The University of Bristol is to run a free on-line open-access course in maths for engineers later this year. Cracking Mechanics: Further Maths for Engineers is the university’s first-ever MOOC (Massive On-line Open Course) — a ‘distance learning’ course with no limit on the number of participants.

Those who take part in the course will use videos, articles, quizzes and social media to practise maths, learn physics and find out how engineers use both to solve ‘real-world’ problems.

The course, which is available on the ‘social learning’ platform FutureLearn, is primarily aimed at A-level students and first-year undergraduates who are seeking to improve their knowledge of the type of maths and physics that engineers find useful.

Laura Dickinson, a Teaching Fellow at the university, said: “The ethos of Cracking Mechanics is to have a go, get it wrong and then learn why. It’s about building confidence, asking questions and learning something new; it’s definitely not about doing everything perfectly.”

The course will run for six weeks from 10 November. To join the group on social media, use the hashtag .