhesion, spallation and reactive-element effects"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-6","name":"Internal oxidation and selective oxidation of alloys"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-7","name":"Hot corrosion, sulphidation and CMAS attack"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-8","name":"Oxidation of refractory metals and carbon-carbon; active vs passive oxidation of SiC"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-9","name":"Thermal barrier coatings: YSZ top coats, bond coats and failure by TGO growth"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-10","name":"Environmental barrier coatings for SiC ceramics"},{"id":"mt-high-temperature-oxidation-11","name":"Metal dusting and hydrogen/oxygen-rich rocket combustion environments"}]},{"id":"mt-materials-selection","name":"Materials Selection in Design","category":"Materials Selection, Design & Sustainability","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Teaches the systematic Ashby method for choosing the best material and process for a component using property charts, performance indices and cost.","prerequisites":["mt-mechanical-properties","mt-thermal-properties","me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["me-materials-selection"],"unlocks":["mt-lightweight-structures","mt-sustainability-lca"],"order":16,"stage":8,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"mt-materials-selection-1","name":"Materials in the design process: conceptual, embodiment and detailed design"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-2","name":"The families of engineering materials and materials information for design"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-3","name":"Material property charts (modulus-density, strength-density, toughness-strength and more)"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-4","name":"Translating design requirements: function, constraints, objectives and free variables"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-5","name":"Deriving material performance indices (e.g. E^(1/2)/ρ for a light stiff beam)"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-6","name":"Screening and ranking with charts and selection lines"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-7","name":"Case studies: oars, flywheels, springs, pressure vessels, heat exchangers"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-8","name":"Multiple constraints and conflicting objectives; penalty functions and trade-off surfaces"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-9","name":"Selection of material and shape: shape factors"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-10","name":"Process selection: process attributes, process charts and economic batch size"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-11","name":"Cost modelling of materials and processes"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-12","name":"Using selection software and databases (Granta EduPack/Selector, MatWeb)"},{"id":"mt-materials-selection-13","name":"Industrial design, aesthetics and perceived attributes of materials"}]},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca","name":"Materials Sustainability, Recycling & Life-Cycle Assessment","category":"Materials Selection, Design & Sustainability","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Examines the environmental footprint of materials across their life cycle and the strategies of recycling, circularity and critical-materials management.","prerequisites":["mt-materials-selection"],"related":["ea-sustainability-science"],"unlocks":[],"order":31,"stage":9,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-1","name":"Material flows, consumption growth and resource availability"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-2","name":"The materials life cycle: extraction, production, use and end of life"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-3","name":"Embodied energy and carbon footprint of materials"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-4","name":"Life-cycle assessment (ISO 14040/44): goal and scope, inventory, impact assessment, interpretation"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-5","name":"Eco-audits and eco-selection with Ashby charts"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-6","name":"Recycling of metals, polymers, glass and composites; downcycling and contamination"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-7","name":"Circular economy: design for disassembly, reuse and remanufacture"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-8","name":"Critical and strategic raw materials; substitution strategies"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-9","name":"Decarbonising steel, cement, aluminium and chemicals"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-10","name":"Bio-based and biodegradable materials"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-11","name":"Toxicity, regulation (REACH, RoHS) and responsible sourcing"},{"id":"mt-sustainability-lca-12","name":"Battery and electronic-waste recycling"}]},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials","name":"Nanomaterials & Nanostructured Materials","category":"Nanomaterials & Biomaterials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Explains why materials behave differently at the nanoscale and how nanoparticles, nanowires, nanotubes and nanostructured solids are made and used.","prerequisites":["mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution","mt-electronic-properties"],"related":["ph-nanoscience-nanotechnology","el-advanced-materials","ch-nanochemistry","me-micro-nano-mechanics"],"unlocks":["mt-2d-materials","mt-emerging-materials"],"order":42,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":30,"topics":[{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-1","name":"Size effects: surface-to-volume ratio, melting-point depression and quantum confinement"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-2","name":"Classification: 0D, 1D, 2D and 3D nanostructures"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-3","name":"Bottom-up synthesis: colloidal nanoparticles, sol-gel, vapour-liquid-solid nanowire growth"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-4","name":"Top-down fabrication: lithography, etching and nanoimprint"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-5","name":"Self-assembly and directed assembly"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-6","name":"Quantum dots and their optical properties"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-7","name":"Carbon nanotubes and fullerenes: structure, chirality and properties"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-8","name":"Metallic nanoparticles and plasmonics"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-9","name":"Nanocrystalline and nanotwinned metals: strength and the inverse Hall-Petch effect"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-10","name":"Nanomechanics: nanoindentation, size effects in plasticity and micropillar testing"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-11","name":"Nanocomposites and nanoporous materials (aerogels, MOFs, zeolites)"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-12","name":"Characterising nanomaterials"},{"id":"mt-nanomaterials-13","name":"Nanotoxicology, safety and regulation"}]},{"id":"mt-biomaterials","name":"Biomaterials & Tissue Engineering","category":"Nanomaterials & Biomaterials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers materials placed in the body, how the body responds to them, and how scaffolds and biomaterials are designed to repair or replace tissue.","prerequisites":["mt-polymer-properties","mt-ceramics","bi-cell-biology"],"related":["el-implantable-devices","ph-biophysics","bi-stem-cells-regeneration"],"unlocks":["mt-biological-bioinspired"],"order":67,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"mt-biomaterials-1","name":"History and classes of biomaterials: metals, ceramics, polymers and composites"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-2","name":"Protein adsorption and cell-material interactions"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-3","name":"Host response: inflammation, foreign-body reaction and fibrous encapsulation"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-4","name":"Biocompatibility testing and ISO 10993"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-5","name":"Metallic implants: Ti alloys, CoCr, stainless steel; corrosion and wear debris"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-6","name":"Bioceramics and bioactive glasses; bone bonding"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-7","name":"Biomedical polymers and hydrogels; biodegradable polymers (PLA, PGA, PCL)"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-8","name":"Orthopaedic and dental implants; joint replacement"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-9","name":"Cardiovascular materials: stents, heart valves and blood compatibility"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-10","name":"Drug-delivery systems"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-11","name":"Tissue engineering scaffolds: porosity, degradation and cell seeding"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-12","name":"Bioprinting and regenerative medicine"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-13","name":"Neural interfaces and implantable electronics"},{"id":"mt-biomaterials-14","name":"Sterilisation, regulation (FDA/CE) and device failure case studies"}]},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired","name":"Biological & Bioinspired Materials","category":"Nanomaterials & Biomaterials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Studies how nature builds tough, light and adaptive materials such as bone, nacre, wood and silk, and how engineers copy their design principles.","prerequisites":["mt-composites","mt-biomaterials"],"related":["bi-biomechanics"],"unlocks":[],"order":75,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-1","name":"Hierarchical structure as a design principle"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-2","name":"Structural proteins and polysaccharides: collagen, keratin, silk, chitin and cellulose"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-3","name":"Bone and teeth: mineralised collagen and toughening mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-4","name":"Nacre and shells: brick-and-mortar toughening"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-5","name":"Wood and plant cell walls: cellular solids and fibre composites"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-6","name":"Spider silk and high-performance natural fibres"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-7","name":"Impact-resistant biological armour: mantis shrimp club, fish scales, turtle shells"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-8","name":"Adhesion and surfaces: gecko feet, mussel adhesives, lotus effect"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-9","name":"Structural colour and photonic structures in nature"},{"id":"mt-biological-bioinspired-10","name":"Bioinspired and biomimetic synthesis: freeze casting, layer-by-layer assembly"}]},{"id":"mt-battery-materials","name":"Battery Materials","category":"Energy Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Covers the electrode and electrolyte materials inside lithium-ion and next-generation batteries and how their structure controls energy, power, life and safety.","prerequisites":["mt-electrochemistry","mt-diffusion"],"related":["el-battery-technologies","el-battery-management-systems-bms","ch-battery-chemistry","me-energy-storage-power-integration"],"unlocks":[],"order":37,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"mt-battery-materials-1","name":"Battery fundamentals: voltage, capacity, energy and power density, C-rate and Ragone plots"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-2","name":"Intercalation chemistry and the thermodynamics of cell voltage"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-3","name":"Cathode materials"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-3-1","name":"Layered oxides: LCO, NMC, NCA","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-3"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-3-2","name":"Spinel LMO and high-voltage spinels","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-3"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-3-3","name":"Olivine LiFePO4","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-3"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-3-4","name":"Disordered rock salts and high-nickel trends","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-3"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-4","name":"Anode materials"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-4-1","name":"Graphite and intercalation staging","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-4"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-4-2","name":"Silicon and alloy anodes: volume change","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-4"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-4-3","name":"Lithium titanate","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-4"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-4-4","name":"Lithium metal and dendrite formation","depth":1,"parent":"mt-battery-materials-4"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-5","name":"Liquid electrolytes, salts and additives; the solid-electrolyte interphase (SEI)"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-6","name":"Solid-state electrolytes: oxides (LLZO), sulfides and polymers"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-7","name":"Separators, binders, current collectors and electrode architecture"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-8","name":"Degradation mechanisms and capacity fade"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-9","name":"Thermal runaway and battery safety materials"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-10","name":"Beyond lithium-ion: sodium-ion, lithium-sulfur, lithium-air, multivalent and flow batteries"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-11","name":"Supercapacitor electrode materials"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-12","name":"Characterising battery materials: in-situ XRD, electrochemical testing and post-mortem analysis"},{"id":"mt-battery-materials-13","name":"Battery materials for aerospace and wearable systems: specific energy and safety constraints"}]},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen","name":"Fuel Cell, Electrolyser & Hydrogen Materials","category":"Energy Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers the membranes, catalysts and ceramic electrolytes of fuel cells and electrolysers, and materials for hydrogen storage and handling.","prerequisites":["mt-electrochemistry","mt-ceramics"],"related":["ph-energy-physics","ch-fuel-cells-hydrogen"],"unlocks":[],"order":49,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-1","name":"Fuel-cell and electrolyser thermodynamics and efficiency"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-2","name":"Proton-exchange-membrane fuel cells: Nafion membranes, Pt catalysts and gas-diffusion layers"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-3","name":"Electrocatalysis: oxygen reduction and evolution reactions; catalyst design and platinum reduction"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-4","name":"Solid-oxide fuel cells and electrolysers: YSZ, perovskite cathodes and interconnects"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-5","name":"Alkaline and anion-exchange membrane systems"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-6","name":"Degradation of fuel-cell materials"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-7","name":"Hydrogen storage: compressed, cryogenic, metal hydrides and chemical carriers"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-8","name":"Hydrogen embrittlement and materials compatibility for hydrogen infrastructure"},{"id":"mt-fuel-cell-hydrogen-9","name":"Photocatalytic and photoelectrochemical water splitting materials"}]},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials","name":"Photovoltaic Materials","category":"Energy Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explains how solar cells convert light into electricity and the materials used, from crystalline silicon to perovskites and space-grade multijunction cells.","prerequisites":["mt-semiconductor-materials","mt-optical-photonic-materials"],"related":["el-optoelectronic-devices","ph-energy-physics","ch-solar-energy-conversion","me-renewable-energy-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":63,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-1","name":"The solar spectrum and photovoltaic operating principles"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-2","name":"The p-n junction solar cell: I-V curve, fill factor and efficiency"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-3","name":"Shockley-Queisser limit and loss mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-4","name":"Crystalline silicon: feedstock, wafers, PERC, TOPCon and heterojunction cells"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-5","name":"Thin-film PV: CdTe, CIGS and amorphous silicon"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-6","name":"Metal-halide perovskite solar cells: structure, stability and tandems"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-7","name":"III-V multijunction cells for space and concentrator PV"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-8","name":"Radiation hardness of space solar cells"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-9","name":"Organic and dye-sensitised solar cells"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-10","name":"Light management and anti-reflection texturing"},{"id":"mt-photovoltaic-materials-11","name":"Module materials, encapsulation and degradation"}]},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy","name":"Thermoelectric & Thermal Energy Materials","category":"Energy Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers materials that convert heat directly to electricity or store and manage heat, including thermoelectrics for spacecraft power and phase-change materials.","prerequisites":["mt-thermal-properties","mt-semiconductor-materials"],"related":["el-energy-harvesting","ph-energy-physics"],"unlocks":[],"order":64,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-1","name":"Seebeck, Peltier and Thomson effects"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-2","name":"Figure of merit ZT and device efficiency"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-3","name":"Decoupling electrical and thermal transport: phonon-glass electron-crystal"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-4","name":"Thermoelectric materials: Bi2Te3, PbTe, SiGe, skutterudites, half-Heuslers"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-5","name":"Nanostructuring and band engineering to raise ZT"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-6","name":"Radioisotope thermoelectric generators (RTGs) for spacecraft"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-7","name":"Thermoelectric coolers and waste-heat recovery"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-8","name":"Phase-change materials for thermal energy storage"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-9","name":"Thermochemical and sensible heat storage materials"},{"id":"mt-thermoelectric-thermal-energy-10","name":"Radiative cooling and spectrally selective surfaces"}]},{"id":"mt-smart-materials","name":"Smart & Multifunctional Materials","category":"Smart & Active Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Surveys materials that sense and respond to their environment, which are the building blocks of adaptive structures, actuators and wearable systems.","prerequisites":["mt-dielectric-ferroic","mt-magnetic-materials"],"related":["el-actuators","el-mems-devices","me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles"],"unlocks":["mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles","mt-self-healing-materials","mt-shape-memory-alloys"],"order":55,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"mt-smart-materials-1","name":"What makes a material smart: coupled fields and transduction"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-2","name":"Piezoelectric actuators and sensors: stacks, benders and design equations"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-3","name":"Magnetostrictive actuators"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-4","name":"Shape-memory materials overview (alloys and polymers)"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-5","name":"Electroactive and magnetoactive polymers overview"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-6","name":"Magnetorheological and electrorheological fluids and elastomers"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-7","name":"Chromogenic materials: thermochromic, photochromic and electrochromic"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-8","name":"Self-sensing materials and piezoresistive composites"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-9","name":"Structural health monitoring with embedded smart materials"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-10","name":"Energy harvesting with smart materials"},{"id":"mt-smart-materials-11","name":"Comparing actuator materials: strain, stress, energy density, bandwidth and efficiency"}]},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles","name":"Electroactive Polymers & Artificial Muscles","category":"Smart & Active Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers soft actuator materials that mimic muscle, from dielectric elastomers to fibre muscles, and what limits their use in robots and wearable exoskeletons.","prerequisites":["mt-smart-materials","mt-polymer-properties"],"related":["me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles","ai-soft-robotics","me-soft-robotics-mechanics"],"unlocks":[],"order":69,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":39,"topics":[{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-1","name":"Natural muscle as a benchmark: strain, stress, power density and efficiency"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-2","name":"Dielectric elastomer actuators: Maxwell stress, electrodes and breakdown"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-3","name":"Ionic polymer-metal composites and conducting-polymer actuators"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-4","name":"Liquid-crystal elastomer actuators"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-5","name":"Hydrogel and stimuli-responsive actuators"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-6","name":"Twisted and coiled polymer fibre muscles (nylon) and carbon-nanotube yarn muscles"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-7","name":"Pneumatic and hydraulically amplified soft actuators (HASEL)"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-8","name":"Electrostrictive and relaxor ferroelectric polymers (P(VDF-TrFE))"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-9","name":"Stretchable conductors and electrodes"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-10","name":"Durability, fatigue and control of soft actuators"},{"id":"mt-electroactive-polymers-artificial-muscles-11","name":"Applications: soft robotics, prosthetics, haptics and wearable assistive suits"}]},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys","name":"Shape-Memory Alloys & Polymers","category":"Smart & Active Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explains the martensitic transformation behind shape memory and superelasticity, and how SMAs and SMPs are designed into actuators, medical devices and morphing structures.","prerequisites":["mt-smart-materials","mt-phase-transformations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":70,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-1","name":"Thermoelastic martensitic transformation and transformation temperatures"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-2","name":"Shape-memory effect: one-way and two-way memory"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-3","name":"Superelasticity (pseudoelasticity) and hysteresis"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-4","name":"NiTi (Nitinol): processing, composition sensitivity and training"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-5","name":"Cu-based, Fe-based and high-temperature SMAs"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-6","name":"Functional fatigue and stability"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-7","name":"Constitutive modelling of SMA behaviour"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-8","name":"SMA actuators: wires, springs and heating/cooling bandwidth"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-9","name":"Applications: medical stents, aerospace morphing structures, deployable space mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-10","name":"Shape-memory polymers and 4D printing"},{"id":"mt-shape-memory-alloys-11","name":"Magnetic shape-memory alloys"}]},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials","name":"Materials for Cryogenic Service","category":"Aerospace & Extreme-Environment Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers how materials behave near absolute zero and which ones are used for liquid-hydrogen and liquid-oxygen tanks, superconducting magnets and cryogenic instruments.","prerequisites":["mt-fracture-mechanics","mt-thermal-properties"],"related":["ph-cryophysics","ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":50,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-1","name":"Cryogenic environments: LN2, LOX, LH2 and liquid helium"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-2","name":"Temperature dependence of strength, toughness and ductility; the ductile-brittle transition"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-3","name":"FCC metals at low temperature: austenitic stainless steels, aluminium and copper alloys"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-4","name":"Aluminium-lithium alloys for cryogenic propellant tanks"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-5","name":"Nickel steels and Invar"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-6","name":"Thermal contraction and thermal conductivity at low temperature"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-7","name":"Polymers and composites at cryogenic temperatures: embrittlement and microcracking"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-8","name":"Hydrogen embrittlement and permeation in LH2 systems"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-9","name":"Oxygen compatibility and ignition hazards in LOX systems"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-10","name":"Superconducting materials for magnets: Nb-Ti, Nb3Sn, MgB2 and REBCO tapes"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-11","name":"Cryogenic insulation and seal materials"},{"id":"mt-cryogenic-materials-12","name":"Cryogenic testing methods"}]},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials","name":"Radiation Effects & Nuclear Materials","category":"Aerospace & Extreme-Environment Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explains how neutrons, ions and energetic particles damage materials and which materials survive in fission reactors, fusion devices and space.","prerequisites":["mt-creep","ph-nuclear-physics"],"related":["ch-applied-radiochemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":51,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-1","name":"Radiation-matter interactions: neutrons, ions, electrons and gamma rays"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-2","name":"Displacement damage: primary knock-on atoms, cascades and dpa"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-3","name":"Radiation-induced point defects, loops and voids"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-4","name":"Radiation hardening and embrittlement (DBTT shift in pressure vessel steels)"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-5","name":"Void swelling, irradiation creep and irradiation growth"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-6","name":"Radiation-induced segregation and precipitation"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-7","name":"Transmutation and helium embrittlement"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-8","name":"Fission fuel materials: UO2, MOX and accident-tolerant fuels"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-9","name":"Cladding and core materials: zirconium alloys, stainless steels and ODS steels"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-10","name":"Fusion materials: plasma-facing tungsten, reduced-activation steels and breeder blankets"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-11","name":"Radiation effects in polymers, ceramics and semiconductors"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-12","name":"Radiation shielding materials"},{"id":"mt-radiation-nuclear-materials-13","name":"Ion-beam simulation of neutron damage"}]},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials","name":"Aerospace Materials","category":"Aerospace & Extreme-Environment Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Surveys how materials are chosen, qualified and used in aircraft, rockets and spacecraft, where weight, reliability and temperature dominate.","prerequisites":["mt-nonferrous-alloys","mt-composites","mt-fatigue-failure-analysis"],"related":["ae-aerospace-materials","ae-aerospace-structures","ae-composite-structures"],"unlocks":["mt-space-environment-materials"],"order":74,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-1","name":"Requirements of aerospace structures: specific stiffness, strength, toughness and damage tolerance"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-2","name":"Evolution of airframe materials: wood, aluminium, titanium and CFRP"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-3","name":"Airframe aluminium and aluminium-lithium alloys"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-4","name":"Titanium in airframes and engines"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-5","name":"CFRP airframes (e.g. Boeing 787, Airbus A350) and design considerations"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-6","name":"Jet-engine materials by section: fan, compressor, combustor and turbine"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-7","name":"Launch-vehicle materials: tanks, thrust structures, engines and fairings"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-8","name":"Materials for rocket engines: combustion chambers, nozzles and turbopumps"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-9","name":"Spacecraft structural materials and dimensionally stable structures"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-10","name":"Design allowables: A- and B-basis values, MMPDS and CMH-17"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-11","name":"Materials qualification, certification and process specifications"},{"id":"mt-aerospace-materials-12","name":"Aerospace failure case studies and lessons learned"}]},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites","name":"Ceramic-Matrix & Carbon-Carbon Composites","category":"Aerospace & Extreme-Environment Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers the tough high-temperature composites, SiC/SiC, C/SiC and carbon-carbon, used in hot engine parts, nozzles and re-entry structures.","prerequisites":["mt-composites","mt-ceramics"],"related":["ch-high-performance-materials"],"unlocks":["mt-thermal-protection-systems"],"order":76,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-1","name":"Why monolithic ceramics fail and how fibres make them damage-tolerant"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-2","name":"Fibre-matrix interphases: pyrolytic carbon and boron nitride; crack deflection"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-3","name":"Ceramic fibres: SiC (Hi-Nicalon, Sylramic), oxide (Nextel) and carbon fibres"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-4","name":"Processing: chemical vapour infiltration (CVI)"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-5","name":"Processing: polymer infiltration and pyrolysis (PIP) and melt infiltration (MI)"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-6","name":"Oxide-oxide CMCs"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-7","name":"Carbon-carbon composites: manufacture, properties and oxidation protection"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-8","name":"Mechanical behaviour: matrix cracking stress, pseudo-ductility and fatigue"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-9","name":"Environmental degradation and environmental barrier coatings"},{"id":"mt-ceramic-matrix-composites-10","name":"Applications: turbine shrouds and blades, rocket nozzles, brake discs and leading edges"}]},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials","name":"Space Environment Effects on Materials","category":"Aerospace & Extreme-Environment Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers what the space environment does to materials, from atomic oxygen erosion to radiation and micrometeoroids, and how spacecraft materials are chosen and tested.","prerequisites":["mt-aerospace-materials"],"related":["ph-space-physics","ae-space-environment","ae-spacecraft-thermal-control"],"unlocks":[],"order":81,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":38,"topics":[{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-1","name":"The space environment: vacuum, thermal cycling, UV, charged particles and debris"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-2","name":"Outgassing, contamination and ASTM E595 screening"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-3","name":"Atomic oxygen erosion in low Earth orbit and protective coatings"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-4","name":"Ultraviolet and particle radiation degradation of polymers and optical coatings"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-5","name":"Thermal-control materials: coatings, paints, optical solar reflectors and MLI"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-6","name":"Thermal cycling and dimensional stability"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-7","name":"Spacecraft charging and electrostatic discharge"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-8","name":"Cold welding and tribology in vacuum"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-9","name":"Micrometeoroid and orbital debris shielding (Whipple shields)"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-10","name":"Radiation effects on spacecraft electronics and shielding choices"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-11","name":"Planetary surface environments: lunar regolith dust and Martian conditions"},{"id":"mt-space-environment-materials-12","name":"In-space testing (MISSE) and materials for in-space manufacturing"}]},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems","name":"Thermal Protection Systems & Ablative Materials","category":"Aerospace & Extreme-Environment Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explains the materials that protect spacecraft and missiles from re-entry and propulsion heating, from reusable tiles to charring ablators.","prerequisites":["mt-ceramic-matrix-composites","mt-thermal-properties","me-heat-transfer"],"related":["ae-thermal-protection-systems","ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics","ae-atmospheric-entry"],"unlocks":[],"order":82,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":40,"topics":[{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-1","name":"Aerothermal environments of re-entry and hypersonic flight; heat-flux and heat-load"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-2","name":"Heat-management strategies: heat sink, radiative, insulative, ablative and transpiration cooling"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-3","name":"Reusable TPS: silica tiles (LI-900), AETB/TUFI, flexible insulation blankets"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-4","name":"Reinforced carbon-carbon leading edges"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-5","name":"Ablative materials: carbon-phenolic, PICA, AVCOAT, SLA-561V and cork-based ablators"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-6","name":"Ablation physics: pyrolysis, char formation, surface recession and blowing"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-7","name":"Ultra-high-temperature ceramics for sharp leading edges"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-8","name":"Rocket nozzle and throat materials: graphite, C/C, C/SiC and refractory metals"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-9","name":"Insulation materials: aerogels and multilayer insulation"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-10","name":"Arc-jet testing and qualification of TPS"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-11","name":"TPS design for Mars entry, lunar return and reusable launch vehicles"},{"id":"mt-thermal-protection-systems-12","name":"Case studies: Space Shuttle, Apollo, Stardust, Orion and Starship heat shields"}]},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials","name":"Impact-Resistant & Protective Materials","category":"Lightweight & Protective Structures","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explains, at a conceptual materials-science level, how materials absorb impact and resist penetration, as used in helmets, body protection and vehicle and spacecraft shielding.","prerequisites":["mt-fracture-mechanics","mt-composites","mt-ceramics","me-dynamics"],"related":["me-finite-element-analysis"],"unlocks":[],"order":78,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-1","name":"Material behaviour at high strain rates; strain-rate sensitivity"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-2","name":"High-rate testing: split-Hopkinson (Kolsky) bar and drop-weight testing"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-3","name":"Stress waves, shock waves and the Hugoniot (conceptual)"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-4","name":"Adiabatic shear banding and spall"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-5","name":"Energy absorption: crushable foams, honeycombs and crash structures"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-6","name":"High-performance fibres and fabrics: aramid, UHMWPE and their energy-absorption mechanisms"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-7","name":"Ceramics under impact: comminution, dwell and the role of backing layers"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-8","name":"Layered and graded protective systems (conceptual design principles)"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-9","name":"Transparent protective materials: laminated glass, polycarbonate, spinel and ALON"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-10","name":"Shear-thickening fluids and impact-hardening materials"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-11","name":"Head protection materials and injury criteria for helmets"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-12","name":"Constitutive and damage models for impact (Johnson-Cook, Johnson-Holmquist)"},{"id":"mt-impact-protective-materials-13","name":"Standards and test methods for protective equipment"}]},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures","name":"Lightweight Structures: Cellular, Sandwich & Architected Materials","category":"Lightweight & Protective Structures","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Shows how to make structures as light as possible by combining material choice with shape: foams, honeycombs, sandwich panels, lattices and hybrid materials.","prerequisites":["mt-materials-selection","mt-composites"],"related":["me-lightweight-structures-composites","ae-lightweight-structural-design","me-mechanical-metamaterials"],"unlocks":["mt-metamaterials"],"order":79,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-1","name":"Lightweighting strategy: material, shape, and structural efficiency"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-2","name":"Cellular solids: honeycombs and foams; Gibson-Ashby scaling laws"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-3","name":"Metallic, polymeric and ceramic foams: processing and properties"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-4","name":"Sandwich panel design: face and core selection, failure-mode maps"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-5","name":"Architected lattice materials: stretching- vs bending-dominated lattices, Maxwell's criterion"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-6","name":"Micro- and nano-architected materials"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-7","name":"Designing hybrid materials: filling holes in property space"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-8","name":"Topology optimisation and generative design"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-9","name":"Lightweighting case studies: aircraft, vehicles, bicycles and space structures"},{"id":"mt-lightweight-structures-10","name":"Lightweight frames for wearable exoskeletons: stiffness, strength and fatigue constraints"}]},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro","name":"Introduction to Computational Materials Science","category":"Computational Materials Science","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Introduces modelling across length and time scales and the numerical methods that let materials scientists simulate diffusion, heat flow and structure.","prerequisites":["mt-diffusion","ma-numerical-solutions-of-odes"],"related":["ph-computational-physics"],"unlocks":["mt-calphad-icme","mt-dft","mt-materials-informatics","mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo","mt-phase-field-mesoscale"],"order":39,"stage":10,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-1","name":"The multiscale landscape: electrons, atoms, microstructure and continuum"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-2","name":"Scientific programming for materials (Python, NumPy, visualisation)"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-3","name":"Finite-difference solutions of diffusion and heat-flow problems"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-4","name":"Introduction to finite element analysis for materials problems"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-5","name":"Interatomic potentials and energy minimisation"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-6","name":"Random numbers and Monte Carlo sampling"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-7","name":"Structure generation and visualisation (supercells, defects, OVITO/VESTA)"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-8","name":"Verification, validation and uncertainty in simulation"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-9","name":"Materials databases and open data (Materials Project, AFLOW, OQMD)"},{"id":"mt-computational-materials-intro-10","name":"Workflow tools and high-performance computing basics"}]},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme","name":"CALPHAD & Integrated Computational Materials Engineering","category":"Computational Materials Science","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers computational thermodynamics (CALPHAD) and how linked process-structure-property models (ICME) are used to design alloys and processes faster.","prerequisites":["mt-phase-diagrams","mt-computational-materials-intro"],"related":[],"unlocks":["mt-high-entropy-alloys"],"order":57,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-1","name":"The CALPHAD method: Gibbs energy models for pure elements and solution phases"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-2","name":"Sublattice (compound energy) models for ordered and intermetallic phases"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-3","name":"Thermodynamic database assessment and optimisation"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-4","name":"Multicomponent phase-diagram and equilibrium calculations"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-5","name":"Scheil solidification simulations"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-6","name":"Mobility databases and diffusion simulation (DICTRA-type)"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-7","name":"Precipitation kinetics modelling"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-8","name":"Tools: Thermo-Calc, Pandat, OpenCalphad and pycalphad"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-9","name":"ICME concept: linking process, structure, property and performance models"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-10","name":"Materials Genome Initiative and accelerated alloy design"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-11","name":"ICME case studies: aerospace alloys, AM process optimisation, automotive steels"},{"id":"mt-calphad-icme-12","name":"Uncertainty quantification and model calibration in ICME"}]},{"id":"mt-dft","name":"Electronic-Structure Methods & Density Functional Theory","category":"Computational Materials Science","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Teaches first-principles calculation of materials properties using density functional theory and related quantum-mechanical methods.","prerequisites":["mt-computational-materials-intro","mt-electronic-properties"],"related":["ph-computational-physics","ph-quantum-mechanics","ch-electronic-structure-theory"],"unlocks":[],"order":58,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"mt-dft-1","name":"The many-body problem and the Born-Oppenheimer approximation"},{"id":"mt-dft-2","name":"Hartree-Fock and the limits of wavefunction methods"},{"id":"mt-dft-3","name":"Hohenberg-Kohn theorems and the Kohn-Sham equations"},{"id":"mt-dft-4","name":"Exchange-correlation functionals: LDA, GGA, meta-GGA, hybrids and DFT+U"},{"id":"mt-dft-5","name":"Plane-wave basis sets, pseudopotentials and PAW; k-point sampling and convergence"},{"id":"mt-dft-6","name":"Computing structures, formation energies and elastic constants"},{"id":"mt-dft-7","name":"Band structures and densities of states"},{"id":"mt-dft-8","name":"Defect formation energies and charged defects"},{"id":"mt-dft-9","name":"Phonons and thermodynamic properties from first principles"},{"id":"mt-dft-10","name":"Surfaces, adsorption and catalysis"},{"id":"mt-dft-11","name":"Transition states and diffusion barriers (nudged elastic band)"},{"id":"mt-dft-12","name":"Beyond DFT: GW, DMFT and van der Waals corrections"},{"id":"mt-dft-13","name":"Practical codes and workflows (VASP, Quantum ESPRESSO, ASE, pymatgen)"}]},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics","name":"Materials Informatics & Machine Learning","category":"Computational Materials Science","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Applies data science and machine learning to materials discovery, property prediction, characterisation and autonomous experimentation.","prerequisites":["mt-computational-materials-intro","ai-core-ml-concepts"],"related":["ai-ai-for-science","ch-cheminformatics-ml"],"unlocks":["mt-emerging-materials"],"order":60,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-1","name":"Materials data: sources, curation, FAIR principles and data quality"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-2","name":"Featurising materials: composition descriptors, structure graphs and fingerprints"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-3","name":"Supervised learning for property prediction"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-4","name":"Graph neural networks for crystals and molecules"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-5","name":"Uncertainty quantification and active learning"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-6","name":"Bayesian optimisation for materials design"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-7","name":"Inverse design and generative models for materials"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-8","name":"High-throughput computation and screening"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-9","name":"Machine learning for microscopy and diffraction data"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-10","name":"Natural-language processing of the materials literature"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-11","name":"Self-driving laboratories and autonomous experimentation"},{"id":"mt-materials-informatics-12","name":"Pitfalls: data leakage, extrapolation and interpretability"}]},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo","name":"Molecular Dynamics & Monte Carlo Simulation","category":"Computational Materials Science","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers atomistic simulation of materials with molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods, from interatomic potentials to machine-learned force fields.","prerequisites":["mt-computational-materials-intro","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics"],"related":["ph-computational-physics","ma-monte-carlo-methods","ch-molecular-modeling-simulation"],"unlocks":[],"order":61,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-1","name":"Statistical mechanics refresher: ensembles and ergodicity"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-2","name":"Interatomic potentials: pair potentials, EAM, Tersoff, ReaxFF and force fields for polymers"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-3","name":"Machine-learned interatomic potentials (GAP, NequIP, MACE)"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-4","name":"Integrating equations of motion: Verlet algorithms and time steps"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-5","name":"Thermostats, barostats and periodic boundary conditions"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-6","name":"Computing properties: diffusion coefficients, RDF, elastic constants and thermal conductivity"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-7","name":"Simulating defects, dislocations, fracture and phase transitions"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-8","name":"Metropolis Monte Carlo and cluster expansions"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-9","name":"Kinetic Monte Carlo for diffusion and growth"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-10","name":"Rare events and accelerated dynamics"},{"id":"mt-molecular-dynamics-monte-carlo-11","name":"Practical simulation with LAMMPS and analysis with OVITO"}]},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale","name":"Phase-Field & Mesoscale Modelling","category":"Computational Materials Science","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Teaches methods for simulating microstructure evolution and mesoscale mechanics, including phase-field, dislocation dynamics and crystal plasticity.","prerequisites":["mt-computational-materials-intro","mt-interfaces-microstructure-evolution","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":62,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-1","name":"Why mesoscale modelling: the gap between atoms and continuum"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-2","name":"Diffuse-interface theory: Ginzburg-Landau free energy and gradient terms"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-3","name":"Cahn-Hilliard and Allen-Cahn equations and their numerical solution"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-4","name":"Phase-field models of solidification and dendrite growth"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-5","name":"Phase-field models of precipitation, grain growth and fracture"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-6","name":"Cellular automata and Monte Carlo Potts models of microstructure"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-7","name":"Discrete dislocation dynamics"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-8","name":"Crystal plasticity finite element method"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-9","name":"Homogenisation and representative volume elements"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-10","name":"Coupling to CALPHAD and experiments"},{"id":"mt-phase-field-mesoscale-11","name":"Tools: MOOSE, PRISMS-PF and DAMASK"}]},{"id":"mt-2d-materials","name":"Two-Dimensional Materials","category":"Frontier Materials","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Covers atomically thin materials such as graphene and MoS2: their synthesis, extraordinary properties and potential uses.","prerequisites":["mt-nanomaterials","mt-semiconductor-materials"],"related":["el-advanced-materials","ph-quantum-materials","ph-topological-phases-of-matter"],"unlocks":[],"order":65,"stage":11,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"mt-2d-materials-1","name":"Graphene: structure, Dirac electronic bands and exceptional mechanical and thermal properties"},{"id":"mt-2d-materials-2","name":"Hexagonal boron nitride and other insulating 2D layers"},{"id":"mt-2d-materials-3","name":"Transition-metal dichalcogenides (MoS2, WSe2) and their optoelectronics"},{"id":"mt-2d-materials-4","name":"MXenes, phosphorene and other emerging 2D families"},{"id":"mt-2d-materials-5","name":"Synthesis: mechanical exfoliation, liquid exfoliation and CVD growth"},{"id":"mt-2d-materials-6","name":"Transfer, van der Waals heterostructures and twistronics"},{"id":"mt-2d-materials-7","name":"Characterisation of 2D materials (Raman, AFM, TEM)"},{"id":"mt-2d-materials-8","name":"Applications: electronics, membranes, composites, sensors and energy storage"}]},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials","name":"Emerging Materials Frontiers","category":"Frontier Materials","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"A survey of fast-moving research frontiers across materials science, from quantum materials and halide perovskites to living materials and autonomous discovery.","prerequisites":["mt-nanomaterials","mt-materials-informatics"],"related":["ph-quantum-materials","ai-ai-for-science"],"unlocks":[],"order":72,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":44,"topics":[{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-1","name":"Quantum materials for computing: superconducting qubit materials, topological materials and defect qubits"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-2","name":"Halide perovskites beyond photovoltaics"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-3","name":"Metal-organic and covalent-organic frameworks"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-4","name":"Engineered living materials and synthetic-biology-derived materials"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-5","name":"4D printing and programmable matter"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-6","name":"Materials for neuromorphic computing (memristors, phase-change memory)"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-7","name":"Ultra-strong materials: carbon-nanotube fibres, nanolattices and diamond composites"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-8","name":"Room-temperature superconductivity claims and how to evaluate them"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-9","name":"Materials for fusion and next-generation energy"},{"id":"mt-emerging-materials-10","name":"Space resource utilisation: materials from lunar and Martian regolith"}]},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys","name":"High-Entropy & Compositionally Complex Alloys","category":"Frontier Materials","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explores alloys made from many elements in near-equal amounts, which open a vast new design space for strong, tough and heat-resistant metals.","prerequisites":["mt-superalloys-refractory","mt-calphad-icme"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":73,"stage":12,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-1","name":"Concept and the four 'core effects' (entropy, lattice distortion, sluggish diffusion, cocktail)"},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-2","name":"Phase formation rules and CALPHAD-guided design"},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-3","name":"Cantor alloy and FCC HEAs: exceptional cryogenic toughness"},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-4","name":"Refractory high-entropy alloys for high-temperature service"},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-5","name":"Chemical short-range order and its effect on properties"},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-6","name":"Deformation mechanisms: TWIP and TRIP in HEAs"},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-7","name":"High-entropy ceramics, oxides and carbides"},{"id":"mt-high-entropy-alloys-8","name":"High-throughput and machine-learning exploration of HEA space"}]},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials","name":"Self-Healing & Adaptive Materials","category":"Frontier Materials","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Studies materials that repair damage on their own, extending service life of coatings, composites, concrete and soft robots.","prerequisites":["mt-composites","mt-smart-materials"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":80,"stage":13,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":40,"topics":[{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-1","name":"Damage and healing concepts; healing efficiency"},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-2","name":"Extrinsic healing: microcapsules and vascular networks"},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-3","name":"Intrinsic healing polymers: reversible covalent bonds (Diels-Alder) and supramolecular chemistry"},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-4","name":"Vitrimers and covalent adaptable networks"},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-5","name":"Self-healing composites and coatings"},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-6","name":"Self-healing concrete (bacterial and autogenous)"},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-7","name":"Self-healing metals and ceramics"},{"id":"mt-self-healing-materials-8","name":"Self-healing soft robots and electronics"}]},{"id":"mt-metamaterials","name":"Metamaterials","category":"Frontier Materials","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Explores engineered materials whose properties come from their architecture rather than their chemistry: negative index, cloaking, negative Poisson's ratio and more.","prerequisites":["mt-lightweight-structures","mt-optical-photonic-materials"],"related":["ph-nanophotonics-plasmonics","el-advanced-materials","me-mechanical-metamaterials"],"unlocks":[],"order":83,"stage":14,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":45,"topics":[{"id":"mt-metamaterials-1","name":"Concept: properties from structure; unit cells and effective-medium theory"},{"id":"mt-metamaterials-2","name":"Electromagnetic metamaterials: negative permittivity/permeability and negative refraction"},{"id":"mt-metamaterials-3","name":"Metasurfaces and flat optics"},{"id":"mt-metamaterials-4","name":"Transformation optics and cloaking"},{"id":"mt-metamaterials-5","name":"Acoustic and elastic metamaterials; phononic band gaps and vibration isolation"},{"id":"mt-metamaterials-6","name":"Mechanical metamaterials: auxetics (negative Poisson's ratio), pentamode and programmable materials"},{"id":"mt-metamaterials-7","name":"Thermal metamaterials"},{"id":"mt-metamaterials-8","name":"Fabrication routes: lithography, two-photon printing and additive manufacturing"}]}]},{"id":"aerospace","name":"Aerospace Engineering","icon":"🚀","color":"#818cf8","prefix":"ae","description":"The engineering of aircraft, rockets and spacecraft: aerodynamics, flight mechanics, structures, air-breathing and rocket propulsion, orbital mechanics, launch and entry, spacecraft subsystems and GNC, and the systems engineering that turns them into missions.","categories":["Introduction to Aerospace","Engineering Foundations","Aerodynamics","Flight Mechanics & Control","Air Vehicle Design","Structures & Materials","Air-Breathing Propulsion & Combustion","Rocket Propulsion","Space & Advanced Propulsion","Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","Launch Vehicles","Entry, Descent & Landing","Spacecraft Subsystems","Guidance, Navigation & Control","Avionics & Flight Software","Space Missions & Exploration","Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","Space Policy & Business"],"chapters":[{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight","name":"History of Flight and Spaceflight","category":"Introduction to Aerospace","level":1,"priority":"optional","summary":"Traces aviation and spaceflight from early balloons and the Wright brothers to the Space Race, the Shuttle and today's commercial space era.","prerequisites":[],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":1,"stage":1,"depth":1,"ancestorCount":0,"topics":[{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-1","name":"Early flight: kites, balloons, gliders, Cayley and Lilienthal"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-2","name":"The Wright brothers and the invention of controlled powered flight"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-3","name":"Aviation in the World Wars and the rise of the jet engine"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-4","name":"Breaking the sound barrier and the supersonic era"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-5","name":"Commercial aviation: the jet age, wide-bodies and fly-by-wire"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-6","name":"Rocketry pioneers: Tsiolkovsky, Goddard, Oberth, von Braun, Korolev"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-7","name":"The Space Race: Sputnik, Gagarin, Mercury, Gemini and Apollo"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-8","name":"Space stations: Salyut, Skylab, Mir and the International Space Station"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-9","name":"The Space Shuttle era, Challenger and Columbia"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-10","name":"Robotic exploration: Voyager, Hubble, Mars rovers, JWST"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-11","name":"The commercial space era: SpaceX, reusable rockets, mega-constellations"},{"id":"ae-history-of-flight-and-spaceflight-12","name":"Artemis, Chinese and Indian space programs and the return to the Moon"}]},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering","name":"Introduction to Aerospace Engineering","category":"Introduction to Aerospace","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"A first tour of what aerospace engineers do, the vehicles they build and the physics and units they work with.","prerequisites":["ma-trigonometry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-aerospace-instrumentation","ae-aerospace-materials","ae-aerospace-systems-engineering","ae-principles-of-flight","ae-rocketry-basics","ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance"],"order":2,"stage":2,"depth":4,"ancestorCount":4,"topics":[{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-1","name":"What aerospace engineering is: aeronautics versus astronautics"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-2","name":"The aerospace industry: aircraft, launch, satellites, defence, agencies and NewSpace"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-3","name":"Types of flight vehicles: airplanes, rotorcraft, balloons, missiles, rockets, spacecraft"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-4","name":"SI and US customary units, dimensional analysis and order-of-magnitude estimates"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-5","name":"Vectors, forces and Newton's laws in a flight context"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-6","name":"The Earth's atmosphere: layers, pressure, density and temperature with altitude"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-7","name":"The International Standard Atmosphere and geopotential altitude"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-8","name":"Energy, power and efficiency for vehicles"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-9","name":"The engineering design process: requirements, concepts, trade-offs, test"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-10","name":"Aerospace engineering disciplines: aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, dynamics and control, systems"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-11","name":"Engineering ethics, safety culture and professional responsibility"},{"id":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering-12","name":"Careers, degrees and professional bodies (AIAA, RAeS)"}]},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics","name":"How Rockets Work","category":"Introduction to Aerospace","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"A conceptual introduction to rockets: action and reaction, thrust, propellants, staging and why reaching orbit is hard.","prerequisites":["ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering","ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry","ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals"],"order":7,"stage":5,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-1","name":"Newton's third law and conservation of momentum: why rockets work in vacuum"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-2","name":"Thrust, exhaust velocity and mass flow in plain terms"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-3","name":"Specific impulse as a measure of engine efficiency"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-4","name":"The rocket equation, delta-v and mass ratio (qualitative)"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-5","name":"Why staging helps"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-6","name":"Rocket anatomy: tanks, engines, nozzle, avionics, payload, fairing"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-7","name":"Propellant families: solid, liquid, hybrid (conceptual)"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-8","name":"How a nozzle turns heat into speed"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-9","name":"Stability of rockets in flight: centre of pressure versus centre of gravity"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-10","name":"From launch to orbit: vertical rise, gravity turn, orbital insertion"},{"id":"ae-rocketry-basics-11","name":"Famous rockets compared: V-2, Saturn V, Space Shuttle, Falcon 9, Starship"}]},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight","name":"Principles of Flight: How Aircraft Fly","category":"Introduction to Aerospace","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"Explains lift, drag, thrust and weight, how wings and controls work, and how an airplane climbs, turns and lands.","prerequisites":["ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering","ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["el-avionics-systems","ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals"],"order":8,"stage":5,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-1","name":"The four forces: lift, weight, thrust and drag"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-2","name":"Airflow, pressure and Bernoulli's principle, and the common lift misconceptions"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-3","name":"Airfoils: camber, angle of attack, lift curve and stall"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-4","name":"Wing geometry: span, chord, aspect ratio, sweep and wing area"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-5","name":"Drag types: skin friction, form, induced and wave drag"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-6","name":"Aircraft anatomy: fuselage, wing, empennage, landing gear, engines"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-7","name":"Control surfaces: ailerons, elevator, rudder, flaps, slats and spoilers"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-8","name":"Axes of motion (roll, pitch, yaw) and the idea of stability"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-9","name":"Straight and level flight, climb, glide, turns and load factor"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-10","name":"Takeoff and landing basics"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-11","name":"Flight instruments and airspeed (indicated, true, ground speed)"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-12","name":"Lighter-than-air flight: balloons and airships"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-13","name":"Helicopters and drones: how rotors produce lift"},{"id":"ae-principles-of-flight-14","name":"Speed regimes: subsonic, transonic, supersonic and hypersonic flight"}]},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance","name":"Space and Orbits at a Glance","category":"Introduction to Aerospace","level":1,"priority":"core","summary":"Introduces what 'space' is, how orbits work, the main orbit types and the harsh environment spacecraft must survive.","prerequisites":["ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering","ph-introductory-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-orbital-mechanics","ae-space-business-economics","ae-space-environment","ae-space-policy-law"],"order":9,"stage":5,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-1","name":"Where space begins: the Karman line and other definitions"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-2","name":"Gravity, free fall and why astronauts float"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-3","name":"Orbits as falling around the Earth: Newton's cannonball"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-4","name":"Orbital speed and period, and Kepler's three laws (qualitative)"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-5","name":"Orbit types: LEO, MEO, GEO, HEO, sun-synchronous, polar"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-6","name":"Escape velocity and trips to the Moon and planets"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-7","name":"The space environment at a glance: vacuum, temperature extremes, radiation, micrometeoroids and debris"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-8","name":"What satellites do: communication, navigation, Earth observation, science"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-9","name":"Spacecraft anatomy: payload and bus"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-10","name":"Ground stations, tracking and how we talk to spacecraft"},{"id":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance-11","name":"Human spaceflight basics: life support, space stations and the effects of microgravity"}]},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry","name":"Model and Amateur Rocketry","category":"Introduction to Aerospace","level":1,"priority":"important","summary":"Hands-on rocketry for beginners: building and flying model and high-power rockets safely under the NAR and Tripoli safety codes and aviation rules.","prerequisites":["ae-rocketry-basics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":12,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-1","name":"Model rocket anatomy: body tube, nose cone, fins, launch lug, recovery system"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-2","name":"Commercial motors: impulse classes (A to O), thrust curves and motor designations"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-3","name":"Stability: finding CG and CP, the Barrowman method and the one-caliber rule"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-4","name":"Flight simulation with OpenRocket or RockSim"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-5","name":"Recovery systems: parachutes, streamers, dual deploy, ejection charges and altimeters"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-6","name":"NAR Model Rocket Safety Code and High Power Rocket Safety Code"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-7","name":"Tripoli Rocketry Association safety code and high-power certification levels (L1 to L3)"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-8","name":"Launch site setup: range safety officer, launch controllers, pads and standoff distances"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-9","name":"Airspace regulations: FAA Part 101 and waivers (and national equivalents)"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-10","name":"Avionics for hobby rockets: flight computers, telemetry and GPS tracking"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-11","name":"Experimental and research motors: why propellant making requires training and licensing"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-12","name":"Student competitions: Spaceport America Cup, TARC, and university rocketry teams"},{"id":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry-13","name":"Amateur liquid-fuel and sounding rocket projects and their safety culture"}]},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace","name":"Feedback Control for Aerospace Systems","category":"Engineering Foundations","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Classical and state-space control of dynamic systems, with aircraft, rockets and spacecraft as the working examples.","prerequisites":["ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["el-control-theory","ma-control-theory","ai-control-systems","me-feedback-control"],"unlocks":["ae-attitude-control","ae-estimation-kalman-filtering","ae-flight-control-systems","ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control","ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations","ae-uav-drone-engineering"],"order":10,"stage":5,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":8,"topics":[{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-1","name":"Modelling dynamic systems: differential equations and linearisation"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-2","name":"Laplace transforms and transfer functions"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-3","name":"Block diagrams and signal flow"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-4","name":"Time response: first- and second-order systems, poles and zeros"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-5","name":"Stability and the Routh-Hurwitz criterion"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-6","name":"Steady-state error and system type"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-7","name":"PID control and tuning"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-8","name":"Root locus analysis and design"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-9","name":"Frequency response: Bode plots, Nyquist criterion, gain and phase margins"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-10","name":"Lead, lag and notch compensators"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-11","name":"State-space models, controllability and observability"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-12","name":"Pole placement and observers"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-13","name":"Linear quadratic regulator (LQR)"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-14","name":"Digital control: sampling, discretisation and z-transforms"},{"id":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace-15","name":"Actuator saturation, delays and practical implementation"}]},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace","name":"Computational Methods for Aerospace Engineers","category":"Engineering Foundations","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"Programming and numerical methods (Python or MATLAB) used daily in aerospace analysis: from integrating trajectories to solving linear systems.","prerequisites":["ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","ma-linear-algebra","cs-programming-fundamentals"],"related":["ma-numerical-solutions-of-odes","ph-computational-physics","me-engineering-computation"],"unlocks":["ae-computational-fluid-dynamics","ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace","ae-orbital-perturbations"],"order":11,"stage":5,"depth":7,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-1","name":"Scientific programming in Python/MATLAB: arrays, plotting, vectorisation"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-2","name":"Floating-point arithmetic, round-off and truncation error"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-3","name":"Root finding: bisection, Newton-Raphson, secant (e.g. Kepler's equation)"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-4","name":"Solving linear systems: LU decomposition, conditioning"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-5","name":"Interpolation, curve fitting and least squares"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-6","name":"Numerical differentiation and integration"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-7","name":"ODE integrators: Euler, Runge-Kutta, adaptive step size, stiffness"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-8","name":"Trajectory simulation: integrating equations of motion"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-9","name":"Eigenvalue problems (vibration modes, dynamic stability)"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-10","name":"Introduction to finite differences for PDEs"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-11","name":"Optimisation basics: gradient methods and constrained problems"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-12","name":"Monte Carlo simulation and uncertainty propagation"},{"id":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace-13","name":"Verification, validation and code testing"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics","name":"Dynamics for Aerospace Engineers","category":"Engineering Foundations","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Three-dimensional particle and rigid-body dynamics in rotating reference frames, the mechanical basis of flight mechanics, orbits and attitude.","prerequisites":["ph-classical-mechanics","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ma-classical-mechanics","me-dynamics"],"unlocks":["ai-aerial-robotics-drones","ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics","ae-flight-dynamics"],"order":13,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-1","name":"Reference frames, coordinate systems and vector notation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-2","name":"Kinematics in rotating frames: the transport theorem"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-3","name":"Coriolis, centripetal and Euler accelerations"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-4","name":"Newton-Euler equations for particles and systems of particles"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-5","name":"Variable-mass systems and the rocket as a variable-mass body"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-6","name":"Rigid-body kinematics: angular velocity and rotation matrices"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-7","name":"Euler angles and their singularities"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-8","name":"Quaternions for rotation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-9","name":"Inertia tensor, principal axes and parallel-axis theorem"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-10","name":"Euler's rotational equations of motion"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-11","name":"Torque-free motion, precession and nutation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-12","name":"Gyroscopes and gyroscopic effects"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-13","name":"Energy and momentum methods; introduction to Lagrange's equations"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-dynamics-14","name":"Numerical simulation of 6-DOF rigid-body motion"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics","name":"Thermodynamics for Aerospace","category":"Engineering Foundations","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Engineering thermodynamics aimed at propulsion and aerodynamics: energy balances, entropy, gas properties and power and propulsion cycles.","prerequisites":["me-engineering-thermodynamics","ch-introductory-chemistry"],"related":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","ma-thermodynamics","me-applied-thermodynamics"],"unlocks":["ae-combustion-fundamentals","ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics","ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion","ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals"],"order":22,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-1","name":"Systems, properties, state and equilibrium"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-2","name":"Ideal gas law, specific heats and calorically perfect gases"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-3","name":"First law for closed systems and control volumes; enthalpy"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-4","name":"Steady-flow energy equation for nozzles, diffusers, compressors and turbines"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-5","name":"Second law, entropy and isentropic processes"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-6","name":"Stagnation (total) properties"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-7","name":"Component efficiencies: isentropic and polytropic"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-8","name":"Brayton cycle and its variants (regeneration, reheat, intercooling)"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-9","name":"Otto and Diesel cycles for piston aero engines"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-10","name":"Rankine and closed Brayton cycles for space power"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-11","name":"Gas mixtures and real-gas behaviour"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-12","name":"Thermochemistry: heats of formation and combustion"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-13","name":"Chemical equilibrium and adiabatic flame temperature (introduction)"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-thermodynamics-14","name":"Exergy and availability"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation","name":"Aerospace Instrumentation and Experimental Methods","category":"Engineering Foundations","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"How aerospace engineers measure pressure, temperature, force, strain, motion and flow, acquire data and quantify uncertainty.","prerequisites":["el-circuit-theory","ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering","ma-inferential-statistics"],"related":["ph-measurement-instrumentation","el-signal-conditioning","me-measurements-instrumentation"],"unlocks":["ae-experimental-aerodynamics","ae-flight-testing","ae-propulsion-testing"],"order":23,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-1","name":"Measurement systems: sensors, signal conditioning, acquisition"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-2","name":"Uncertainty analysis and error propagation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-3","name":"Statistics of measurements and design of experiments"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-4","name":"Pressure measurement: transducers, pitot-static probes, scanners"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-5","name":"Temperature measurement: thermocouples, RTDs, infrared"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-6","name":"Force and moment measurement: load cells and balances"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-7","name":"Strain gauges and Wheatstone bridges"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-8","name":"Accelerometers, gyroscopes and vibration measurement"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-9","name":"Flow measurement: hot-wire anemometry, PIV, LDV"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-10","name":"Data acquisition: sampling, aliasing, filtering and ADC resolution"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-11","name":"Calibration and traceability"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation-12","name":"Technical reporting of experimental results"}]},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals","name":"Fundamentals of Aerodynamics","category":"Aerodynamics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The governing principles of aerodynamics: forces and moments, dimensionless parameters and the conservation equations of fluid flow.","prerequisites":["ae-principles-of-flight","me-fluid-mechanics"],"related":["ph-fluid-mechanics","ma-fluid-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ae-ascent-trajectories","ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics","ae-incompressible-aerodynamics"],"order":28,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-1","name":"Fluid properties: density, pressure, temperature, viscosity and the continuum hypothesis"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-2","name":"Hydrostatics and buoyancy"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-3","name":"Aerodynamic forces and moments; lift, drag and moment coefficients"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-4","name":"Centre of pressure and aerodynamic centre"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-5","name":"Dimensional analysis: Reynolds and Mach numbers, similarity"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-6","name":"Flow types: inviscid versus viscous, incompressible versus compressible"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-7","name":"Control volumes, streamlines, pathlines and streaklines"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-8","name":"Continuity equation"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-9","name":"Momentum equation and the Euler equations"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-10","name":"Energy equation"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-11","name":"Substantial derivative"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-12","name":"Vorticity, circulation and rotational flow"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-13","name":"Stream function and velocity potential"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-14","name":"Pitot tubes and airspeed measurement"},{"id":"ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals-15","name":"The standard atmosphere applied to aerodynamic calculations"}]},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics","name":"Incompressible Aerodynamics: Airfoils and Wings","category":"Aerodynamics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Potential-flow theory for low-speed airfoils and finite wings: how lift arises, what sets induced drag and how wings are shaped.","prerequisites":["ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-aeroelasticity","ae-aircraft-performance","ae-experimental-aerodynamics","ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion","ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers"],"order":46,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-1","name":"Bernoulli's equation and Laplace's equation"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-2","name":"Elementary flows: uniform flow, source, sink, doublet, vortex"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-3","name":"Flow over a cylinder, d'Alembert's paradox and the Kutta-Joukowski theorem"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-4","name":"Airfoil nomenclature and NACA airfoil families"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-5","name":"The Kutta condition and Kelvin's circulation theorem"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-6","name":"Thin airfoil theory: symmetric and cambered airfoils"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-7","name":"Vortex and source panel methods"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-8","name":"Real airfoil behaviour: stall types and viscous effects"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-9","name":"Finite wings: downwash, wingtip vortices and induced drag"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-10","name":"Biot-Savart law and Helmholtz vortex theorems"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-11","name":"Prandtl lifting-line theory and elliptic lift distribution"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-12","name":"Effect of aspect ratio, taper and twist"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-13","name":"Vortex lattice method"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-14","name":"Swept wings and delta wings at low speed"},{"id":"ae-incompressible-aerodynamics-15","name":"High-lift devices: flaps and slats"}]},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics","name":"Compressible Flow and Gas Dynamics","category":"Aerodynamics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"High-speed flow of gases: sound waves, shocks, expansions and nozzle flow, the basis of supersonic flight and rocket nozzles.","prerequisites":["ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals","ae-aerospace-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-fluid-mechanics","me-advanced-fluid-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles","ae-atmospheric-entry","ae-computational-fluid-dynamics","ae-gas-turbine-engines","ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics","ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control"],"order":47,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-1","name":"Speed of sound and Mach number"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-2","name":"Isentropic flow relations and stagnation properties"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-3","name":"Normal shock waves: Rankine-Hugoniot relations"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-4","name":"Oblique shock waves and the theta-beta-Mach relation"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-5","name":"Prandtl-Meyer expansion waves"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-6","name":"Shock-expansion theory for supersonic airfoils"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-7","name":"Quasi-one-dimensional flow: converging-diverging nozzles and choking"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-8","name":"Nozzle operating regimes: over-expansion, under-expansion, shocks in the nozzle"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-9","name":"Diffusers and supersonic wind tunnels"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-10","name":"Fanno flow (friction) and Rayleigh flow (heat addition)"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-11","name":"Linearised subsonic flow and compressibility corrections (Prandtl-Glauert)"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-12","name":"Critical Mach number, drag divergence and the transonic regime"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-13","name":"Linearised supersonic flow and wave drag"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-14","name":"Method of characteristics"},{"id":"ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics-15","name":"Unsteady waves and shock tubes"}]},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers","name":"Viscous Flow and Boundary Layers","category":"Aerodynamics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Viscous effects that govern skin-friction drag, heat transfer and flow separation: laminar and turbulent boundary layers and transition.","prerequisites":["ae-incompressible-aerodynamics"],"related":["ph-fluid-mechanics","me-advanced-fluid-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles","ae-computational-fluid-dynamics","ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics"],"order":68,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-1","name":"The Navier-Stokes equations"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-2","name":"Exact solutions: Couette and Poiseuille flow"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-3","name":"Boundary-layer concept and Prandtl's boundary-layer equations"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-4","name":"Blasius solution for the flat plate"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-5","name":"Displacement and momentum thickness; the momentum integral equation"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-6","name":"Pressure gradients and flow separation"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-7","name":"Laminar-turbulent transition: stability theory, Tollmien-Schlichting waves"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-8","name":"Turbulence fundamentals: Reynolds averaging and the closure problem"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-9","name":"Turbulent boundary layers: law of the wall and skin friction"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-10","name":"Turbulence modelling: mixing length, k-epsilon, k-omega SST"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-11","name":"Compressible boundary layers and aerodynamic heating"},{"id":"ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers-12","name":"Flow control: vortex generators, suction, riblets"}]},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics","name":"Experimental Aerodynamics and Wind Tunnel Testing","category":"Aerodynamics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How aerodynamic data are obtained in wind tunnels and the lab: facilities, models, measurements, corrections and flow visualisation.","prerequisites":["ae-incompressible-aerodynamics","ae-aerospace-instrumentation"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":69,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-1","name":"Wind tunnel types: low-speed, transonic, supersonic, hypersonic, cryogenic"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-2","name":"Similarity requirements and scaling from model to flight"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-3","name":"Model design and mounting; strain-gauge balances"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-4","name":"Pressure-sensitive paint and surface pressure measurement"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-5","name":"Flow visualisation: smoke, oil flow, tufts, schlieren and shadowgraph"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-6","name":"Particle image velocimetry and laser diagnostics"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-7","name":"Wall interference, blockage and buoyancy corrections"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-8","name":"Boundary-layer tripping and transition detection"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-9","name":"Shock tunnels, arc jets and ballistic ranges"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-10","name":"Water tunnels and towing tanks"},{"id":"ae-experimental-aerodynamics-11","name":"Test planning, data reduction and uncertainty"}]},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles","name":"Applied Aerodynamics of Flight Vehicles","category":"Aerodynamics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Applies aerodynamic theory to complete vehicles: drag build-up, high-lift, transonic and supersonic configurations, and missile and launcher aerodynamics.","prerequisites":["ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics","ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics"],"order":83,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-1","name":"Drag breakdown and component drag build-up"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-2","name":"Airfoil and wing design for cruise"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-3","name":"High-lift system design"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-4","name":"Transonic aerodynamics: supercritical airfoils, area rule, wing sweep"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-5","name":"Supersonic configurations: slender wings, wave drag minimisation"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-6","name":"Vortex lift and high angle-of-attack aerodynamics"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-7","name":"Wing-body interference and engine installation effects"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-8","name":"Aerodynamics of bodies of revolution: missiles and launch vehicles"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-9","name":"Fin design and rocket aerodynamic coefficients (normal force, CP, damping)"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-10","name":"Base drag and plume-induced flow effects"},{"id":"ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-11","name":"Aerodynamic databases from analysis, CFD and test"}]},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics","name":"Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)","category":"Aerodynamics","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Numerical solution of the flow equations for aerospace design: discretisation, meshing, solvers, turbulence modelling and verification.","prerequisites":["ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers","ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics","ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes","ae-computational-methods-aerospace"],"related":["ph-computational-physics","me-computational-fluid-dynamics","cs-high-performance-computing"],"unlocks":[],"order":86,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":39,"topics":[{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-1","name":"Hierarchy of flow models: potential, Euler, RANS, LES, DNS"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-2","name":"Finite-difference, finite-volume and finite-element discretisation"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-3","name":"Consistency, stability (CFL, von Neumann) and convergence"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-4","name":"Upwind schemes, flux-vector splitting and Riemann solvers"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-5","name":"Shock capturing, limiters and TVD schemes"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-6","name":"Time integration: explicit, implicit and dual time stepping"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-7","name":"Mesh generation: structured, unstructured, overset and adaptive meshes"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-8","name":"Boundary conditions for external and internal flows"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-9","name":"Turbulence modelling in RANS; hybrid RANS-LES"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-10","name":"Convergence acceleration: multigrid and preconditioning"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-11","name":"Verification and validation; grid convergence studies"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-12","name":"Adjoint methods for aerodynamic shape optimisation"},{"id":"ae-computational-fluid-dynamics-13","name":"Practical CFD workflow with OpenFOAM, SU2 or commercial codes"}]},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics","name":"Hypersonic Flow and Aerothermodynamics","category":"Aerodynamics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Flow above about Mach 5, where thin shock layers, high-temperature gas chemistry and severe heating dominate the design of entry vehicles and hypersonic aircraft.","prerequisites":["ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics","ae-viscous-flow-boundary-layers","me-heat-transfer"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-thermal-protection-systems"],"order":89,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-1","name":"Characteristics of hypersonic flow: thin shock layers, entropy layers, viscous interaction"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-2","name":"Newtonian and modified Newtonian theory"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-3","name":"Hypersonic similarity and Mach-number independence"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-4","name":"High-temperature gas effects: vibrational excitation, dissociation, ionisation"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-5","name":"Thermochemical nonequilibrium and finite-rate chemistry"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-6","name":"Stagnation-point heating: Fay-Riddell and Sutton-Graves correlations"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-7","name":"Convective and radiative heating"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-8","name":"Hypersonic boundary layers and transition"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-9","name":"Shock-wave/boundary-layer interaction"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-10","name":"Surface catalysis and gas-surface interaction"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-11","name":"Rarefied flow and DSMC"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-12","name":"Hypersonic vehicle concepts: waveriders, lifting bodies, boost-glide vehicles"},{"id":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics-13","name":"Hypersonic ground test facilities and flight experiments"}]},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics","name":"Unsteady Aerodynamics and Aeroacoustics","category":"Aerodynamics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Time-dependent aerodynamic loads and the generation of noise by flows, needed for aeroelasticity, rotors, gust response and noise certification.","prerequisites":["ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles"],"related":["me-acoustics-noise-control"],"unlocks":[],"order":100,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-1","name":"Unsteady thin airfoil theory and apparent mass"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-2","name":"Theodorsen's function and Wagner and Kussner functions"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-3","name":"Gust response and gust load alleviation"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-4","name":"Dynamic stall"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-5","name":"Vortex shedding and bluff-body aerodynamics"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-6","name":"Unsteady panel and vortex-lattice methods"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-7","name":"Acoustics fundamentals: wave equation, decibels, spectra"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-8","name":"Lighthill's acoustic analogy and Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings equation"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-9","name":"Jet noise, fan noise and airframe noise"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-10","name":"Sonic boom and its mitigation"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-11","name":"Launch vehicle acoustic environment and liftoff noise suppression"},{"id":"ae-unsteady-aerodynamics-aeroacoustics-12","name":"Aircraft noise certification"}]},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance","name":"Aircraft Performance","category":"Flight Mechanics & Control","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Predicts how far, how fast, how high and how efficiently an aircraft can fly, from the drag polar and engine data.","prerequisites":["ae-incompressible-aerodynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-air-transportation-traffic-management","ae-aircraft-stability-control","ae-uav-drone-engineering"],"order":65,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-1","name":"Equations of motion for point-mass aircraft"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-2","name":"The drag polar and lift-to-drag ratio"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-3","name":"Thrust and power required versus available"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-4","name":"Steady level flight: minimum drag and minimum power speeds"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-5","name":"Climb performance: rate and angle of climb, ceilings"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-6","name":"Gliding flight"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-7","name":"Range and endurance: the Breguet equations for jets and propeller aircraft"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-8","name":"Turning flight, load factor and the V-n diagram"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-9","name":"Takeoff and landing distances"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-10","name":"Energy-state methods and specific excess power"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-11","name":"Performance of jet versus propeller aircraft"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-performance-12","name":"Mission profiles and fuel planning"}]},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control","name":"Aircraft Static Stability and Control","category":"Flight Mechanics & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Why aircraft return to trimmed flight and how control surfaces are sized: static longitudinal, directional and lateral stability and control.","prerequisites":["ae-aircraft-performance"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-aircraft-design","ae-flight-dynamics"],"order":81,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-1","name":"Equilibrium, trim and static stability"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-2","name":"Pitching moment and the contribution of wing, tail and fuselage"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-3","name":"Neutral point and static margin"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-4","name":"Elevator effectiveness and trim"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-5","name":"Stick-fixed versus stick-free stability; hinge moments and tabs"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-6","name":"Stick forces and gradients"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-7","name":"Manoeuvring flight and the manoeuvre point"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-8","name":"Directional stability and rudder sizing"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-9","name":"Lateral (roll) stability: dihedral effect and sweep"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-10","name":"Aileron control power and adverse yaw"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-11","name":"Engine-out and crosswind control requirements"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-stability-control-12","name":"Centre-of-gravity limits and loading"}]},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics","name":"Aircraft Flight Dynamics","category":"Flight Mechanics & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The six-degree-of-freedom motion of aircraft: equations of motion, stability derivatives and the natural dynamic modes.","prerequisites":["ae-aircraft-stability-control","ae-aerospace-dynamics"],"related":["me-advanced-dynamics-multibody"],"unlocks":["ae-flight-control-systems","ae-flight-testing","ae-personal-flight-systems","ae-rotorcraft-engineering"],"order":93,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-1","name":"Axis systems: body, stability, wind and Earth axes"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-2","name":"Nonlinear 6-DOF rigid-body equations of motion"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-3","name":"Small-disturbance theory and linearisation"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-4","name":"Aerodynamic and stability derivatives"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-5","name":"Longitudinal modes: short period and phugoid"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-6","name":"Lateral-directional modes: roll subsidence, spiral and Dutch roll"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-7","name":"Transfer functions and response to control inputs"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-8","name":"Atmospheric turbulence and gust response"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-9","name":"Handling qualities: Cooper-Harper