ASTR 3107

(3 credits) 3 hours lecture This is an introductory course on physical cosmology, the branch of astronomy concerned with the origin of the universe and its subsequent evolution. The Big Bang Theory has become the standard theory of modern physical cosmology, and this course will develop the mathematical framework behind this theory and examine the constraints observations have placed on this theory. Typical topics to be covered include the Friedmann equation, the cosmic microwave background, the geometry of the universe, primordial nucleosynthesis, the cosmological constant, inflation, dark matter, and dark energy.