Elementary Cosmology: From Aristotle's Universe to the Big Bang and Beyond / Edition 1

by James J Kolata

Overview

Cosmology is the study of the origin, size, and evolution of the entire universe. Every culture has developed a cosmology, whether it be based on religious, philosophical, or scientific principles. In this book, the evolution of the scientific understanding of the Universe in Western tradition is traced from the early Greek philosophers to the most modern 21st century view. After a brief introduction to the concept of the scientific method, the first part of the book describes the way in which detailed observations of the Universe, first with the naked eye and later with increasingly complex modern instruments, ultimately led to the development of the "Big Bang" theory. The second part of the book traces the evolution of the Big Bang including the very recent observation that the expansion of the Universe is itself accelerating with time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681740362
Publisher:	Morgan and Claypool Publishers
Publication date:	12/01/2015
Series:	Iop Concise Physics
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	122
Product dimensions:	6.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

James J Kolata is an emeritus professor of physics at the University of Notre Dame in the USA and a Fellow of the American Physical Society. He is the author of over 250 research publications in nuclear physics.

Table of Contents

Table of Contents: The scientific method / Early astronomy / Nebulae / Cosmic distances / Space-time / The Big Bang / Cosmic microwave background radiation / Dark matter / The standard model of cosmology / The very early Big Bang / Inflation / Dark energy / Higher dimensions / String theory / Black holes and wormholes / Reading list / Links to astronomy websites