Welcome to Introduction to Physical Computing! The primary reference for the course outline, student expectations, and course calendar is the syllabus, which may be found on the course web site. The course is structured into three major units, beginning with Unit 1: Energy, Information, Transduction, spanning five weeks.

The purpose of this unit is to introduce a fundamental understanding of the energy and information transfer processes which connect the physical world with computational processes. Along the way, we will rapidly bring every student up to speed with basic electronics and programming through a series of lab exercises and several graded projects.

The unit is divided into three sections: Basic Electronics, Arduino Starter, and Pure Data Starter. The overall objectives include the following:

1. practice effective collaboration
2. understand the basics of physical signal processing
3. get to know and respect the lab
4. get to know what physical computing is and where you see it
5. understand how to build basic interface circuits for both input and output
6. understand some basic techniques for building signal-processing programs in both Arduino C++ and Pd
7. learn to use an Arduino and a Raspberry Pi
8. learn many other practical lab skills

All exercises and projects will be performed in pairs or groups, which we will be changing frequently to develop your abilities to take on different roles in collaboration.

This is a fast-paced course and you will be expected to learn many new skills independently and teach them to each other. Please see the syllabus for a detailed discussion.