Study Questions  Week 15 Astronomy 104: Stellar Astronomy Fall 2002

Study questions from Chapter 26 

  1. What is the Hubble Deep Field? How was this observation obtained? What are some things we learn from it?
  2. What is the largest scale structure observed in the universe? Explain how "pencil beams" surveys help determine this.
  3. What is the cosmological principle?
  4. How is the value of the Hubble constant related to the age of the universe?
  5. You should be able to calculate an upper limit to the age of the universe given a value of the Hubble constant.
  6. Explain why cosmologists say there is no center or edge to the Universe (use a two dimensional analogy if desired).
  7. Where was the Big Bang?
  8. Explain why the Doppler shift explanation of the redshift of distant galaxies is incorrect.
  9. Define a bound, unbound, and marginally bound universe. How are these related to the density of the universe? Define the critical density.
  10. Explain the possible futures of the universe. What things determine the future of the universe? What is our current understanding of the fate of the universe?
  11. Define a closed, open or flat universe. How do these relate to bound, unbound and marginally bound universes? Describe the geometry of each (closed, open, flat).
  12. Why is it important to know the density of the universe? How do we measure the density of the universe? How does the measured value compare to the critical density?
  13. Define omega-nought? Why is it important? Discuss the observed values of omega-nought.
  14. Why do we expect the universe to decelerate? What do the observations of distant type Ia supernova show about the deceleration of the universe?
  15. What is "dark energy"? Why is it thought to exist?
  16. What is the "cosmological constant"?
  17. Summarize the age controversy. Is it still a controversy?
  18. What is the cosmic microwave background?
  19. Describe the spectrum of the CMB.
  20. What is the temperature of the CMB?
  21. What is COBE?

Study Questions from Chapter 27

  1. What is meant by "radiation dominated" or matter dominated"?
  2. What is the radiation era?
  3. How do the different epochs of the radiation era relate to physical forces?
  4. When did all the matter in the universe form?
  5. When did the first atoms form? What was the consequence of this for the universe?
  6. What is primordial nucleosynthesis?
  7. Describe what is meant by "decoupling"? Why is this important?
  8. How is decoupling related to the CMB?
  9. Describe the "horizon problem".
  10. Describe the "flatness problem".
  11. What is the key idea of the inflationary universe?
  12. How does the inflationary universe model explain the horizon and flatness problems?
  13. What is the role of dark matter and dark energy in the universe? How does ordinary matter fit in?

 

 

Review and Discussion:

Ch. 26: 1, 2, 4, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17,

Ch. 27: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15

Study questions from other weeks:

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