Physics III: Vibrations and Waves
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this introductory physics course on the mathematics of oscillating and coupled systems. Starting from a mass on a spring disturbed from equilibrium, the material builds through mechanical vibrations, coupled oscillators, and normal modes into the wave equation itself, then applies that framework to sound waves, electromagnetic waves, optics, and a brief treatment of gravitational waves. Lecture notes, problem sets, and exams from MIT's actual course are provided so you can work through the derivations yourself rather than just watch them happen. The throughline is that a guitar string's pluck, a light wave, and a gravitational wave ripple all obey the same underlying mathematics of coupled, vibrating systems. As with all MIT OCW materials, the course is free to access with no certificate offered, just the original course content used on campus.