scale and MIL-F-8785C criteria"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-10","name":"Stall, spin and departure dynamics"},{"id":"ae-flight-dynamics-11","name":"Flight simulation and system identification from flight data"}]},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems","name":"Automatic Flight Control Systems","category":"Flight Mechanics & Control","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Design of autopilots, stability augmentation and fly-by-wire control laws that make aircraft safe and pleasant to fly.","prerequisites":["ae-flight-dynamics","ae-feedback-control-aerospace"],"related":["el-avionics-systems","el-state-space-digital-control"],"unlocks":[],"order":103,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-1","name":"Flight control system architecture: sensors, computers, actuators"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-2","name":"Stability augmentation: yaw dampers and pitch dampers"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-3","name":"Control augmentation systems"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-4","name":"Attitude-hold and altitude-hold autopilots"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-5","name":"Heading, navigation and approach autopilots; autoland"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-6","name":"Autothrottle and energy management"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-7","name":"Fly-by-wire and flight envelope protection"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-8","name":"Multivariable and robust control (LQR, H-infinity) for aircraft"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-9","name":"Gain scheduling and nonlinear dynamic inversion"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-10","name":"Actuator dynamics, rate limits and pilot-induced oscillation"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-11","name":"Redundancy management in flight control"},{"id":"ae-flight-control-systems-12","name":"Verification of control laws: piloted simulation and flight test"}]},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering","name":"UAV and Drone Engineering","category":"Air Vehicle Design","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Design, dynamics, autopilots and operation of uncrewed aircraft, from quadcopters to fixed-wing and VTOL drones.","prerequisites":["ae-aircraft-performance","ae-feedback-control-aerospace"],"related":["ai-motion-planning-navigation","el-autonomous-navigation-systems","ai-aerial-robotics-drones"],"unlocks":["ae-personal-flight-systems"],"order":84,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-1","name":"UAV classes and missions"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-2","name":"Multirotor dynamics and control"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-3","name":"Fixed-wing and hybrid VTOL UAV configurations"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-4","name":"Electric propulsion: motors, ESCs, propellers and batteries"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-5","name":"Sizing and endurance estimation"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-6","name":"Sensors: IMU, GNSS, barometer, airspeed, lidar and cameras"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-7","name":"State estimation and sensor fusion on small UAVs"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-8","name":"Autopilots: PX4, ArduPilot and flight controller hardware"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-9","name":"Guidance and path following"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-10","name":"Communication links, telemetry and ground control stations"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-11","name":"Autonomy, detect-and-avoid and swarms"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-12","name":"Regulations: FAA Part 107, EASA categories, BVLOS operations"},{"id":"ae-uav-drone-engineering-13","name":"Testing and safe flight operations"}]},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management","name":"Air Transportation and Air Traffic Management","category":"Air Vehicle Design","level":3,"priority":"optional","summary":"How the air transport system works: airspace, air traffic control, airports, airline operations and future traffic management.","prerequisites":["ae-aircraft-performance"],"related":["el-aircraft-communication"],"unlocks":[],"order":85,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-1","name":"Structure of the air transportation system"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-2","name":"Airspace classes and flight rules (VFR/IFR)"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-3","name":"Air traffic control: tower, approach, en-route"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-4","name":"Communication, navigation and surveillance: radar, ADS-B"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-5","name":"Performance-based navigation and RNAV/RNP procedures"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-6","name":"Airport operations and capacity"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-7","name":"Airline operations: scheduling, fleet planning, economics"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-8","name":"NextGen and SESAR modernisation"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-9","name":"UAS traffic management (UTM) and space traffic integration"},{"id":"ae-air-transportation-traffic-management-10","name":"Aviation environmental impact"}]},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design","name":"Aircraft Design","category":"Air Vehicle Design","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The conceptual and preliminary design of fixed-wing aircraft, integrating aerodynamics, structures, propulsion, stability and cost.","prerequisites":["ae-aircraft-stability-control","ae-aerospace-structures","ae-gas-turbine-engines"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-airworthiness-certification","ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility","ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization"],"order":92,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-1","name":"Design requirements, mission specification and regulations"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-2","name":"Initial sizing: takeoff weight estimation from fuel and empty-weight fractions"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-3","name":"Constraint analysis: wing loading and thrust-to-weight"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-4","name":"Configuration layout: wing, tail, fuselage and engine placement"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-5","name":"Airfoil and wing planform selection"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-6","name":"Tail sizing and control surface sizing"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-7","name":"Propulsion selection and installation"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-8","name":"Landing gear design"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-9","name":"Weights and balance"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-10","name":"Aerodynamic and performance analysis of the design"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-11","name":"Structural layout and materials selection"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-12","name":"Cost estimation and life-cycle cost"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-13","name":"Trade studies and design optimisation"},{"id":"ae-aircraft-design-14","name":"Design of special aircraft: supersonic, STOL, sailplanes, military"}]},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility","name":"Electric Aircraft and Advanced Air Mobility","category":"Air Vehicle Design","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Electric and hybrid-electric aircraft, distributed propulsion and eVTOL air taxis, and the design trades that batteries impose.","prerequisites":["ae-aircraft-design","ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion"],"related":["me-energy-storage-power-integration"],"unlocks":[],"order":107,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-1","name":"Why electrify: efficiency, emissions and noise"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-2","name":"Batteries, fuel cells and hydrogen as aviation energy sources"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-3","name":"Range equations for electric aircraft"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-4","name":"Hybrid-electric powertrain architectures"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-5","name":"Distributed electric propulsion and boundary-layer ingestion"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-6","name":"eVTOL configurations: multicopter, lift+cruise, tilt-wing, tilt-rotor"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-7","name":"Thermal management and electrical safety"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-8","name":"Certification of electric and eVTOL aircraft"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-9","name":"Urban air mobility operations and infrastructure"},{"id":"ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility-10","name":"Sustainable aviation fuels and hydrogen aircraft concepts"}]},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering","name":"Rotorcraft Engineering","category":"Air Vehicle Design","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Helicopter and rotorcraft aerodynamics, dynamics, performance and design, from momentum theory to vibration and tiltrotors.","prerequisites":["ae-flight-dynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":109,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-1","name":"Rotorcraft types: single main rotor, tandem, coaxial, compound, tiltrotor"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-2","name":"Momentum theory in hover and axial flight"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-3","name":"Blade element theory and combined blade-element momentum theory"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-4","name":"Forward flight aerodynamics and the rotor disc"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-5","name":"Rotor blade flapping, lead-lag and feathering dynamics"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-6","name":"Swashplate and cyclic and collective control"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-7","name":"Rotorcraft performance: hover ceiling, power required, autorotation"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-8","name":"Helicopter stability and control"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-9","name":"Rotor vibration, ground resonance and vibration control"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-10","name":"Rotor noise"},{"id":"ae-rotorcraft-engineering-11","name":"Rotorcraft design and sizing"}]},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems","name":"Personal Flight Systems: Jet Suits & Human-Carrying VTOL","category":"Air Vehicle Design","level":4,"priority":"optional","summary":"The engineering of jet suits, jetpacks and personal VTOL: thrust-to-weight, fuel fraction, stability with a human in the loop, and safety.","prerequisites":["ae-uav-drone-engineering","ae-gas-turbine-engines","ae-flight-dynamics"],"related":["ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons","ae-rocketry-basics"],"unlocks":[],"order":110,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-1","name":"History: rocket belts, jetpacks and jet suits"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-2","name":"Thrust-to-weight and hover power requirements"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-3","name":"Fuel mass fraction and endurance limits"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-4","name":"Micro gas turbines and electric ducted fans"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-5","name":"Thrust vectoring and body-in-the-loop control"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-6","name":"Stability augmentation and fly-by-wire for individuals"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-7","name":"Heat, noise and exhaust hazards to the pilot"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-8","name":"Failure modes, redundancy and safe landing"},{"id":"ae-personal-flight-systems-9","name":"Regulation and certification of personal aircraft"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials","name":"Aerospace Materials and Selection","category":"Structures & Materials","level":2,"priority":"important","summary":"The engineering properties of the metals, composites, ceramics and polymers used in aircraft and spacecraft and how to choose among them.","prerequisites":["ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering","me-engineering-materials"],"related":["mt-aerospace-materials","me-materials-selection"],"unlocks":["ae-aerospace-manufacturing","ae-composite-structures","ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance"],"order":3,"stage":3,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-1","name":"Material requirements in aerospace: specific strength and specific stiffness"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-2","name":"Mechanical properties: stress-strain, strength, toughness, fatigue, creep"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-3","name":"Aluminium alloys and aluminium-lithium"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-4","name":"Titanium alloys"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-5","name":"Steels and nickel-based superalloys for engines"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-6","name":"Fibre-reinforced composites: carbon, glass, aramid"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-7","name":"Ceramics and ceramic-matrix composites"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-8","name":"Polymers, adhesives, sealants and elastomers"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-9","name":"Materials for extreme environments: cryogenic, high temperature, vacuum and radiation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-10","name":"Corrosion and environmental degradation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-11","name":"Materials selection: Ashby charts and performance indices"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-materials-12","name":"Material allowables and qualification (MMPDS, CMH-17)"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing","name":"Aerospace Manufacturing and Quality","category":"Structures & Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How airframes, engines and rockets are actually made: machining, forming, joining, composites fabrication, additive manufacturing and inspection.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-materials","me-manufacturing-processes"],"related":["me-additive-manufacturing","mt-nondestructive-evaluation"],"unlocks":[],"order":5,"stage":4,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-1","name":"Machining of aerospace alloys and large monolithic parts"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-2","name":"Sheet metal forming, spin forming and chemical milling"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-3","name":"Joining: riveting, welding (including friction-stir welding), brazing and bonding"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-4","name":"Composite fabrication: prepreg layup, autoclave, out-of-autoclave, filament winding, automated fibre placement"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-5","name":"Additive manufacturing of engine and rocket components"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-6","name":"Tolerances, GD&T and fits"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-7","name":"Non-destructive evaluation: ultrasonic, X-ray/CT, eddy current, dye penetrant"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-8","name":"Assembly, jigs and tooling"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-9","name":"Quality systems: AS9100, first-article inspection, traceability"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-10","name":"Cleanliness and contamination control for propulsion and space hardware"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-manufacturing-11","name":"Production rate, cost and supply chain"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures","name":"Aerospace Structures and Structural Analysis","category":"Structures & Materials","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"Stress analysis of the thin-walled, stiffened structures used in airframes, rockets and spacecraft.","prerequisites":["me-mechanics-of-materials"],"related":["ma-solid-mechanics","me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials"],"unlocks":["ae-aircraft-design","ae-composite-structures","ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance","ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace","ae-launch-vehicle-design","ae-structural-dynamics-vibration"],"order":20,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-1","name":"Review of statics, stress, strain and Hooke's law"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-2","name":"Structural idealisation of airframes and launch vehicle structures"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-3","name":"Loads on flight vehicles: flight, ground, pressure and inertial loads"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-4","name":"Axial, bending and torsion of beams"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-5","name":"Bending of unsymmetric sections"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-6","name":"Shear flow in open and closed thin-walled sections"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-7","name":"Shear centre"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-8","name":"Torsion of thin-walled multi-cell sections (wing boxes)"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-9","name":"Stiffened panels and stringer-skin idealisation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-10","name":"Energy methods: virtual work and Castigliano's theorem"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-11","name":"Buckling of columns, plates and thin shells"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-12","name":"Pressure vessels and propellant tanks"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-13","name":"Joints and fasteners"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-structures-14","name":"Margins of safety and factors of safety"}]},{"id":"ae-composite-structures","name":"Composite Structures","category":"Structures & Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Analysis and design of laminated composite structures, which make up most of modern airframes and rocket structures.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-structures","ae-aerospace-materials","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["mt-composites","mt-fibre-composites-mechanics-manufacturing","me-lightweight-structures-composites"],"unlocks":["ae-lightweight-structural-design"],"order":38,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ae-composite-structures-1","name":"Fibres, matrices and composite manufacturing forms"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-2","name":"Micromechanics: rule of mixtures"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-3","name":"Orthotropic lamina stress-strain relations"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-4","name":"Classical laminate theory: ABD matrices"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-5","name":"Laminate stacking sequences and coupling effects"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-6","name":"Failure criteria: max stress, Tsai-Hill, Tsai-Wu, Hashin"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-7","name":"Sandwich structures"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-8","name":"Composite joints and bonded repair"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-9","name":"Damage, impact and damage tolerance of composites"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-10","name":"Composite overwrapped pressure vessels and tanks"},{"id":"ae-composite-structures-11","name":"Design allowables and building-block testing"}]},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance","name":"Fatigue, Fracture and Damage Tolerance","category":"Structures & Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Why aerospace structures crack and how they are designed and inspected so cracks never become catastrophic.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-structures","ae-aerospace-materials"],"related":["mt-fracture-mechanics","mt-fatigue-failure-analysis","me-fatigue-fracture-creep"],"unlocks":[],"order":39,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-1","name":"Lessons from failures: Comet, Aloha 243 and others"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-2","name":"Stress concentrations"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-3","name":"High-cycle fatigue: S-N curves and mean-stress effects"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-4","name":"Cumulative damage: Miner's rule"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-5","name":"Low-cycle fatigue and strain-life methods"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-6","name":"Linear elastic fracture mechanics: stress intensity factor, fracture toughness"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-7","name":"Fatigue crack growth: Paris law"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-8","name":"Safe-life, fail-safe and damage-tolerant design philosophies"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-9","name":"Fracture control for spacecraft and pressure vessels (NASA-STD-5019)"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-10","name":"Non-destructive inspection methods and intervals"},{"id":"ae-fatigue-fracture-damage-tolerance-11","name":"Structural health monitoring"}]},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace","name":"Finite Element Analysis for Aerospace Structures","category":"Structures & Materials","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Finite element modelling of aerospace structures for stress, buckling, vibration and thermal analysis.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-structures","ae-computational-methods-aerospace"],"related":["ma-numerical-solutions-of-pdes","me-finite-element-analysis"],"unlocks":["ae-lightweight-structural-design"],"order":40,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-1","name":"Matrix structural analysis and the direct stiffness method"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-2","name":"Truss and beam elements"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-3","name":"Variational formulation and shape functions"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-4","name":"Plane stress, plate and shell elements"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-5","name":"Solid elements and meshing practice"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-6","name":"Boundary conditions and load application"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-7","name":"Modal and buckling analysis with FEA"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-8","name":"Thermal and thermo-structural analysis"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-9","name":"Nonlinear analysis: geometric, material and contact"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-10","name":"Model verification, mesh convergence and correlation with tests"},{"id":"ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace-11","name":"Industry tools: NASTRAN, Abaqus, ANSYS and FEMAP workflows"}]},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration","name":"Structural Dynamics and Vibration","category":"Structures & Materials","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Vibration of structures and their response to dynamic loads, from single-degree-of-freedom systems to launch vibration environments.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-structures","me-mechanical-vibrations"],"related":["me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics"],"unlocks":["ae-aeroelasticity","ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control","ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test","ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms"],"order":51,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-1","name":"Single-degree-of-freedom systems: free and forced vibration, damping"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-2","name":"Harmonic, impulse and shock response"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-3","name":"Multi-degree-of-freedom systems: natural frequencies and mode shapes"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-4","name":"Modal analysis and modal superposition"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-5","name":"Continuous systems: bars, beams and plates"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-6","name":"Rayleigh-Ritz method"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-7","name":"Random vibration and power spectral density"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-8","name":"Shock response spectrum"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-9","name":"Launch dynamic environments: sine, random, acoustic and shock"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-10","name":"Coupled loads analysis"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-11","name":"Vibration isolation and damping treatments"},{"id":"ae-structural-dynamics-vibration-12","name":"Experimental modal analysis"}]},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design","name":"Lightweight Structural Design and Optimisation","category":"Structures & Materials","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Designing structures for minimum mass: efficient structural forms, buckling-driven sizing, optimisation and deployable space structures.","prerequisites":["ae-finite-element-analysis-aerospace","ae-composite-structures"],"related":["me-lightweight-structures-composites","mt-lightweight-structures"],"unlocks":[],"order":61,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-1","name":"Structural efficiency and minimum-weight design"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-2","name":"Optimal design of stiffened panels and isogrid/orthogrid structures"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-3","name":"Sandwich and lattice structures"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-4","name":"Buckling-critical design of shells: knockdown factors"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-5","name":"Sizing, shape and topology optimisation"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-6","name":"Design for additive manufacturing"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-7","name":"Deployable, inflatable and tensioned space structures"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-8","name":"Multifunctional structures"},{"id":"ae-lightweight-structural-design-9","name":"Probabilistic and reliability-based design"}]},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity","name":"Aeroelasticity","category":"Structures & Materials","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Interaction of aerodynamic, elastic and inertial forces: divergence, control reversal, flutter and dynamic loads.","prerequisites":["ae-structural-dynamics-vibration","ae-incompressible-aerodynamics"],"related":["me-advanced-vibrations-rotordynamics"],"unlocks":[],"order":75,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-1","name":"The aeroelastic triangle and classification of phenomena"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-2","name":"Static aeroelasticity: wing divergence"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-3","name":"Control effectiveness and control reversal"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-4","name":"Load redistribution on flexible wings"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-5","name":"Typical-section model and flutter mechanism"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-6","name":"Flutter analysis: k and p-k methods"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-7","name":"Unsteady aerodynamic models for aeroelasticity"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-8","name":"Panel flutter and buffet"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-9","name":"Gust response and dynamic loads"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-10","name":"Aeroservoelasticity"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-11","name":"Flutter testing and certification"},{"id":"ae-aeroelasticity-12","name":"Aeroelasticity of launch vehicles and rotorcraft"}]},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals","name":"Combustion for Aerospace Propulsion","category":"Air-Breathing Propulsion & Combustion","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"The chemistry and physics of burning fuels in engines: thermochemistry, kinetics, flames, sprays and detonations.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-thermodynamics","ch-chemical-equilibrium","ch-chemical-kinetics-intro"],"related":["ph-chemical-physics-physical-chemistry","ch-combustion-chemistry","me-combustion-engineering"],"unlocks":["ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle","ae-rocket-propellants-performance"],"order":37,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-1","name":"Stoichiometry, equivalence ratio and mixture fraction"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-2","name":"Thermochemistry and adiabatic flame temperature"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-3","name":"Chemical equilibrium and dissociation at high temperature"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-4","name":"Chemical kinetics: reaction rates, Arrhenius law, mechanisms"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-5","name":"Ignition and extinction"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-6","name":"Premixed laminar flames: flame speed and thickness"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-7","name":"Non-premixed (diffusion) flames"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-8","name":"Droplet evaporation and spray combustion"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-9","name":"Turbulent combustion regimes"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-10","name":"Detonation: Chapman-Jouguet theory and ZND structure"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-11","name":"Pollutant formation: NOx, CO, soot"},{"id":"ae-combustion-fundamentals-12","name":"Gas turbine combustor design and flame stabilisation"}]},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines","name":"Aircraft Engines and Gas Turbines","category":"Air-Breathing Propulsion & Combustion","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Cycle analysis and component behaviour of turbojets, turbofans, turboprops and turboshafts that power almost all aircraft.","prerequisites":["ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics"],"related":["me-turbomachinery"],"unlocks":["ae-aircraft-design","ae-personal-flight-systems","ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle","ae-turbomachinery"],"order":66,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-1","name":"Thrust equation for air-breathing engines"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-2","name":"Propulsive, thermal and overall efficiency; thrust specific fuel consumption"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-3","name":"Ideal cycle analysis: ramjet, turbojet, turbofan"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-4","name":"Non-ideal (real) cycle analysis with component losses"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-5","name":"Turbofan design parameters: bypass ratio, fan and overall pressure ratio"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-6","name":"Turboprop and turboshaft engines"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-7","name":"Inlets and diffusers: subsonic and supersonic"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-8","name":"Compressors and fans: velocity triangles and stage performance"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-9","name":"Combustors and afterburners"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-10","name":"Turbines and turbine cooling"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-11","name":"Exhaust nozzles and thrust reversers"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-12","name":"Component matching and off-design performance"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-13","name":"Engine installation, noise and emissions"},{"id":"ae-gas-turbine-engines-14","name":"Engine testing, health monitoring and certification"}]},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion","name":"Propellers, Piston and Electric Aircraft Propulsion","category":"Air-Breathing Propulsion & Combustion","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Propeller aerodynamics and the reciprocating and electric powerplants used on general aviation aircraft, drones and eVTOLs.","prerequisites":["ae-incompressible-aerodynamics","ae-aerospace-thermodynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-electric-aircraft-advanced-air-mobility"],"order":71,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-1","name":"Actuator disk (momentum) theory for propellers"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-2","name":"Blade element theory for propellers"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-3","name":"Propeller efficiency, advance ratio and propeller charts"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-4","name":"Fixed-pitch, variable-pitch and constant-speed propellers"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-5","name":"Reciprocating aircraft engines: cycles, power and altitude effects"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-6","name":"Turbocharging and supercharging"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-7","name":"Electric motors for aircraft: brushless DC motors and motor constants"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-8","name":"Motor controllers, batteries and power electronics"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-9","name":"Hybrid-electric and turboelectric propulsion"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-10","name":"Ducted fans and open rotors"},{"id":"ae-propellers-piston-electric-propulsion-11","name":"Propeller noise"}]},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle","name":"Ramjets, Scramjets and Combined-Cycle Propulsion","category":"Air-Breathing Propulsion & Combustion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Air-breathing propulsion for supersonic and hypersonic flight, and combined-cycle engines that bridge aircraft and rocket propulsion.","prerequisites":["ae-gas-turbine-engines","ae-combustion-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":90,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-1","name":"Ramjet cycle and performance"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-2","name":"Supersonic inlets: external, mixed and internal compression; unstart"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-3","name":"Scramjet cycle and supersonic combustion"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-4","name":"Fuel injection, mixing and flameholding in supersonic flow"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-5","name":"Isolators and dual-mode ramjet/scramjet operation"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-6","name":"Hydrocarbon versus hydrogen fuels and thermal management"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-7","name":"Turbine-based combined cycle (TBCC)"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-8","name":"Rocket-based combined cycle (RBCC) and air-augmented rockets"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-9","name":"Precooled engines (SABRE concept)"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-10","name":"Pressure-gain combustion: pulse and rotating detonation engines"},{"id":"ae-ramjets-scramjets-combined-cycle-11","name":"Flight demonstrators: X-43, X-51 and HIFiRE"}]},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery","name":"Turbomachinery","category":"Air-Breathing Propulsion & Combustion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Aerodynamic and mechanical design of the compressors, turbines and pumps at the heart of jet engines and rocket turbopumps.","prerequisites":["ae-gas-turbine-engines"],"related":["me-turbomachinery","ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":91,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-1","name":"Euler turbomachinery equation and velocity triangles"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-2","name":"Dimensionless performance parameters and similarity"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-3","name":"Axial compressor stage design: loading, reaction and flow coefficients"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-4","name":"Cascade aerodynamics and loss mechanisms"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-5","name":"Stall and surge; compressor maps"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-6","name":"Centrifugal compressors"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-7","name":"Axial turbine design and turbine blade cooling"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-8","name":"Radial inflow turbines"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-9","name":"Three-dimensional flows and secondary flows"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-10","name":"Blade structural design: centrifugal stress, vibration and creep"},{"id":"ae-turbomachinery-11","name":"Pumps and cavitation (link to rocket turbopumps)"}]},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","name":"Rocket Propulsion Fundamentals","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The quantitative basics of rocket propulsion: the rocket equation, thrust, specific impulse, ideal rocket theory, nozzles and staging.","prerequisites":["ae-rocketry-basics","ae-aerospace-thermodynamics"],"related":["ph-classical-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ae-ascent-trajectories","ae-electric-propulsion","ae-propulsion-testing","ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control","ae-rocket-propellants-performance","ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems"],"order":29,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-1","name":"Classification of rocket propulsion systems"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-2","name":"Momentum thrust, pressure thrust and the rocket thrust equation"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-3","name":"Total impulse, specific impulse and effective exhaust velocity"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-4","name":"The Tsiolkovsky rocket equation and mass ratio"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-5","name":"Delta-v budgets: gravity losses, drag losses and steering losses"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-6","name":"Multistage rockets: series and parallel staging, optimal staging"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-7","name":"Ideal rocket assumptions"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-8","name":"Isentropic nozzle flow: exhaust velocity and area ratio"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-9","name":"Characteristic velocity (c*) and thrust coefficient (CF)"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-10","name":"Optimum expansion and altitude effects"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-11","name":"Energy and efficiencies of rocket propulsion"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-12","name":"Thrust-to-weight ratio and structural mass fraction"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals-13","name":"Rocket flight performance in gravity-free, gravity and atmospheric flight"}]},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance","name":"Rocket Propellants and Thermochemical Performance","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How propellant choice sets rocket performance: combustion thermochemistry, equilibrium calculations and the properties of liquid and solid propellants (conceptual, not recipes).","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","ae-combustion-fundamentals"],"related":["ch-propellant-chemistry","ch-energetic-materials"],"unlocks":["ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion","ae-liquid-rocket-engines","ae-solid-rocket-motors"],"order":49,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-1","name":"Combustion chamber thermochemistry: energy balance and products"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-2","name":"Chemical equilibrium calculations and the minimisation of Gibbs energy"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-3","name":"Using NASA CEA (Chemical Equilibrium with Applications) and similar tools"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-4","name":"Shifting versus frozen equilibrium in the nozzle"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-5","name":"Mixture ratio optimisation and density specific impulse"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-6","name":"Cryogenic propellants: LOX, LH2, liquid methane"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-7","name":"Storable and hypergolic propellants"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-8","name":"Hydrocarbon fuels: RP-1 and kerosene"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-9","name":"Monopropellants and green propellants"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-10","name":"Solid propellant families: composite, double-base and their properties (conceptual)"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-11","name":"Propellant selection trades: performance, density, storability, cost and toxicity"},{"id":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance-12","name":"Propellant hazards, handling and safety principles"}]},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing","name":"Propulsion Testing","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How rocket and jet engines are tested: test stands, instrumentation, test campaigns, data analysis and test safety.","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","ae-aerospace-instrumentation"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":56,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-1","name":"Test objectives: development, qualification and acceptance testing"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-2","name":"Test stand design: thrust structure, flame deflector, propellant systems"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-3","name":"Thrust measurement and load cell calibration"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-4","name":"Pressure, temperature and flow measurement in engines"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-5","name":"High-speed data acquisition and video"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-6","name":"Altitude simulation: vacuum chambers and diffusers"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-7","name":"Static-fire and hot-fire test campaigns"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-8","name":"Gas turbine test cells and correction to standard day"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-9","name":"Test safety: hazard analysis, blast zones, remote operations"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-10","name":"Environmental and acoustic effects of testing"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-11","name":"Post-test data reduction and performance reconstruction"},{"id":"ae-propulsion-testing-12","name":"Integrated stage testing and green runs"}]},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion","name":"Hybrid Rocket Propulsion","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Rockets that combine a solid fuel grain with a liquid or gaseous oxidiser: their physics, performance and design trades.","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propellants-performance"],"related":["ch-propellant-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":70,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-1","name":"Hybrid rocket architecture and advantages"},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-2","name":"Boundary-layer combustion and regression rate"},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-3","name":"Oxidiser mass flux and regression rate laws"},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-4","name":"Liquefying (paraffin) fuels"},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-5","name":"Mixture-ratio shift and grain port design"},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-6","name":"Oxidiser feed: self-pressurised nitrous oxide and LOX"},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-7","name":"Combustion efficiency and instabilities in hybrids"},{"id":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion-8","name":"Hybrid applications: SpaceShipOne/Two, sounding rockets and student rockets"}]},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control","name":"Rocket Nozzles and Thrust Vector Control","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Design of rocket nozzles for real flight conditions and the methods used to steer a rocket's thrust.","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-liquid-rocket-engines"],"order":72,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-1","name":"Nozzle losses: divergence, boundary layer, two-phase flow and kinetics"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-2","name":"Conical and bell (Rao) nozzle contours"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-3","name":"Method of characteristics for nozzle design"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-4","name":"Over-expanded flow, flow separation and side loads"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-5","name":"Altitude compensation: aerospikes, expansion-deflection and extendible nozzles"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-6","name":"Nozzle cooling and materials: regenerative, radiative, ablative"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-7","name":"Thrust vector control: gimballed engines and flexible nozzle joints"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-8","name":"Jet vanes, jet tabs and secondary injection"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-9","name":"Differential throttling and vernier/reaction control"},{"id":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control-10","name":"Rocket exhaust plumes: structure, radiation, and base heating"}]},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors","name":"Solid Rocket Motors","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Design and behaviour of solid rocket motors: burning rate, grain geometry, motor case, nozzle, ignition and reliability.","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propellants-performance"],"related":["ch-energetic-materials","ch-propellant-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":73,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-1","name":"Solid rocket motor components and applications"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-2","name":"Burning rate law (Saint-Robert/Vieille) and pressure exponent"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-3","name":"Temperature sensitivity and erosive burning"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-4","name":"Chamber pressure equilibrium and stability (Kn)"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-5","name":"Grain geometry: end-burner, BATES, star, finocyl, wagon wheel"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-6","name":"Thrust-time curves and progressive/regressive burning"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-7","name":"Internal ballistics simulation"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-8","name":"Motor case design: metal and composite cases"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-9","name":"Insulation, liners and nozzle materials"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-10","name":"Igniters"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-11","name":"Grain structural integrity and aging"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-12","name":"Thrust termination and thrust vector control for solids"},{"id":"ae-solid-rocket-motors-13","name":"Large boosters: Space Shuttle SRB and SLS boosters; the Challenger O-ring failure"}]},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines","name":"Liquid Rocket Engines","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Design of liquid-propellant rocket engines: thrust chambers, injectors, cooling, ignition and engine operation.","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propellants-performance","ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control","me-heat-transfer"],"related":["ch-propellant-chemistry"],"unlocks":["ae-combustion-instability","ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems","ae-launch-vehicle-design","ae-nuclear-propulsion"],"order":82,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":36,"topics":[{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-1","name":"Liquid rocket engine architecture and subsystems"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-2","name":"Thrust chamber sizing: chamber pressure, characteristic length (L*), contraction ratio"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-3","name":"Injector types: impinging, coaxial swirl, pintle, showerhead"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-4","name":"Injector design: pressure drop, atomisation and mixing"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-5","name":"Combustion efficiency and c* efficiency"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-6","name":"Heat transfer in thrust chambers: the Bartz correlation"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-7","name":"Regenerative cooling channel design"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-8","name":"Film, transpiration, ablative and radiation cooling"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-9","name":"Ignition systems: pyrotechnic, spark, hypergolic, TEA-TEB"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-10","name":"Start-up and shutdown transients"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-11","name":"Throttling and deep throttling"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-12","name":"Engine valves, lines and propellant conditioning"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-13","name":"Engine mass estimation"},{"id":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines-14","name":"Case studies: F-1, RS-25, Merlin, Raptor, RD-180"}]},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems","name":"Engine Cycles, Turbopumps and Feed Systems","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"How propellants get from tanks into the chamber: pressure-fed and pump-fed cycles, turbopump design, pressurisation and tank propellant management.","prerequisites":["ae-liquid-rocket-engines","me-turbomachinery"],"related":["ae-turbomachinery"],"unlocks":[],"order":95,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":42,"topics":[{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-1","name":"Pressure-fed versus pump-fed systems"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-2","name":"Gas-generator cycle"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-3","name":"Staged-combustion cycles: oxidiser-rich, fuel-rich and full-flow"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-4","name":"Expander cycles (closed and bleed)"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-5","name":"Electric-pump-fed and tap-off cycles"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-6","name":"Engine cycle power balance and cycle analysis"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-7","name":"Turbopump architecture: single-shaft versus dual-shaft"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-8","name":"Centrifugal pump design, inducers and cavitation (NPSH)"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-9","name":"Turbine design for turbopumps"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-10","name":"Bearings, seals and rotordynamics"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-11","name":"Tank pressurisation: helium, autogenous, blowdown"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-12","name":"Propellant management: slosh, vortexing, ullage and settling"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-13","name":"Cryogenic propellant conditioning, chilldown and boil-off"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-14","name":"POGO oscillations and suppression"},{"id":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems-15","name":"Engine control and health monitoring"}]},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability","name":"Combustion Instability in Rocket Engines","category":"Rocket Propulsion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Coupling between combustion and chamber acoustics that can destroy rocket engines, and how engineers predict, test for and suppress it.","prerequisites":["ae-liquid-rocket-engines"],"related":["me-combustion-engineering","me-acoustics-noise-control","ph-acoustics","ch-combustion-chemistry"],"unlocks":[],"order":98,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-1","name":"Types of instability: chugging, buzzing and screeching"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-2","name":"Chamber acoustic modes: longitudinal, tangential and radial"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-3","name":"Rayleigh criterion and driving mechanisms"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-4","name":"Feed-system coupled (low-frequency) instabilities"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-5","name":"Sensitive time-lag (Crocco) model"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-6","name":"Damping devices: baffles, acoustic cavities and resonators"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-7","name":"Stability rating: bomb tests and pulse guns"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-8","name":"The F-1 engine instability programme"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-9","name":"Instabilities in solid rocket motors and gas turbine combustors"},{"id":"ae-combustion-instability-10","name":"Modern analysis: CFD-based and reduced-order models"}]},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion","name":"Electric Propulsion","category":"Space & Advanced Propulsion","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Spacecraft propulsion that accelerates propellant with electrical power: resistojets, arcjets, ion and Hall thrusters and electromagnetic devices.","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","ph-classical-electromagnetism"],"related":["ph-space-physics","ph-plasma-physics"],"unlocks":["ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts"],"order":58,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-1","name":"Why electric propulsion: power-limited versus energy-limited rockets"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-2","name":"Optimal specific impulse and power-to-thrust trade"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-3","name":"Basic plasma physics for propulsion"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-4","name":"Electrothermal thrusters: resistojets and arcjets"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-5","name":"Gridded ion thrusters"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-6","name":"Hall-effect thrusters"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-7","name":"Electrospray and field-emission thrusters"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-8","name":"Pulsed plasma and magnetoplasmadynamic (MPD) thrusters"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-9","name":"VASIMR and other advanced electromagnetic concepts"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-10","name":"Power processing units and spacecraft integration"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-11","name":"Lifetime, erosion and plume interactions"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-12","name":"Electric propulsion missions: Deep Space 1, Dawn, Starlink, BepiColombo"},{"id":"ae-electric-propulsion-13","name":"Low-thrust trajectory basics"}]},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts","name":"Advanced and Breakthrough Propulsion Concepts","category":"Space & Advanced Propulsion","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Propulsion at the frontier: sails, tethers, beamed energy, fusion and interstellar concepts, with honest assessment of their physics.","prerequisites":["ae-electric-propulsion"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":80,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-1","name":"Solar sails: photon pressure, sail materials, IKAROS and LightSail"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-2","name":"Electrodynamic and momentum-exchange tethers"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-3","name":"Beamed-energy propulsion: laser sails and laser thermal"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-4","name":"Magnetic sails and electric sails"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-5","name":"Fusion propulsion concepts"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-6","name":"Antimatter propulsion"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-7","name":"Interstellar missions: Breakthrough Starshot and Project Daedalus"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-8","name":"Non-rocket launch: space elevators, mass drivers, skyhooks"},{"id":"ae-advanced-propulsion-concepts-9","name":"Speculative physics and how to evaluate claims"}]},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion","name":"Nuclear Propulsion and Space Nuclear Power","category":"Space & Advanced Propulsion","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Nuclear thermal and nuclear electric propulsion and space reactors, promising much higher performance for crewed Mars missions.","prerequisites":["ae-liquid-rocket-engines","ph-nuclear-physics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":99,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":45,"topics":[{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-1","name":"Nuclear fission basics for engineers"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-2","name":"Nuclear thermal rocket principle and performance"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-3","name":"NERVA/Rover programme history"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-4","name":"Reactor fuel forms: solid core, particle bed, CERMET"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-5","name":"Nuclear electric propulsion architectures"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-6","name":"Radioisotope power and propulsion"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-7","name":"Shielding and radiation protection"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-8","name":"Nuclear safety, launch approval and policy"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-9","name":"Bimodal and advanced concepts: gas core, fission fragment"},{"id":"ae-nuclear-propulsion-10","name":"Current programmes (e.g. DRACO) and mission applications"}]},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics","name":"Orbital Mechanics: The Two-Body Problem","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The mathematics of Keplerian orbits: conic sections, orbital elements, time of flight and coordinate frames.","prerequisites":["ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance","ph-classical-mechanics","ma-linear-algebra"],"related":["ma-mathematical-aspects-of-astronomy","ph-celestial-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ae-aerospace-navigation-systems","ae-ascent-trajectories","ae-atmospheric-entry","ae-orbital-maneuvers","ae-orbital-perturbations"],"order":14,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-1","name":"Newton's law of gravitation and the n-body problem"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-2","name":"Two-body equations of motion and their integrals"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-3","name":"Specific angular momentum and specific energy (vis-viva equation)"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-4","name":"Conic sections: circular, elliptical, parabolic and hyperbolic orbits"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-5","name":"Kepler's equation and time of flight"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-6","name":"Solving Kepler's equation numerically; universal variables"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-7","name":"Classical orbital elements"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-8","name":"Coordinate systems: ECI, ECEF, perifocal and topocentric frames"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-9","name":"Converting between state vectors and orbital elements"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-10","name":"Time systems: UTC, TAI, TT, Julian date and sidereal time"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-11","name":"Ground tracks"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-12","name":"Preliminary orbit determination: Gibbs, Herrick-Gibbs and Gauss methods"},{"id":"ae-orbital-mechanics-13","name":"Lambert's problem"}]},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers","name":"Orbital Manoeuvres","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How spacecraft change orbits: impulsive transfers, plane changes, phasing and delta-v budgeting.","prerequisites":["ae-orbital-mechanics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-guidance-algorithms","ae-interplanetary-trajectories","ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations","ae-space-mission-design"],"order":24,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-1","name":"Impulsive manoeuvres and the delta-v concept"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-2","name":"Hohmann transfer"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-3","name":"Bi-elliptic transfer"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-4","name":"Phasing manoeuvres"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-5","name":"Non-Hohmann and one-tangent-burn transfers"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-6","name":"Plane-change manoeuvres and combined manoeuvres"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-7","name":"Apse-line rotation"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-8","name":"Lambert-based targeting"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-9","name":"Finite-burn losses and the Oberth effect"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-10","name":"GEO transfer and station acquisition"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-11","name":"Introduction to low-thrust spiral transfers (Edelbaum)"},{"id":"ae-orbital-maneuvers-12","name":"Delta-v budgets for missions"}]},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations","name":"Orbital Perturbations and Orbit Propagation","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How real orbits deviate from Kepler: Earth oblateness, drag, solar pressure and third bodies, and how to propagate orbits numerically.","prerequisites":["ae-orbital-mechanics","ae-computational-methods-aerospace"],"related":["ph-celestial-mechanics"],"unlocks":["ae-constellations-coverage-analysis","ae-orbit-determination"],"order":25,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-1","name":"Perturbing forces overview"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-2","name":"Earth's gravity field: spherical harmonics and J2"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-3","name":"Nodal regression and apsidal precession"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-4","name":"Sun-synchronous, frozen and repeat-ground-track orbits"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-5","name":"Atmospheric drag and orbital decay; atmospheric density models"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-6","name":"Solar radiation pressure"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-7","name":"Third-body perturbations from Sun and Moon"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-8","name":"Variation of parameters: Lagrange and Gauss planetary equations"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-9","name":"Cowell's and Encke's methods"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-10","name":"Numerical integrators for orbit propagation"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-11","name":"Analytical and semi-analytical propagators; TLEs and SGP4"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-12","name":"Relativistic effects and high-precision force models"},{"id":"ae-orbital-perturbations-13","name":"Tools: GMAT, Orekit, STK"}]},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories","name":"Interplanetary Trajectories","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Designing trips to the Moon and planets: patched conics, launch windows, porkchop plots and gravity assists.","prerequisites":["ae-orbital-maneuvers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-three-body-problem","ae-trajectory-optimization"],"order":31,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":17,"topics":[{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-1","name":"Interplanetary Hohmann transfers and synodic periods"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-2","name":"Sphere of influence"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-3","name":"Patched-conic approximation"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-4","name":"Departure hyperbola, C3 and declination"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-5","name":"Arrival: capture, aerocapture and flyby"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-6","name":"Porkchop plots from Lambert solutions"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-7","name":"Gravity assists and B-plane targeting"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-8","name":"Multiple gravity-assist tours (VEEGA, Cassini, Voyager)"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-9","name":"Lunar trajectories: free-return and translunar injection"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-10","name":"Planetary ephemerides (JPL DE, SPICE)"},{"id":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories-11","name":"Low-thrust interplanetary trajectories"}]},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis","name":"Satellite Constellations and Coverage Analysis","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Choosing orbits and constellation geometries to see the right places often enough, from single imaging satellites to mega-constellations.","prerequisites":["ae-orbital-perturbations"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":41,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-1","name":"Earth geometry: elevation angle, swath and footprint"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-2","name":"Access, revisit time and coverage statistics"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-3","name":"Ground-station contact analysis"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-4","name":"Geostationary orbits: coverage, station-keeping and slots"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-5","name":"Molniya and Tundra orbits"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-6","name":"Walker delta and star constellations"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-7","name":"Streets-of-coverage design"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-8","name":"GNSS constellation design"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-9","name":"Mega-constellations: Starlink, OneWeb, Kuiper"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-10","name":"Constellation maintenance, phasing and deployment strategies"},{"id":"ae-constellations-coverage-analysis-11","name":"Eclipse and beta-angle analysis"}]},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations","name":"Rendezvous, Proximity Operations and Docking","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Relative motion between spacecraft and the guidance used to rendezvous, fly in formation and dock.","prerequisites":["ae-orbital-maneuvers","ae-feedback-control-aerospace"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing"],"order":44,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-1","name":"Relative motion in the LVLH (Hill) frame"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-2","name":"Clohessy-Wiltshire (Hill) equations"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-3","name":"Relative motion trajectories: V-bar and R-bar approaches"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-4","name":"Two-impulse rendezvous targeting"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-5","name":"Rendezvous mission phases: phasing, far-range, close-range, final approach"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-6","name":"Relative navigation sensors: lidar, radar, cameras"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-7","name":"Docking and berthing mechanisms (IDSS, CBM)"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-8","name":"Passive safety, keep-out spheres and collision avoidance"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-9","name":"Formation flying and relative orbit elements"},{"id":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations-10","name":"Non-cooperative targets and servicing missions"}]},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination","name":"Statistical Orbit Determination","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Estimating a spacecraft's orbit from tracking measurements using batch least squares and sequential filters.","prerequisites":["ae-orbital-perturbations","ae-estimation-kalman-filtering"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-space-situational-awareness-debris"],"order":45,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-1","name":"Tracking data types: range, range-rate, angles, GNSS, optical"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-2","name":"Observation models and partial derivatives"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-3","name":"State transition matrix and variational equations"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-4","name":"Batch weighted least-squares orbit determination"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-5","name":"Sequential estimation: extended Kalman filter for orbits"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-6","name":"Process noise and dynamic model compensation"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-7","name":"Covariance analysis and consider parameters"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-8","name":"Measurement editing and residual analysis"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-9","name":"Precise orbit determination with GNSS"},{"id":"ae-orbit-determination-10","name":"Deep-space tracking and ephemeris generation"}]},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization","name":"Spacecraft Trajectory Optimisation","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Optimal-control methods for finding minimum-fuel or minimum-time trajectories for launchers, landers and spacecraft.","prerequisites":["ae-interplanetary-trajectories","ma-calculus-of-variations-optimal-control"],"related":["ma-nonlinear-programming","ma-optimization-algorithms"],"unlocks":[],"order":62,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":22,"topics":[{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-1","name":"Formulating trajectory optimisation problems"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-2","name":"Pontryagin's minimum principle"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-3","name":"Primer vector theory for impulsive trajectories"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-4","name":"Indirect methods: shooting and multiple shooting"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-5","name":"Direct methods: transcription and nonlinear programming"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-6","name":"Collocation and pseudospectral methods"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-7","name":"Convex optimisation for trajectory design"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-8","name":"Global search: genetic algorithms and differential evolution for tours"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-9","name":"Low-thrust trajectory optimisation"},{"id":"ae-trajectory-optimization-10","name":"Software tools: GPOPS, PyGMO, EMTG, CasADi"}]},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem","name":"Three-Body Problem and Libration-Point Orbits","category":"Orbital Mechanics & Astrodynamics","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"The circular restricted three-body problem, Lagrange points, halo orbits and the low-energy transfers used by modern lunar and astronomy missions.","prerequisites":["ae-interplanetary-trajectories","ma-dynamical-systems"],"related":["ph-celestial-mechanics"],"unlocks":[],"order":63,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-1","name":"Circular restricted three-body problem (CR3BP) equations in the rotating frame"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-2","name":"Jacobi constant and zero-velocity surfaces"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-3","name":"Lagrange points and their stability"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-4","name":"Periodic orbits: Lyapunov, halo and vertical orbits"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-5","name":"Differential correction and continuation methods"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-6","name":"Invariant manifolds and the Interplanetary Superhighway"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-7","name":"Near-rectilinear halo orbits (Gateway) and distant retrograde orbits"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-8","name":"Low-energy lunar transfers and weak-stability-boundary transfers"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-9","name":"Station-keeping at libration points"},{"id":"ae-three-body-problem-10","name":"Ephemeris models and transition to real missions (JWST, SOHO)"}]},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories","name":"Launch and Ascent Trajectories","category":"Launch Vehicles","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How a rocket flies from the pad to orbit: equations of motion, gravity turn, losses, launch site geometry and ascent simulation.","prerequisites":["ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","ae-orbital-mechanics","ae-aerodynamics-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-guidance-algorithms","ae-launch-vehicle-design"],"order":48,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-1","name":"Launch vehicle equations of motion in 2D and 3D"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-2","name":"Vertical rise, pitch-over and gravity turn"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-3","name":"Gravity, drag and steering losses"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-4","name":"Dynamic pressure, max-Q and aerodynamic heating constraints"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-5","name":"Launch site latitude, launch azimuth and Earth rotation benefit"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-6","name":"Launch windows for rendezvous and planetary missions"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-7","name":"Orbital insertion: direct ascent versus parking orbits"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-8","name":"Staging events, coast phases and upper-stage burns"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-9","name":"3-DOF trajectory simulation"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-10","name":"Trajectory optimisation for ascent"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-11","name":"Dispersion analysis and performance margins"},{"id":"ae-ascent-trajectories-12","name":"Payload capability curves and user's guides"}]},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design","name":"Launch Vehicle Design","category":"Launch Vehicles","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Conceptual and preliminary design of launch vehicles: architecture, staging, propulsion selection, structures, mass and cost.","prerequisites":["ae-ascent-trajectories","ae-liquid-rocket-engines","ae-aerospace-structures"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-launch-operations-range-safety","ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control","ae-reusable-launch-systems"],"order":94,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":44,"topics":[{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-1","name":"Mission requirements and payload classes"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-2","name":"Launch vehicle architectures: stages, boosters, upper stages"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-3","name":"Staging optimisation with real mass fractions"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-4","name":"Propulsion system selection and engine count"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-5","name":"Mass estimating relationships and mass budgets"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-6","name":"Propellant tanks: common bulkheads, pressure stabilisation, materials"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-7","name":"Interstages, thrust structures and separation systems"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-8","name":"Payload fairings and payload environments"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-9","name":"Aerodynamic design and loads"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-10","name":"Avionics, electrical and flight termination systems"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-11","name":"Reliability and redundancy in launchers"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-12","name":"Launch vehicle cost modelling"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-13","name":"Small-launcher, heavy-lift and super-heavy-lift design trades"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-design-14","name":"Case studies: Saturn V, Falcon 9, Ariane, Electron, Starship"}]},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety","name":"Launch Operations and Range Safety","category":"Launch Vehicles","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Everything around the launch itself: launch sites, ground systems, propellant loading, countdown, range safety and licensing.","prerequisites":["ae-launch-vehicle-design"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":101,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":45,"topics":[{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-1","name":"Launch sites and spaceports around the world"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-2","name":"Ground support equipment and launch pads"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-3","name":"Vehicle integration: vertical versus horizontal"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-4","name":"Propellant and pressurant loading operations"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-5","name":"Countdown, holds and launch commit criteria"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-6","name":"Weather constraints: winds, lightning, upper-level winds"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-7","name":"Range safety: flight safety analysis, debris footprints, flight termination systems"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-8","name":"Autonomous flight safety systems"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-9","name":"Tracking, telemetry and range instrumentation"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-10","name":"Launch licensing and regulations (FAA Part 450 and equivalents)"},{"id":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety-11","name":"Environmental impact of launches"}]},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control","name":"Launch Vehicle Dynamics and Control","category":"Launch Vehicles","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Keeping a flexible, sloshing, aerodynamically unstable rocket pointed the right way: launch vehicle flight control and loads.","prerequisites":["ae-launch-vehicle-design","ae-feedback-control-aerospace","ae-structural-dynamics-vibration"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":105,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":50,"topics":[{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-1","name":"Rigid-body rocket dynamics and aerodynamic instability"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-2","name":"Thrust vector control actuation and dynamics"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-3","name":"Attitude control system design: pitch, yaw and roll channels"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-4","name":"Propellant slosh modelling and baffles"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-5","name":"Structural bending modes and filtering"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-6","name":"Wind shear, gusts and load relief"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-7","name":"Tail-wags-dog and engine inertia effects"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-8","name":"Stability margins and robustness analysis"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-9","name":"Roll control and reaction control systems"},{"id":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control-10","name":"Monte Carlo 6-DOF flight simulation"}]},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems","name":"Reusable Launch Systems","category":"Launch Vehicles","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Reusable rockets and spaceplanes: propulsive landing, recovery methods, refurbishment and the economics of reuse.","prerequisites":["ae-launch-vehicle-design","ae-atmospheric-entry"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":106,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":46,"topics":[{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-1","name":"The case for reuse: economics and flight rate"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-2","name":"Historical reusable vehicles: X-15, Space Shuttle, DC-X"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-3","name":"Reusability trade-offs: performance penalty versus cost"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-4","name":"Propulsive return: boostback, entry burn and landing burn"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-5","name":"Grid fins and aerodynamic control during descent"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-6","name":"Landing legs, drone ships and catch towers"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-7","name":"Booster and upper-stage entry heating"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-8","name":"Fairing and upper-stage recovery"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-9","name":"Winged and lifting-body reusable vehicles (spaceplanes)"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-10","name":"SSTO versus TSTO"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-11","name":"Refurbishment, inspection and rapid turnaround"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-12","name":"Engine reusability: deep throttling, restart and life"},{"id":"ae-reusable-launch-systems-13","name":"Full reusability: Starship, New Glenn and next-generation designs"}]},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry","name":"Atmospheric Entry Flight Mechanics","category":"Entry, Descent & Landing","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Flight mechanics of vehicles entering a planetary atmosphere: ballistic and lifting entry, deceleration, heating and entry corridors.","prerequisites":["ae-orbital-mechanics","ae-compressible-flow-gas-dynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-descent-landing-systems","ae-reusable-launch-systems","ae-thermal-protection-systems"],"order":67,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-1","name":"Entry mission types: Earth return, planetary entry, aerocapture"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-2","name":"Planar entry equations of motion"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-3","name":"Ballistic entry: Allen-Eggers solution and peak deceleration"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-4","name":"Ballistic coefficient and its effects"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-5","name":"Lifting and gliding entry"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-6","name":"Skip entry"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-7","name":"Entry corridors and flight-path angle constraints"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-8","name":"Heating rate and total heat load estimates"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-9","name":"Aerocapture and aerobraking"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-10","name":"Entry vehicle shapes: capsules, lifting bodies, winged vehicles"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-11","name":"Planetary atmospheres: Earth, Mars, Venus, Titan, gas giants"},{"id":"ae-atmospheric-entry-12","name":"Entry trajectory simulation and dispersions"}]},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems","name":"Descent and Landing Systems","category":"Entry, Descent & Landing","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Slowing down and landing safely after entry: parachutes, inflatable decelerators, retropropulsion and precision landing.","prerequisites":["ae-atmospheric-entry"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-planetary-exploration-systems"],"order":87,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":29,"topics":[{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-1","name":"EDL sequence design and timeline"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-2","name":"Parachute types: drogue, main, disk-gap-band, ringsail"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-3","name":"Parachute inflation, loads and supersonic parachute testing"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-4","name":"Inflatable aerodynamic decelerators (HIAD, LOFTID)"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-5","name":"Supersonic retropropulsion"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-6","name":"Terminal descent: powered descent, sky crane, airbags"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-7","name":"Landing gear and touchdown dynamics"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-8","name":"Terrain-relative navigation and hazard detection and avoidance"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-9","name":"Precision landing guidance"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-10","name":"Water landing and recovery operations"},{"id":"ae-descent-landing-systems-11","name":"EDL case studies: Apollo, Viking, Mars Pathfinder, Curiosity, Perseverance, Chandrayaan-3"}]},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems","name":"Thermal Protection Systems","category":"Entry, Descent & Landing","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Heat shields and hot structures that let vehicles survive entry: materials, sizing, testing and failures.","prerequisites":["ae-atmospheric-entry","ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":97,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":33,"topics":[{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-1","name":"Heat management strategies: heat sink, radiative, ablative, transpiration"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-2","name":"Ablator physics: pyrolysis, char, recession"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-3","name":"Ablative materials: AVCOAT, PICA, SLA-561V, carbon phenolic"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-4","name":"Reusable TPS: silica tiles, blankets, reinforced carbon-carbon"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-5","name":"Hot structures and ceramic-matrix composites"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-6","name":"TPS sizing and thermal response modelling"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-7","name":"Arc-jet and plasma wind tunnel testing"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-8","name":"Seals, gaps and attachment"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-9","name":"Damage tolerance and the Columbia accident"},{"id":"ae-thermal-protection-systems-10","name":"Flexible and inflatable TPS"}]},{"id":"ae-space-environment","name":"The Space Environment and Its Effects","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"The physical environment of space and its effects on spacecraft: vacuum, thermal, plasma, radiation, atomic oxygen, micrometeoroids and debris.","prerequisites":["ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance","ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism"],"related":["ph-space-physics","el-spacecraft-electronics","mt-space-environment-materials"],"unlocks":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals"],"order":15,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":10,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-environment-1","name":"The Sun, solar cycle and space weather"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-2","name":"Earth's upper atmosphere and atomic oxygen erosion"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-3","name":"Vacuum effects: outgassing, cold welding, contamination"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-4","name":"Thermal environment: solar flux, albedo and Earth IR"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-5","name":"Ionosphere, plasma and spacecraft charging"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-6","name":"Earth's magnetic field and magnetosphere"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-7","name":"Radiation environment: Van Allen belts, solar particle events, galactic cosmic rays"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-8","name":"Radiation effects on electronics: total ionising dose, single-event effects, displacement damage"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-9","name":"Radiation shielding and dose analysis"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-10","name":"Micrometeoroids and orbital debris impacts; Whipple shields"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-11","name":"Microgravity"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-12","name":"Environments beyond Earth orbit: Moon, Mars, Jupiter"},{"id":"ae-space-environment-13","name":"Environment models and standards (AE9/AP9, ECSS-E-ST-10-04)"}]},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","name":"Spacecraft Systems Fundamentals","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":2,"priority":"core","summary":"An end-to-end view of a spacecraft: payload and bus, the subsystems, how they interact and the budgets that tie them together.","prerequisites":["ae-space-environment"],"related":["el-space-satellite-systems"],"unlocks":["el-spacecraft-electronics","ae-command-data-handling","ae-small-satellites-cubesats","ae-space-communications-link-budgets","ae-space-mission-design","ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing","ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test","ae-spacecraft-power-systems","ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems","ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms","ae-spacecraft-thermal-control"],"order":21,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":11,"topics":[{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-1","name":"Spacecraft classes and missions"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-2","name":"Payload versus bus"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-3","name":"Subsystem overview: ADCS, propulsion, power, thermal, communications, C&DH, structures"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-4","name":"Spacecraft configurations and layout"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-5","name":"Mass, power, data, pointing and delta-v budgets"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-6","name":"Margins and contingency"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-7","name":"Launch vehicle interfaces and the payload user's guide"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-8","name":"Mission phases: launch, early operations, commissioning, operations, disposal"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-9","name":"Reliability and redundancy at spacecraft level"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals-10","name":"Case studies: a communications satellite, an Earth observer, a planetary probe"}]},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling","name":"Command and Data Handling","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The spacecraft's onboard computer system: processors, memory, data buses, telemetry and telecommand, timing and onboard fault protection.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","el-embedded-systems-fundamentals"],"related":["el-spacecraft-electronics","el-avionics-buses-protocols"],"unlocks":["ae-avionics-systems-integration","ae-flight-software"],"order":30,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-1","name":"C&DH architecture: centralised versus distributed"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-2","name":"Onboard computers and radiation-hardened processors"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-3","name":"Memory, mass storage and error detection and correction (EDAC)"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-4","name":"Spacecraft data buses: MIL-STD-1553, SpaceWire, CAN, I2C"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-5","name":"Telemetry and telecommand processing"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-6","name":"CCSDS space packets and the ECSS Packet Utilisation Standard (PUS)"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-7","name":"Time management and synchronisation"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-8","name":"Data rates, storage sizing and downlink planning"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-9","name":"Watchdogs, safe modes and fault protection"},{"id":"ae-command-data-handling-10","name":"Radiation-tolerant design and COTS usage"}]},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets","name":"Space Communications and Link Budgets","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How spacecraft talk to Earth: RF fundamentals, antennas, modulation, coding, link budgets, ground stations and optical communications.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","el-signal-processing-fundamentals"],"related":["el-satellite-communication","el-software-defined-radio-sdr","ma-information-communication-theory"],"unlocks":["ae-mission-operations-ground-systems"],"order":32,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":18,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-1","name":"Communication system architecture: TT&C and payload data"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-2","name":"Frequency bands and spectrum allocation (ITU)"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-3","name":"Antennas: gain, beamwidth, patterns, parabolic and phased arrays"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-4","name":"Free-space path loss and atmospheric losses"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-5","name":"Noise temperature, G/T and Eb/N0"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-6","name":"The link budget equation and margins"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-7","name":"Modulation schemes: BPSK, QPSK, higher-order modulation"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-8","name":"Channel coding: convolutional, Reed-Solomon, turbo and LDPC codes"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-9","name":"Ranging, Doppler and coherent transponders"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-10","name":"CCSDS standards for telemetry and telecommand"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-11","name":"Ground stations, the Deep Space Network and ground networks"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-12","name":"Relay satellites (TDRSS) and inter-satellite links"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-13","name":"Optical (laser) communications"},{"id":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets-14","name":"Delay/disruption-tolerant networking"}]},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems","name":"Spacecraft Electrical Power Systems","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Generating, storing, regulating and distributing electrical power on spacecraft: solar arrays, batteries, RTGs and power electronics.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","el-circuit-theory"],"related":["el-battery-technologies","el-power-distribution-management","el-spacecraft-electronics","me-energy-storage-power-integration"],"unlocks":["ae-spacecraft-design"],"order":36,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":15,"topics":[{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-1","name":"Power system architecture: DET versus peak-power tracking, regulated versus unregulated buses"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-2","name":"Power budgets and duty cycles"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-3","name":"Solar cells: silicon and multi-junction, efficiency, degradation"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-4","name":"Solar array design and sizing, including eclipse"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-5","name":"Deployable and flexible arrays"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-6","name":"Batteries: lithium-ion, depth of discharge and cycle life"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-7","name":"Battery sizing and charge control"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-8","name":"Radioisotope power systems: RTGs and MMRTG"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-9","name":"Fuel cells and space nuclear reactors"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-10","name":"Power conditioning, distribution and protection"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-11","name":"Harness design and grounding"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems-12","name":"Power system testing"}]},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing","name":"Space Payloads and Remote Sensing Instruments","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"What spacecraft carry: optical imagers, radars, spectrometers, science instruments and communication payloads, and how they are sized.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","ph-classical-optics"],"related":["ph-modern-optics"],"unlocks":[],"order":43,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":21,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-1","name":"Payload types and their requirements on the bus"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-2","name":"Electromagnetic spectrum and remote-sensing principles"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-3","name":"Optical imaging: aperture, diffraction limit, GSD, MTF, SNR"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-4","name":"Detectors and focal planes"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-5","name":"Pushbroom and whiskbroom scanning"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-6","name":"Multispectral and hyperspectral imaging"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-7","name":"Infrared and thermal instruments"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-8","name":"Synthetic aperture radar"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-9","name":"Lidar and radar altimetry"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-10","name":"Space telescopes and astronomical instruments"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-11","name":"In-situ science instruments"},{"id":"ae-space-payloads-remote-sensing-12","name":"Communications payloads: transponders and processing payloads"}]},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control","name":"Spacecraft Thermal Control","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Keeping spacecraft components within their temperature limits in the vacuum of space through passive and active thermal design.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","me-heat-transfer"],"related":["el-thermal-management","me-thermal-management-compact-power"],"unlocks":["ae-spacecraft-design"],"order":50,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-1","name":"Heat transfer review: conduction and radiation in vacuum"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-2","name":"Thermal environments and orbit-average heat loads"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-3","name":"Radiation exchange: view factors, emissivity and absorptivity"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-4","name":"Surface finishes and optical solar reflectors"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-5","name":"Multilayer insulation"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-6","name":"Radiators and sizing"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-7","name":"Heaters and thermostatic control"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-8","name":"Heat pipes, loop heat pipes and pumped fluid loops"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-9","name":"Louvres and variable-emittance devices"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-10","name":"Cryogenic thermal control and cryocoolers"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-11","name":"Thermal modelling: lumped-parameter networks (Thermal Desktop, ESATAN)"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-12","name":"Hot and cold case analysis"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control-13","name":"Thermal balance and thermal vacuum testing"}]},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems","name":"Spacecraft Propulsion Systems","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"In-space chemical propulsion for spacecraft: cold gas, monopropellant and bipropellant systems, tanks, feed and integration.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":57,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-1","name":"Spacecraft propulsion functions: orbit insertion, station-keeping, attitude control, deorbit"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-2","name":"Cold-gas systems"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-3","name":"Monopropellant hydrazine thrusters and catalyst beds"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-4","name":"Green monopropellants (AF-M315E, LMP-103S)"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-5","name":"Bipropellant systems and apogee engines"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-6","name":"Propellant tanks and propellant management devices"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-7","name":"Pressurisation: blowdown versus regulated"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-8","name":"Valves, filters, lines and propulsion system schematics"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-9","name":"Propellant budget and gauging"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-10","name":"Plume impingement and contamination"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-11","name":"Propulsion for small satellites"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems-12","name":"Fuelling operations and safety"}]},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms","name":"Spacecraft Structures and Mechanisms","category":"Spacecraft Subsystems","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing spacecraft structures to survive launch and the mechanisms that deploy, point and release things in orbit.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","ae-structural-dynamics-vibration"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":74,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-1","name":"Structural requirements: strength, stiffness, launch loads and frequency requirements"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-2","name":"Primary and secondary structure configurations"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-3","name":"Materials and construction: honeycomb panels, central cylinders, trusses"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-4","name":"Quasi-static loads and load factors"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-5","name":"Structural verification: analysis and test factors of safety"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-6","name":"Launch vehicle adapters and separation systems"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-7","name":"Hold-down and release mechanisms"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-8","name":"Deployment mechanisms: hinges, booms, antennas and solar arrays"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-9","name":"Pointing mechanisms: solar array drives and gimbals"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-10","name":"Space tribology and lubrication"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms-11","name":"Mechanism reliability and testing"}]},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering","name":"Estimation and Kalman Filtering for Aerospace","category":"Guidance, Navigation & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The estimation theory behind every navigation system: least squares, Kalman filters and their nonlinear variants.","prerequisites":["ma-probability-theory","ae-feedback-control-aerospace"],"related":["el-sensor-fusion","ai-probabilistic-ai"],"unlocks":["ae-aerospace-navigation-systems","ae-attitude-determination","ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making","ae-orbit-determination"],"order":18,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":13,"topics":[{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-1","name":"Random variables, covariance and Gaussian distributions"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-2","name":"Random processes, white noise and Markov models"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-3","name":"Least-squares and weighted least-squares estimation"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-4","name":"Recursive estimation"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-5","name":"The discrete Kalman filter"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-6","name":"Continuous-discrete Kalman filtering"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-7","name":"Extended Kalman filter"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-8","name":"Unscented Kalman filter"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-9","name":"Particle filters"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-10","name":"Filter tuning, consistency checks and divergence"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-11","name":"Error-state and multiplicative filters"},{"id":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering-12","name":"Smoothing"}]},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics","name":"Spacecraft Attitude Kinematics and Dynamics","category":"Guidance, Navigation & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"How spacecraft orientation is described and how it evolves under torques, from spinning satellites to gravity-gradient booms.