Thursdays 7:00-9:00 p.m., Feb 21 - Mar 14, Classroom A
Dr. Kim Coble, Adler Planetarium and University of Chicago
Contact Information:
email: coble@hyde.uchicago.edu (The best and fastest way to get in
touch.)
work phone: 773-834-2103, 312-294-0341
course web page: http://astro.uchicago.edu/~coble/adlercosmocourse/index.html
my home page: http://astro.uchicago.edu/~coble/
Course Goals:
1. Learn key elements of cosmology: the size and scope of the Universe,
how the whole cosmic picture hangs together, recent developments.
2. Learn how research in cosmology is done, the tools and techiniques
for gaining understanding.
3. Help each student develop their own understanding of the Universe
and connect to the concepts.
4. Answer student questions-- this is your course.
Schedule:
| Class | Topic |
| Week 1: Feb 21 | Measuring the vast distances to objects in the universe. |
| Week 2: Feb 28 | Foundations and observational evidence for a hot, dense beginning of the universe. |
| Week 3: Mar 7 | Conditions in the universe throughout its history and the timescales of cosmic events. |
| Week 4: Mar 14 | Recent cosmological observations and their implications for the nature of the universe. |
Excercises:
Here are some excercies to try at home. They are not mandatory; they are just to help you think about things we discuss in class. This list will be updated each week. Excercises will also be given as handouts in class, for those without web access.
Initial Interest Survey
Excercise 1: Describing Your Universe
Excercise 2: Observing the Universe
Excercise 3: Interpreting New Information
Excercise 4: What Have You Learned?
Reference List:
Recommended book:
The Whole Shebang, by Timothy Ferris (1997). Available in the Adler Store. We will not be following this exactly in the course, nor is it required, but it is my best recommendation for a popular cosmology book.
Other Books/Articles:
From Quarks to the Cosmos, by Leon M. Lederman and David N. Schramm
(1995). Popular, readable.
Shadows of Creation, by Michael Riordan, David N. Schramm (1991).
Popular, readable.
The Science of the Universe, by Edward Harrison (2000). Introductory
college-level cosmology textbook.
Cosmos, by Carl Sagan (1993). Based on the popular TV series.
Cosmic Evolution: The Rise of Complexity in Nature, by Eric
Chaisson (2001). Somewhat technical popular book.
The Physical Universe, by Frank Shu. College-level astrophysics
textbook.
Flatland, by Edwin Abbott and Sphereland, by Dionys Burger. Great popular books for thinking about geometry in different numbers of dimensions.
Websites:
Microwave Anisotropy Probe Cosmology 101: http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/m_uni.html
Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial: http://www.astro.ucla.edu/%7Ewright/cosmolog.htm
The Expansion Rate and Size of the Universe, by Wendy Freedman:
http://www.sciam.com/specialissues/0398cosmos/0398freedman.html
NCSA General Relativity: http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/NumRel/GenRelativity.html
Cambridge Cosmology Public Home Page: http://www.damtp.cam.ac.uk/user/gr/public/cos_home.html
Portland State University Cosmology Course Page: http://scienceintegration.org/cosmo_home.html
More websites will be provided in lecture notes section as we cover specific topics.
Lecture Notes and Related Resources:
Announcements: Events You May Be Interested In
April 29 - May 3: Planet Week. Sometime that week Janna Levin will be doing a lecture and book signing. Janna is an expert on the topology of the Universe ("is it infinite or just really big?") and is a terrific speaker.
Sept 27: Timothy Ferris will be doing a lecture and book signing. He is the author of the book I've recommended for this course, as well as a number of other great books.
Antarctica Day: Mother's Day weekend. Other Antarctic astronomers and I will be describing our research and our experiences.
Class on the CMB by Lindsay Bartolone, June 19 and 26. MAPping the Cosmic Microwave Background.
Administrivia
In order to have time for informal questions, we will have a break from 7:50 to 8:00 and 8:50 to 9:00. Building rules say we have to leave the building at 9:00pm sharp.
Back to Kim Coble's home page.
Adler registration page for this course.
coble@hyde.uchicago.edu
last modified 4/4/02
Disclaimer: This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under the AAPF program. Any opinions, findings and conclusions or recomendations expressed in this material are mine and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation (NSF).