Cosmology for the Curious by Delia Perlov (PDF)

Description

This book is a gentle introduction for all those wishing to learn about modern views of the cosmos. Our universe originated in a great explosion – the big bang. For nearly a century cosmologists have studied the aftermath of this explosion: how the universe expanded and cooled down, and how galaxies were gradually assembled by gravity. The nature of the bang itself has come into focus only relatively recently. It is the subject of the theory of cosmic inflation, which was developed in the last few decades and has led to a radically new global view of the universe.Students and other interested readers will find here a non-technical but conceptually rigorous account of modern cosmological ideas – describing what we know, and how we know it. One of the book’s central themes is the scientific quest to find answers to the ultimate cosmic questions: Is the universe finite or infinite? Has it existed forever? If not, when and how did it come into being? Will it ever end?The book is based on the undergraduate course taught by Alex Vilenkin at Tufts University. It assumes no prior knowledge of physics or mathematics beyond elementary high school math. The necessary physics background is introduced as it is required. Each chapter includes a list of questions and exercises of varying degree of difficulty.

User’s Reviews

Editorial Reviews: Review “As astounding as the quality of the science is that the publishers have given us as much colour as needed and as many equations (mostly in the appendices for the calculus-minded) for the price of a good dinner (without wine). I paid for my copy (at a Springer-editor & author’s reduced price) and will use it if my department ever lets me teach one of those fun ‘Cosmology for Poets’ courses again.” (Virginia Trimble, The Observatory, Vol. 138 (1267), December, 2018)“It brings you up to the current state of the art of cosmology, it is educational and you even more appreciate the work of the genius scientists laying the foundations to solve the riddle of humankind … . a “must” have for the curious. The mathematical appendix and the index are flawless.” (Joachim J. Kehr, Journal of Space Operations & Communicator, Vol. 15 (1), 2018)“Cosmology for the Curious offers an excellent tour of the key ideas in cosmology. It also crisply delineates our empirically determined understanding from more speculative areas of current research. I am currently using it in my introductory cosmology class.” (Priyamvada Natarajan, Physics Today, April, 2018)“This is an introductory textbook, intended for first year physics students, with familiar textbook features like questions to answer at the end of each chapter. … The ideal market for this book is … a student about to start on a physics course at university who wants to make it more comfortable to ease into the course. Delia Perlov and Alex Vilenkin should be congratulated on making a big step towards accessibility in a book like this.” (Popular Science, popsciencebooks.blogspot.de, October, 2017) Review From the Back Cover This book is an introductory text for all those wishing to learn about modern views of the cosmos. Our universe originated in a great explosion – the big bang. For nearly a century cosmologists have studied the aftermath of this explosion: how the universe expanded and cooled down, and how galaxies were gradually assembled by gravity. The nature of the bang itself has come into focus only relatively recently. It is the subject of the theory of cosmic inflation, which was developed in the last few decades and has led to a radically new global view of the universe. Students and other interested readers will find here a non-technical but conceptually rigorous account of modern cosmological ideas – describing what we know, and how we know it. One of the book’s central themes is the scientific quest to find answers to the ultimate cosmic questions: Is the universe finite or infinite? Has it existed forever? If not, when and how did it come into being? Will it ever end? The book is based on the undergraduate course taught by Alex Vilenkin at Tufts University. It assumes no prior knowledge of physics or mathematics beyond elementary high school math. The necessary physics background is introduced as it is required. Each chapter includes a list of questions and exercises of varying degree of difficulty. About the Author DELIA PERLOV’s research interests are focused on the eternally inflating multiverse, and touch on various aspects of cosmology, string theory, quantum field theory and general relativity. She got her Ph.D. from Tufts University and then spent several years working as a postdoctoral fellow, also at Tufts, where she now lectures on a part-time basis.ALEX VILENKIN has been one of the key researchers at the forefront of theoretical cosmology and has made many significant contributions to the field. He is best known for his theories of eternal cosmic inflation, creation of the universe from nothing, and for his groundbreaking work on cosmic strings. He is the director of the Tufts Institute of Cosmology. Read more

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

⭐This book is divided into 2 parts. PART 1 gives a historical perspective of discoveries and evidence which led to the Big Bang Theory. Newtonian physics, Einstein’s Special and General Theories of Relativity, and Hubble’s discoveries of an expanding universe are topics included here as well as current cosmological thinking regarding developments after the Big Bang that relate to the geometry of space, density issues, dark matter and energy, element abundances, structure formation and cosmic eras are also described. PART 2 deals with more speculative issues related to Big Bang cosmology. The problems of why the universe is flat, why the Cosmic Microwave Background is so uniform, the origin of small density fluctuations in the CMB necessary for structural formation, and the monopole problem are dealt with. Part 2 also includes how the theory of Cosmic Inflation solves most of these problems and how to test the theory. The balance of Part 2 deals with some of the more speculative cosmological ideas involving quantum theory and multiple universes.I thought the book did a great job presenting a comprehensive description of current cosmological theories. Explanations were clear and concise. Important equations are scattered sparingly thru-out the book backing up the excellent explanations. An Appendix containing the Friedmann Equation, its solutions and application to the Radiation Dominated, Matter Dominated, and Vacuum Dominated eras is in the back of the book. The Appendix also contains more explicit equations describing Inflation and the Flatness Problem of our Universe.There is a nice blend of questions and problems at the end of each chapter. The reason I gave the book 4 instead of 5 stars was its lack of any answers to the end of chapter exercises. For a person such as myself doing a self-study of the book it was very frustrating not being able to know whether my answers, especially for numerical problems, were correct.Once last thing: I thought the book was different from many of the other cosmology textbooks I’ve worked thru in that, while not taking a stand for or against, it was not afraid to discuss some of cosmology’s implications regarding a theistic deity. The book explains quite clearly the extreme “fine tuning” of the constants of nature we observe needed to make life possible and mentions that the universe being created by a “benevolent creator” (p307) as a philosophical (religious) reason many believe why this is so. In the chapter titled “Did the Universe Have a Beginning” the authors explain why scientifically “… post-eternal inflation without a beginning is impossible and Past-Eternal cyclic models without a beginning are impossible also.(p330)” and that “It seems unlikely that science can disprove the existence of God.”So, in conclusion, this is a great book and would make a fine addition to anyone’s library who is interested in astrophysics and cosmology.