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-dynamics"],"related":["me-advanced-dynamics-multibody"],"unlocks":["ae-attitude-control","ae-attitude-determination"],"order":26,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":14,"topics":[{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-1","name":"Attitude representations: direction cosine matrix, Euler angles, axis-angle"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-2","name":"Quaternions and their kinematics"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-3","name":"Modified Rodrigues parameters"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-4","name":"Euler's equations for spacecraft"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-5","name":"Torque-free motion and the polhode"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-6","name":"Spin stabilisation and the major-axis rule"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-7","name":"Energy dissipation and nutation damping"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-8","name":"Dual-spin spacecraft"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-9","name":"Gravity-gradient stabilisation"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-10","name":"Environmental disturbance torques: gravity gradient, aerodynamic, solar pressure, magnetic"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-11","name":"Spacecraft with momentum wheels (gyrostats)"},{"id":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics-12","name":"Flexible appendages and propellant slosh effects"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems","name":"Aerospace Navigation Systems","category":"Guidance, Navigation & Control","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Inertial, satellite, radio and optical navigation for aircraft, launch vehicles and spacecraft, including deep-space navigation.","prerequisites":["ae-estimation-kalman-filtering","ae-orbital-mechanics"],"related":["el-inertial-sensors","el-localization-time-synchronization","el-avionics-systems"],"unlocks":["ae-gnc-system-design-verification"],"order":27,"stage":7,"depth":9,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-1","name":"Navigation frames and the navigation problem"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-2","name":"Inertial navigation: strapdown mechanisation and error dynamics"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-3","name":"Inertial sensor grades and error models"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-4","name":"GNSS principles: pseudorange, carrier phase, error sources, DOP"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-5","name":"GNSS/INS integration: loosely and tightly coupled"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-6","name":"Radio navigation aids for aircraft: VOR, DME, ILS"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-7","name":"GNSS in space: orbit determination for LEO and beyond"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-8","name":"Deep-space navigation: DSN range, Doppler and delta-DOR"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-9","name":"Optical navigation and autonomous navigation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-10","name":"Terrain-relative and vision-based navigation"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems-11","name":"Alternative navigation: pulsar, star-based and signals of opportunity"}]},{"id":"ae-attitude-control","name":"Spacecraft Attitude Control","category":"Guidance, Navigation & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Actuators and control laws that point spacecraft and keep them stable: wheels, CMGs, magnetorquers and thrusters.","prerequisites":["ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics","ae-feedback-control-aerospace"],"related":["el-state-space-digital-control"],"unlocks":["ae-gnc-system-design-verification","ae-spacecraft-design"],"order":34,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":16,"topics":[{"id":"ae-attitude-control-1","name":"ADCS requirements: pointing accuracy, stability, agility"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-2","name":"Reaction wheels and momentum wheels"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-3","name":"Control moment gyroscopes and singularities"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-4","name":"Magnetic torquers and B-dot detumbling"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-5","name":"Reaction control thrusters and pulse-width modulation"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-6","name":"Attitude control laws: PD, quaternion feedback, nonlinear control"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-7","name":"Large-angle slew manoeuvres"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-8","name":"Momentum management and desaturation"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-9","name":"Spin-stabilised and passive control"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-10","name":"Control of flexible spacecraft"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-11","name":"Pointing error budgets and jitter"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-12","name":"Safe mode and ADCS fault handling"},{"id":"ae-attitude-control-13","name":"ADCS for CubeSats"}]},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination","name":"Spacecraft Attitude Determination","category":"Guidance, Navigation & Control","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"Working out which way a spacecraft is pointing from sensors, using deterministic and filtering methods.","prerequisites":["ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics","ae-estimation-kalman-filtering"],"related":["el-inertial-sensors"],"unlocks":[],"order":35,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":19,"topics":[{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-1","name":"Attitude sensors: sun sensors, Earth horizon sensors, magnetometers"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-2","name":"Star trackers and star identification"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-3","name":"Rate gyros: MEMS, fibre-optic and ring-laser gyros; gyro error models"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-4","name":"Deterministic methods: TRIAD"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-5","name":"Wahba's problem: q-method, QUEST and SVD solutions"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-6","name":"Multiplicative extended Kalman filter for attitude"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-7","name":"Gyro bias estimation"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-8","name":"Sensor calibration and alignment"},{"id":"ae-attitude-determination-9","name":"Attitude determination accuracy budgets"}]},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms","name":"Guidance Laws and Algorithms","category":"Guidance, Navigation & Control","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Algorithms that decide where a vehicle should go and how to steer there, for ascent, orbit transfer, entry, landing and intercept.","prerequisites":["ae-ascent-trajectories","ae-orbital-maneuvers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-gnc-system-design-verification"],"order":76,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":31,"topics":[{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-1","name":"Guidance concepts: open-loop, closed-loop, explicit and implicit guidance"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-2","name":"Proportional navigation and intercept guidance"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-3","name":"Ascent guidance: linear tangent steering and Powered Explicit Guidance (PEG)"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-4","name":"Iterative guidance mode (Saturn) and upper-stage guidance"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-5","name":"Lambert and targeting-based guidance for orbital transfers"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-6","name":"Entry guidance: Apollo and Shuttle entry guidance, predictor-corrector methods"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-7","name":"Powered descent guidance: Apollo polynomial guidance and convex (G-FOLD) guidance"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-8","name":"Guidance for rendezvous and docking"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-9","name":"Model predictive control for guidance"},{"id":"ae-guidance-algorithms-10","name":"Guidance performance assessment"}]},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification","name":"GN&C System Design and Verification","category":"Guidance, Navigation & Control","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Bringing guidance, navigation and control together as a flight system: architecture, simulation, fault management and verification.","prerequisites":["ae-guidance-algorithms","ae-aerospace-navigation-systems","ae-attitude-control"],"related":["el-avionics-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":88,"stage":11,"depth":13,"ancestorCount":40,"topics":[{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-1","name":"GN&C architecture and requirements flow-down"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-2","name":"Modes and mode transitions"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-3","name":"Sensor and actuator selection"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-4","name":"End-to-end 6-DOF simulation"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-5","name":"Monte Carlo analysis and dispersions"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-6","name":"GN&C fault detection, isolation and recovery"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-7","name":"Software-in-the-loop and hardware-in-the-loop testing"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-8","name":"Air-bearing and robotic testbeds"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-9","name":"Flight data analysis and system identification"},{"id":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification-10","name":"Lessons learned from GN&C failures"}]},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration","name":"Avionics Systems Integration","category":"Avionics & Flight Software","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How avionics are architected and integrated into aircraft and spacecraft: redundancy, modular avionics, networks and certification.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-systems-engineering","ae-command-data-handling"],"related":["el-avionics-buses-protocols","el-spacecraft-electronics","el-reliability-fault-tolerance","el-avionics-systems"],"unlocks":[],"order":52,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":26,"topics":[{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-1","name":"Avionics functions in aircraft and spacecraft"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-2","name":"Federated versus integrated modular avionics (IMA)"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-3","name":"Partitioning and ARINC 653"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-4","name":"Avionics networks and data buses"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-5","name":"Redundancy architectures: dual, triplex, quad; voting"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-6","name":"Cockpit displays and human-machine interface"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-7","name":"Launch vehicle and spacecraft avionics architectures"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-8","name":"Electromagnetic environmental effects and lightning protection"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-9","name":"Environmental qualification (DO-160)"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-10","name":"Hardware and software integration labs (iron birds, flatsats)"},{"id":"ae-avionics-systems-integration-11","name":"Avionics certification: DO-254 and DO-178C in context"}]},{"id":"ae-flight-software","name":"Flight Software Engineering","category":"Avionics & Flight Software","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Writing and verifying the safety-critical real-time software that flies aircraft, rockets and spacecraft.","prerequisites":["ae-command-data-handling","el-real-time-concepts","cs-software-engineering-process"],"related":["el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos","el-firmware-development","cs-program-analysis-verification","cs-software-testing"],"unlocks":["ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making"],"order":53,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"ae-flight-software-1","name":"Flight software functions and architecture"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-2","name":"Real-time operating systems and scheduling for flight"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-3","name":"Flight software frameworks: NASA cFS, JPL F Prime"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-4","name":"Coding standards: JPL Power of 10, MISRA C"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-5","name":"Model-based design and autocoding"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-6","name":"Fault protection and FDIR software"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-7","name":"Command sequencing and onboard scripting"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-8","name":"Software verification: unit, integration, SIL and HIL testing"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-9","name":"Standards: DO-178C and NASA NPR 7150.2"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-10","name":"Software updates in flight"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-11","name":"Cybersecurity for space and aviation systems"},{"id":"ae-flight-software-12","name":"Lessons from software failures: Ariane 501, Mars Climate Orbiter, Boeing 737 MAX, Starliner"}]},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making","name":"Autonomy for Aerospace Systems","category":"Avionics & Flight Software","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Onboard autonomy that lets aircraft, rovers and spacecraft plan, act and recover from faults without waiting for humans.","prerequisites":["ae-flight-software","ae-estimation-kalman-filtering"],"related":["ai-autonomous-agents","ai-motion-planning-navigation"],"unlocks":[],"order":79,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":45,"topics":[{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-1","name":"Levels of autonomy and why deep space needs it"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-2","name":"Onboard planning and scheduling"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-3","name":"Model-based diagnosis and fault response"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-4","name":"Autonomous navigation and hazard avoidance"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-5","name":"Machine learning onboard spacecraft and aircraft"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-6","name":"Multi-agent and swarm autonomy"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-7","name":"Human-autonomy teaming"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-8","name":"Verification and validation of autonomous systems"},{"id":"ae-autonomy-onboard-decision-making-9","name":"Case studies: Remote Agent, AEGIS, AutoNav, autonomous air vehicles"}]},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design","name":"Space Mission Design and Analysis","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The SMAD process: turning mission objectives into a mission concept, orbit, spacecraft, ground segment, cost and schedule.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","ae-orbital-maneuvers"],"related":[],"unlocks":["ae-human-spaceflight-life-support","ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing","ae-mission-operations-ground-systems","ae-planetary-exploration-systems","ae-planetary-protection","ae-spacecraft-design"],"order":33,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":20,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-1","name":"Mission objectives, requirements and concept of operations"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-2","name":"Mission architecture elements: payload, bus, launch, ground, operations"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-3","name":"Orbit and constellation selection"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-4","name":"Delta-v budget and propellant sizing"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-5","name":"Payload sizing and observation geometry"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-6","name":"Spacecraft sizing and budgets from first principles"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-7","name":"Launch vehicle selection"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-8","name":"Ground segment and operations concept"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-9","name":"Trade studies and figures of merit"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-10","name":"Space mission cost estimation (cost models, CERs)"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-11","name":"Risk and reliability at mission level"},{"id":"ae-space-mission-design-12","name":"End-of-life disposal planning"}]},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats","name":"Small Satellites and CubeSats","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Designing, building and launching small satellites, the most accessible route to real spaceflight hardware.","prerequisites":["ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":42,"stage":8,"depth":10,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-1","name":"SmallSat classes: CubeSats, microsats and ESPA-class satellites"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-2","name":"The CubeSat standard and deployers"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-3","name":"COTS components and subsystem suppliers"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-4","name":"CubeSat ADCS, power, communications and propulsion"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-5","name":"Rideshare launch opportunities"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-6","name":"Licensing: amateur radio coordination, FCC/ITU filings, remote-sensing licences"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-7","name":"Development approach: flatsats, engineering models and flight models"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-8","name":"Testing on a budget: vibration and thermal vacuum"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-9","name":"Operations with small ground stations"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-10","name":"CubeSat missions beyond LEO (MarCO, CAPSTONE)"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-11","name":"Constellations of small satellites"},{"id":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats-12","name":"Student and university satellite programmes"}]},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems","name":"Mission Operations and Ground Systems","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"How spacecraft are flown day to day: mission control, ground segment, planning, flight dynamics operations and anomaly response.","prerequisites":["ae-space-mission-design","ae-space-communications-link-budgets"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":54,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-1","name":"Ground segment architecture: stations, networks, control centres"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-2","name":"Mission control roles and flight rules"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-3","name":"Launch and early orbit phase (LEOP) and commissioning"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-4","name":"Operations planning, scheduling and command generation"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-5","name":"Telemetry monitoring, limits and trending"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-6","name":"Flight dynamics operations: orbit determination and manoeuvre planning"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-7","name":"Anomaly detection, investigation and recovery"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-8","name":"Operations automation and lights-out operations"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-9","name":"Payload data processing and distribution"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-10","name":"Operations for crewed missions"},{"id":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems-11","name":"Decommissioning and disposal operations"}]},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection","name":"Planetary Protection & Contamination Control","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Keeping Earth life off other worlds, and alien material away from Earth, so that the search for life stays trustworthy.","prerequisites":["ae-space-mission-design","bi-microbiology"],"related":["bi-astrobiology"],"unlocks":[],"order":55,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":27,"topics":[{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-1","name":"Why planetary protection matters (forward and backward contamination)"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-2","name":"COSPAR policy and mission categories I-V"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-3","name":"Bioburden: spores, cleanrooms and assay methods"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-4","name":"Sterilisation: dry heat, vapour hydrogen peroxide, radiation"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-5","name":"Organic and molecular contamination control"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-6","name":"Special regions on Mars and icy moons"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-7","name":"Sample return containment and restricted Earth return"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-8","name":"Human missions and planetary protection"},{"id":"ae-planetary-protection-9","name":"Case studies: Viking, Mars 2020, Europa Clipper, OSIRIS-REx"}]},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support","name":"Human Spaceflight and Life Support","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Keeping humans alive and productive in space: physiology, life support, habitats, spacesuits, human rating and crew safety.","prerequisites":["ae-space-mission-design","bi-human-physiology"],"related":["ph-medical-physics","bi-space-physiology","bi-bioregenerative-life-support"],"unlocks":[],"order":59,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":28,"topics":[{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-1","name":"Human physiology in space: bone and muscle loss, fluid shifts, vision"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-2","name":"Space radiation risk to crews"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-3","name":"Environmental control and life support systems (ECLSS)"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-4","name":"Atmosphere revitalisation and CO2 removal"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-5","name":"Water recovery and waste management"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-6","name":"Food, habitability and psychological factors"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-7","name":"Spacesuits and extravehicular activity"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-8","name":"Crew vehicle design: capsules and launch abort systems"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-9","name":"Human-rating requirements (NASA-STD-3001 and human-rating certification)"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-10","name":"Space stations and long-duration habitats"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-11","name":"Crew health, medical care and countermeasures"},{"id":"ae-human-spaceflight-life-support-12","name":"Human missions to the Moon and Mars"}]},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris","name":"Space Situational Awareness and Orbital Debris","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Tracking objects in orbit, predicting collisions and managing the growing debris problem.","prerequisites":["ae-orbit-determination"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":60,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":25,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-1","name":"The orbital debris environment and its sources"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-2","name":"Kessler syndrome and debris evolution modelling"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-3","name":"Debris environment models: ORDEM and MASTER"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-4","name":"Space surveillance sensors: radar, optical and space-based"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-5","name":"Catalogue maintenance and data sharing"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-6","name":"Conjunction assessment and probability of collision"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-7","name":"Collision avoidance manoeuvres"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-8","name":"Debris mitigation guidelines: IADC, the 25-year and 5-year rules"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-9","name":"Passivation, deorbit and graveyard orbits"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-10","name":"Space traffic management and coordination"},{"id":"ae-space-situational-awareness-debris-11","name":"Anti-satellite tests and their consequences"}]},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing","name":"In-Space Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Refuelling, repairing, assembling and manufacturing in orbit (OSAM), an emerging capability for a sustainable space economy.","prerequisites":["ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations","ae-space-mission-design"],"related":["ai-manipulation"],"unlocks":[],"order":64,"stage":9,"depth":11,"ancestorCount":23,"topics":[{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-1","name":"Satellite servicing history: Hubble servicing missions"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-2","name":"Robotic servicing: MEV and life-extension missions"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-3","name":"In-orbit refuelling and cryogenic propellant transfer"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-4","name":"Space robotics: manipulators and grappling"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-5","name":"In-space assembly of large structures and telescopes"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-6","name":"In-space manufacturing: additive manufacturing and microgravity production"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-7","name":"Propellant depots"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-8","name":"Standard interfaces for servicing"},{"id":"ae-in-space-servicing-assembly-manufacturing-9","name":"Active debris removal"}]},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design","name":"Spacecraft Design","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Capstone-level spacecraft design: taking a mission from requirements to an integrated, balanced spacecraft design through subsystem trades.","prerequisites":["ae-space-mission-design","ae-spacecraft-power-systems","ae-spacecraft-thermal-control","ae-attitude-control"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":78,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":37,"topics":[{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-1","name":"Design process and phases (Pre-Phase A to Phase B)"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-2","name":"Requirements definition and allocation"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-3","name":"Configuration design and launch vehicle accommodation"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-4","name":"Subsystem sizing iteration and budgets"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-5","name":"Concurrent engineering and design sessions"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-6","name":"Interface definition between subsystems"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-7","name":"Design for testability, integration and operations"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-8","name":"Reliability, redundancy and failure modes"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-9","name":"Design reviews and documentation"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-design-10","name":"Team design project: a complete spacecraft concept"}]},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems","name":"Planetary Exploration Systems","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Robotic exploration of the Moon, planets and small bodies: orbiters, landers, rovers, aerial vehicles and sample return.","prerequisites":["ae-space-mission-design","ae-descent-landing-systems"],"related":["ph-planetary-science","ea-comparative-planetology"],"unlocks":["ae-space-resources-surface-systems"],"order":96,"stage":12,"depth":14,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-1","name":"Exploration destinations and science drivers"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-2","name":"Planetary mission types: flyby, orbiter, lander, rover, sample return"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-3","name":"Lander design"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-4","name":"Rover design: mobility, power, thermal and autonomy"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-5","name":"Planetary aerial vehicles: balloons and helicopters (Ingenuity, Dragonfly)"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-6","name":"Sample acquisition, caching and handling"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-7","name":"Sample return missions: Stardust, Hayabusa, OSIRIS-REx, Mars Sample Return"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-8","name":"Small-body missions: proximity operations near asteroids and comets"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-9","name":"Outer planet missions: radiation and power challenges"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-10","name":"Planetary protection"},{"id":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems-11","name":"Surface operations and communication relays"}]},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems","name":"Space Resources and Surface Systems","category":"Space Missions & Exploration","level":5,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Living off the land in space: in-situ resource utilisation, surface power, habitats and construction on the Moon and Mars.","prerequisites":["ae-planetary-exploration-systems"],"related":["ea-lunar-geology","ea-mars-geology"],"unlocks":[],"order":111,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":36,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-1","name":"Space resources: lunar ice, regolith, Martian atmosphere, asteroids"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-2","name":"Resource prospecting and characterisation"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-3","name":"Oxygen extraction from regolith"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-4","name":"Mars ISRU: MOXIE and propellant production"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-5","name":"Water mining and processing"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-6","name":"Surface power: solar and fission surface power"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-7","name":"Surface habitats and radiation shielding"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-8","name":"Construction with regolith and 3D printing"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-9","name":"Surface mobility and logistics"},{"id":"ae-space-resources-surface-systems-10","name":"Economics of space resources"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering","name":"Aerospace Systems Engineering","category":"Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","level":3,"priority":"core","summary":"The NASA/INCOSE systems engineering discipline: life cycle, requirements, architecture, interfaces, reviews, risk and verification.","prerequisites":["ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering"],"related":["el-project-management"],"unlocks":["ae-aerospace-safety-reliability","ae-avionics-systems-integration","ae-model-based-systems-engineering","ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test"],"order":4,"stage":3,"depth":5,"ancestorCount":5,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-1","name":"What systems engineering is and why aerospace invented it"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-2","name":"Project life cycle: Pre-Phase A to Phase F and key decision points"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-3","name":"Technical reviews: MCR, SRR, PDR, CDR, TRR, FRR"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-4","name":"Stakeholder expectations and concept of operations"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-5","name":"Requirements definition, writing good requirements and traceability"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-6","name":"Functional analysis and logical decomposition"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-7","name":"Architecture and design solution definition; trade studies"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-8","name":"Interface management and ICDs"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-9","name":"Technical performance measures and margin management"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-10","name":"Configuration and data management"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-11","name":"Technical risk management"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-12","name":"Verification and validation planning"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-13","name":"Work breakdown structures, cost and schedule"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering-14","name":"The NASA Systems Engineering Handbook and ECSS standards"}]},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering","name":"Model-Based Systems Engineering and Digital Engineering","category":"Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Replacing documents with connected system models: SysML, digital threads and digital twins for aerospace programmes.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-systems-engineering"],"related":["el-digital-twins"],"unlocks":[],"order":6,"stage":4,"depth":6,"ancestorCount":6,"topics":[{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-1","name":"From document-based to model-based systems engineering"},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-2","name":"SysML v1 and v2: structure, behaviour, requirements and parametrics"},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-3","name":"MBSE methods and tools"},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-4","name":"Integrating analysis models with system models"},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-5","name":"Digital thread and authoritative source of truth"},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-6","name":"Digital twins for aircraft and spacecraft"},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-7","name":"Product lifecycle management"},{"id":"ae-model-based-systems-engineering-8","name":"Adoption challenges and case studies"}]},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability","name":"Aerospace Safety and Reliability Engineering","category":"Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","level":3,"priority":"important","summary":"Methods for making aerospace systems safe and reliable: hazard analysis, FMEA, fault trees, probabilistic risk and lessons from accidents.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-systems-engineering","ma-probability-theory"],"related":["el-reliability-fault-tolerance","el-safety-standards","me-reliability-safety-engineering"],"unlocks":["ae-airworthiness-certification"],"order":19,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":12,"topics":[{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-1","name":"Reliability mathematics: failure rates, bathtub curve, exponential and Weibull models"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-2","name":"System reliability: series, parallel, k-out-of-n and redundancy"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-3","name":"Failure modes and effects (and criticality) analysis: FMEA/FMECA"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-4","name":"Fault tree analysis and event trees"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-5","name":"Hazard analysis and hazard reports"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-6","name":"Probabilistic risk assessment"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-7","name":"Safety assessment for aircraft (ARP4761)"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-8","name":"Human factors and human error in aerospace"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-9","name":"Systems-theoretic safety: STAMP and STPA"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-10","name":"Safety culture and organisational factors"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-11","name":"Accident case studies: Apollo 1, Challenger, Columbia, Air France 447, 737 MAX"},{"id":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability-12","name":"Parts, materials and processes (EEE parts, derating, screening)"}]},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test","name":"Spacecraft Assembly, Integration and Test","category":"Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"How spacecraft and launch vehicles are built up, integrated, environmentally tested and shipped to the launch site.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-systems-engineering","ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","ae-structural-dynamics-vibration"],"related":["el-environmental-testing","el-testing-validation"],"unlocks":[],"order":77,"stage":10,"depth":12,"ancestorCount":24,"topics":[{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-1","name":"Verification methods: test, analysis, inspection and demonstration"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-2","name":"Model philosophy: development, qualification, protoflight and flight models"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-3","name":"Qualification versus acceptance test levels (GSFC-STD-7000, SMC-S-016)"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-4","name":"Cleanrooms, contamination control and ESD"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-5","name":"Assembly and integration flow"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-6","name":"Electrical integration and functional testing"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-7","name":"Mechanical testing: vibration, acoustic, shock and static loads"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-8","name":"Thermal vacuum and thermal balance testing"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-9","name":"EMC testing"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-10","name":"Mass properties measurement and alignment"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-11","name":"Ground support equipment and test facilities"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-12","name":"Non-conformance and anomaly management"},{"id":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test-13","name":"Shipping and launch-site processing"}]},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification","name":"Airworthiness and Certification","category":"Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"How aircraft and their systems are certified and kept airworthy: regulations, certification basis, development assurance and continued airworthiness.","prerequisites":["ae-aerospace-safety-reliability","ae-aircraft-design"],"related":["el-safety-certification"],"unlocks":[],"order":102,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":34,"topics":[{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-1","name":"Aviation authorities: FAA, EASA, ICAO"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-2","name":"Airworthiness regulations: Parts 23, 25, 27, 29, 33 and CS equivalents"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-3","name":"Type certification process and certification basis"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-4","name":"Means of compliance and special conditions"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-5","name":"Development assurance: ARP4754A"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-6","name":"Software and hardware assurance: DO-178C and DO-254"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-7","name":"Environmental qualification: DO-160"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-8","name":"Production approval and airworthiness certificates"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-9","name":"Continued airworthiness: maintenance programs, ADs, service bulletins"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-10","name":"Certification of UAS and novel aircraft"},{"id":"ae-airworthiness-certification-11","name":"Commercial space launch and human spaceflight licensing compared"}]},{"id":"ae-flight-testing","name":"Flight Testing","category":"Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","level":4,"priority":"important","summary":"Planning and running flight tests of aircraft and rockets to measure performance, stability and handling and to expand the flight envelope safely.","prerequisites":["ae-flight-dynamics","ae-aerospace-instrumentation"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":104,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":35,"topics":[{"id":"ae-flight-testing-1","name":"Purpose and types of flight test: development, certification, research"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-2","name":"Flight test planning and test cards"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-3","name":"Flight test instrumentation and telemetry"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-4","name":"Air data calibration"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-5","name":"Performance flight testing: climb, cruise, takeoff and landing"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-6","name":"Stability and control flight testing"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-7","name":"Handling qualities evaluation"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-8","name":"Envelope expansion and flutter flight testing"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-9","name":"Stall and spin testing"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-10","name":"Risk management and test safety"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-11","name":"Rocket and suborbital flight test campaigns"},{"id":"ae-flight-testing-12","name":"Test pilot and flight test engineer roles"}]},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization","name":"Multidisciplinary Design Optimisation","category":"Systems Engineering, Test & Safety","level":4,"priority":"advanced","summary":"Optimising aerospace vehicles across coupled disciplines at once, using gradient-based methods, surrogates and MDO architectures.","prerequisites":["ae-aircraft-design","ma-nonlinear-programming"],"related":["ma-optimization-algorithms","me-design-optimization"],"unlocks":[],"order":108,"stage":13,"depth":15,"ancestorCount":32,"topics":[{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-1","name":"Design optimisation problem formulation"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-2","name":"Gradient-based optimisation and constraints"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-3","name":"Computing derivatives: finite differences, complex step, algorithmic differentiation, adjoints"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-4","name":"Multidisciplinary analysis and coupled systems"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-5","name":"MDO architectures: MDF, IDF, collaborative optimisation"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-6","name":"Surrogate models and design of experiments"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-7","name":"Gradient-free and multi-objective optimisation"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-8","name":"Uncertainty quantification and robust design"},{"id":"ae-multidisciplinary-design-optimization-9","name":"Tools: OpenMDAO and aerostructural optimisation examples"}]},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics","name":"Space Business and Economics","category":"Space Policy & Business","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"How the space economy works: markets, business models, costs, financing and the NewSpace industry.","prerequisites":["ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":16,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-1","name":"The size and structure of the space economy"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-2","name":"Launch market and pricing"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-3","name":"Satellite communications, broadband and direct-to-device markets"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-4","name":"Earth observation and data businesses"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-5","name":"Navigation and timing services"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-6","name":"Commercial human spaceflight and space tourism"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-7","name":"Commercial space stations and in-space economy"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-8","name":"Government as customer: contracts, fixed-price versus cost-plus"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-9","name":"Venture financing and NewSpace start-ups"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-10","name":"Space insurance"},{"id":"ae-space-business-economics-11","name":"Cost drivers and cost reduction strategies"}]},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law","name":"Space Policy and Law","category":"Space Policy & Business","level":2,"priority":"optional","summary":"The treaties, national laws and policies that govern what can be done in space, from liability to spectrum and export control.","prerequisites":["ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance"],"related":[],"unlocks":[],"order":17,"stage":6,"depth":8,"ancestorCount":9,"topics":[{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-1","name":"The Outer Space Treaty and core principles"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-2","name":"Liability Convention, Registration Convention, Rescue Agreement, Moon Agreement"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-3","name":"National space legislation and licensing (FAA, FCC, NOAA and others)"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-4","name":"Spectrum and orbital slots: ITU coordination"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-5","name":"Export controls: ITAR and EAR"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-6","name":"Space resources law and the Artemis Accords"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-7","name":"Military space and space security"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-8","name":"Space agencies and national space policies"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-9","name":"Debris mitigation and space sustainability policy"},{"id":"ae-space-policy-law-10","name":"International cooperation: ISS agreements"}]}]}],"roadmaps":[{"id":"cosmos","name":"Cosmos & Space Science","icon":"🌌","tagline":"Understand the universe, from the night sky to the Big Bang.","description":"For a curious adult who wants to really understand the universe rather than just admire it. You start by learning the night sky and the maths and physics it runs on, then work outward: stars and the Sun, planets and exoplanets, black holes and gravitational waves, galaxies, and the history and structure of the cosmos itself.","outcomes":["Find your way around the night sky, predict where objects will appear and observe them with a telescope","Read a stellar spectrum or light curve and infer temperature, composition, mass and distance","Explain how stars are born, live and die, and how they leave behind white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes","Work with Kepler orbits and tides, and explain how exoplanets are found and characterised","Use general relativity at the level of the Schwarzschild metric, gravitational lensing and gravitational waves","Derive the expansion history of the universe from the Friedmann equations and explain the CMB, dark matter and dark energy","Analyse real astronomical data in Python with proper uncertainties and Bayesian inference"],"stages":[{"name":"Mathematical foundations","description":"The algebra, geometry, trigonometry and probability that every later calculation in astronomy assumes.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-arithmetic-pre-algebra","why":"Astronomy is a science of enormous and tiny numbers; 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wavelength, frequency and the Doppler effect are how we learn almost everything about the sky.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","why":"Charges, fields and currents lead to light itself and to the magnetic fields of planets and stars.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-mechanics","why":"Central forces, rotating frames and Lagrangian mechanics are the backbone of celestial dynamics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-waves-oscillations","why":"Oscillations, Fourier analysis and dispersion recur in stellar pulsations, plasmas and gravitational waves.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-electromagnetism","why":"Maxwell's equations and radiation from accelerating charges explain where astronomical light comes from.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-classical-electromagnetism-16","ph-classical-electromagnetism-1","ph-classical-electromagnetism-2","ph-classical-electromagnetism-19","ph-classical-electromagnetism-3","ph-classical-electromagnetism-4","ph-classical-electromagnetism-20","ph-classical-electromagnetism-5","ph-classical-electromagnetism-13","ph-classical-electromagnetism-15","ph-classical-electromagnetism-9"]},{"chapter":"ph-classical-optics","why":"Imaging, diffraction and interference set what any telescope can resolve and how spectrographs work.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-special-relativity","why":"Relativistic Doppler shifts, jets and E = mc^2 in stellar cores need special relativity.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-fluid-mechanics","why":"Stars, discs and interstellar gas are fluids; you need the basic flow equations, shocks and MHD.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-fluid-mechanics-1","ph-fluid-mechanics-2","ph-fluid-mechanics-3","ph-fluid-mechanics-4","ph-fluid-mechanics-6","ph-fluid-mechanics-8","ph-fluid-mechanics-10","ph-fluid-mechanics-14"]}]},{"name":"Modern physics & data analysis","description":"Quantum and statistical physics explain spectra and stellar matter; statistics turns observations into results.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-modern-physics","why":"Blackbody radiation, photons and atomic spectra are the keys to decoding starlight.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","why":"Photon gases, degenerate electrons and the Boltzmann and Saha distributions describe stars and the early universe.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-quantum-mechanics","why":"Energy levels and transitions are why each element leaves its fingerprint in a spectrum.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-quantum-mechanics-1","ph-quantum-mechanics-2","ph-quantum-mechanics-4","ph-quantum-mechanics-21","ph-quantum-mechanics-22","ph-quantum-mechanics-9","ph-quantum-mechanics-23","ph-quantum-mechanics-3","ph-quantum-mechanics-5","ph-quantum-mechanics-24","ph-quantum-mechanics-6","ph-quantum-mechanics-7","ph-quantum-mechanics-26","ph-quantum-mechanics-8","ph-quantum-mechanics-15","ph-quantum-mechanics-12"]},{"chapter":"ph-atomic-physics","why":"Fine structure, the 21-cm line and selection rules are what astronomers actually measure in spectra.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-atomic-physics-1","ph-atomic-physics-2","ph-atomic-physics-4","ph-atomic-physics-5","ph-atomic-physics-9","ph-atomic-physics-10","ph-atomic-physics-11"]},{"chapter":"ph-nuclear-physics","why":"Fusion, nuclear reactions and nucleosynthesis power the stars and made the elements.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-nuclear-physics-1","ph-nuclear-physics-13","ph-nuclear-physics-2","ph-nuclear-physics-4","ph-nuclear-physics-3","ph-nuclear-physics-8","ph-nuclear-physics-6","ph-nuclear-physics-11","ph-nuclear-physics-12"]},{"chapter":"ph-plasma-physics","why":"Most visible matter is plasma; Debye shielding, MHD and plasma waves underlie the Sun and space physics.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-plasma-physics-1","ph-plasma-physics-2","ph-plasma-physics-3","ph-plasma-physics-4","ph-plasma-physics-6","ph-plasma-physics-7","ph-plasma-physics-9","ph-plasma-physics-15"]},{"chapter":"ph-data-analysis-statistics","why":"Error bars, fitting, Bayesian inference and MCMC are how every cosmological parameter is measured.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Astrophysics, stars & the Sun","description":"How we observe the universe and how stars, from the Sun to the interstellar clouds that form them, actually work.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-astrophysics","why":"The first real astrophysics course: magnitudes, spectra, the H-R diagram and the distance ladder.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes","why":"How professional telescopes, detectors, photometry and spectroscopy turn photons into measurements.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-radiative-processes","why":"Radiative transfer, synchrotron and bremsstrahlung explain every spectrum you will interpret.