Physical Science: Einstein's Universe

Catalog description

Einstein is best known for his Special Theory of Relativity - the idea that space and time are different for different observers, but the consequences of his work are much broader. The implications of this theory led to the ideas that provide the power source for the visible universe. His General Theory of Relativity revamped our understanding of space and time further. By giving us new insights into gravity, it led us to ideas of black holes and forced us to accept dark matter and dark energy as pervasive in the universe. The ideas of light - thought to be complete at the end of the nineteenth century - were turned on their head by his alternative take. In this course we will highlight these key concepts that he developed, and will study their implications in the 100 years since then, including our modern ideas of stars, their life and how they are powered. We will study the evidence for mystery "dark matter" in the universe and consider what it might be. We will discuss the expansion of the universe and what it tells us about the future of the universe and why it is such a puzzle. We will push back to the big bang and dip our toes into the multiverse, to see why physicists are increasingly considering it as a possible explanation for what we see around us.