Honors 120 - The First Three Minutes of the Universe
Our views of the universe have changed a lot in the past century, and in the
last decade. It is now believed that the universe is expanding and that we only
know a fraction of it while we begin the search for dark matter and dark energy.
If ones runs the history of the universe backwards, what do we find? What was
the universe like in the first three minutes? How does one do useful science for
a time in which nobody existed? How did our view of the universe get to this
point and where are we headed in the next decade?
This course is part of a pilot study in Fall 2008 in using
Tablet PCs in the
classroom. Students registered for this class must have a Tablet PC. Students
will use Tablet PCs to annotate digital documents and easily handwrite notes
directly into their computers. These machines will be used as interactive
whiteboards allowing for the sharing of lecture notes and other media. Students
will use their Tablet PCs for collaborative work and communication outside the
classroom.
Books
- The First Three Minutes, S. Weinberg**
- A Briefer History of Time, S. Hawking and L. Mlodinow**
- Many Worlds in One, A. Vilenkin*
- Endless Universe: Beyond the Big Bang, P. J. Steinhardt and N. Turok*
- Big Bang: The Origin of the Universe (P.S.), S. Singh*
- Dark Side of the Universe: Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and the Fate of the Cosmos, I. Nicolson
- The Elegant Universe or The Fabric of the Cosmos, B. Greene
- Parallel Worlds: A Journey Through Creation, Higher Dimensions, and the Future of the Cosmos, M. Kaku
- Warped Passages: Unraveling the Mysteries of the Universe's Hidden Dimensions, L. Randall
- The Trouble with Physics, L. Smolin
- The Cosmic Landscape: String Theory and the Illusion of Intelligent Design, L. Susskind
- A Brief History of Time, S. Hawking
** Main Texts for course
* Recommended Texts
Videos Online
- What Banged? , N. Turok
- The Big Bang, S. Singh
- Stephen Hawking's Universe
- The Elegant Universe or here
- Parallel Universes BBC
- Future of Cosmology Lectures Kavli-CERCA Conference
- Alex Vilenkin Interview
- Cyclic Universe Model and Before the Big Bang Roger Penrose
- Lisa Randall with Charlie Rose and more here
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