Astronomy 226 - Cosmology

This course covers cosmological models and their relationship to observational data. Topics include background electromagnetic radiation, nucleosynthesis, dating methods, determinations of the mean density of the universe and the Hubble constant, and tests of gravitational theories. We also discuss questions concerning the foundations of cosmology and its future as a science. Students will have the opportunity to run cosmological simulations and conduct original research with the potential for co-authored publication.

Prereq: ASTR-100, ASTR-101, ASTR-102, or ASTR-115; one semester of Physics; and one semester of calculus at high school or college level.