Annotated Bibliography / Resources
Cited Works
Adams, David J. et al. An Introduction to Galaxies and Cosmology. Ed. Mark H. Jones and Robert J. A. Lambourne. New York: Cambridge University Press, 2004.
A thorough explanation of the issues of modern cosmology, dark matter and dark energy.
Kirshner, Robert. Extravagant Universe. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002.
Detailed explanation of Kirshner's contribution to utilizing 1A supernovae for high z redshifts to determine the Hubble constant. They can be used as standard candles because their peak luminosity can be determined from their light curves.
Freedman, Roger A. and William J. Kaufmann III. Universe. New York: W.H. Freeman and Company, 2005.
Guth, Alan. The Inflationary Universe. New York: Addison-Wesley Publishing Company, 1997.
Historical and conceptual explanation of Guth's role in developing the Inflationary Theory. Inflation is essential for explaining the horizon problem and flatness problem.
Weinberg, Steven. The First Three Minutes. New York: Basic Book, Inc., Publishers, 1977.
An excellent detailed explanation of the early Universe after the big bang.
Reading List
Feynman, Richard and Robert B. Leighton and Matthew Sands. The Feynman Lectures on Physics. Reading, Massachusetts: Addison-Wesley publishing Company, 1965.
Freshman lectures on physics. These include lectures on Quantum Mechanics, relativity and waves.
Feynman, Richard P. QED: The Strange Theory of Light and Matter. New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 1985.
An explanation of quantum electrodynamics, which are essential in the fluctuations in the early Universe that resulted in the formation of galaxies and clusters from gravitational effects.
Greene, Brian. The Elegant Universe. New York: Vintage Books, 2003.
An exploration of string theory, which is the best candidate for a TOE (theory of everything).
Hawking, Stephen. The Universe In a Nutshell. New York: Bantam Books, 2001.
A pictorial and conceptual explanation of cosmology and black holes.
Rees, Martin. Just Six Numbers: The Deep Forces That Shape the Universe. New York: Basic Books, 2000.
Description of the six cosmological constants that define the parameters of the cosmos.
Thorne, Kip S. Black Holes & Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy. New York: WW Norton and Company, 1994.
The effect of extreme gravity on relativity and an explanation of black holes. The resulting singularity resulting from extreme gravity of black holes indicates the limitation of relativity and quantum mechanics.
Student Reading List
Weinberg, Steven. The First Three Minutes. New York: Basic Book, Inc., Publishers, 1977.
An excellent detailed explanation of the early Universe after the big bang.
Video Resources
Astronomers. KCET/ LOS ANGELES. 1991.
A seven part series on the innovations and discoveries of modern astronomers.
The Elegant Universe. WGBH/Nova. 2003.
An exploration of the implications of String Theory.
Runaway Universe. NOVA. 2000.
An excellent explanation of the accelerating expansion of the Universe.
Universe by Stephen Hawking. Thirteen/WNet/Uden/David Filkin Enterprises. 1997
A three part series on astronomical issues including the Big Bang and black holes.
Websites
http://www.cpepweb.org. The History and Fate of the Universe, "The Universe Adventure"
Additional Resources
"The History and Fate of the Universe" CPEP Chart
Acknowledgements
This unit would not have been possible without the help of Dr. Sabatino Sofia, Dr. Richard Holman, and the CPEP (Contemporary Physics Education Project) members: Sam Lightner, Bob Reiland, Ted Zaleskiewicz and Cherie Harper.
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