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ASTR340: The Origin of the Universe

Prof. Chris Reynolds Room: CSS 1243 Phone: 301-405-2682 Email: chris@astro.umd.edu Office hours: 3:30-4:30pm Tues

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Textbook & web pages   Required text: Foundations of Modern Cosmology (2nd

edition) by Hawley & Holcomb

  Authors’ web page: http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~jh8h/Foundations

  Course web page: http://www.astro.umd.edu/~chris/Teaching

  Information, syllabus, lecture schedule   Assignments   Past lectures

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Pre-requisites

  CORE Distributive Studies in Math and Science   In practice…

 Course will be fairly self-contained  Will use “high school” algebra freely!  Will assume some elementary knowledge of

astronomy; will use terms such as “star”, “galaxy” etc. freely

 Consult chapters 4 and 5 of the textbook for review/refresher, as needed

 Please ask about anything when you are unsure!

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Assigments & Grading

 Assignments:  Homeworks: 30%  Midterm : 30%  Final : 40%  TOTAL : 100%

 Note: No “extra-credit projects”

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Exams

 One mid-term, in class October 22nd  Final exam, 10:30-12:30 Dec. 19th

 These are “major scheduled grading events”

 All reasonable attempts must be made to contact me beforehand if you need to miss an exam; documentation must be provided for absences.

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Homeworks

 Homework assigned approximately once every two weeks

 HW is collected at the start of class on the due date  Please hand in on time!

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What is Cosmology?

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Basic course structure…

  Course develops the Hot Big Bang Theory   Course structure…

  Ancient ideas for the origin/nature of the Universe   The language of the Universe; Newton and Einstein   Digression into black holes   Discovery of the expanding Universe; Cosmological Models  Origin of matter, the elements, galaxies…   The very early Universe