Description
Book SynopsisStarting out from humankind's earliest ideas about the cosmos, this book gives the reader a clear overview of our current understanding of the universe, including big bang theories and the formation of stars and galaxies, as well as addressing open questions. The author shows how our present view gradually developed from observations, and also how the outcome of ongoing research may still change this view. The book brings together concepts in physics and astronomy, including some history in both cases. The text is descriptive rather than technical: the goal is to present things rigorously and without oversimplification, by highlighting the crucial physical concepts. The only prerequisite is a qualitative knowledge of basic physics concepts at high-school level.
Table of ContentsChapter 1 - Introduction
Chapter 2 - Classical Astronomy
Chapter 3 - From the Renaissance to Modern Science
Chapter 4 - Classical Physics
Chapter 5 - The Physics of Relativity
Chapter 6 - The Physics of Stars and Galaxies
Chapter 7 - The Physics of the Universe
Chapter 8 - New frontiers