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-stellar-astrophysics","why":"Stellar structure and evolution, from main sequence to supernova, is the core of astrophysics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-sun-heliophysics","why":"The Sun is the one star we can study up close: its interior, magnetic cycle, flares and wind.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-space-physics","why":"The solar wind, magnetospheres and space weather connect the Sun to the planets.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-astrophysical-fluid-dynamics","why":"Jeans instability, shocks, accretion discs and dynamos govern star formation and compact objects.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-interstellar-medium-star-formation","why":"The gas and dust between the stars and how it collapses into new stars and planetary systems.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Planets, the Solar System & exoplanets","description":"Orbits, planetary physics and the discovery of thousands of worlds around other stars.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-celestial-mechanics","why":"Kepler orbits, resonances, tides and Lagrange points shape every planetary system.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-planetary-science","why":"Planetary formation, interiors, atmospheres and magnetospheres, with the Solar System as the laboratory.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-introduction-to-earth-science","why":"Earth is the planet we know best; its layered interior, rock cycle and deep time frame comparisons with other worlds.","depth":"selected","focus":["ea-introduction-to-earth-science-2","ea-introduction-to-earth-science-3","ea-introduction-to-earth-science-4","ea-introduction-to-earth-science-5","ea-introduction-to-earth-science-6","ea-introduction-to-earth-science-7","ea-introduction-to-earth-science-8","ea-introduction-to-earth-science-10"]},{"chapter":"ea-comparative-planetology","why":"Comparing the planets shows why Venus, Earth and Mars turned out so differently.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-exoplanets","why":"Capstone: transit and radial-velocity methods, exoplanet demographics, atmospheres and habitable zones.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Gravity, black holes & gravitational waves","description":"Einstein's gravity and the extreme objects it predicts, now observed directly.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-tensor-analysis","why":"Index notation, the metric and curvature tensors are the language general relativity is written in.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-tensor-analysis-1","ma-tensor-analysis-2","ma-tensor-analysis-3","ma-tensor-analysis-4","ma-tensor-analysis-5","ma-tensor-analysis-6","ma-tensor-analysis-7"]},{"chapter":"ph-general-relativity","why":"Curved spacetime, the Schwarzschild metric, lensing, gravitational waves and the FLRW metric; the ideas and the main solutions matter most here.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-general-relativity-1","ph-general-relativity-2","ph-general-relativity-6","ph-general-relativity-3","ph-general-relativity-4","ph-general-relativity-7","ph-general-relativity-14","ph-general-relativity-8","ph-general-relativity-5","ph-general-relativity-15","ph-general-relativity-9","ph-general-relativity-10"]},{"chapter":"ph-compact-objects","why":"Capstone: white dwarfs, neutron stars, pulsars, black holes and the high-energy astrophysics of accretion.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-gravitational-wave-astronomy","why":"LIGO and pulsar timing now hear merging black holes and neutron stars; this is how it works.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Galaxies & cosmology","description":"From the Milky Way to the whole observable universe: its contents, history and large-scale structure.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-galaxies-galactic-dynamics","why":"Galaxy structure, rotation curves and stellar dynamics, and the first evidence for dark matter.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-cosmology","why":"The expanding universe, the Friedmann equations, Big Bang nucleosynthesis and the cosmic microwave background.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-galaxy-formation-evolution","why":"Capstone: how galaxies assembled from the first halos to today's spirals and ellipticals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-advanced-cosmology","why":"Capstone: cosmological perturbations, CMB anisotropies and the growth of large-scale structure.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-particle-physics","why":"The Standard Model and neutrinos are needed to understand the early universe and dark-matter candidates.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-particle-physics-16","ph-particle-physics-1","ph-particle-physics-2","ph-particle-physics-3","ph-particle-physics-6","ph-particle-physics-7","ph-particle-physics-8","ph-particle-physics-4","ph-particle-physics-15","ph-particle-physics-13"]},{"chapter":"ph-astroparticle-physics","why":"Dark matter searches, cosmic rays and the particle physics of the early universe.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Electives","description":"Optional deep dives into observing techniques, data science, planetary geology and the quantum side of black holes.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-radio-astronomy","why":"Elective: radio telescopes and interferometry, from the 21-cm line and pulsars to the Event Horizon Telescope.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-astrostatistics","why":"Elective: survey data, FITS and Astropy, hierarchical Bayesian models and machine learning for astronomy.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-neutrino-astronomy","why":"Elective: solar neutrinos, supernova neutrinos and IceCube, a completely different window on the cosmos.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-computational-physics","why":"Elective: numerical ODEs, N-body and hydrodynamics methods so you can simulate orbits, clusters and galaxies yourself.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-computational-physics-1","ph-computational-physics-9","ph-computational-physics-10","ph-computational-physics-11","ph-computational-physics-12","ph-computational-physics-2","ph-computational-physics-3","ph-computational-physics-13","ph-computational-physics-14"]},{"chapter":"ea-physical-geology","why":"Elective: the rocks and surface processes you need before doing geology on other planets.","depth":"selected","focus":["ea-physical-geology-1","ea-physical-geology-2","ea-physical-geology-3","ea-physical-geology-4","ea-physical-geology-5","ea-physical-geology-6","ea-physical-geology-7","ea-physical-geology-8","ea-physical-geology-9","ea-physical-geology-11","ea-physical-geology-13","ea-physical-geology-14"]},{"chapter":"ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering","why":"Elective: planetary geoscience; impact craters, volcanism and crater-count dating of other worlds.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies","why":"Elective: ocean worlds like Europa and Enceladus, Titan, asteroids, comets and Pluto.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics","why":"Elective: groundwork for black-hole physics; second quantization, photon fields and relativistic QM, only as far as needed.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics-1","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics-2","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics-3","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics-7","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics-11","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics-12","ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics-13"]},{"chapter":"ph-quantum-field-theory-qft","why":"Elective: groundwork for black-hole physics; the idea of quantized fields and particles as excitations, not full QFT technique.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-quantum-field-theory-qft-15","ph-quantum-field-theory-qft-8","ph-quantum-field-theory-qft-2","ph-quantum-field-theory-qft-1","ph-quantum-field-theory-qft-6","ph-quantum-field-theory-qft-3","ph-quantum-field-theory-qft-10"]},{"chapter":"ph-black-hole-physics","why":"Elective: black-hole thermodynamics, Hawking radiation and the information paradox.","depth":"full"}]}],"related":["rocket-science","astrobiology","theoretical-physicist"]},{"id":"rocket-science","name":"Rocket Science & Spaceflight","icon":"🚀","tagline":"Design, analyse and fly rockets and spacecraft.","description":"For anyone who wants to go from watching launches to understanding and designing them. You start with the maths and a model rocket, build up the mechanical, thermal-fluid and aerodynamic engineering, then learn propulsion, orbital mechanics, launch and re-entry, guidance and control, avionics and flight software, and finish by designing a complete space mission.","outcomes":["Size a multi-stage launch vehicle with the rocket equation and estimate its payload to orbit","Analyse a liquid, solid or hybrid rocket engine: propellant performance, nozzle expansion, cooling and feed system","Plan orbits, transfers and interplanetary trajectories, and build a delta-v budget for a mission","Estimate entry heating and choose a thermal protection and landing approach for a returning vehicle","Design attitude determination and control and a Kalman-filter navigation loop for a spacecraft","Write and structure real-time flight software for an embedded flight computer","Carry a spacecraft from mission requirements through subsystem trades to an integrated, testable design"],"stages":[{"name":"Mathematical foundations","description":"The algebra, geometry, trigonometry and basic statistics that every flight calculation is built on.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-arithmetic-pre-algebra","why":"Ratios, powers and scientific notation are needed for mass ratios, thrust-to-weight and unit conversions.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-intermediate-algebra","why":"Rearranging the rocket equation and performance formulas is everyday algebra.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-euclidean-geometry","why":"Geometry of nozzles, fins, tanks and trajectories starts with Euclid.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-trigonometry","why":"Resolving thrust, drag and gravity into components along a flight path is trigonometry.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-precalculus","why":"Exponentials and logarithms: the rocket equation is a logarithm of the mass ratio.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-analytic-geometry","why":"Orbits are conic sections; you will use ellipse and hyperbola geometry constantly.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-descriptive-statistics","why":"Summarising test data, from motor burns to sensor logs, starts with means, spread and plots.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-probability","why":"Reliability, dispersion and risk in launch are all probability.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Hands-on start: how rockets fly","description":"Build intuition and fly something: the physics of rockets and orbits at a conceptual level, plus model rocketry.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-measurement-units-vectors","why":"Units and vectors: mixing up units has destroyed real spacecraft, and forces and velocities are vectors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-mechanics","why":"Newton's laws, momentum and gravity are exactly why and how a rocket works.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-introduction-to-aerospace-engineering","why":"A map of the field: vehicles, disciplines and the units aerospace engineers use.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-rocketry-basics","why":"Action and reaction, thrust, specific impulse and staging explained before the equations arrive.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-model-and-amateur-rocketry","why":"The hands-on start: build and fly model and high-power rockets safely, and learn stability, recovery and motor choice by doing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-space-and-orbits-at-a-glance","why":"What orbit means, why it takes about 7.8 km/s, and the main orbit types, before the formal mechanics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-principles-of-flight","why":"Lift, drag and speed regimes; rockets fly through the same atmosphere as aircraft.","depth":"selected","focus":["ae-principles-of-flight-1","ae-principles-of-flight-2","ae-principles-of-flight-5","ae-principles-of-flight-8","ae-principles-of-flight-14"]}]},{"name":"Calculus, statistics & computing","description":"The engineering mathematics and programming used in every later analysis.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-calculus","why":"Thrust, mass flow and trajectories are rates of change; the rocket equation itself comes from an integral.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-linear-algebra","why":"Rotation matrices, state vectors and Kalman filters are linear algebra.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-multivariable-calculus","why":"Flow fields, heat flux and structural stress vary in three dimensions.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","why":"Equations of motion for rockets, orbits and control loops are ODEs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-vector-calculus","why":"Conservation laws in fluid mechanics and heat transfer are written with divergence and gradient.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-integral-transforms","why":"Laplace transforms turn control-system dynamics into algebra; Fourier transforms analyse vibration and signals.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-integral-transforms-1","ma-integral-transforms-1-1","ma-integral-transforms-1-2","ma-integral-transforms-1-3","ma-integral-transforms-2"]},{"chapter":"ma-probability-theory","why":"Random variables and covariance are the basis of navigation filters, dispersions and reliability.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-inferential-statistics","why":"Confidence intervals and tests tell you whether a test-stand result is real.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-inferential-statistics-5","ma-inferential-statistics-1","ma-inferential-statistics-3","ma-inferential-statistics-2","ma-inferential-statistics-6"]},{"chapter":"ma-mathematical-methods","why":"Fourier series, separation of variables and Bessel functions solve heat, vibration and acoustic problems.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-mathematical-methods-1","ma-mathematical-methods-2","ma-mathematical-methods-3","ma-mathematical-methods-4","ma-mathematical-methods-6","ma-mathematical-methods-7","ma-mathematical-methods-9"]},{"chapter":"ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes","why":"Heat conduction, wave propagation and fluid flow are PDEs; you need the classical equations and characteristics.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-7","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-1","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-8","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-9","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-10","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-11","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-12","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-13","ma-partial-differential-equations-pdes-15"]},{"chapter":"cs-computational-thinking","why":"A quick grounding in how computers represent data before you start programming.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-computational-thinking-1","cs-computational-thinking-2","cs-computational-thinking-3","cs-computational-thinking-4","cs-computational-thinking-5"]},{"chapter":"cs-programming-fundamentals","why":"Python is the everyday tool for trajectory simulation, data reduction and design scripts.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-computational-methods-aerospace","why":"Numerical integration, root finding and linear solvers applied to aerospace problems such as trajectory propagation.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Physics, chemistry & circuits","description":"Classical physics, the chemistry behind combustion and the electrical basics every flight system needs.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics","why":"Heat, temperature and gas laws come before engine thermodynamics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","why":"Charges, fields and circuits, the base for avionics, power systems and electric propulsion.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-mechanics","why":"Central forces, rotating frames and rigid-body motion are the physics of orbits and attitude.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-classical-mechanics-1","ph-classical-mechanics-2","ph-classical-mechanics-4","ph-classical-mechanics-5","ph-classical-mechanics-6","ph-classical-mechanics-7","ph-classical-mechanics-8","ph-classical-mechanics-9","ph-classical-mechanics-21","ph-classical-mechanics-19","ph-classical-mechanics-11","ph-classical-mechanics-12","ph-classical-mechanics-16"]},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-dynamics","why":"3D rigid-body dynamics in rotating frames: the mechanical basis of flight mechanics, orbits and attitude.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-electromagnetism","why":"Fields, induction and EM waves are needed for electric thrusters, antennas and the space environment.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-classical-electromagnetism-1","ph-classical-electromagnetism-2","ph-classical-electromagnetism-19","ph-classical-electromagnetism-4","ph-classical-electromagnetism-5","ph-classical-electromagnetism-9","ph-classical-electromagnetism-10"]},{"chapter":"el-basic-electricity","why":"Voltage, current and power, and working safely with batteries and igniters.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-circuit-theory","why":"Circuit analysis is needed for instrumentation, power systems and avionics.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-circuit-theory-6","el-circuit-theory-1","el-circuit-theory-7","el-circuit-theory-3","el-circuit-theory-2","el-circuit-theory-9","el-circuit-theory-10","el-circuit-theory-4","el-circuit-theory-5","el-circuit-theory-11","el-circuit-theory-12","el-circuit-theory-13"]},{"chapter":"ch-introductory-chemistry","why":"Moles, reactions and stoichiometry: every propellant calculation starts here.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity","why":"Atomic structure explains why hydrogen, oxygen and certain metals make good propellants and structures.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure","why":"Bond energies are where propellant energy is stored.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-states-of-matter-solutions","why":"Gases, liquids and phase behaviour matter for cryogenic propellants and tank pressurisation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-thermochemistry","why":"Heats of formation and reaction set how much energy a propellant combination releases.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-kinetics-intro","why":"Reaction rates decide ignition, burn rate and whether combustion is stable.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-equilibrium","why":"Equilibrium and dissociation at chamber temperatures set exhaust composition and performance.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Mechanics, structures, materials & control","description":"Mechanical-engineering fundamentals: how structures carry load, what they are made of, how they vibrate and how feedback control works.","items":[{"chapter":"me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design","why":"The engineering design process and habits used throughout vehicle design.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-statics","why":"Free-body diagrams and equilibrium: loads on a rocket on the pad and in flight.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-dynamics","why":"Engineering dynamics of particles and rigid bodies, the base for vibration and flight mechanics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-mechanics-of-materials","why":"Stress, strain, bending and buckling size tanks, interstages and thrust structures.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-intro-to-materials","why":"Why metals, ceramics, polymers and composites behave differently.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-engineering-materials","why":"Properties of engineering alloys and composites as a designer uses them.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-materials","why":"Aluminium-lithium, titanium, nickel superalloys and composites: how aerospace materials are chosen.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-structures","why":"Thin-walled, stiffened structures are what rockets and spacecraft are made of.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-composite-structures","why":"Composite overwrapped tanks, fairings and interstages are laminated structures.","depth":"selected","focus":["ae-composite-structures-1","ae-composite-structures-2","ae-composite-structures-3","ae-composite-structures-4","ae-composite-structures-5","ae-composite-structures-6","ae-composite-structures-7","ae-composite-structures-10"]},{"chapter":"me-system-dynamics","why":"Modelling mechanical, electrical and fluid systems as differential equations and transfer functions.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-mechanical-vibrations","why":"Rockets shake: modes, damping and forced 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drag.","depth":"selected","focus":["ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-1","ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-5","ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-8","ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-9","ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-10","ae-applied-aerodynamics-flight-vehicles-11"]},{"chapter":"ae-hypersonic-aerothermodynamics","why":"Above Mach 5 heating and gas chemistry dominate: the physics behind re-entry and ascent heating.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Rocket propulsion","description":"From the rocket equation to real engines: propellants and combustion, nozzles, liquid, solid, hybrid and electric propulsion, and testing.","items":[{"chapter":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","why":"The rocket equation, thrust, specific impulse and ideal rocket theory: the core of the whole roadmap.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics","why":"Gibbs energy and chemical equilibrium are how propellant performance codes compute chamber composition.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-chemical-thermodynamics-1","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-2","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-3","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-4","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-6","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-7","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-8","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-11"]},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-kinetics","why":"Chain reactions and rate theory explain ignition, flame holding and explosions.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-chemical-kinetics-1","ch-chemical-kinetics-2","ch-chemical-kinetics-3","ch-chemical-kinetics-4","ch-chemical-kinetics-6","ch-chemical-kinetics-7","ch-chemical-kinetics-14"]},{"chapter":"ae-combustion-fundamentals","why":"Flames, sprays and detonations as they happen inside engines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-combustion-chemistry","why":"Adiabatic flame temperature, dissociation and combustion in rocket chambers.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-combustion-chemistry-1","ch-combustion-chemistry-2","ch-combustion-chemistry-3","ch-combustion-chemistry-4","ch-combustion-chemistry-6","ch-combustion-chemistry-8","ch-combustion-chemistry-9","ch-combustion-chemistry-11","ch-combustion-chemistry-12","ch-combustion-chemistry-14"]},{"chapter":"ch-propellant-chemistry","why":"The chemistry of oxidisers, fuels, monopropellants and solid propellants, and why each is chosen.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-rocket-propellants-performance","why":"How propellant choice sets characteristic velocity and specific impulse; equilibrium performance calculations.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control","why":"Real nozzle design, expansion ratio, altitude losses and how rockets steer their thrust.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-solid-rocket-motors","why":"Grain geometry, burn rate and motor design: the scaled-up version of your model rocket motor.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-hybrid-rocket-propulsion","why":"Solid fuel with liquid oxidiser: popular in amateur and university rocketry for safety and throttling.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-liquid-rocket-engines","why":"Thrust chambers, injectors, regenerative cooling and ignition of liquid engines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-turbomachinery","why":"Pumps and turbines, velocity triangles and cavitation, the basis of turbopump design.","depth":"selected","focus":["me-turbomachinery-1","me-turbomachinery-2","me-turbomachinery-3","me-turbomachinery-4","me-turbomachinery-8","me-turbomachinery-13"]},{"chapter":"ae-engine-cycles-turbopumps-feed-systems","why":"Pressure-fed versus gas-generator, staged-combustion and expander cycles, turbopumps and tank pressurisation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-instrumentation","why":"Pressure, temperature, force and strain measurement and data acquisition for tests and flight.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-propulsion-testing","why":"Test stands, instrumentation and test safety: how engines are actually proven.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-electric-propulsion","why":"Ion, Hall and other electric thrusters that move spacecraft once they are in space.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Orbits, launch vehicles & re-entry","description":"Astrodynamics, getting from the pad to orbit, and coming back through the atmosphere.","items":[{"chapter":"ae-orbital-mechanics","why":"The two-body problem, orbital elements and time of flight: the geometry of spaceflight.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-orbital-maneuvers","why":"Hohmann transfers, plane changes and phasing, and how to build a delta-v budget.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-orbital-perturbations","why":"Oblateness, drag, solar pressure and third bodies, and numerical orbit propagation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-interplanetary-trajectories","why":"Patched conics, launch windows, porkchop plots and gravity assists for the Moon and planets.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-ascent-trajectories","why":"Gravity turns, gravity and drag losses and ascent simulation from pad to orbit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-launch-vehicle-design","why":"Staging, propulsion selection, structures and mass budgets brought together into a launch vehicle.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-launch-vehicle-dynamics-control","why":"Controlling a flexible, sloshing, aerodynamically unstable rocket and the loads that result.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-atmospheric-entry","why":"Ballistic and lifting entry, deceleration, heating and entry corridors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-thermal-protection-systems","why":"Ablative and reusable heat shields: materials, sizing and testing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-descent-landing-systems","why":"Parachutes, inflatable decelerators, retropropulsion and precision landing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-reusable-launch-systems","why":"Propulsive landing, recovery and refurbishment, and the economics of reuse.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Guidance, navigation & control","description":"Knowing where the vehicle is, deciding where it should go and steering it there, for rockets and spacecraft.","items":[{"chapter":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering","why":"Least squares and Kalman filters are behind every navigation system.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics","why":"Quaternions, Euler angles and rigid-body attitude dynamics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-attitude-determination","why":"Star trackers, sun sensors, gyros and filters to work out which way the spacecraft points.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-attitude-control","why":"Reaction wheels, thrusters and magnetorquers and the control laws that use them.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-navigation-systems","why":"Inertial, GNSS and deep-space navigation for launchers and spacecraft.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-guidance-algorithms","why":"Ascent, transfer, entry and powered-landing guidance laws.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-rendezvous-proximity-operations","why":"Relative motion, rendezvous and docking, as used for space stations and servicing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-orbit-determination","why":"Estimating an orbit from tracking data with batch and sequential filters.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-gnc-system-design-verification","why":"Integrating guidance, navigation and control into a verified flight system with fault management.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Avionics, embedded systems & flight software","description":"The electronics, embedded computing and software engineering that turn a vehicle into something that can fly itself.","items":[{"chapter":"el-hands-on-electronics","why":"Breadboarding, soldering and a multimeter: the bench skills for building flight computers and ground-support gear.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-hands-on-electronics-1","el-hands-on-electronics-2","el-hands-on-electronics-3","el-hands-on-electronics-4","el-hands-on-electronics-5","el-hands-on-electronics-10","el-hands-on-electronics-11","el-hands-on-electronics-13","el-hands-on-electronics-14"]},{"chapter":"el-combinational-logic","why":"Binary numbers and logic gates: how flight computers represent and process data.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-combinational-logic-8","el-combinational-logic-1","el-combinational-logic-2","el-combinational-logic-4","el-combinational-logic-5"]},{"chapter":"el-sequential-logic","why":"Registers, counters and state machines, which also model flight sequencing.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-sequential-logic-1","el-sequential-logic-2","el-sequential-logic-3","el-sequential-logic-4","el-sequential-logic-5"]},{"chapter":"el-intro-microcontrollers","why":"Program a microcontroller to read sensors and fire events: the core of an amateur flight computer.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-command-line-shell","why":"The shell, scripting and build tools used to develop and test flight code.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-command-line-shell-1","cs-command-line-shell-2","cs-command-line-shell-4","cs-command-line-shell-5","cs-command-line-shell-7","cs-command-line-shell-8","cs-command-line-shell-9","cs-command-line-shell-11","cs-command-line-shell-13"]},{"chapter":"cs-program-design","why":"Decomposition, testing and debugging discipline for programs bigger than scripts.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-program-design-1","cs-program-design-2","cs-program-design-3","cs-program-design-5","cs-program-design-8","cs-program-design-9","cs-program-design-10"]},{"chapter":"cs-computer-organization","why":"Number representation, the processor and interrupts at machine level, which flight software depends on.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-computer-organization-1","cs-computer-organization-2","cs-computer-organization-3","cs-computer-organization-4","cs-computer-organization-7","cs-computer-organization-9","cs-computer-organization-10","cs-computer-organization-13","cs-computer-organization-14"]},{"chapter":"cs-systems-programming","why":"C, pointers and memory: most flight software is written in C or C++.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-systems-programming-1","cs-systems-programming-2","cs-systems-programming-3","cs-systems-programming-4","cs-systems-programming-5","cs-systems-programming-6","cs-systems-programming-7","cs-systems-programming-10","cs-systems-programming-14"]},{"chapter":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals","why":"Register-level C, interrupts, timers, ADCs and serial buses on microcontrollers.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-bare-metal-programming","why":"Programming without an OS: memory-mapped I/O and interrupt service routines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-discrete-mathematics","why":"Logic, state machines and invariants for reasoning about software correctness.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-discrete-mathematics-1","cs-discrete-mathematics-2","cs-discrete-mathematics-3","cs-discrete-mathematics-4","cs-discrete-mathematics-5","cs-discrete-mathematics-11","cs-discrete-mathematics-13","cs-discrete-mathematics-14"]},{"chapter":"cs-data-structures","why":"Queues, buffers and fixed-size structures used in telemetry and command handling.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-data-structures-1","cs-data-structures-2","cs-data-structures-3","cs-data-structures-5","cs-data-structures-6","cs-data-structures-10","cs-data-structures-16"]},{"chapter":"cs-operating-systems","why":"Scheduling, synchronisation and real-time operating systems.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-operating-systems-1","cs-operating-systems-3","cs-operating-systems-4","cs-operating-systems-5","cs-operating-systems-6","cs-operating-systems-7","cs-operating-systems-8","cs-operating-systems-9","cs-operating-systems-11","cs-operating-systems-16"]},{"chapter":"el-concurrency-synchronization","why":"Critical sections, priority inversion and deadlock: the bugs that have hit real spacecraft.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-real-time-concepts","why":"Deadlines, jitter and worst-case execution time for control loops that must never be late.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-object-oriented-programming","why":"Classes and interfaces as used in C++ flight frameworks and ground software.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-object-oriented-programming-1","cs-object-oriented-programming-2","cs-object-oriented-programming-3","cs-object-oriented-programming-5","cs-object-oriented-programming-6","cs-object-oriented-programming-7","cs-object-oriented-programming-10"]},{"chapter":"cs-version-control-git","why":"Version control and code review are mandatory on any flight-software team.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-version-control-git-1","cs-version-control-git-3","cs-version-control-git-4","cs-version-control-git-5","cs-version-control-git-6","cs-version-control-git-10"]},{"chapter":"cs-software-construction","why":"Specifications, testing and defensive programming for code that cannot fail.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-software-construction-1","cs-software-construction-2","cs-software-construction-3","cs-software-construction-5","cs-software-construction-6","cs-software-construction-7","cs-software-construction-8","cs-software-construction-14"]},{"chapter":"cs-software-engineering-process","why":"Life-cycle, configuration and release management as practised on flight programmes.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-software-engineering-process-1","cs-software-engineering-process-3","cs-software-engineering-process-5","cs-software-engineering-process-6","cs-software-engineering-process-7","cs-software-engineering-process-9"]},{"chapter":"el-mathematical-foundations","why":"Phasors, transforms and discrete-time maths for signals and communications.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-mathematical-foundations-1","el-mathematical-foundations-3","el-mathematical-foundations-2","el-mathematical-foundations-7","el-mathematical-foundations-9"]},{"chapter":"el-signals-and-systems","why":"Sampling, filtering and transfer functions for sensors, control and radio links.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-signals-and-systems-1","el-signals-and-systems-2","el-signals-and-systems-3","el-signals-and-systems-8","el-signals-and-systems-9","el-signals-and-systems-10","el-signals-and-systems-11","el-signals-and-systems-12","el-signals-and-systems-13","el-signals-and-systems-14"]},{"chapter":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals","why":"Sampling, aliasing and digital filtering of sensor and telemetry data.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-inertial-sensors","why":"Accelerometers and gyroscopes: the IMU at the heart of every rocket's navigation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-control-theory","why":"Digital and robust control as implemented on real flight computers.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-control-theory-2","el-control-theory-3","el-control-theory-5","el-control-theory-6"]},{"chapter":"el-avionics-systems","why":"Autopilots, inertial and GPS navigation and flight recorders as avionics hardware.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-avionics-systems-2","el-avionics-systems-3","el-avionics-systems-4","el-avionics-systems-5","el-avionics-systems-10"]}]},{"name":"Capstone: spacecraft & mission design","description":"Spacecraft subsystems, systems engineering and mission design brought together into complete, launchable missions; ends with electives.","items":[{"chapter":"ae-space-environment","why":"Vacuum, radiation, plasma, atomic oxygen and debris: what every spacecraft must survive.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-spacecraft-bus-fundamentals","why":"The spacecraft as a system of subsystems tied together by mass, power and data budgets.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-spacecraft-power-systems","why":"Solar arrays, batteries and power distribution.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-spacecraft-thermal-control","why":"Keeping hardware within temperature limits in vacuum with coatings, heaters and radiators.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-space-communications-link-budgets","why":"Antennas, modulation and link budgets: how spacecraft talk to Earth.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-command-data-handling","why":"The onboard computer, data buses, telemetry and telecommand.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-flight-software","why":"Safety-critical real-time flight software and the lessons of famous software failures.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-spacecraft-structures-mechanisms","why":"Structures that survive launch and mechanisms that deploy and point.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-spacecraft-propulsion-systems","why":"Cold-gas, monopropellant and bipropellant in-space propulsion, tanks and feed systems.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering","why":"Requirements, interfaces, reviews and verification, the NASA way of building complex vehicles.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-avionics-systems-integration","why":"Redundant avionics architectures, networks and integration into the vehicle.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability","why":"FMEA, fault trees and probabilistic risk, and lessons from accidents.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-launch-operations-range-safety","why":"Launch sites, propellant loading, countdown, range safety and licensing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-spacecraft-assembly-integration-test","why":"Integration and environmental testing: vibration, thermal-vacuum and EMC before shipping to the launch site.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-space-mission-design","why":"Capstone: the SMAD process of turning objectives into orbit, spacecraft, ground segment, cost and schedule.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-mission-operations-ground-systems","why":"Mission control, flight dynamics operations and anomaly response.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-spacecraft-design","why":"Capstone: take a mission from requirements to a balanced, integrated spacecraft design.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-combustion-instability","why":"Elective: the combustion-acoustic coupling that can destroy liquid engines, and how it is suppressed.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-small-satellites-cubesats","why":"Elective: CubeSats are the most accessible route to building real flight hardware yourself.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-planetary-exploration-systems","why":"Elective: landers, rovers, aerial vehicles and sample return for the Moon, Mars and beyond.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-dynamical-systems","why":"Elective: fixed points, stability and invariant manifolds, groundwork for three-body orbit design.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-dynamical-systems-7","ma-dynamical-systems-1","ma-dynamical-systems-8","ma-dynamical-systems-3","ma-dynamical-systems-9","ma-dynamical-systems-12"]},{"chapter":"ae-three-body-problem","why":"Elective: Lagrange points, halo orbits and low-energy transfers used by JWST and lunar missions.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-variational-methods","why":"Elective: calculus of variations, groundwork for trajectory optimisation.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-variational-methods-4","ma-variational-methods-1","ma-variational-methods-5","ma-variational-methods-7"]},{"chapter":"ma-control-theory","why":"Elective: mathematical control theory, groundwork for optimal control.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-control-theory-4","ma-control-theory-3","ma-control-theory-12","ma-control-theory-2","ma-control-theory-13"]},{"chapter":"ma-calculus-of-variations-optimal-control","why":"Elective: Pontryagin's principle and optimal control, groundwork for trajectory optimisation.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-calculus-of-variations-optimal-control-1","ma-calculus-of-variations-optimal-control-4","ma-calculus-of-variations-optimal-control-2","ma-calculus-of-variations-optimal-control-5"]},{"chapter":"ae-trajectory-optimization","why":"Elective: minimum-fuel and minimum-time trajectories for launchers, landers and spacecraft.","depth":"full"}]}],"related":["cosmos","astrobiology","robotics"]},{"id":"astrobiology","name":"Astrobiology & Life in the Universe","icon":"👽","tagline":"How life began, where else it could exist, and how we would recognise it.","description":"For anyone drawn to the biggest open question in science: are we alone? Astrobiology borrows from biology, chemistry, geology and astronomy, so you build a working base in each, then follow life from its chemical origins and its limits on Earth out to Mars, the ocean moons and the atmospheres of exoplanets, ending with how missions search for biosignatures.","outcomes":["Explain the leading hypotheses for the origin of life, from prebiotic chemistry to the RNA world and the last universal common ancestor","Describe how extremophiles and microbial metabolisms set the physical and chemical limits of life","Read the rock record for evidence of early life, using isotopes, fossils and the co-evolution of Earth and its biosphere","Assess the habitability of Mars, Europa, Enceladus, Titan and exoplanets from their geology, energy sources and atmospheres","Evaluate proposed biosignatures, including their false positives, and how missions and telescopes try to detect them","Follow and critically read current astrobiology research and mission results"],"stages":[{"name":"Mathematical foundations","description":"The algebra, geometry, probability and calculus that the physical and life sciences use.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-arithmetic-pre-algebra","why":"Ratios, powers and scientific notation, from cell sizes to interstellar distances.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-intermediate-algebra","why":"Rearranging formulas for rates, concentrations and energies is basic algebra.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-euclidean-geometry","why":"Geometry of orbits, planets and molecules starts here.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-trigonometry","why":"Needed for waves, orbits and the physics of light.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-precalculus","why":"Exponentials and logarithms describe population growth, radioactive dating and pH.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-analytic-geometry","why":"Coordinates and conic sections for orbits and graphs of data.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-probability","why":"Genetics, evolution and every measurement uncertainty rest on probability.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-calculus","why":"Rates of reaction, growth and energy flow are derivatives and integrals.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"First look: life, Earth and sky","description":"Introductory biology, chemistry, geology and astronomy: the four pillars astrobiology stands on.","items":[{"chapter":"bi-introductory-biology","why":"What life is, how cells work and how organisms evolve: the definition you are going to look for elsewhere.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-introductory-chemistry","why":"Atoms, molecules and reactions are the raw material of life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-chemistry-of-life","why":"Water, carbon and the four classes of biomolecules: why life as we know it is built the way it is.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-introduction-to-earth-science","why":"Earth as interacting systems of rock, water, air and life, and deep time.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-physical-geology","why":"Minerals, rocks and surface processes, the setting in which life arose and left its traces.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-measurement-units-vectors","why":"Units and orders of magnitude, from nanometres to light-years.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-astronomy","why":"Stars, planets and galaxies: the cosmic setting for life.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Mathematics & physics toolkit","description":"Just enough physics to understand light, energy, planets and telescopes, and the statistics to judge evidence.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-multivariable-calculus","why":"Quantities that vary in space, from atmospheres to planetary interiors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","why":"Population growth, reaction kinetics and climate feedbacks are ODEs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-vector-calculus","why":"Needed for fields and fluxes in electromagnetism and atmospheres.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-probability-theory","why":"Distributions and likelihood, used in population genetics and data analysis.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-mechanics","why":"Gravity and motion, the physics behind orbits and planetary structure.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics","why":"Energy, heat and temperature: every habitability argument is about energy and liquid water.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light","why":"Light and spectra are how we study planets and atmospheres we cannot visit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","why":"Fields and charges, leading to light and to planetary magnetic shields.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-mechanics","why":"Orbits, tides and rotation, which set climates and tidal heating of moons.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-classical-mechanics-1","ph-classical-mechanics-2","ph-classical-mechanics-4","ph-classical-mechanics-5","ph-classical-mechanics-6","ph-classical-mechanics-7","ph-classical-mechanics-9","ph-classical-mechanics-19","ph-classical-mechanics-11","ph-classical-mechanics-15"]},{"chapter":"ph-celestial-mechanics","why":"Orbits and resonances explain how exoplanets are found and whether their climates are stable.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-waves-oscillations","why":"Wave physics needed for optics and spectroscopy.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-waves-oscillations-1","ph-waves-oscillations-2","ph-waves-oscillations-3","ph-waves-oscillations-5","ph-waves-oscillations-7","ph-waves-oscillations-8","ph-waves-oscillations-10","ph-waves-oscillations-14","ph-waves-oscillations-15"]},{"chapter":"ph-classical-electromagnetism","why":"Electromagnetic waves are the messengers carrying every biosignature we can detect remotely.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-classical-electromagnetism-16","ph-classical-electromagnetism-1","ph-classical-electromagnetism-2","ph-classical-electromagnetism-19","ph-classical-electromagnetism-4","ph-classical-electromagnetism-5","ph-classical-electromagnetism-9"]},{"chapter":"ph-modern-physics","why":"Photons, blackbody radiation and atomic spectra, the basis of reading planetary light.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","why":"Entropy, free energy and disequilibrium: life is a far-from-equilibrium process.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-1","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-4","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-5","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-7","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-8","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-10","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-11","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-11-3","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-12","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-15","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-16"]},{"chapter":"ph-classical-optics","why":"Telescopes, spectrographs and diffraction limits for observing distant worlds.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-classical-optics-1","ph-classical-optics-6","ph-classical-optics-2","ph-classical-optics-3","ph-classical-optics-4","ph-classical-optics-5","ph-classical-optics-8"]},{"chapter":"ph-data-analysis-statistics","why":"Weak signals demand honest statistics; extraordinary claims of life need extraordinary evidence.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Chemistry of life's building blocks","description":"General, organic and biochemistry, with an eye to how life's molecules could form without life.","items":[{"chapter":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity","why":"Why carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur are the elements of life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure","why":"Bonding and molecular shape explain why carbon chemistry is so versatile and why water is special.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-states-of-matter-solutions","why":"Solutions and phase behaviour: water as a solvent, and alternatives like Titan's liquid methane.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-thermochemistry","why":"The energetics of reactions, the currency of every metabolism.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-kinetics-intro","why":"Reaction rates decide which prebiotic pathways can actually produce useful amounts of molecules.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-equilibrium","why":"Equilibrium versus disequilibrium is the basis of chemical energy sources and biosignatures.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-thermodynamics","why":"Gibbs energy of reactions tells you which environments can power life.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-chemical-thermodynamics-1","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-2","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-4","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-6","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-7","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-8","ch-chemical-thermodynamics-11"]},{"chapter":"ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria","why":"pH and aqueous chemistry of oceans, hydrothermal vents and brines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics","why":"Redox gradients power chemolithotrophic life, the likeliest kind on other worlds.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-organic-structure-bonding","why":"Functional groups and structure of the organic molecules life is made of.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-stereochemistry","why":"Chirality and homochirality are a candidate universal biosignature.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-stereochemistry-1","ch-stereochemistry-2","ch-stereochemistry-3","ch-stereochemistry-4","ch-stereochemistry-5","ch-stereochemistry-6","ch-stereochemistry-13"]},{"chapter":"ch-organic-reactions-i","why":"Reaction mechanisms needed to follow prebiotic synthesis routes.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-organic-reactions-i-1","ch-organic-reactions-i-2","ch-organic-reactions-i-4","ch-organic-reactions-i-8","ch-organic-reactions-i-9","ch-organic-reactions-i-10"]},{"chapter":"ch-organic-reactions-ii","why":"Carbonyl and amine chemistry behind Strecker amino-acid synthesis and the formose reaction.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-organic-reactions-ii-2","ch-organic-reactions-ii-5","ch-organic-reactions-ii-6","ch-organic-reactions-ii-7","ch-organic-reactions-ii-8","ch-organic-reactions-ii-10","ch-organic-reactions-ii-12"]},{"chapter":"ch-organic-spectroscopy","why":"Mass spectrometry and IR are how rover and lab instruments identify organic molecules.