About

The Maths for Energy website provided guidance on the maths skills needed to study energy at The Open University. It outlined the skills relevant to energy modules, normally taken in the second or third year of full-time study, and helped students assess whether they had the necessary background or required additional preparation.

This site has replaced: https://learn2.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=206662&cmid=1605532

Please note that to access the site and take the quiz, you will need to be signed in.

If you are not currently an OU Student, you can create a free user account at https://www.open.ac.uk/account/createaccount.

This diagnostic websites’ Data Protection and Privacy notice can be found on the Resources page.

What energy modules are available?

The Open University offers two core undergraduate energy modules. Energy and Sustainability (T213) typically run from October to June and covers a wide range of energy topics, including fossil fuels, nuclear systems, and renewables. Renewable Energy (T313) also runs from October to June and examines eight major renewable technologies, focusing on their physical principles, technologies, costs, environmental impacts, resources, and future prospects.

An additional energy project is available as part of the T452 suite, building on the skills and outcomes of T313. The engineering project forms part of the BEng (Hons) and MEng (Hons) routes, and students not on these pathways are strongly advised to consult an adviser or student support before registering.

Are you ready?

Before starting the T213 Energy and Sustainability module, students are expected to have basic maths skills, including arithmetic with positive and negative numbers, rounding, ratios, percentages, powers, unit conversions, geometry, interpreting data from charts and tables, working with graphs, and rearranging simple equations. Students who have passed certain OU modules (e.g. U116, S112, MU123) are likely to already have the required skills. A Maths for Energy quiz and a Maths Skills website are available to help students check and strengthen their understanding.

Quiz

The Maths for Energy quiz allowed students to check their readiness for modules like T213. It is divided into six sections, each on a different area of maths, and can be completed in stages. At the end, students receive a score record and feedback on their preparedness.

Useful Links

T213 Maths Skills

T213 Maths Skills (online version) – Note that this is only available for registered OU students.

Maths Help website

This covers similar ground to the Maths Skills material above, but is arranged as a set of separate online modules. The topics are:

Module 1: Numbers, units and arithmetic
Module 2: Rounding and estimation
Module 3: Ratio, proportion and percentages
Module 4: Squares, roots and powers
Module 5: Diagrams, charts and graphs
Module 6: Language, notation and formulas
Module 7: Geometry
Module 8: Using a scientific calculator

http://mathshelp.open.ac.uk

Helping Engineers Learn Maths (HELM)

This material is far more comprehensive and is only available for registered OU students. For energy modules such as T213 you are only likely to need to look at the first six topics: