Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology

Описание: Этот учебник возник из курса лекций, который автор разрабатывал для студентов-физиков и студентов-астрономов первого года обучения в Манчестерском университете. Когда было предположено, что этот курс должны пройти все студенты, а не только те, кто приехал, чтобы изучать астрофизику, несколько преподавателей-физиков почувствовали, что такой курс не очень подойдет для студентов физики.
This textbook arose out of the lecture course that the author developed for first year physics and astronomy undergraduates at the University of Manchester. When it was proposed that all the students should undertake the course, not just those who had come to study astrophysics, several of the physics staff felt that it would not be appropriate for the physics students. But this view was countered with the fact that astronomy is a wonderful showcase for physics and this text covers aspects of physics ranging through Newton’s and Einstein’s theories of gravity, particle and nuclear physics and even quantum mechanics.
Not all of the material covered by the course was examinable; in particular the descriptions of the planets in our solar system and the background to some of the key discoveries of the last century. However, the author believes that this helps to give life to the subject and so these parts of the course have not been left out. Wherever possible, calculations have been included to illustrate all aspects of the book’s material, but the level of mathematics required is not high and should be well within the capabilities of fi rst year undergraduates. The questions with each chapter have come from course examination papers and tutorial exercises and should thus be representative of the type of questions that might be asked of students studying an astronomy course based on this book.
Some textbooks are rightly described as “worthy but dull”. It is the author’s earnest hope that this book would not fi t this description and that, as well a conveying the basics of astronomy in an accessible way, it will be enjoyable to read. If, perhaps, the book could inspire some who have used it to continue their study of astronomy so that, in time, they might themselves contribute to our understanding of the universe, then it would have achieved all that its author could possibly hope for.