Here's the study guide, a list of topics and issues that seem
important to know. Do not use this study guide as a checklist,
i.e. do not email me and say `I don't know the answer to #5,6,11'.
If you do, you are using the study guide the wrong way and this
reinforces my opinion that study guides are a bad thing since it
appears that students limit their study to only the questions
presented in the guide.
In addition, you should understand the concepts and calculations used
in all the class exercises.
- What is the Cosmological Principle?
- What is the difference between geometry and topology of the universe?
- Universes are classified into three types, what are they and how are they defined?
- What are co-moving coordinates? What is peculiar motion? What
does the `radius' of the Universe mean?
- Friedmann's equation states that there are only two constants to
the Universe, what are they, how do we know them?
- What is the meaning of the cosmological constant, why do we call this dark energy?
- What evidence do we have for a non-zero cosmological constant?
- How do we derive our notion of a Hot Big Bang? What are the
foundations? What are the main observations that support it? What are
the main problems with this model? How can they be solved?
- What is the recombination or last scattering epoch? What are the implications for our observations of the early universe?
- How do we know there is dark matter?
- How is the amount of dark matter measured? How does this change
with scale size in the Universe?
- What are baryonic dark matter candidates?
- What are non-baryonic dark matter candidates?
- What are the differences between a `top-down' and a `bottom-up'
scenario for the formation of large scale structure of the universe?
What are the implications of each scenario for the distribution of matter
in today's universe? What solution is best supported by the observations?
- How can we use the Cosmic Microwave Background to constrain
models of large-scale structure?
- What is the k-correction? What is the extinction correction? What
is the evolutionary correction? How do they affect the measurements of
galaxy properties in the distant universe?
- What is galaxy evolution? What is involved in the history of a
galaxy's life?