Foundations of Modern Cosmology 2nd Edition by John F. Hawley (PDF)

Description

Recent discoveries in astronomy, especially those made with data collected by satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope and the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe, have revolutionized the science of cosmology. These new observations offer the possibility that some long-standing mysteries in cosmology might be answered, including such fundamental questions as the ultimate fate of the universe. Foundations of modern cosmology provides an accessible, thorough and descriptive introduction to the physical basis for modern cosmological theory, from the big bang to a distant future dominated by dark energy. This second edition includes the latest observational results and provides the detailed background material necessary to understand their implications, with a focus on the specific model supported by these observations, the concordance model. Consistent with the book’s title, emphasis is given to the scientific framework for cosmology, particularly the basics concepts of physics that underlie modern theories of relativity and cosmology; the importance of data and observations is stressed throughout. The book sketches the historical background of cosmology, and provides a review of the relevant basic physics and astronomy. After this introduction, both special and general relativity are treated, before proceeding to an in-depth discussion of the big bang theory and physics of the early universe. The book includes current research areas, including dark matter and structure formation, dark energy, the inflationary universe, and quantum cosmology. The authors’ website (http: //www.astro.virginia.edu/ jh8h/Foundations) offers a wealth of supplemental information, including questions and answers, references to other sources, and updates on the latest discoveries.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review `Review from previous edition “Foundations of Modern Cosmology” by John F. Hawley and Katherine A. Holcomb is a welcome addition to the list of college-level astronomy textbooks for nonscience majors. […] Hawley and Holcomb bring to their writing valuable first-hand knowledge and accomplishment in relativistic astrophysics research. Their book reflects the careful development that occurs only when a textbook is written after years of teaching the material.’ Paul Shapiro, Physics Today, Vol 52, No. 5, May 1999 pg 70-73 About the Author John F. Hawley is Professor of Astronomy at the University of Virginia. His research interests include black holes, accretion disks, and large-scale numerical modeling of astrophysical systems. He was the 1993 recipient of the Helen B. Warner Prize from the American Astronomical Society for his contributions to accretion disk theory and numerical simulations. He has taught an introductory course in cosmology for undergraduates at the University of Virginia since 1989.Katherine A. Holcomb received a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Texas at Austin. She has worked on numerical simulations of a variety of physical systems, including cosmology, relativistic plasma theory, and climate. She is currently employed at the University of Virginia in research computing support.

Reviews from Amazon users which were colected at the time this book was published on the website:

⭐Topics are presented clearly and logically. This text is very readable and offers a great balance between the (algebra based for the most part i.e. little/no calculus required) physics and history of cosmology. If your professor is using this text, consider yourself lucky. It really isn’t half bad – pretty interesting to tell you the truth. Anybody who remembers their HS algebra could pick this bad boy up and understand it perfectly. It really is clear and easy to follow.

⭐Is a very useful book about formation of the universe and its structures. It is amazing and easy to read and understand. Book describes all proces and epochs in the very early universe with easy physics equations.

⭐Everything you need to understand this subject and a great resource for those who already have a background

⭐I dearly love the subjects of astronomy and cosmology, and was very much looking forward to updating my knowledge in this area with this text book. In particular, there has been so much new knowledge gained in the last decade, that I really wanted to get up to date. Hence my disappointment to discover what a poorly written piece of work this book is. The explanations are unclear. Sentences ramble from one topic to another in the same paragraph, so much that you have no idea where the author is going. In areas where I already know what he is talking about, I marvel at how unclear he is in explaining fairly simple ideas. And in areas where I am new to what he is describing, I get hopelessly lost, having no idea what he’s trying to say. He’s very long-winded on astronomy-history, telling us for chapters about Aristotle, Ptolemy and Copernicus. I’m not interested in a history of cosmology, nor in the quirks of various astronomers’ personalities. I want to learn cosmology. And this book does a rambling, poorly organized, and unclear job of it.

⭐This book is a good mix of “easy” and “hard”. You don’t have to be an astrophysicist to understand the concepts, but it also doesn’t gloss over the technical details for those with more experience with math and physics. The authors did a good job of putting things in context, both conceptually and historically. This book has a lot to offer for readers of a wide range of expertise, from layperson to mathematician.

⭐This book is one of the recommended readings to do along with The Great Course: Cosmology: The History and Nature of Our Universe taught by Professor Mark Whittle. The one drawback is there is no way to check your answers, I wish there was a solutions book.

⭐Though purchased as a class text, I am glad that it was the “required” textbook. A more thorough, yet understandable, book on this subject probably does not exist. If you buy one book on cosmology, I would highly recommend this one. Clearly written, plenty of diagrams and explanatory graphics, this book is perfect for all levels.

⭐I choost this rating because I have enjoied the book very much.I like the way in which the book is writted and the content. The book is very explicative.I would recommend the reading to any person interested in foundations of modern cosmology.

⭐The one star is for the low price, the only redeeming feature. The hardback version of this book, which I also have, is wonderful in content, writing style, clarity, and quality of paper and printing and binding.The Kindle version, which I have read about a third of, has taken that wonderful content that the authors worked so hard over and transformed it into an ugly confusing mess. The main problems are:1. Headings now appear AFTER the relevant paragraphs – fabulously disorientating in a book dealing with complex, detailed concepts.2. All equations and diagram annotations are unreadably tiny in the text, and horribly bitmapped and blurred when you double-click to expand them.3. The highlights which I carefully added from my iPad Kindle reader were all gone when I viewed the book on my Macbook Kindle reader, and subsequently deleted from my iPad when I next viewed the book from there! Thanks Kindle!

⭐Great book though perhaps a little expensive at 61 UKP. Has through coverage and is not quite so mathematical as Peebles Principals of Modern Cosmology. Extensive description with minimum maths and starts from a low level of knowledge of Cosmology. Not a light read though.

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