Modern Astronomy
3 EC
Semester 2, periode 4
5092MOST3Y
This course elaborates on the physical implications and the theoretical background of a number of interesting and topical issues ('hot topics') in astronomy. Examples of topics include the search for Earth-like planets and life, apparently faster than light travel, supermassive stars, gravitational lenses, the nature of dark matter, the expanding universe.
The two topics to be covered are not fixed; should there be a new fundamental breakthrough that lends itself to discussion it will be included in the program.
The topics will be considered sequentially, each block taking three weeks (1 lecture and 1 tutorial per week, each 2 contact hours). An introduction to the topic will be given in the first lecturer of each block, outlining the problem. The students will investigate the solution of this problem on their own and share their findings in the final lecture of the block, in which we will discuss the deeper implications and future vision.
By the end of the course the students will be able to:
Lectures; to cover the background material required for each topic
Discussions; to expand background material and to encourage students to think deeply about the topics and how they would approach them
Werkcollege exercises; a range of different activities designed to enhance the lectures and reach students with different learning styles.
Werkcollege problems; to apply knowledge from lectures, discussions and activities to exam style questions
Activiteit | Aantal uur |
Hoorcollege | 14 |
Tentamen | 3 |
Werkcollege | 14 |
Zelfstudie | 53 |
Aanwezigheidseisen opleiding (OER-B):
Aanvullende eisen voor dit vak:
| Onderdeel en weging | Details |
|
Eindcijfer | |
|
10% Homework problem sets | |
|
90% Tentamen |
De manier van inzage wordt via de digitale leeromgeving gecommuniceerd.
5 problems on exoplanets for students to complete individually or in small groups. Feedback will be given in the tutorial and the work will be graded.
5 problems on gravitational waves for students to complete individually or in small groups. Feedback will be given in the tutorial and the work will be graded.
Onderstaande opdrachten komen aan bod in deze cursus:
Dit vak hanteert de algemene ‘Fraude- en plagiaatregeling’ van de UvA. Onder plagiaat of fraude wordt verstaan het overschrijven van het werk van een medestudent dan wel het kopiëren van wetenschappelijke bronnen (uit bijvoorbeeld boeken en tijdschriften en van het Internet) zonder daarbij de bron te vermelden. Uiteraard is plagiaat verboden. Hier wordt nauwkeurig op gecontroleerd en streng tegen opgetreden. Bij verdenking van plagiaat wordt de examencommissie van de opleiding ingeschakeld. Wanneer de examencommissie overtuigd is dat er plagiaat gepleegd is dan kan dit maximaal leiden tot een uitsluiting van al het onderwijs van de opleiding voor een heel kalenderjaar. Zie voor meer
informatie over het fraude- en plagiaatreglement van de Universiteit van Amsterdam.www.uva.nl/plagiaat
| Weeknummer | Onderwerpen | Studiestof |
| 1 | Introduction | |
| 2 | Exoplanets | |
| 3 | Exoplanets | |
| 4 | Exoplanets | Deadline Werkcollege 1 |
| 5 | Gravitational Waves | |
| 6 | Gravitational Waves | |
| 7 | Gravitational Waves | Deadline Workcollege 2 |
| 8 | Exam |
This course is intended for honours students or students with a particular interest in the subject.
The honours course is faculty wide, i.e. no specific astronomy knowledge is required. Mathematics, in specific the use of algebra to rearrange equations, is required. The "honours" qualification of this course implies that theoretical and interpretive skills are a plus.
Please note that the course is high pace and attendance is required.
The course will be taught in English and all course materials will be made available on Blackboard during the course.