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This is the home page for ASTRO 348 Introduction to Cosmology, Spring 2009. This is a descriptive course covering some of the most exotic aspects of modern physics and astronomy: special and general relativity, black holes, the nature of space and time, the big bang. This home page provides you with information and related links to enhance your learning experience. Mr. Hawley is available at the following locations:
This document is updated throughout the semester:
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The text for the course is Foundations of Modern Cosmology, written by your instructor. As a study aid for this course, consult the home page for the text. Here you will find outlines of the chapter material, full color images from the text, and links to related websites. |
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Welcome to a new semester of Astronomy 348, Introduction to Cosmology. This course is intended for students with some astronomy background (at the ASTR 124 level or equivalent) and who are interested in the history of the universe and the theory of relativity. The course does make use of some mathematical concepts including some simple calculus concepts, but advanced math is not required. Nevertheless, this is a 300 level science course, and non-science majors may find some of the material challenging, but the aim is to make the course accessible to a broad audience. During the semester copies of the slides shown in class as well as a brief summary of the topic of the lecture are available on the Past Lectures link above.
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Regarding email submission of homework: It's a bit of extra work for me to deal with them, document formats vary, I already get too much email etc. etc. whine whine whine. But if you are ill or out of town or something it is OK. Especially if you are sick; take care of yourself, and don't go spreading germs around to your colleagues. Don't submit homework by mail routinely just because you are not attending class regularly. I do keep track of these things. And please don't submit email homeworks in the latest MS Word format, aka "docx" format. My software can't read them since I don't have the latest version of Word installed. Select "write file in doc format" or pdf format if you have Acrobat. Plain text also works. The FAQ for this class ASTR 348 Class Questions may be of interest. |
| Exam | Exam Date | Info | Results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Test 1 | February 26 | About Test 1 | Results |
| Test 2 | April 9 | About Test 2 | Results |
| Final Exam | April 30 | About the Final | Results |
| Homework | Due Date | Discussion |
|---|---|---|
| Homework 1 | Jan. 22 | Info |
| Homework 2 | Jan. 29 | Info |
| Homework 3 | Feb. 5 | Info |
| Homework 4 | Feb. 17 | Info |
| Homework 5 | Feb. 24 | Info |
| Homework 6 | Mar. 17 | Info |
| Homework 7 | Mar. 26 | Info |
| Homework 8 | Apr. 7 | Info |
| Homework 9 | Apr. 16 | Info |
| Homework 10 | Apr. 28 | Info |
| Other important dates: |
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The exams for this course are short answer and multiple choice. (Check out my standard hints on taking multiple choice exams.) Please note that regardless of your test taking strategy there is no substitute for understanding the material.
Additional Help: In addition to visiting during office hours or by appointment, please feel free to send queries via e-mail. In addition, the astronomy teaching assistant for this course for this semester is George Privon. He is available for consultation by email (gcp8y@virginia.edu) or in the Astronomy Bldg., room 106. The Astronomy Building is located at 530 McCormick Road.
Various stuff of possible interest will be posted here as time goes by.
Ask the Prof! If you have a question about cosmology that you would like to see answered, send it to me.
Copyright © 2009 John F. Hawley. All rights reserved. These notes are intended for the private, noncommercial use of students enrolled in Astronomy 348 at the University of Virginia. Reproduction, distribution, and commercial uses are prohibited.
Syllabus