Radioactivity and nuclear physics. Physics of the solid state. Selected laboratory exercises in microwaves, semiconductors, photoelectric effect, scattering, electron diffraction, radioactivity and other phenomena. Laboratory meetings in alternate weeks only. This course is designed to provide undergraduate science and engineering majors in any department a fundamental background in current topics of astronomy and astrophysics.
Astronomy is a science that uses physics to interpret astronomical events.
This field is rapidly developing. Each year brings an increased number of significant and exciting discoveries based on data from a variety of spacecraft, rockets, balloons and a whole new technology of ground-based observatories and detectors. The course will provide quantitative insights into astrophysical topics of interest such as the structure and evolution of stars, the dynamics of cosmic gases, nucleosynthesis, black holes, galaxy formation, cosmology, the missing mass problem, the size and mass of cosmic objects, the large-scale behavior of the universe, quasars, evolution of the solar system, and the search for planetary systems around other stars. Each topic will be developed and evaluated along with the most recent work in these areas. This is an approved science elective.