Cosmology 101

Kristine M. Larsen0313337314, 9780313337314, 9780313070327

What should the average person know about science? Because science is so central to life in the 21st century, science educators and other leaders of the scientific community believe that it is essential that everyone understand the basic concepts of the most vital and far-reaching disciplines. Cosmology 101 does exactly that. This accessible volume provides readers – whether students new to the field or just interested members of the lay public – with the essential ideas of evolution using a minimum of jargon and mathematics. Concepts are introduced in a progressive order so that more complicated ideas build on simpler ones, and each is discussed in small, bite-sized segments so that they can be more easily understood. Cosmology 101 introduces readers to all the aspects that make cosmology such a vibrant and dynamic field: BLThe debate over whether the the Milky Way was the only “island universe”, or only one of many “galaxies. The solution to this question set into motion a new revolution in cosmology. BLAlbert Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, which has completely altered how scientists model the universe. BLThe debates over the Steady-State versus the Big Bang model of the universe, and the recent theories, such as the inflationary model of the universe. This volume in the Science 101 series provides readers with a solid understanding of how scientist know what they know about the universe.