Astro 140 Spring 2008

Instructor: Professor Edward L. Wright
Office: PAB 3-909
Telephone: (310)825-5755
Office Hours: M 11-12, T 11:30-12:30 or by appointment.

Appropriate preparation for this course would involve completion of all or almost all of the preparation for the major in Astrophysics: Physics 1ABC, 4AL, 4BL, 17 and 18; Math 21AB, 32AB and 33AB; Astronomy 81 and 82; and PIC 3 or 10A.

Astronomy 140 is usually taken by senior Astrophysics majors.

Public class Web site: http://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/08S-ASTRO140-1
Private class Web site: http://ccle.ucla.edu/course/view/08S-ASTRO140-1priv

Class meetings: T-Th 9:30 - 10:45, PAB 1-749

Rowan-Robinson, "Cosmology", 4^th edition; and Wright's lecture notes.

Coursework: homework problem sets, one midterm exam (Apr 24, 2008), and a final exam (Tuesday June 10, 2008 8-11 AM). Grading: 10% class participation, 15% homework, 25% midterm, 50% final. Late homework can be turned in for half-credit.

Content by Weeks

• Observational Overview
• Relaxation, Potential Theory, Orbits of stars
• Differentially Rotating Disks and Arms
• Dynamical friction, MIDTERM
• Virial Theorem, Dark Matter
• Cosmology, luminosity and angular size distance, Omega = 0
• Cosmology, a(t) by Newtonian approximation
• Cosmic microwave background
• Description of fluctuations: xi(r), P(k)
• Growth of perturbations

Ned Wright's Cosmology Tutorial
Cosmological fads and fallacies
Other Good Links

Ned Wright's Home Page

© 2008 Edward L. Wright. Last modified 29-Mar-2008