Physics 3368

Professor Olness

Astrophysics & Cosmology: Fall 2000

Initial plan for the course:

• Video: A Brief History of Time. S. Hawking
• Flatland. (Particularly Sec.II)
• Powers of 10 Video
• Mr. Tompkins:
• Ch.3. & 4: Curved Space
• Ch.5: Pulsating Universes
• The First 3 Minutes: S. Weinberg
• Cosmology: M. Berry
• Superstrings. M. Green

Some topics we will cover:

• Stars, Galaxies, our universe
• The Big Bang
• Space-Time, Special Relativity
• Curved Space
• General Relativity
• Black Holes
• Topology, and Asteroids video game
• Gauss-Bonnet Theorem
• Euler Number
• 4-Dimensional Space
• 4-Color Problem
• Konigsberg Bridge Problem
• Orientable and Non-orientiable surfaces
• Cylinder
• Mobius Strip
• Klein Bottle
• Symmetries: Parity, Time reversal
• Superstrings, M-Branes

Primary References:

• Principles of Cosmology and Gravitation. by Michael V. Berry; ISBN: 0852740379.
• Mr Tompkins in Paperback, by George Gamow; Cambridge Univ Pr. ISBN: 0521447712.

A classic! Provides an intuitive introduction to relativity, cosmology, quantum mechanics, and more.
• The First Three Minutes : A Modern View of the Origin of the Universe. by Steven Weinberg, Basic Books; ISBN: 0465024378.

A non-technical introduction to cosmology and the origins of the universe.
• Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimension. by Edwin A. Abbott, Dover; ISBN: 0-486-27263-X.

A classic.

Other References:

• Foundations of Moden Cosmology, by John F. Hawley, Katherine A. Holcomb; ISBN: 0195104978 .

An excellent non-technical introduction. No equations.
• The Shape of Space : How to Visualize Surfaces and Three-Dimensional Manifolds, by Jeffrey R. Weeks; Marcel Dekker; ISBN: 082477437X.

A wonderful book that helps us visualize higher dimensional curved spaces and nontrivial topologies.
• How Surfaces Intersect in Space: An Introduction to Topology  by J. Scott Carter; ISBN: 981-02-1050-7.

Wonderful illustrations introducing basic topological concepts.
• A Brief History of Time, by Stephen Hawking, Bantam Doubleday Dell Pub, ISBN: 0553380168.
• One Two Three...Infinity: Facts and Speculations of Science by George Gamow; Dover Pub; ISBN: 0486256642.

From the micro to the macro.