Undergraduate Course: The Dark Universe (PHYS08060)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course introduces the field of Cosmology, the study of the origin and evolution of our Universe, at a level accessible to any student. The course will lead students from ancient skywatchers through the development of the modern cosmological paradigm covering the Big Bang, the early Universe, dark matter, dark energy, the emergence of large-scale structure, and the formation and evolution of galaxies like our Milky Way. Maths proficiency at a level of Nat-5/GCSE or above is expected. |
| Course description |
The Dark Universe will begin with a historical overview of cosmology in the ancient world from Africa to Asia to the Americas. It will then introduce the modern scientific approach to cosmology, including the Big Bang, the Cosmic Microwave Background, the evidence for dark matter and dark energy, and the current Concordance Lambda-CDM cosmological model. From there it will cover the formation of large-scale structure and the Cosmic Web, the properties of the galaxy population including relevant aspects of stellar evolution, the emergence and importance of black holes, and the cosmic ecosystem within which galaxies are born, grow, and die. The lectures format will be powerpoint presentations (which will be made available to students) with frequent interaction points via WooClap, and two dedicated in-class discussion sessions.
Course Schedule:
Week 1: Ancient cultures, ancient cosmologies
Week 2: Cosmology becomes a science
Week 3: The Big Bang
Week 4: What is our Universe made of?
Week 5: The modern cosmological paradigm
Week 6: The cosmic distribution of matter
Week 7: Galaxies trace the evolution of the Universe
Week 8: Galaxy properties
Week 9: What determines the properties of galaxies?
Week 10: Supermassive black holes in galaxies
Week 11: The future of cosmology
There are no pre-requisities, but having taken Discovering Astronomy or Astrobiology would be helpful.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 165 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 33,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 20,
Online Activities 20,
Formative Assessment Hours 5,
Summative Assessment Hours 20,
Revision Session Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
67 %,
Coursework
33 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam 67 %, Coursework 33 %
4 x Tutorial hand-ins (best 3 of 4 count 1/6 of final mark) 5 x Practical Workshop hand-ins (best 4 of 5 count 1/6 of final mark)
1 x Final exam (2/3 of final mark)
WooClap questions will be used during lectures to stimulate thinking and interaction. These will not be assessed. |
| Feedback |
There will be 4 tutorial hand-ins, and 5 practical workshops that will be marked. Students will be provided feedback on their performance via the marking. |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain in broad terms the evolution of the Universe from the Big Bang to what we see today.
- Detail the fundamental constituents comprising our Universe, and the evidence for dark components.
- Describe the emergence of the Cosmic Web and dark matter halos from perturbations seen in the Cosmic Microwave Background.
- Understand how galaxies like the Milky Way form and why galaxies come in many shapes, sizes, and colours.
- Outline the philosophical principles guiding the development of modern cosmology, and modern science in general, emerging from ancient times.
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Reading List
| There is no required textbook as all required information will be provided to students via the lectures and powerpoints; students should however plan to take their own notes to supplement the powerpoint material. Similar topics are covered in "Foundations of Modern Cosmology" by Hawley and Holcomb, and in "The Cosmic Perspective: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology" by Bennett et al. The course will in many parts follow the popular science book "Simulating the Cosmos: Why the Universe Looks the Way It Does" by Davé. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Study Pattern: The course will consist of 3 one-hour lectures per week, plus a 2-hour tutorial or workshop every week after the first week. The 5 practical workshops will have an assignment to be completed as a group project in-class and turned in at the end of the period. The 4 tutorial sessions will provide help sessions on the hand-in assignment for the week. The final tutorial week serves as a review session. This scheme is identical to Discovering Astronomy.
Attributes and Skills: Students will develop critical analysis skills through a critical examination of the evidence for the standard cosmological paradigm (SQCF learning outcome 3). They will develop modest numeracy skills via the workshops and assignments which will typically involve solving problems using maths and/or guided web-based applications (SQCF learning outcome 4). They will develop group working skills through the workshop projects which are typically done in groups of 3-5 people (SQCF learning outcome 5). |
| Keywords | DarkUniverse,astronomy,cosmology |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Prof Romeel Dave
Tel: (0131 6)68 8352
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Alex Delaney
Tel:
Email: |
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