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Tutorial Course

GCSE Astronomy — Cosmology

Led by Vera Rubin

1 modules ~5 hours of tutorial Physics & Astronomy Updated today

The closing module of Edexcel GCSE Astronomy. Led by Vera Rubin, whose galaxy rotation curves established that the matter visible as stars and gas accounts for only a small fraction of the gravitating mass of the universe. The student moves from redshift and Hubble's law through the evidence for the Big Bang, the CMB and its fluctuations, dark matter and dark energy, and the possible fates of the universe.

Cosmology16
  1. Module 16

    Cosmology

    Led by Vera Rubin

    The question

    Why are galaxies receding from us, what does Hubble's law say about the age and size of the universe, what are the three principal lines of evidence for the Big Bang, what do CMB fluctuations tell us about the structure and composition of the universe, what is dark matter and dark energy, and how will the universe end? The spec covers redshift, Hubble's law and the cosmological parameters derived from H₀, the discrimination between Big Bang and Steady State theories, the major Big Bang evidence (quasars, CMB, Hubble Deep Field), the WMAP and Planck CMB measurements, dark matter and dark energy, and the possible fates of the universe.

    Outcome

    the student can apply the redshift formula and Hubble's law, estimate the age and size of the universe, describe the principal evidence for the Big Bang, explain the significance of CMB fluctuations, describe dark matter and dark energy as inferred components, and outline the principal scenarios for the long-term fate of the universe. *(Edexcel 1AS0 Paper 2 — Topic 16, spec points 16.1–16.13)*

    Sub-units

    1. ○ 16.1 Redshift and the recession of galaxies
    2. ○ 16.2 Hubble's law: v = H₀d, age and size of the universe
    3. ○ 16.3 Big Bang vs Steady State; the discriminating evidence
    4. ○ 16.4 Quasars, CMB, and the Hubble Deep Field
    5. ○ 16.5 CMB fluctuations: WMAP and Planck
    6. ○ 16.6 Dark matter and dark energy
    7. ○ 16.7 The fate of the universe