2009 Course Handbook
PHYS378: General Relativity and Cosmology
This unit presents Einstein's theory of general relativity and an overview of modern cosmology. The unit begins with a review of special relativity, gravity and the equivalence principle. Curved spaces, metrics, tensor analysis and spacetime curvature are introduced. Einstein's field equations are developed and applied to classical tests of relativity, the Schwarzschild metric, black holes, and gravitational radiation. The cosmology section of the unit presents the Robertson-Walker metric, cosmological models, cosmological observations and the current understanding of the history of the Universe.
| Credit Points: | 3 |
| Contact Hours: | 4 |
| When Offered: | D2 - Day; Offered in the second half-year |
| Staff Contact: | Physics staff |
| Prerequisites: | PHYS202(P) and MATH235(P) |
| Corequisites: | |
| NCCWs: | |
| Unit Designations: | Science |
| Assessed As: | Graded |
| Offered By: |
Department of Physics and Engineering |
Timetable Information
For unit timetable information please visit the Timetables@Macquarie Website.