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  Prospectuses 2011-2012
Radboud universityProspectusesFaculty of Science > Bachelor Natuur- en Sterrenkunde

Newtonian Cosmology 

Course ID
NWI-NP024B
Credits
3
Scheduled
fourth quarter
Teaching methods
  • 16 hrs lecture
  • 16 hrs problem session
Pre-requisites
quarter 1 till 3 of physics
Objectives
  • The student can formulate the influence of gravity on the structure and evolution of the Universe apply this in Newtonian setting.
  • The students understands the role of observations in the shaping of the modern cosmological theories
  • The student knows the different phases in the evolution of the Universe
  • The student can see the physical connection between the physics of the first year and the cosmological observations
Contents

The expansion of the Universe is one of the most basic physical facts in all of nature. The physics of the expansion can be treated quite well using Newtonian, classical dynamics, apart from the very earliest phases. The course will give an insight into which ingredients (radiation, matter, dark matter, dark energy) were important in the evolution  of the Universe. It will also show how the current composition of the Universe can be explained from our understanding of the physics of the Big Bang. The course will also show what type of modern observations are used to test our theories of the origin and evolution of the Universe.


Examination

Schriftelijk tentamen; max. 1 bonuspunt voor werkcollege.

Literature
Necessary:
  • Liddle, Andrew, An Introduction to Modern Cosmology, second edition, Wiley,  ISBN 978-0-470-8483-7 
Extra information
This course will be taught in English by dr. Elmar Körding