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The state of the universe : a primer in modern cosmology / Pedro G. Ferreira.
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Ferreira, Pedro G.
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Cosmology--Popular works.
- Cosmology.
- History.
- Cosmology--Philosophy.
- Cosmology--Philosophy--Popular works.
- Cosmology--History--Popular works.
- Genre:
- Popular works.
- Physical Description:
- 320 pages : illustrations ; 21 cm
- Place of Publication:
- London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2006.
- Summary:
- The universe is a mess. Or rather, our understanding of it is. That' s the message of this lively introduction to the conundrums shaking up the field of cosmology. Pedro G. Ferreira, a noted lecturer in astrophysics at Oxford, explains how a universe once ruled by Einstein' s simple equations has given way to a more complex and confusing one, where mysterious " dark matter" outweighs visible matter a hundred to one, and " dark energy" seems to be hurling the galaxies apart. Ferreira takes readers on a fascinating journey through the history of astronomy to show how we arrived here, clarifying today' s many contending theories.
- Contents:
- 1 A Mechanical Universe 13
- 2 How High is the Sky? 33
- 3 Albert Einstein and the Geometry of Space and Time 50
- 4 An Evolving Universe 73
- 5 The Recession of Distant Galaxies 92
- 6 A Hot Beginning and the Cosmic Photosphere 104
- 7 The Origin of Light Elements in the Primeval Fireball 123
- 8 The Alchemy of the Stars 136
- 9 The Fundamental Forces and the Origin of Matter 154
- 10 Gravity Sheds Light on the Invisible 170
- 11 Dark and Exotic Matter 182
- 12 An Accelerating Universe? 197
- 13 Dark Energy is the Fifth Element 212
- 14 From Order to Chaos 225
- 15 Primordial Sound 242
- 16 The Ecology of Galaxies 259
- 17 Wrapped and Warped 272
- 18 And in the Beginning? 288.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references (pages [312]-313) and index.
- Local Notes:
- Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Craig M. Merrihue Memorial Fund.
- ISBN:
- 0297847406
- OCLC:
- 62760733
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