Walter Hendrik Gustav Lewin (born on January 29, 1936) is a Dutch astrophysicist and former professor
of physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Lewin earned his doctorate in nuclear physics
n 1965 at the Delft University of Technology and was a member of MIT's physics faculty for 43 years beginning
in 1966 until his retirement in 2009.
Lewin's contributions in astrophysics include the first discovery of a rotating neutron star through
all-sky balloon surveys and research in X-ray detection in investigations through satellites and
observatories. He has received various awards for teaching in his lectures in physics and their
publication online via Youtube, edX, and MITOpenCourseWare.
In December 2014, MIT revoked Lewin's Professor Emeritus title after an MIT investigation determined
that Lewin had violated university policy by sexually harassing an online student in an online MITx course
he taught in fall 2013. Moreover, his online videos on edX and Youtube were taken down upon being revoked.
Despite this, Lewin was able to reupload his lectures through his own channel
"Lectures by Walter Lewin.
They will make you ♥ Physics." which has over 600k subscribers. Currently, Lewin has been uploading videos
until now inspiring and giving challenges to viewers who have interests in Physics.
Known Lectures of Walter Lewin at MIT
8.01x - MIT Physics I: Classical Mechanics
Physics I is a first-year physics course which introduces students
to classical mechanics. This course has a hands-on focus, and approaches mechanics
through take-home experiments. Topics include: kinematics, Newton's laws of motion,
universal gravitation, statics, conservation laws, energy, work,
momentum, and special relativity.
8.02x - MIT Physics II: Electricity and Magnetism
Physics II course is an introduction to electromagnetism and electrostatics.
Topics include: electric charge, Coulomb's law, electric structure of matter,
conductors and dielectrics, concepts of electrostatic field and potential,
electrostatic energy, electric currents, magnetic fields, Ampere's law, magnetic materials,
time-varying fields, Faraday's law of induction, basic electric circuits, electromagnetic waves,
and Maxwell's equations. The course has an experimental focus, and includes several experiments that are
intended to illustrate the concepts being studied.
8.03 - MIT Physics III: Vibrations and Waves
The Physics III course focuses on the followiing: Mechanical vibrations and waves, simple harmonic motion,
superposition, forced vibrations and resonance, coupled oscillations and normal modes, vibrations of continuous systems,
reflection and refraction, phase and group velocity. Optics, wave solutions to Maxwell's equations, polarization,
Snell's law, interference, Huygens's principle, Fraunhofer diffraction, and gratings.
