NSET 181 - Astronomy, Space, and Time

Institution:

Point Park University

Subject:

NATURAL SCIENCES AND ENGINEERING TECHNOLOGY

Description:

This course is an introduction to the science of astronomy and astrophysics-planets,stars, galaxies, the physics of the cosmos, and our relationship to it all. In this course, students will investigate not just the facts of the universe, but how the scientific process is used to find them. Students will examine the how we know where and when we are in the universe. Students will learn how stars work, how solar systems form, how galaxies evolve, how astronomers study exotic objects like neutron stars and black holes, and how they mesure the distances to all of them. Students will also look at the evidence for how the universe began, its mysterious dark matter and dark energy, how it might end. Course Objectives (1) Explain how astronomers use "standard candles" and steps in the "Distance ladder" (e.g. planetary radar, parallax, main sequence fitting, Cepheid variables, Type 1a supernovae, Hubble's law, etc.) to determine the location of astrophysical phenomena, and apply these principles in the laboratory. (2) Investigate and compare the size and distance scales of astrophysical objects using elementary mathematics. (3) Describe the concept of hydrostatic equilibrium and how it relates to the basic stages and timescales of stellar evolution and the formation of solar systems. (4) Analyze data on galaxies across the universe and interpret how they relate to the general picture of galaxy evolution and the production of large scale structure in the universe (5) Examine the evidence for dark matter and energy in galaxies, galaxy clusters, and the cosmic microwave background, and compare it to competing physical models (6) Evaluate multiple evidence-based cosmologies through history, from the Ptolemy, to Copernicus, to modern Lambda-CDM cosmology based on observational evidence and describe the strengths and weaknesses of each

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.pointpark.edu

Phone Number:

(412) 391-4100

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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