⭐This is an excellent book. Delia Perlov & Alex Vilenkin do a great job explaining what is an extremely complex subject matter is. They use numerous colored photos to help explain more detail. At the end of each chapter they included test questions. Appendix A comprises the mathematical detail of relativistic cosmology. This is a bit deep and requires previous knowledge mathematics. I first purchased this book on December 4, 2017. But the problem is the book’s spine started breaking and then the book started coming apart, see pictures. This all began after the return window had passed. Since this is a great book and I need not only need to finish but I may help me in my research. Therefore, I purchased it AGAIN on May 4th I do hope it doesn’t happen again. I gave 4-stars because the binding issue is not their fault yet they did not include any answers for the chapter questions?

⭐Great book and enjoyable read. I like the historical information, as well as the contemporary information. As well as a good solitary read, the book would also lend itself to a group read with discussion, or even as a classroom textbook. Really good tables and illustrations, and graphics, and I like that there are questions to ponder/figure out (if one is so inclined) at the end of each chapter. I must say that some of the math was beyond me, but that doesn’t deter from the accessibility of the book. The book is a great reference as well, and I find myself returning to it to review certain sections. As such, in addition to the index, the table of contents is extremely well organized and comprehensive, and makes a search easy.

⭐This is the right book for a reader who does not want to deal with tensors or differential equations, but is at home with algebra and elementary calculus, and likes numbers. The last 75 pages is the standard speculation about string theory and multiverses that physicists seem to love, even though there is no evidence for them. This is the scientists imagination at work.

⭐I am no astrophysicist but I do enjoy astronomy and am curious about the physics of the universe. This book includes information for the average non physicist as well as detailed formulas and other deep information for those who enjoy that part.

⭐Very interesting but too complex for the average reader to grasp. An answer key would have been most helpful! Beginners need to be spoon fed!

⭐Covers current cosmology topics without getting lost in math. You do have to keep your wits about you as you read it. I am rereading the sections on vacuum density and related topics to better understand them.

⭐A good overview of the subject. The harder math is in the appendices. I generally liked all the book.

⭐This covers one topic per chapter. Each chapter builds on the previous and includes just enough maths to make it understandable but keeps it simple enough. Initially I thought it was going to be a bit too simple for anybody with a reasonable understanding of astrophysics but then it gradually gets more and more complex covering multiverses and bubble universes. By the end I was very impressed with its clarity and comprehensive explanations. Great book.

⭐Tbis is a conceptual but not mathematical introduction to every aspect of modern cosmology. It is very densely and beautifully written. I got the hardback edition: for a print-on-demand book I have to say I was surprised by its quite good quality of binding.

⭐Ante todo, las 2 estrellas van referidas A LA EDICIÓN, NO AL CONTENIDO. El contenido de la obra es muy bueno, consigue coger conceptos bastante complejos de cosmología, seleccionarlos, relacionarlos y explicarlos. Obviamente, una comprensión completa de ellos necesita una carrera en Física, un máster y un doctorado en Astrofísica y mucho tiempo, así que tampoco se le puede exigir tanto a un solo libro. Por lo tanto, respecto al contenido, es un libro maravilloso.Lo que me lleva a las 2 estrellas es que la edición es EXTRAORDINARIAMENTE CUTRE, teniendo en cuenta que el libro suele valer en torno a 40€, y que lo publica un referente internacional en ciencia como Springer. Aunque el libro está en tapa dura, la encuadernación es deficiente, con chirridos y ruidos de pegarse y despegarse los tomillos (no sé cuánto durará). Aún peor, la calidad de la impresión no es profesional, parece hecha con una impresora casera de las antiguas, y el papel es normal, de papelería de barrio. Cuando sólo hay texto, la falta de calidad no se nota tanto, pero las fotos en color parecen archivos en bmp con 256 colores, como si estuviésemos en la época del Windows 3.1.En conclusión, una puñalada en la espalda de la editorial a los autores y los lectores.

⭐

⭐Excellent book for those who want a concise and comprehensive coverage as well the current status in the field of cosmology.Exposition by a brilliant scientist . A masterly coverage.For a long time i was in search of such a book.I highly recommend it to any one interested in knowing the cosmos.

⭐Presentación rigurosa de los distintos temas referentes al estado actual de la cosmología, pero a la vez de forma clara y accesible para el lector no experto.

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