Undergraduate Course: General Relativity (PHYS11010)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Year 5 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | General Relativity presents one of the most interesting intellectual challenges of an undergraduate physics degree, but its study can be a daunting prospect. This course treats the subject in a way which should be accessible not just to Mathematical Physicists, by making the subject as simple as possible (but not simpler). The classic results such as light bending and precession of the perihelion of Mercury are obtained from the Schwarzschild metric by variational means. Einstein's equations are developed, and are used to obtain the Schwarzschild metric and the Robertson-Walker metric of cosmology. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2015/16, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 22,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 11,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
61 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
100 %,
Coursework
0 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Degree Examination, 100% |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | General Relativity | 2:00 | |
Learning Outcomes
1)Discuss the role of mass in Newtonian physics, & inertial forces, & state and justify the principle of equivalence; define a local inertial frame
2)Define the metric tensor (& inverse), & interpret as gravitational potentials
3)Derive the geodesic equation from the principle of equivalence; derive the affine connections
4)State the Correspondence Principle & the Principle of General Covariance; calculate the special relativistic & Newtonian limits of GR equations; Derive Einstein's equations & justify them in empty space, & with matter; Discuss & justify the inclusion of a cosmological constant
5)Define a tensor; define & use appropriate tensor operations, including contraction, differentiation; Discuss the need for a covariant derivative & derive it; Define parallel transport, curvature tensor; Discuss the relation of curvature to gravity & tidal forces; derive the curvature tensor
6)Derive gravitational time dilation & redshift, precession of Mercury's perihelion, light bending, radar time delays, cosmological redshift, horizons; Discuss & apply the concept of proper times
7)Show the equivalence of the variational formulation of GR & the geodesic equation; derive the Euler-Lagrange equations; apply them to metrics such as the Schwarzschild & Robertson-Walker, to obtain affine connections, conserved quantities & equations of motion
8)Derive & sketch effective potentials in GR & Newtonian physics; examine qualitative behaviour; analyse to find features such as the minimum stable orbit
9)Write down the Schwarzschild & Robertson-Walker metrics; describe the meaning of all terms; Solve Einstein's equations to derive both metrics & the Friedman equation
10)Discuss gravitational waves; derive their wave equation
11)Discuss metric singularities (& relate to Black Holes), event horizons & infinite redshift surfaces
12)Apply the general techniques to solve unseen problems, which may include analysis of previously unseen metrics
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | GenRe |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Andy Taylor
Tel: (0131) 668 8386
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Paula Wilkie
Tel: (0131) 668 8403
Email: |
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