Department of Physics, The University of West Indies, Mona


			Courses
	Department of Physics

Search |

P33L/ PHYS3395

ASTRONOMY & COSMOLOGY

(4 Credits) Semester I Level III

Prerequisites : P 14A / PHYS1410 & P 14B / PHYS 1420, and (M 08B/MATH0100, and M 08C/MATH0110 or A-Level Maths or CAPE Maths)

Aims

To allow students to describe the structure, evolution and behaviour of astronomical objects and of the universe.

Objectives

To explain the basic physics of stars and of celestial mechanics
To identify and describe the main features of the content and structure of the solar system, the galaxy and the universe using traditional methods
To describe the methods used in astronomical measurements and deduction of results
To describe the standard stellar structures and evolution
To explain simple cosmological models and the observations on which they are based
To describe the basics of the standard big bang theory of the evolution of the universe

Content

The celestial sphere. Celestial mechanics. Coordinate systems. Sidereal Time. Telescopes and their capabilities. The Solar system. Stellar radiation, magnitudes, classification. Stellar structure. Binary stars. Distance measurements and the distance ladder. HR diagram. Stellar evolution and endpoints. The Milky Way. Other galaxies. Cosmological Distance methods. The structure of the Universe. Introductory cosmology. Simple Cosmological Models Observational Cosmology. The Age of the Universe The Big Bang.

Evaluation (Overall theory and Practical to be passed separately):

One 2-hour theory examination paper 70%

One 1-hour in-course test 20%

Practical work 10%

| Last Updated: March 26, 2004
©2002 The University of the West Indies, Mona Campus. All rights reserved. Disclaimer | Privacy Statement
Telephone: (876) Fax: (876)
Site best viewed at 800 x 600 resolution on Internet Explorer.