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-organic-spectroscopy-1","ch-organic-spectroscopy-2","ch-organic-spectroscopy-3","ch-organic-spectroscopy-4","ch-organic-spectroscopy-5","ch-organic-spectroscopy-9"]},{"chapter":"bi-biochemistry","why":"Proteins, nucleic acids, lipids and enzymes: the machinery a first cell had to assemble.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Cells, genes & microbes","description":"How cells work and how microbes, the dominant form of life on Earth, survive almost everywhere.","items":[{"chapter":"bi-cell-biology","why":"Membranes, compartments and energy: the minimum a living cell must do.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-molecular-biology","why":"DNA, RNA and protein synthesis: the information system any origin-of-life theory must explain.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-genetics","why":"Heredity and mutation, the raw material of evolution.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-metabolism","why":"Metabolic pathways and bioenergetics, including the ancient ones that may date to life's origin.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-microbiology","why":"Microbial diversity and metabolism; any life we find beyond Earth is most likely microbial.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-extremophiles","why":"Life at the limits of heat, cold, salt, acidity, pressure and dryness, and the Earth analogues for Mars and icy moons.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-radiation-biology","why":"Radiation limits life on the surfaces of Mars and Europa; some organisms tolerate astonishing doses.","depth":"selected","focus":["bi-radiation-biology-1","bi-radiation-biology-2","bi-radiation-biology-3","bi-radiation-biology-4","bi-radiation-biology-10","bi-radiation-biology-11"]}]},{"name":"Evolution & the history of life","description":"How life diversified over four billion years and what the record of that history looks like.","items":[{"chapter":"bi-evolutionary-biology","why":"Natural selection and descent with modification, the process any living system must undergo.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-population-genetics","why":"The mathematics of drift and selection that shapes early and simple populations.","depth":"selected","focus":["bi-population-genetics-1","bi-population-genetics-2","bi-population-genetics-3","bi-population-genetics-4","bi-population-genetics-8"]},{"chapter":"bi-molecular-evolution-phylogenetics","why":"Reconstructing the tree of life back towards LUCA from molecular sequences.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-macroevolution-history-of-life","why":"The major transitions: from the first cells to eukaryotes and complex life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-historical-geology","why":"The 4.6-billion-year story of Earth, including the Hadean, the Archean and the Great Oxidation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-paleontology","why":"Fossils, including microfossils and stromatolites, the oldest direct evidence of life.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"The living Earth & the origin of life","description":"Geochemistry and geobiology of a planet that life has changed, and how life may have started in the first place.","items":[{"chapter":"ea-mineralogy","why":"Minerals catalyse prebiotic reactions, preserve biosignatures and tell us what Mars rovers are seeing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-geochemistry-fundamentals","why":"Where the elements came from and the thermodynamics that move them through the Earth system.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-isotope-geochemistry","why":"Carbon, sulfur and nitrogen isotope fractionation is one of the main tools for detecting ancient life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-sedimentology-and-stratigraphy","why":"Sedimentary rocks such as lake beds and deltas are where life's traces are preserved, on Earth and Mars.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-introductory-oceanography","why":"Ocean basins, seawater and hydrothermal systems, the leading candidate settings for life's origin.","depth":"selected","focus":["ea-introductory-oceanography-1","ea-introductory-oceanography-2","ea-introductory-oceanography-3","ea-introductory-oceanography-4","ea-introductory-oceanography-7","ea-introductory-oceanography-11"]},{"chapter":"ea-biogeochemical-cycles","why":"How life drives the carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and oxygen cycles, and so shapes a planet's atmosphere.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-geobiology","why":"The co-evolution of Earth and life, early environments and biosignatures in rocks.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-origin-of-life","why":"Capstone foundation: prebiotic chemistry, the RNA world, protocells and the path to LUCA.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Planets, moons & exoplanets","description":"The places life might exist: the planets and moons of our Solar System and the worlds around other stars.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-astrophysics","why":"Stars as energy sources: luminosity, spectra and lifetimes set the habitable zone.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes","why":"Photometry and spectroscopy with ground and space telescopes such as JWST.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-1","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-2","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-3","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-4","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-5","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-7","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-8","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-10","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-12","ph-observational-astronomy-telescopes-13"]},{"chapter":"ph-planetary-science","why":"Formation, interiors, surfaces and atmospheres of planets, and tidal heating of moons.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-comparative-planetology","why":"Why Venus, Earth and Mars diverged, the central question of planetary habitability.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-planetary-surfaces-and-impact-cratering","why":"Reading planetary surfaces: impacts, volcanism, water-carved landforms and surface ages.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-mars-geology","why":"Ancient lakes, deltas and groundwater on Mars, and where rovers look for signs of past life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-icy-worlds-and-small-bodies","why":"Europa, Enceladus and Titan: subsurface oceans, plumes and organic-rich surfaces.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-meteorology","why":"Atmospheric structure and energy balance, the base for understanding other planets' atmospheres.","depth":"selected","focus":["ea-meteorology-1","ea-meteorology-2","ea-meteorology-4","ea-meteorology-5","ea-meteorology-6","ea-meteorology-7","ea-meteorology-8"]},{"chapter":"ea-atmospheric-radiation","why":"Radiative transfer and the greenhouse effect set surface temperatures and shape exoplanet spectra.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics","why":"Moist thermodynamics and clouds, needed to model climates and water on other worlds.","depth":"selected","focus":["ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-1","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-2","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-3","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-4","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-6","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-7","ea-atmospheric-thermodynamics-and-cloud-physics-8"]},{"chapter":"ea-planetary-atmospheres-and-climates","why":"Atmospheres of Venus, Mars and Titan, climate stability and the limits of the habitable zone.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-exoplanets","why":"Detecting exoplanets and reading their atmospheres with transmission and emission spectroscopy.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Capstone: astrobiology & the search for life","description":"Putting biology, chemistry, geology and astronomy together to ask where life could be and how we would know.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-astrobiology","why":"The physicist's view: habitable zones, ocean worlds, remote biosignatures and SETI.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-astrobiology","why":"The biologist's view: habitability, Mars, icy moons, Titan, panspermia and exoplanet habitability.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-astrobiology-and-planetary-habitability","why":"The geoscientist's view: planetary habitability factors, biosignatures and their false positives.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-biosignatures-life-detection","why":"Capstone: morphological, chemical, isotopic, atmospheric and agnostic biosignatures and the missions hunting for them.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Electives","description":"Optional deeper chemistry of space and meteorites, where life's ingredients are made and delivered.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-linear-algebra","why":"Elective: groundwork for quantum chemistry and 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vibrations.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-symmetry-group-theory-1","ch-symmetry-group-theory-2","ch-symmetry-group-theory-3","ch-symmetry-group-theory-4","ch-symmetry-group-theory-5","ch-symmetry-group-theory-7","ch-symmetry-group-theory-8"]},{"chapter":"ch-molecular-spectroscopy","why":"Elective: rotational and vibrational spectra are how molecules are identified in space and in exoplanet atmospheres.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-kinetics","why":"Elective: gas-phase and surface kinetics needed for interstellar chemistry.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-chemical-kinetics-1","ch-chemical-kinetics-2","ch-chemical-kinetics-3","ch-chemical-kinetics-6","ch-chemical-kinetics-7","ch-chemical-kinetics-10","ch-chemical-kinetics-12","ch-chemical-kinetics-13"]},{"chapter":"ch-astrochemistry","why":"Elective: how complex organic molecules form in interstellar clouds and protoplanetary discs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ea-meteoritics-and-cosmochemistry","why":"Elective: meteorites such as Murchison carry amino acids and record the chemistry of the early Solar System.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-biochemistry-structure-function","depth":"selected","why":"Elective groundwork: the chemist's view of biomolecules, needed before prebiotic chemistry."},{"chapter":"ch-metabolism-bioenergetics","depth":"selected","why":"Elective groundwork: the reaction networks of metabolism that prebiotic chemistry tries to reach from scratch."},{"chapter":"ch-prebiotic-systems-chemistry","depth":"full","why":"Elective: the chemistry of how non-living molecules could become the first living systems."}]}],"related":["cosmos","rocket-science"]},{"id":"robotics","name":"Robotics Engineer","icon":"🦾","tagline":"Design, build and program robots that sense, think and move.","description":"For anyone who wants to build real robots, from a line-following rover to a learning robot arm. You start with the maths, physics and programming every roboticist relies on, add the electronics and mechanical design to build the body, then learn kinematics, control, ROS, perception, SLAM, planning and manipulation. The route ends with learning-based robotics and specialist electives: legged, aerial, humanoid, soft, swarm and human-robot interaction.","outcomes":["Derive forward and inverse kinematics, Jacobians and dynamics for a robot arm or legged machine","Design and tune PID, state-space and computed-torque controllers for motors and joints","Build a robot’s electronics: microcontroller, sensors, motor drivers and battery power","Write ROS 2 software that ties perception, planning and control together, first in simulation and then on hardware","Localise and map with sensor fusion and SLAM, and plan collision-free paths for mobile robots and arms","Train perception models and control policies with deep learning and reinforcement learning"],"stages":[{"name":"Orientation & mathematical foundations","description":"The big picture of what robots are, plus the algebra, geometry, calculus, linear algebra, differential equations and probability that every later stage leans 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motion.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-analytic-geometry","why":"Coordinates, lines and conics are how you describe where the robot and the obstacles are.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-calculus","why":"Velocity, acceleration and optimisation are derivatives; controllers integrate error over time.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-linear-algebra","why":"The most important maths in robotics: rotations, transforms, Jacobians and least squares are all matrices.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-multivariable-calculus","why":"Gradients and Jacobians of many-variable functions drive inverse kinematics, optimisation and learning.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","why":"Robot dynamics and every controller you design are differential equations in time.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-integral-transforms","why":"Laplace transforms turn dynamics into transfer functions, the language of classical 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calculations honest.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-mechanics","why":"Newton’s laws, torque, energy and momentum are the physics every joint and wheel obeys.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","why":"Motors, sensors and batteries all run on electromagnetism; this is where it starts.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-mechanics","why":"Lagrangian mechanics is the cleanest way to derive the equations of motion of a multi-joint robot.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design","why":"How engineers turn requirements into a working mechanism: the mindset for building robot hardware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-statics","why":"Free-body diagrams give the joint torques needed to hold a payload and the loads each part must carry.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-dynamics","why":"Rigid-body kinematics and kinetics are the direct foundation of robot kinematics and dynamics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-mechanics-of-materials","why":"Stress and deflection decide whether a link bends, a shaft twists or a bracket snaps.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-system-dynamics","why":"Modelling motors, gears, springs and dampers as systems is the bridge from mechanics to control.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Programming & computer science","description":"Python and C/C++ fluency, data structures and algorithms, and Linux: the software toolkit robots are built with.","items":[{"chapter":"cs-computational-thinking","why":"Breaking a robot task into steps a computer can execute is where all robot software starts.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-programming-fundamentals","why":"Python is the lingua franca of robotics scripting, tooling and machine learning.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-command-line-shell","why":"ROS, embedded toolchains and robot computers are all driven from the terminal.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-version-control-git","why":"Every robotics team manages code, robot descriptions and configs in Git.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-linux-system-administration","why":"Robots run Linux; you need to install packages, manage services and debug a headless onboard computer.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-program-design","why":"Structuring larger programs so perception, planning and control code stays maintainable.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-object-oriented-programming","why":"ROS nodes, drivers and planners are written as classes; OOP is how robot software is organised.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-discrete-mathematics","why":"Graphs, logic and counting underpin search-based planners and state machines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-data-structures","why":"Trees, heaps, hash maps and graphs are what occupancy grids, k-d trees and A* are built from.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-algorithms","why":"Graph search, dynamic programming and complexity analysis are at the heart of motion planning.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-computer-organization","why":"Knowing how a CPU executes code explains timing, interrupts and why some control loops miss deadlines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-systems-programming","why":"C is how you talk to hardware, write drivers and make control loops fast and predictable.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-modern-systems-languages","why":"Modern C++ is the language of ROS 2 internals, real-time controllers and fast perception code.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Electronics, sensors & embedded systems","description":"Circuits, microcontrollers, sensors, actuators and motor drivers: the nervous system and muscles of a robot.","items":[{"chapter":"el-basic-electricity","why":"Voltage, current and power are the first things you check when a robot will not move.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-hands-on-electronics","why":"Reading schematics, breadboarding and soldering let you actually wire up a robot.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-passive-components","why":"Resistors, capacitors and inductors show up in every sensor circuit and motor driver.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-active-components","why":"Diodes, transistors and MOSFETs switch motors, protect circuits and drive indicators.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-mathematical-foundations","why":"Complex numbers and phasors are the maths of circuits and signals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-circuit-theory","why":"Circuit analysis lets you design sensor front-ends and power paths that work first time.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-diode-transistor-circuits","why":"Transistor switches and H-bridges are how a microcontroller pin ends up driving a motor.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-operational-amplifiers","why":"Op-amps amplify and filter weak sensor signals such as strain gauges and current-sense resistors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-signal-conditioning","why":"Cleaning up analog sensor signals before the ADC sees them.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-combinational-logic","why":"Digital logic is the substrate of every microcontroller and encoder interface.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-sequential-logic","why":"Counters and state machines are how quadrature encoders and PWM generators work.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-intro-microcontrollers","why":"Your first robot brain: reading sensors and driving outputs with Arduino-class boards.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals","why":"Interrupts, timers and memory on a microcontroller are where low-level robot control runs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-peripheral-controllers","why":"PWM, ADC, timers and DMA are the peripherals that drive motors and sample sensors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-serial-protocols","why":"UART links the microcontroller to the onboard computer, GPS receivers and smart servos.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols","why":"I2C and SPI connect IMUs, encoders and most other robot sensors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-sensor-interfacing","why":"Getting clean, calibrated readings from real sensors into firmware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-inertial-sensors","why":"Accelerometers and gyros give a robot its orientation, central to balance and navigation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-actuators","why":"DC, brushless, stepper and servo motors: knowing each one’s strengths is the first actuator decision.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-actuators-drives","why":"Motor drivers, servo control and gearboxes: choosing and driving the motors that move each joint.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-motor-control","why":"Current, velocity and position loops, encoders and field-oriented control make joints move precisely.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-battery-technologies","why":"LiPo and Li-ion packs power mobile robots; capacity and C-rate set runtime and peak 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state space, and the mechatronic integration of sensors, actuators and embedded control into one machine.","items":[{"chapter":"el-signals-and-systems","why":"Signals, convolution and frequency response are the language of both control and filtering.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-signal-processing-fundamentals","why":"Sampling and digital filtering clean up sensor data before a controller acts on it.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-control-theory","why":"Stability, root locus, Bode plots and PID design: the classical control behind every robot joint.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-feedback-control","why":"Motion control for machines: cascaded loops, feedforward, friction and backlash compensation, hardware-in-the-loop.","depth":"selected","focus":["me-feedback-control-4","me-feedback-control-10","me-feedback-control-11","me-feedback-control-12","me-feedback-control-14"]},{"chapter":"el-state-space-digital-control","why":"State space, LQR and observers control multi-joint robots and run as discrete-time code.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-nonlinear-programming","why":"Constrained optimisation sits inside inverse kinematics, trajectory optimisation and MPC.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-measurements-instrumentation","why":"Measuring what the robot actually does, with honest uncertainty, is how you validate a design.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-mechatronics","why":"Mechatronics is robotics in miniature: sensors, actuators, electronics and control designed as one system.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-actuators-drive-trains","why":"Motor and gearbox selection, harmonic and cycloidal drives, series-elastic and quasi-direct-drive actuators.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Robot kinematics, dynamics & software","description":"The core theory of robot motion (transforms, kinematics, Jacobians, dynamics and robot-specific control) and ROS 2, the software framework it runs on.","items":[{"chapter":"me-robot-mechanics","why":"The heart of robotics: homogeneous transforms, forward and inverse kinematics, Jacobians and manipulator dynamics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-kinematics-dynamics","why":"Quaternions, screw theory, singularities and redundancy: the parts that trip people up in practice.","depth":"selected","focus":["ai-kinematics-dynamics-8","ai-kinematics-dynamics-9","ai-kinematics-dynamics-10"]},{"chapter":"el-kinematics-dynamics","why":"Trajectory interpolation and trapezoidal or S-curve motion profiles for smooth, feasible joint motion.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-kinematics-dynamics-5","el-kinematics-dynamics-6"]},{"chapter":"ai-actuators-sensors","why":"Proprioceptive and exteroceptive sensing, transmissions and motor sizing from the robot’s point of view.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-control-systems","why":"Computed-torque, operational-space, force and impedance control: control designed for robots specifically.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-robot-mechanism-design","why":"Designing whole arms, legs and grippers: kinematic synthesis, actuator placement and stiffness.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-robot-software-ros","why":"ROS 2 nodes, tf2, URDF, Gazebo and MuJoCo simulation, ros2_control, Nav2 and MoveIt: the standard robot software stack.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Machine learning, vision & reinforcement learning","description":"The AI toolkit modern robots use: probabilistic reasoning, machine learning, deep learning, computer vision and reinforcement learning.","items":[{"chapter":"ai-introduction-to-ai-ml","why":"Where AI and machine learning fit in a robot, and what they can and cannot do.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-core-ai-concepts","why":"Agents, search and knowledge: the AI concepts behind planning and decision-making.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-mathematics-statistics","why":"A refresher on the statistics and linear algebra used throughout machine learning.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ai-programming-tools","why":"NumPy, pandas and notebooks: the Python data stack for logging and learning from robot data.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-probabilistic-ai","why":"Bayesian networks and probabilistic inference are the theory behind state estimation and SLAM.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-classical-ai-gofai-good-old-fashioned-ai","why":"Search, planning and state machines: the classical AI that task and motion planners are built on.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-core-ml-concepts","why":"Training, validation, overfitting and loss functions: the fundamentals behind every learned robot skill.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-types-of-machine-learning","why":"Supervised, unsupervised and reinforcement learning, and which robot problems each one solves.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-neural-network-foundations","why":"Backpropagation and neural networks power modern perception and learned control policies.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-deep-learning-frameworks","why":"PyTorch is how you actually train and deploy robot perception and policy networks.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-regularization-normalization","why":"Making networks generalise from limited, noisy robot data.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-convolutional-neural-networks-cnns","why":"CNNs are the backbone of robot vision: detection, segmentation and grasp prediction.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-image-processing-fundamentals","why":"Filtering, edges, colour spaces and image geometry, before any learning happens.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-core-vision-tasks","why":"Detection, segmentation and pose estimation tell a robot what things are and where they are.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-3d-computer-vision","why":"Camera models, stereo, depth and point clouds give robots the 3D understanding manipulation needs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-rl-fundamentals","why":"Markov decision processes, rewards and value functions: the framework for learning behaviour by trial and error.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-dynamic-programming","why":"Value and policy iteration connect reinforcement learning to optimal control.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-monte-carlo-methods","why":"Learning values from sampled episodes, a stepping stone to modern RL.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-model-free-methods","why":"TD learning and policy gradients are the algorithms behind learned locomotion and manipulation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-deep-reinforcement-learning","why":"PPO, SAC and their relatives train robot policies in simulation that transfer to real hardware.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Perception, navigation, manipulation & robot learning","description":"Putting it all together: estimating state, mapping, planning, driving a mobile robot, grasping objects and learning new skills.","items":[{"chapter":"el-sensor-fusion","why":"Kalman, complementary and particle filters fuse IMU, encoders and GPS into one reliable state estimate.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-perception-sensing","why":"Cameras, LiDAR, radar, IMU/GPS and tactile sensors: what each one sees and how they combine for localisation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-robot-perception","why":"Object recognition, pose estimation, point-cloud registration, calibration and visual odometry on a real robot.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-simultaneous-localization-and-mapping-slam","why":"SLAM lets a robot build a map of an unknown place while tracking where it is within it.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-motion-planning-navigation","why":"Configuration space, collision checking, RRT/PRM and trajectory optimisation plan motion around obstacles.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-path-planning-navigation","why":"A*, D*, dynamic-window local planners and waypoint following for mobile robots.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-path-planning-navigation-1","el-path-planning-navigation-4","el-path-planning-navigation-5","el-path-planning-navigation-6"]},{"chapter":"ai-mobile-robotics","why":"Wheeled-robot kinematics, localisation and navigation come together in a robot that drives itself.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-autonomous-navigation-systems","why":"The full autonomy stack: localisation, mapping, planning and control running on one platform.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-manipulation","why":"Grasping, pick-and-place and contact-rich manipulation: the capstone of arm robotics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-robot-learning","why":"Imitation learning, sim-to-real transfer and learned policies: how today’s most capable robots acquire skills.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Specialisations (electives)","description":"Pick the kind of robot you care about most. Each elective lists the extra background it needs just before it.","items":[{"chapter":"el-advanced-control-systems","why":"Elective: nonlinear, robust and model-predictive control for agile or safety-critical robots.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri","why":"Elective: designing robots that work safely and naturally alongside people.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-legged-locomotion","why":"Elective: gaits, balance, zero-moment point and whole-body control for walking and running robots.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-humanoid-robotics","why":"Elective: humanoids combine legged locomotion, manipulation and whole-body control in one machine.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-dynamics","why":"Elective (aerial robotics background): 3D rigid-body dynamics and rotating frames for vehicles that fly.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones","why":"Elective: quadrotor dynamics, flight control and aerial perception.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-linear-programming","why":"Elective (swarm background): linear programming is the entry point to game theory and task allocation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-game-theory","why":"Elective (swarm background): strategic interaction between agents, used in multi-robot coordination.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-multi-agent-systems","why":"Elective (swarm background): coordination, negotiation and consensus among many agents.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-swarm-multi-robot-systems","why":"Elective: many simple robots cooperating through formation control, consensus and task allocation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): atomic structure, the start of the chemistry path to polymers.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): bonding explains why polymers stretch and metals do not.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-states-of-matter-solutions","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): states of matter and solutions, background for gels and elastomers.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-thermochemistry","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): energy in reactions, a step on the path to organic chemistry.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-equilibrium","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): chemical equilibrium, a step on the path to organic chemistry.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): acid-base chemistry, the last step before organic structure.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-organic-structure-bonding","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): carbon chains are what polymers and silicone elastomers are made of.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"mt-atomic-bonding","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): how bonding sets stiffness and strength in engineering materials.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-polymer-structure","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): polymer chains and cross-linking behind soft robot bodies.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-mechanical-properties","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): stress-strain testing, including the large-strain behaviour of elastomers.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-polymer-properties","why":"Elective (soft-robotics background): viscoelastic and hyperelastic behaviour of the silicones soft robots are cast from.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-soft-robotics","why":"Elective: compliant bodies, pneumatic actuators and continuum kinematics for safe, adaptable robots.","depth":"full"}]}],"related":["ai-engineer","embedded-iot","electrical-electronics-engineer","computer-engineer","iron-man"]},{"id":"iron-man","name":"Iron Man: Build a Powered Exosuit","icon":"🦸","tagline":"Everything you would need to learn to build a real Tony Stark-style powered suit.","description":"For anyone who has watched Tony Stark in his workshop and wondered what it would really take, treated as a serious engineering problem. The route follows the build: foundations, the suit’s skeleton and the human body inside it, power, actuation, control electronics, a JARVIS-style AI co-pilot, then flight and integration. Be honest about the limits: powered exoskeletons exist and real jet suits fly for a few minutes at a time, but combining armour, strength and sustained flight sits at the edge of what today’s batteries, fuels and materials allow, and there is no arc reactor.","outcomes":["Derive joint torque and power requirements for a powered suit from human biomechanics and gait data","Choose and size actuators (electric, hydraulic or artificial muscle) and design the drive trains and exoskeleton mechanisms that carry them","Budget the energy, power and heat of a wearable machine, and design its battery pack, power electronics and cooling","Build embedded real-time control that reads IMUs, force sensors and EMG and assists the wearer safely","Assemble a voice-and-vision AI co-pilot with a heads-up display that runs on wearable hardware","Explain the physics of jet and rocket thrust, and why sustained, controllable flight in a suit is so hard"],"stages":[{"name":"Foundations: maths & physics","description":"Stark had MIT. You need the same toolkit: calculus, linear algebra, differential equations, probability and the physics of force, heat, waves and electromagnetism.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-arithmetic-pre-algebra","why":"Every suit calculation, from thrust-to-weight to battery watt-hours, starts with confident arithmetic.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-intermediate-algebra","why":"Solving for an unknown force, current or burn time is algebra.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-euclidean-geometry","why":"Limb segments, joint axes and armour plates are geometry before they are engineering.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-trigonometry","why":"Joint angles, thrust vectors and lever arms all resolve through sines and cosines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-precalculus","why":"Functions and vectors are the language the rest of the maths is written in.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-analytic-geometry","why":"Coordinates and curves describe where each part of the suit and the wearer is.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-calculus","why":"Power is the rate of change of energy; thrust, velocity and heat flow are all derivatives.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-linear-algebra","why":"Rotations, transforms, Jacobians and state estimation are matrices; this is the suit’s core maths.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-multivariable-calculus","why":"Fields, gradients and many-variable optimisation for aerodynamics, heat and control.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-vector-calculus","why":"Flux and circulation describe airflow over the suit and the magnetic fields inside its motors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","why":"Limb dynamics, motor response and flight dynamics are differential equations.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-integral-transforms","why":"Laplace and Fourier transforms turn dynamics into transfer functions and spectra for control and signals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-descriptive-statistics","why":"Summarising gait data, sensor noise and test results.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-probability","why":"The suit never knows its state exactly; probability is how it reasons about noisy sensors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-probability-theory","why":"Gaussians and Bayes’ rule are the engine of Kalman filters and intent decoding.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-inferential-statistics","why":"Judging whether assistance really reduces effort needs statistics on noisy human trials.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ph-measurement-units-vectors","why":"Units and vectors keep newtons, watts and joules straight when lives depend on the numbers.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-mechanics","why":"Newton’s laws: the suit must support its own weight, the wearer and every reaction force.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics","why":"Every watt the suit uses ends up as heat near a human body; this is where thermal thinking starts.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-waves-sound-light","why":"Sound for voice control, light for displays and cameras.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-electricity-magnetism","why":"Motors, batteries and sensors all run on electromagnetism.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-mechanics","why":"Lagrangian rigid-body mechanics is how you model a multi-joint suit and a flying body.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-electromagnetism","why":"Maxwell’s equations underlie motor design, electromagnetic interference and wireless links.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Foundations: chemistry, code & circuits","description":"The chemistry behind batteries, fuels and polymers, the programming behind every line of suit firmware and AI, and the circuits that tie them together.","items":[{"chapter":"ch-introductory-chemistry","why":"Batteries, fuels and armour materials are chemistry; start with atoms, moles and reactions.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-atomic-structure-periodicity","why":"Why lithium stores so much energy per kilogram starts with the periodic table.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-bonding-molecular-structure","why":"Bond types explain why ceramics are hard, polymers flex and metals conduct.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-states-of-matter-solutions","why":"Electrolytes, gases and fluids: the states of matter inside batteries and hydraulics.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-thermochemistry","why":"Energy released by fuels and reactions sets the limits for any power source.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-chemical-equilibrium","why":"Equilibrium governs battery voltages and combustion products.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-redox-electrochemistry-basics","why":"Every battery and fuel cell is a controlled redox reaction.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ch-acids-bases-aqueous-equilibria","why":"A step on the path to organic chemistry, needed for polymers and biochemistry.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ch-organic-structure-bonding","why":"Polymers, elastomers, aramid fibres and the molecules of life are carbon chemistry.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"cs-computational-thinking","why":"Breaking the suit’s behaviour into steps a computer can run.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-programming-fundamentals","why":"Python for analysis, simulation and AI.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-command-line-shell","why":"Embedded toolchains and onboard Linux computers are driven from the terminal.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-program-design","why":"Structuring larger programs so the suit’s software stays understandable.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-object-oriented-programming","why":"Classes and interfaces organise drivers, controllers and AI services.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-discrete-mathematics","why":"Logic, graphs and state machines underpin control modes and safety interlocks.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-data-structures","why":"Queues, buffers and trees are the plumbing of real-time firmware and AI pipelines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-computer-organization","why":"How a processor executes code explains timing, interrupts and latency in the control loop.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-systems-programming","why":"C is the language suit firmware and motor controllers are written in.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-operating-systems","why":"Scheduling, concurrency and memory protection are prerequisites for real-time, safety-critical software.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-computer-architecture","why":"Caches, pipelines and accelerators decide whether JARVIS can run on the suit itself.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"el-basic-electricity","why":"Voltage, current, power and safety: the suit carries hundreds of watts next to a person.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-hands-on-electronics","why":"Schematics, breadboards and soldering: the workshop skills Stark shows off in the cave.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-passive-components","why":"Resistors, capacitors and inductors are in every sensor, filter and power stage.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-active-components","why":"Diodes, transistors and MOSFETs switch the suit’s power and signals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-mathematical-foundations","why":"Complex numbers and phasors are the maths of AC circuits and signals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-circuit-theory","why":"Circuit analysis lets you design power paths and sensor front-ends that work first time.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-diode-transistor-circuits","why":"Transistor switches and H-bridges turn a logic signal into motor current.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-operational-amplifiers","why":"Op-amps amplify microvolt muscle signals and current-sense readings.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-combinational-logic","why":"Digital logic is the substrate of every microcontroller in the suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-sequential-logic","why":"Counters and state machines read encoders and generate motor PWM.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-intro-microcontrollers","why":"Your first suit brain: read a sensor, drive a motor, blink the repulsor LEDs.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"The suit’s skeleton: mechanics, mechanisms & materials","description":"Statics, dynamics, strength of materials, machine design and the lightweight, impact-resistant materials that let a suit carry loads and take a hit.","items":[{"chapter":"me-introduction-to-engineering-mechanical-design","why":"How to turn “a flying armoured suit” into requirements, concepts and a design you can build.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-engineering-drawing-sketching","why":"Sketching mechanisms is how every suit iteration starts, from Mark I to Mark 85.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-cad-solid-modeling","why":"Every plate, joint and housing is designed parametrically in CAD, the real version of Stark’s hologram table.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-statics","why":"Load paths through the suit: which member carries the wearer, the payload and the landing impact.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-dynamics","why":"Moving limbs, landings and recoil are dynamics problems.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-mechanics-of-materials","why":"Stress and deflection decide whether a limb strut bends or a joint pin shears.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-advanced-mechanics-of-materials","why":"Thin-walled sections, torsion and energy methods for light but strong structures.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-intro-to-materials","why":"Metals, ceramics, polymers and composites: the material families a suit is made from.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-atomic-bonding","why":"Bonding explains stiffness, strength and why titanium alloys are prized.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-crystal-structures","why":"Crystal structure sets how metals deform and fail.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-defects","why":"Dislocations and defects control the strength and toughness of suit alloys.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-thermodynamics-of-materials","why":"Phase stability and energy in materials, groundwork for alloys and batteries.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-phase-diagrams","why":"Phase diagrams show how titanium and aluminium alloys get their properties.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-mechanical-properties","why":"Strength, stiffness, toughness and hardness: the numbers that decide what the armour is made of.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-plasticity-strengthening","why":"How alloys are strengthened, and how metal absorbs energy by yielding.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-fracture-mechanics","why":"Cracks and toughness decide whether armour cracks or holds under impact.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-polymer-structure","why":"Polymer chains are the basis of aramid, UHMWPE and elastomer liners.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-polymer-properties","why":"Viscoelastic polymers damp impacts and form flexible joints and seals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-composites","why":"Carbon-fibre and fibre-reinforced composites give the best strength for the weight.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-ceramics","why":"Ceramic strike faces are how real body armour stops projectiles.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-engineering-materials","why":"Materials as a mechanical designer sees them: fatigue, heat treatment and failure in real parts.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-materials-selection","why":"Material and process selection for suit parts, trading mass against performance.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-lightweight-structures-composites","why":"Laminate design, sandwich panels and thin-walled structures: every gram saved is flight time gained.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-impact-protective-materials","why":"The armour itself: high-rate behaviour, aramid and ceramic layers, foams and helmet criteria.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-manufacturing-processes","why":"How suit parts are actually machined, formed, moulded and joined.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-additive-manufacturing","why":"3D-printed titanium and polymer parts make one-off, body-fitted suit components possible.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-machine-design-fundamentals","why":"Sizing joints, shafts and brackets against fatigue for millions of steps.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-kinematics-of-mechanisms","why":"Linkages and cams are how knee and shoulder joints track the body’s motion.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-gears-power-transmission","why":"Gears, belts and cables trade motor speed for joint torque.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"The human inside: anatomy, physiology & biomechanics","description":"The suit must move with a living body, not against it. Learn how bones, muscles and nerves produce movement and what limits a human can tolerate.","items":[{"chapter":"bi-introductory-biology","why":"The pilot is the most important and most fragile part of the system.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-chemistry-of-life","why":"The chemistry of cells, needed to understand muscle and nerve.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"bi-cell-biology","why":"Cells are the units that make up muscle and nerve.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"bi-biochemistry","why":"How muscles turn chemical energy into force, and why humans tire.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"bi-cell-signaling","why":"How nerve and muscle cells signal each other.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"bi-membranes-transport-bioelectricity","why":"Nerves and muscles are electrical; this is the physics behind EMG and brain signals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-human-anatomy","why":"Joint axes, ranges of motion and body segments define where the suit’s joints must be.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-human-physiology","why":"Heart rate, breathing and heat tolerance set the limits the suit must respect.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-muscle-biology","why":"Muscle force-length and force-velocity behaviour is what an exosuit must assist.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-neuroscience-fundamentals","why":"How the nervous system commands movement, the signal the suit wants to read.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-neuroanatomy","why":"Where motor commands originate and travel, from cortex to spinal cord to muscle.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-cellular-molecular-neuroscience","why":"Action potentials and synapses: the origin of every EMG and EEG signal.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"bi-motor-systems","why":"How the brain plans and controls movement, so the suit can follow intent rather than fight it.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-biomechanics","why":"Joint torques, gait and injury tolerance of the human body: the numbers that size every suit actuator.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-biomechanics","why":"Engineering biomechanics: inverse dynamics, motion capture, anthropometry and injury limits.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Power: energy storage, heat & power electronics","description":"The arc reactor is fiction, so the real bottleneck is energy. Learn batteries and compact power sources, how to get the heat out, and the power electronics and motors that turn stored energy into motion.","items":[{"chapter":"me-engineering-thermodynamics","why":"Energy conservation and efficiency: where every joule of the suit’s energy goes.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-applied-thermodynamics","why":"Cycles and combustion, the basis of fuel-burning power sources and jet engines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-fluid-mechanics","why":"Coolant loops, hydraulics and airflow over the suit all obey fluid mechanics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-heat-transfer","why":"Conduction, convection and radiation decide whether the pilot cooks inside the suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-thermal-fluid-systems-design","why":"Designing pumps, heat exchangers and cooling loops as systems.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-battery-technologies","why":"Li-ion, LiPo and solid-state cells: energy density, C-rate and cycle life set how long the suit runs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-diffusion","why":"Ion diffusion limits how fast a battery charges and discharges.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-electrochemistry","why":"Electrode potentials and kinetics of the cells that store the suit’s energy.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-battery-materials","why":"Cathodes, anodes and electrolytes: where future gains in energy density will come from.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-energy-storage-power-integration","why":"Pack design, thermal runaway safety, fuel cells, micro-turbines and power budgets for wearable suits.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-thermal-management","why":"Keeping power electronics and processors within their temperature limits.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-thermal-management-compact-power","why":"Heat pipes, liquid cooling, phase-change buffers and skin-temperature limits for dense wearable machines.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-ac-circuits-power","why":"AC power, phasors and three-phase systems are how brushless motors are driven.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-electromagnetics","why":"Fields, flux and inductance are the physics inside every motor and inductor.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-magnetic-circuits-transformers","why":"Magnetic circuits are the starting point for motor design.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-electrical-machines","why":"How electric motors produce torque, and what limits their power density.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-pm-special-machines","why":"Permanent-magnet brushless motors are the most torque-dense electric actuators, the ones a suit would use.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-power-electronics-fundamentals","why":"Switching converters move kilowatts efficiently between battery, motors and electronics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-switching-regulators","why":"DC-DC converters supply every rail in the suit from one battery pack.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-dc-ac-conversion-inverters","why":"Inverters synthesise the three-phase currents that drive brushless joint motors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-electric-drives","why":"Motor plus inverter plus control: the complete electric drive behind each joint.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Actuation: giving the suit muscles","description":"Turning power into strength. Feedback control basics, electric and hydraulic actuators, artificial muscles, robot mechanics, and the exoskeleton mechanisms that fit a human body.","items":[{"chapter":"me-system-dynamics","why":"Modelling motors, gears, springs and hydraulics as dynamic systems.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-feedback-control","why":"Stability, PID and motion control: an actuator is useless without a controller.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-measurements-instrumentation","why":"Measuring torque, position and force accurately on the test bench.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-mechatronics","why":"Integrating sensors, actuators, electronics and control into one working machine.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-actuators","why":"Brushless, servo, linear, piezo and shape-memory actuators, and what each can and cannot do.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-actuators-drive-trains","why":"Power density, harmonic and cycloidal reducers, series-elastic and quasi-direct-drive actuators for wearables.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-hydraulics-pneumatics","why":"Hydraulics offers the highest force density, which is why heavy exoskeletons have used it.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-servo-hydraulics-advanced-fluid-power","why":"Servo-valves and electro-hydrostatic actuators give precise, powerful joint control.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-smart-materials-artificial-muscles","why":"Piezo, shape-memory, electroactive polymer, HASEL and fibre muscles: candidates for suit muscles that are closer to real muscle.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-robot-mechanics","why":"Transforms, kinematics, Jacobians and dynamics for a multi-joint machine, which is what the suit is.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-robot-mechanism-design","why":"Kinematic synthesis and actuator placement for legs and arms.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-wearable-mechanisms-exoskeletons","why":"The core suit chapter: joint alignment, cuffs, load paths to the ground, soft exosuits and power budgets for full-body suits.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Control, sensing & the pilot interface","description":"The suit’s nervous system: real-time embedded control, IMUs and force sensors, sensor fusion, reading muscle signals, and control strategies that assist the wearer without hurting them.","items":[{"chapter":"el-embedded-systems-fundamentals","why":"Interrupts, timers and memory on the microcontrollers that run each joint.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-peripheral-controllers","why":"PWM, ADC, timers and DMA drive motors and sample sensors at kilohertz rates.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-bare-metal-programming","why":"Firmware written directly against the hardware for the lowest-latency control loops.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-concurrency-synchronization","why":"Many tasks, one processor: race conditions in a suit mean injuries.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-real-time-concepts","why":"Hard deadlines: a balance controller that answers late is a controller that fails.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-rtos-concepts","why":"An RTOS schedules control, sensing and communication tasks with guaranteed timing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-serial-protocols","why":"UART and CAN-style links connect joint controllers to the suit’s central computer.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols","why":"I2C and SPI connect IMUs, encoders and force sensors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-signal-conditioning","why":"Amplifying and filtering weak analog sensor signals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-sensor-interfacing","why":"Getting clean, calibrated sensor readings into firmware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-force-strain-load-sensors","why":"Load cells and strain gauges measure the interaction force between wearer and suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-inertial-sensors","why":"IMUs on every limb segment track posture, gait phase and flight attitude.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-signals-and-systems","why":"Frequency response and 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suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-state-space-digital-control","why":"State-space models, LQR and observers for coordinated multi-joint control.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-biosensors-medical-sensors","why":"EMG electrodes read the wearer’s muscle activation before the limb even moves.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-biosensors-medical-sensors-1","el-biosensors-medical-sensors-5","el-biosensors-medical-sensors-6","el-biosensors-medical-sensors-7"]},{"chapter":"el-biomedical-signal-processing","why":"Turning noisy EMG and EEG into clean features that reveal intent.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-robot-fundamentals","why":"Robot vocabulary for the suit: degrees of freedom, workspace, specifications and safety standards.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-actuators-sensors","why":"Proprioceptive sensing and actuator sizing from the robotics point of view.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-kinematics-dynamics","why":"Quaternions, singularities and redundancy for tracking and controlling suit limbs.","depth":"selected","focus":["ai-kinematics-dynamics-8","ai-kinematics-dynamics-10","ai-kinematics-dynamics-11"]},{"chapter":"ai-control-systems","why":"Impedance, admittance, force and whole-body control: how the suit moves with you rather than against you.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-human-robot-interaction-hri","why":"Safety, trust and physical interaction when the robot is wrapped around a person.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-musculoskeletal-modeling-human-augmentation","why":"EMG-driven muscle models, metabolic cost and human-in-the-loop optimisation of assistance.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-wearable-robotics-exoskeletons","why":"Wearable robotics end to end: intent detection, gait-phase estimation, assist-as-needed control, military load-carrying suits.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"JARVIS: the AI co-pilot & heads-up display","description":"Machine learning, computer vision, speech and language models, and the AR display and on-device inference 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memory and structured outputs turn an LLM into an assistant that can act.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-speech-audio-processing","why":"Speech recognition and synthesis let you talk to the suit in a noisy environment.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-conversational-ai-voice-assistants","why":"Wake words, dialogue management and low-latency voice interaction: JARVIS’s voice.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-image-processing-fundamentals","why":"Filtering, colour and image geometry for the suit’s cameras.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-core-vision-tasks","why":"Detection, segmentation and tracking to recognise people, objects and threats.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-3d-computer-vision","why":"Depth, stereo and 3D reconstruction map the world around the suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-robot-perception","why":"Pose estimation, point clouds, calibration and visual odometry on a moving platform.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-hci","why":"Designing interfaces a pilot can use under stress without looking away.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-computer-graphics","why":"Rendering the overlays and 3D models the HUD shows.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-virtual-augmented-reality","why":"Registration, tracking and rendering for see-through augmented reality.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-optoelectronic-devices","why":"LEDs, lasers and photodetectors behind displays and eye tracking.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-display-technologies","why":"Micro-OLED and waveguide displays are how a real helmet HUD is built.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-wearable-ai-assistants-ar","why":"Head tracking, gaze and gesture input, and multimodal voice-plus-vision assistants on HUDs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-hardware-for-ai","why":"GPUs, NPUs and accelerators: the silicon that could run JARVIS inside the suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-inference-optimization","why":"Quantisation and pruning squeeze big models into a small power and heat budget.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-edge-ai-embedded-ml","why":"Running models on the suit itself, because a co-pilot cannot depend on a mobile network.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-difference-equations","why":"Discrete-time models of sampled signals, needed for neural signal processing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-signal-processing","why":"Mathematical signal processing for decoding brain and muscle signals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-computational-neuroscience","why":"Models of neurons and networks that neural decoders are built on.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-neurotechnology-methods","why":"EEG, ECoG and intracortical recording: the ways of listening to the brain.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-brain-computer-interfaces","why":"The ultimate pilot link: decoding intended movement straight from neural activity, and where the field really stands.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Flight: aerodynamics, propulsion & flight control","description":"The hardest part. 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cycle analysis shows their thrust and fuel burn.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-rocket-propulsion-fundamentals","why":"Thrust, specific impulse and mass ratio decide how many seconds of flight a suit can carry.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-rocket-nozzles-thrust-vector-control","why":"Gimballing, vanes and differential throttling: steering by pointing the thrust, like Stark’s hand repulsors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-feedback-control-aerospace","why":"Control for flying vehicles: stability augmentation and attitude loops.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-estimation-kalman-filtering","why":"Kalman filtering for flight state: attitude, velocity and position from noisy sensors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-attitude-kinematics-dynamics","why":"Quaternions and rotational dynamics for a body that can tumble in any direction.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aircraft-performance","why":"Thrust-to-weight, endurance and range: the numbers that make or break a flying suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-uav-drone-engineering","why":"Multirotor and VTOL drones are today’s closest analogue to a hovering suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-aerial-robotics-drones","why":"Quadrotor dynamics, flight control and aerial perception from the robotics side.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Integration, safety & electives","description":"Making the parts into one suit that a person can trust with their life, plus optional deep dives for the parts you care about most.","items":[{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-systems-engineering","why":"Requirements, interfaces and trade studies: how thousands of parts become one suit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-reliability-safety-engineering","why":"Failure modes and risk analysis for a machine where a failure injures the wearer.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aerospace-safety-reliability","why":"Redundancy and fault tolerance for anything that flies with a person in it.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"me-product-design-development","why":"Prototyping, testing and iterating: the Mark I to Mark III journey, done properly.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-legged-locomotion","why":"Elective: balance, gait and whole-body control, for a heavy suit that must walk and not fall.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-advanced-control-systems","why":"Elective: nonlinear, robust and model-predictive control for aggressive flight and balance.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-aircraft-stability-control","why":"Elective (flight-control background): static stability and control surfaces.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-flight-dynamics","why":"Elective (flight-control background): dynamic modes and handling qualities of flying vehicles.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-personal-flight-systems","why":"The real-world state of the art for flying humans: jet suits, their thrust budgets and why stability is so hard.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ae-flight-control-systems","why":"Elective: autopilots and fly-by-wire, needed for any suit that flies itself when the pilot cannot.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"bi-metabolism","why":"Elective (human-performance background): how the body produces energy.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"bi-exercise-physiology","why":"Elective: fatigue, heat stress and metabolic cost, to judge whether the suit actually helps the wearer.","depth":"full"}]}],"related":["robotics","rocket-science","ai-engineer","electrical-electronics-engineer","embedded-iot"]},{"id":"electrical-electronics-engineer","name":"Electrical & Electronics Engineer","icon":"⚡","tagline":"A full electrical and electronic engineering degree, from Ohm’s law to the power grid.","description":"For learners who want the depth of an EEE bachelor’s degree without the enrolment. 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wires.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-antennas-propagation","why":"How antennas radiate and how signals propagate through the air.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-analog-communications","why":"AM, FM, noise and receivers: the classical communication systems.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-digital-communications","why":"Modulation, detection, bit-error rate and pulse shaping for digital links.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-channel-coding","why":"Information theory and error-correcting codes: how close you can get to the Shannon limit.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-wireless-communications","why":"Fading, OFDM, MIMO and cellular systems.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Electrical power: electronics, machines & grids","description":"Converting and controlling electrical power, the machines that turn it into motion and back, and the power system that generates, transmits and protects it.","items":[{"chapter":"el-power-devices","why":"Power MOSFETs, IGBTs, SiC and GaN 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professional responsibility.","items":[{"chapter":"el-schematic-design","why":"Clear, reviewable schematics are the source of every hardware product.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-pcb-layout","why":"Placement, routing, grounding and stack-up.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-power-integrity","why":"Decoupling and power-distribution-network design for clean supplies.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-electromagnetic-compatibility-emcemi","why":"Designing so your circuit neither emits nor suffers interference.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-thermal-management","why":"Heat sinks, airflow and derating keep components alive.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-reliability-testing","why":"Failure rates, accelerated life tests and MTBF.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-international-standards-organizations","why":"IEC, IEEE, UL and the standards bodies that shape electrical practice.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-product-safety","why":"Designing products that meet electrical safety 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CI"],"stages":[{"name":"Foundations: maths & programming","description":"The maths used in circuits and security, and a solid start in programming: enough to think like a firmware engineer before touching hardware.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-arithmetic-pre-algebra","why":"Binary, hex, powers of two and unit prefixes are everyday embedded arithmetic.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-intermediate-algebra","why":"Ohm’s law, timer prescalers and battery-life estimates are all algebra.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-euclidean-geometry","why":"Geometry background for trigonometry and signals.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ma-trigonometry","why":"Sinusoids describe AC signals, PWM filtering and radio carriers.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-precalculus","why":"Exponentials and logarithms describe RC charging, decibels and battery discharge.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-calculus","why":"Capacitor and inductor behaviour, energy and average power are 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protection.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-bare-metal-programming","why":"Register-level programming, startup code and interrupt handlers with no OS underneath.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-embedded-cc-best-practices","why":"MISRA-style defensive C, volatile, fixed-width types and safe coding patterns.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-memory-management","why":"Stack, heap, static allocation and linker scripts on memory-starved devices.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-boot-startup","why":"Reset vectors, bootloaders and startup sequences.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-version-control","why":"Git for firmware, hardware files and release management.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-build-systems","why":"Make, CMake and vendor build tools for reproducible firmware builds.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-cross-compilation","why":"Toolchains that compile on your PC and run on the target.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-debug-interfaces","why":"JTAG and SWD let you halt, step and inspect a running microcontroller.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-software-debugging","why":"Breakpoints, watchpoints and systematic debugging of firmware.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Peripherals, sensors & wired protocols","description":"Talking to the outside world: on-chip peripherals, sensors and actuators, and the wired buses that connect chips and boards.","items":[{"chapter":"el-peripheral-controllers","why":"Timers, PWM, ADC, DMA and watchdogs: the hardware blocks your firmware drives.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-serial-protocols","why":"UART and RS-485: the simplest and most common device links.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-synchronous-serial-protocols","why":"I2C and SPI connect sensors, displays, memories and radios.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-one-wire-protocols","why":"1-Wire and similar single-pin buses for low-cost sensors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-usb-universal-serial-bus","why":"USB device classes for configuration, data logging and firmware 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embedded Linux for application processors.","items":[{"chapter":"el-firmware-development","why":"Firmware architecture: layers, state machines, event loops and hardware abstraction.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-concurrency-synchronization","why":"Interrupts, shared data, mutexes and race conditions in embedded code.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-real-time-concepts","why":"Deadlines, latency, jitter and schedulability: what real-time actually means.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-rtos-concepts","why":"Tasks, schedulers and context switching in an RTOS.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-rtos-services","why":"Queues, semaphores, timers and memory pools: the RTOS toolbox.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-real-time-operating-systems-rtos","why":"FreeRTOS, Zephyr and friends: the main RTOS options and how to choose between them.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-device-drivers","why":"Writing drivers that separate hardware details from application logic.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-error-handling-diagnostics","why":"Watchdogs, fault handlers and diagnostics so devices recover instead of hanging.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-logging-monitoring","why":"Logging and runtime monitoring on devices with little memory and no screen.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-system-on-chip-platforms","why":"Application-class SoCs such as the Raspberry Pi and i.MX that run embedded Linux.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-embedded-linux","why":"Bootloaders, kernels, device trees and root filesystems with Yocto and Buildroot.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-linux-system-services","why":"systemd services, IPC and the user-space side of an embedded Linux device.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-board-support-packages-bsp","why":"Board support packages: bringing an OS up on custom hardware.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Connectivity & IoT architecture","description":"Getting data off the device: networking, short- and long-range wireless, IoT protocols, and the edge and cloud platforms that manage fleets of devices.","items":[{"chapter":"el-ethernet-networking","why":"Ethernet and embedded TCP/IP stacks such as lwIP.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-short-range-wireless","why":"Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, Zigbee and Thread: the radios in most IoT devices.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-long-range-wireless-lpwan","why":"LoRaWAN, Sigfox and NB-IoT for kilometres of range on a coin cell.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-cellular-technologies","why":"LTE-M, NB-IoT and 5G for devices that must connect anywhere.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-mesh-networking","why":"Mesh networks such as Thread and BLE Mesh extend coverage device by device.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-iot-application-protocols","why":"MQTT, CoAP and HTTP: how devices publish telemetry and receive commands.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-iot-architecture-layers","why":"The device, gateway, network, cloud and application layers of an IoT system.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-data-serialization-formats","why":"JSON, CBOR and Protocol Buffers: compact data on constrained links.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-api-architectures","why":"REST, gRPC and webhooks that connect device data to applications.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-edge-computing","why":"Processing data on gateways and devices to save bandwidth and cut latency.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-cloud-computing-for-iot","why":"Cloud services for ingesting, storing and processing device data.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-iot-cloud-platforms","why":"AWS IoT, Azure IoT and similar platforms: device shadows, rules and fleets.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-device-management","why":"Provisioning, configuring and monitoring thousands of devices in the field.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-firmware-updates-ota","why":"Bootloaders, A/B partitions and rollback for safe firmware updates.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-over-the-air-ota-update-strategies","why":"Staged rollouts, delta updates and fleet-wide OTA without bricking devices.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-observability-telemetry","why":"Metrics, logs and traces from devices in the field.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-data-management","why":"Time-series storage and pipelines for device data.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-analytics-visualization","why":"Dashboards and analytics that turn telemetry into decisions.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Low-power & PCB design","description":"Making devices that run for years on a battery and turning a breadboard prototype into a manufacturable printed circuit board.","items":[{"chapter":"el-battery-technologies","why":"Coin cells, Li-ion and LiFePO4: capacity, self-discharge and what they mean for battery life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-linear-regulators","why":"LDOs and quiescent current: the power supply choices that make or break battery life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-power-distribution-management","why":"Power domains, load switches and sequencing on a board.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-low-power-design","why":"Sleep modes, clock gating and duty cycling on microcontrollers.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-low-power-design-strategies","why":"Power budgets, measuring microamps and system-level strategies for multi-year battery life.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-prototyping","why":"From breadboard to perfboard to dev-kit shields: fast hardware iteration.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-schematic-design","why":"Clean, reviewable schematics for microcontroller boards.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-pcb-layout","why":"Placement, grounding, decoupling and routing, including RF keep-outs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-manufacturing-processes","why":"How PCBs are fabricated and assembled.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-design-for-manufacturing-dfm","why":"Designing boards that are cheap and reliable to build in volume.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Device security","description":"Protecting devices, data and fleets: cryptography, secure boot, identity, secure communication and defending firmware against attack.","items":[{"chapter":"el-cryptography-fundamentals","why":"Symmetric and public-key crypto, hashes and signatures, the tools of device security.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-key-management","why":"Generating, storing and rotating keys on devices that attackers can hold in their hands.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-secure-boot-root-of-trust","why":"Secure boot and hardware roots of trust so devices only run your firmware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-device-identity-authentication","why":"Certificates and device identity for authenticating to the cloud.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-secure-communication","why":"TLS and DTLS on constrained devices.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-firmware-software-security","why":"Memory-safety bugs, hardening and secure coding for firmware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-network-security","why":"Firewalls, segmentation and attacks on IoT networks.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-threat-mitigation","why":"Threat modelling and mitigations across the whole device lifecycle.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-physical-security","why":"Tamper resistance, debug-port lockdown and protecting secrets from physical attack.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-privacy-protection","why":"Handling personal data from sensors and devices responsibly.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-compliance-regulations","why":"Regulations such as the EU Cyber Resilience Act that connected products must meet.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Testing, debugging, delivery & electives","description":"Shipping devices that work and stay working: hardware debugging, profiling, automated testing and CI, and electives in TinyML, Rust and industrial protocols.","items":[{"chapter":"el-hardware-debugging","why":"Tracking down hardware faults with probes, analysers and debug interfaces.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-trace-profiling","why":"Instruction trace and profiling to find timing and performance problems.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-testing-strategies","why":"Unit, integration and hardware-in-the-loop testing for firmware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-software-testing","why":"Test frameworks, mocking hardware and test-driven firmware development.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-static-analysis-linters","why":"Static analysis catches the bugs that are hardest to find on target.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-continuous-integration-continuous-deployment-cicd","why":"Automated builds, tests and releases for firmware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-functional-testing","why":"Production and end-of-line testing so every shipped unit works.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-field-diagnostics-remote-troubleshooting","why":"Diagnosing devices you cannot touch, from crash dumps to remote logs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"cs-object-oriented-programming","why":"Elective (Rust/C++ background): objects and interfaces for larger firmware code bases.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"cs-modern-systems-languages","why":"Elective: modern C++ and Rust bring memory safety and zero-cost abstractions to firmware.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-industrial-protocols","why":"Elective: Modbus, PROFINET and friends for industrial IoT.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-analytic-geometry","why":"Elective (TinyML background): coordinate geometry needed for multivariable calculus.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ma-linear-algebra","why":"Elective (TinyML background): vectors and matrices are the maths of neural networks.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-multivariable-calculus","why":"Elective (TinyML background): gradients drive how networks learn.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ai-introduction-to-ai-ml","why":"Elective (TinyML background): what machine learning is and where it fits on devices.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-mathematics-statistics","why":"Elective (TinyML background): statistics refresher for machine learning.","depth":"selected"},{"chapter":"ai-programming-tools","why":"Elective (TinyML background): NumPy and notebooks for preparing sensor datasets.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-core-ml-concepts","why":"Elective (TinyML background): training, validation and overfitting.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-types-of-machine-learning","why":"Elective (TinyML background): supervised and unsupervised learning on sensor data.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-neural-network-foundations","why":"Elective (TinyML background): the neural networks that TinyML squeezes onto microcontrollers.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-tinyml-tiny-machine-learning","why":"Elective: running neural networks on microcontrollers for keyword spotting, gesture and anomaly detection.","depth":"full"}]}],"related":["electrical-electronics-engineer","computer-engineer","robotics","ai-engineer","iron-man"]},{"id":"computer-engineer","name":"Computer Engineer","icon":"🖥️","tagline":"Design computers from the transistor up to the operating system.","description":"For anyone who wants a computer engineering degree's worth of understanding, sitting between electrical engineering and computer science. You start with the maths, programming and physics, work through circuits, digital logic and computer architecture, then build embedded systems, real-time software, FPGA designs and chips, and finish with hardware/software co-design.","outcomes":["Analyse and build analog and digital circuits and debug them with a multimeter, oscilloscope and logic analyser","Explain how a pipelined, cached processor executes a program, from the instruction set down to gates","Write bare-metal and RTOS firmware in C for a microcontroller, including drivers for its peripherals and sensors","Describe, simulate, verify and synthesise digital hardware in an HDL and run it on an FPGA","Reason about operating systems, concurrency and networking from the hardware interface upwards","Take a digital block from RTL towards silicon and decide which work belongs in hardware and which in software on an SoC"],"stages":[{"name":"Mathematical foundations","description":"The algebra, calculus, linear algebra and transform methods that circuit, signal and architecture analysis depend on.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-arithmetic-pre-algebra","why":"Number sense, fractions and powers of ten come up in every component value and unit conversion.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-intermediate-algebra","why":"Circuit equations are systems of linear equations; you need to rearrange and solve them fluently.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-euclidean-geometry","why":"Only the geometry that trigonometry and phasor diagrams build on.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-euclidean-geometry-7","ma-euclidean-geometry-9","ma-euclidean-geometry-10"]},{"chapter":"ma-trigonometry","why":"AC signals are sinusoids; amplitude, phase and frequency are trigonometry.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-precalculus","why":"Exponentials (RC charging), logarithms (decibels) and complex numbers (phasors) all start here.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-analytic-geometry","why":"Vectors and coordinates needed before multivariable calculus.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-analytic-geometry-4","ma-analytic-geometry-3","ma-analytic-geometry-5","ma-analytic-geometry-6"]},{"chapter":"ma-calculus","why":"Capacitor and inductor behaviour, energy and power are derivatives and integrals.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-multivariable-calculus","why":"Fields and optimisation in several variables, the step before vector calculus.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-vector-calculus","why":"Divergence, curl and flux are the language of the electromagnetism behind devices.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-vector-calculus-1","ma-vector-calculus-5","ma-vector-calculus-6","ma-vector-calculus-7","ma-vector-calculus-8","ma-vector-calculus-10"]},{"chapter":"ma-linear-algebra","why":"Nodal analysis, state-space models and signal transforms are all matrix problems.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","why":"RC, RL and RLC transients are first- and second-order 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non-specialists.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-professional-practice-1","cs-professional-practice-2","cs-professional-practice-3","cs-professional-practice-8"]},{"chapter":"cs-computing-ethics","why":"Privacy, bias and accountability in the use of personal data.","depth":"selected","focus":["cs-computing-ethics-1","cs-computing-ethics-3","cs-computing-ethics-4","cs-computing-ethics-12"]},{"chapter":"ai-fairness-in-ml","why":"Measuring and mitigating unfair outcomes is now part of shipping any model that affects people.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Electives: specialisations","description":"Optional directions to take once the core is solid.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-econometrics","why":"Elective: panel data, IV and difference-in-differences for economics, policy and pricing work.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-biostatistics","why":"Elective: survival analysis and clinical-trial methods for health and pharma data science.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-stochastic-processes","why":"Elective: Markov chains, Poisson processes and Gaussian processes for queueing, churn and spatial models.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-probabilistic-models","why":"Elective: graphical models, hidden Markov models, EM and Gaussian processes for richer probabilistic modelling.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-text-preprocessing","why":"Elective: tokenising and cleaning text, the first step in analysing reviews, tickets and surveys.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-traditional-nlp-techniques","why":"Elective: bag-of-words, TF-IDF and topic models for text analytics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-deep-learning-frameworks","why":"Elective: PyTorch or TensorFlow for when neural networks are the right tool.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-monitoring-maintenance","why":"Elective: detecting data drift and model decay once models are live.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-privacy-in-ai","why":"Elective: differential privacy 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photon.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-special-relativity-1","ph-special-relativity-2","ph-special-relativity-4","ph-special-relativity-5","ph-special-relativity-7","ph-special-relativity-8"]},{"chapter":"ph-classical-optics","why":"Interference, polarisation, coherence and cavities are the everyday tools of photonic quantum technology.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Quantum mechanics","description":"The physical theory itself, from wave-particle duality to open systems.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-modern-physics","why":"Photons, spectra and the uncertainty principle: the experiments that forced quantum theory on us.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-quantum-mechanics","why":"Dirac notation, spin, two-state systems, entanglement, density matrices and decoherence: the core of everything that follows.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","why":"Entropy, ensembles and fluctuations explain thermal noise, cooling and information entropy.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-1","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-4","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-5","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-10","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-11","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-13","ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics-16"]},{"chapter":"ph-advanced-quantum-mechanics","why":"Pictures of time evolution, perturbation theory, photon quantisation and open-system master equations model real, noisy qubits.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Quantum information & quantum computing","description":"Qubits, gates, circuits, algorithms and quantum information theory.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-quantum-computation-theory","why":"The mathematical model of quantum computation: tensor products, circuits, algorithms, error correction and complexity classes.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-quantum-information-science","why":"The physicist's view: algorithms, communication, cryptography, 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computation.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-error-correcting-codes","why":"Hamming and LDPC codes and their decoders, whose ideas carry into quantum LDPC and surface-code decoding.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-error-correcting-codes-4","ma-error-correcting-codes-1","ma-error-correcting-codes-3","ma-error-correcting-codes-5"]}]},{"name":"Quantum optics & atomic physics","description":"Light and atoms as quantum systems, the basis of trapped-ion, neutral-atom and photonic platforms.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-atomic-physics","why":"Fine and hyperfine structure define the qubit levels in ions and neutral atoms, and the transitions in atomic clocks.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-laser-physics","why":"Lasers cool, trap, manipulate and read out atomic qubits; frequency stabilisation is critical.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-quantum-optics","why":"Single photons, coherent and squeezed states and cavity QED underlie photonic qubits and quantum networks.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-quantum-communication-networks","why":"QKD and quantum networks are the most mature quantum technology after sensing.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-atom-light-interaction-laser-cooling","why":"Rabi oscillations, optical Bloch equations and ion or atom traps are how gates are actually applied.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-cold-atom-physics","why":"Optical lattices, BECs and atom interferometry power neutral-atom quantum simulators and inertial sensors.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Quantum hardware platforms & the lab","description":"Materials, cryogenics, electronics and measurement: what it takes to build and run a quantum device.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-solid-state-physics","why":"Superconductivity, semiconductors, magnetism and the quantum Hall effect are the physics of solid-state qubits.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-solid-state-physics-1","ph-solid-state-physics-4","ph-solid-state-physics-8","ph-solid-state-physics-13","ph-solid-state-physics-5","ph-solid-state-physics-11","ph-solid-state-physics-18","ph-solid-state-physics-19"]},{"chapter":"ph-superconducting-quantum-circuits","why":"Transmon qubits are the workhorse of today's quantum processors; this is how they are built and controlled.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-cryophysics","why":"Dilution refrigerators and low-temperature physics keep superconducting and spin qubits coherent.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-data-analysis-statistics","why":"Fitting, uncertainty and Bayesian estimation are needed for characterising qubits and gate fidelities.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-electronics-for-physicists","why":"Amplifiers, lock-in detection and ADCs are the backbone of qubit control and readout chains.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-measurement-instrumentation","why":"Noise sources, signal recovery and feedback control are central to qubit readout and laser locking.","depth":"selected","focus":["ph-measurement-instrumentation-1","ph-measurement-instrumentation-2","ph-measurement-instrumentation-3","ph-measurement-instrumentation-8","ph-measurement-instrumentation-4","ph-measurement-instrumentation-5"]},{"chapter":"ph-vacuum-cryogenic-systems","why":"Ultra-high vacuum for ion and atom traps and cryogenic setups for solid-state qubits.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"mt-intro-to-materials","why":"A short orientation to material classes before the device-physics chain.","depth":"selected","focus":["mt-intro-to-materials-1","mt-intro-to-materials-3","mt-intro-to-materials-4"]},{"chapter":"ch-introductory-chemistry","why":"Just enough chemistry (atoms, the periodic table, bonding) to follow materials science.","depth":"selected","focus":["ch-introductory-chemistry-4","ch-introductory-chemistry-5","ch-introductory-chemistry-6"]},{"chapter":"mt-atomic-bonding","why":"Bonding and energy bands, which explain why silicon and superconductors behave as they do.","depth":"selected","focus":["mt-atomic-bonding-1","mt-atomic-bonding-2","mt-atomic-bonding-4","mt-atomic-bonding-5","mt-atomic-bonding-9"]},{"chapter":"el-electrical-materials","why":"Dielectric loss and superconducting materials limit qubit coherence.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-electrical-materials-2","el-electrical-materials-4","el-electrical-materials-8","el-electrical-materials-9"]},{"chapter":"el-semiconductor-physics","why":"Band structure, doping and heterojunctions are the basis of spin qubits, quantum dots and single-photon detectors.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"el-semiconductor-devices","why":"MOS structures and compound-semiconductor devices are where silicon spin qubits and cryo-CMOS control chips come from.","depth":"selected","focus":["el-semiconductor-devices-1","el-semiconductor-devices-3","el-semiconductor-devices-4","el-semiconductor-devices-8","el-semiconductor-devices-9"]},{"chapter":"el-quantum-technologies","why":"Brings it together: qubit platforms, microwave control and readout, cryo-CMOS, QRNGs and post-quantum crypto.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Quantum sensing, communication & security","description":"Where quantum technology is already useful: precision measurement and secure communication.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-quantum-sensing-metrology","why":"Atomic clocks, magnetometers and gravimeters are the most mature quantum technologies.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-number-theory","why":"Modular arithmetic, orders and primitive roots, which are exactly what Shor's algorithm exploits.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-elementary-number-theory-1","ma-elementary-number-theory-3","ma-elementary-number-theory-7","ma-elementary-number-theory-2","ma-elementary-number-theory-4","ma-elementary-number-theory-5","ma-elementary-number-theory-9","ma-elementary-number-theory-10","ma-elementary-number-theory-12"]},{"chapter":"ma-cryptographic-number-theory","why":"RSA, discrete logs and lattices: what Shor breaks and what post-quantum cryptography replaces it with.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Electives","description":"Optional deepening in simulation, exotic qubits and quantum machine learning.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-computational-physics","why":"Elective: numerical linear algebra, Monte Carlo and PDE solvers for simulating quantum systems classically.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-topological-phases-of-matter","why":"Elective: Majorana modes and topological order, the physics behind topological qubits.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-introduction-to-ai-ml","why":"Elective: orientation before quantum machine learning.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-mathematics-statistics","why":"Elective: a quick recap of the statistics used in ML.","depth":"selected","focus":["ai-mathematics-statistics-3","ai-mathematics-statistics-4","ai-mathematics-statistics-5"]},{"chapter":"ai-core-ml-concepts","why":"Elective: losses, overfitting and cross-validation, needed to judge claims about quantum ML.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-types-of-machine-learning","why":"Elective: the classical tasks that quantum ML tries to speed up.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ai-quantum-machine-learning","why":"Elective: variational circuits, quantum kernels and quantum optimisation, with an honest look at where any advantage might come from.","depth":"full"}]}],"related":["theoretical-physicist","ai-engineer","software-engineer","data-scientist"]},{"id":"theoretical-physicist","name":"Theoretical 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The route runs from calculus and classical mechanics through analytical mechanics, electrodynamics, statistical and quantum mechanics, then the group theory and geometry needed for general relativity, quantum field theory, particle physics and condensed matter theory, with string theory, quantum gravity and cosmology as electives.","outcomes":["Derive equations of motion from a Lagrangian or Hamiltonian, and use symmetries and Noether's theorem to find conserved quantities","Solve boundary-value, Green's function and radiation problems in electrodynamics with the full toolkit of mathematical methods","Use perturbation theory, angular momentum algebra, path integrals and second quantisation in quantum mechanics","Compute partition functions, analyse phase transitions and apply renormalisation-group ideas","Work with tensors and curvature to solve problems in general relativity (Schwarzschild, gravitational waves, FLRW)","Quantise free fields, draw and evaluate Feynman diagrams, and 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the backbone of quantum mechanics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-ordinary-differential-equations-odes","why":"Equations of motion are differential equations; linear systems and stability recur throughout.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-elementary-probability","why":"Probability is fundamental in both statistical and quantum physics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-probability-theory","why":"Distributions, moments and the central limit theorem underlie statistical mechanics.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Introductory physics","description":"The calculus-based survey of mechanics, heat, waves and electromagnetism.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-measurement-units-vectors","why":"Dimensional analysis and order-of-magnitude estimates are how theorists sanity-check results.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-mechanics","why":"Newton's laws, energy and momentum: the first physical theory you learn.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-introductory-heat-thermodynamics","why":"Temperature, heat 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coupled oscillators.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-classical-electromagnetism","why":"Maxwell's equations, the prototype gauge field theory.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-special-relativity","why":"Lorentz invariance constrains every fundamental theory; four-vectors become second nature.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-chaos-theory-nonlinear-dynamics","why":"Nonlinear dynamics, bifurcations and chaos: what happens when perturbation theory fails.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Analysis & mathematical methods","description":"Rigorous analysis and the problem-solving methods of theoretical physics.","items":[{"chapter":"ma-introduction-to-proofs","why":"Advanced theory is built from definitions and theorems; you need to read and write proofs.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-real-analysis","why":"Limits, convergence and uniform convergence make series expansions and interchanged limits trustworthy.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ma-complex-analysis","why":"Contour integration and residues 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physics.","depth":"selected","focus":["ma-asymptotic-methods-1","ma-asymptotic-methods-3","ma-asymptotic-methods-4","ma-asymptotic-methods-5","ma-asymptotic-methods-6","ma-asymptotic-methods-8","ma-asymptotic-methods-9"]},{"chapter":"ph-mathematical-physics","why":"Ties the methods together in a physics setting: Green's functions, tensors, geometry and topology in physics.","depth":"full"}]},{"name":"Quantum mechanics & statistical physics","description":"The quantum theory from its origins to its advanced formulation, together with thermodynamics and statistical mechanics.","items":[{"chapter":"ph-modern-physics","why":"The experiments and ideas that broke classical physics.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-thermodynamics-statistical-mechanics","why":"Ensembles, partition functions and quantum statistics: the bridge from microscopic laws to macroscopic behaviour.","depth":"full"},{"chapter":"ph-quantum-mechanics","why":"Hilbert space, operators, angular momentum, hydrogen, perturbation 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