Science : Astronomy

Scientific Cosmology is clearly one of the most active physics research fields at present, and likely to remain so in the near future. Shortly after the pioneering cosmological work of Einstein, Georges Lemaitre proposed a model which some years later to be known as the big-bang model. In the early fifties an alternative proposal, the so called steady-state (expansion at constant density) model, became the fashionable model in prominent academic circles. The discovery of the cosmic background microwave radiation (Penzias & Wilson, 1965) made the steady-state model almost untenable. A quarter of a century later the inflationary model was proposed, becoming extraordinarily popular almost immediately. For some it seemed to combine attractive features of both the steady-state and the big-bang models, by postulating a very early violent (constant density) expansion during a very tiny fraction of a second. The book makes use of the best and most recent observational data, from the Cosmic Background Explorer (COBE, 1992) to the Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP, 2003), to discuss the merits and demerits of inflationary cosmology for a general readership acquainted with the basic facts of scientific cosmology. A complete Glossary and a detailed Index help the reader to follow controversial topics, such as dark matter, dark energy, cosmic flatness and accelerated expansion. more...

Price: $65.00

A comprehensive survey of scientific information retrieval. This text addresses enabling technologies, so called "wide area network resource discovery tools", and the state of the art in astronomy and other sciences. It should be of interest to astronomers, and scientists in related disciplines. more...

Price: $153.00

A concise introduction to the mathematical aspects of the origin, structure and evolution of the universe. It introduces cosmology and general relativity, and discusses topics such as the Robertson-Walker metric, Friedmann models, singularities, the early universe, inflation and quantum cosmology. Suitable as a textbook for graduate students and advanced undergraduates. more...

Price: $40.00

The theory of relativity is tackled directly in this book, dispensing with the need to establish the insufficiency of Newtonian mechanics. This book takes advantage from the start of the geometrical nature of the relativity theory. The reader is assumed to be familiar with vector calculus in ordinary three-dimensional Euclidean space. Contents: Principles. Basic Applications: Clocks and Acceleration; Vector Algebra; Vector Characteristics; Simultaneity and Space Distance; Linear Independence; Relative Velocity and Four-Velocity; Two-Dimensional Spacetime; Plane Waves; Particle Reactions; Curved World Lines; Tensors: Definition and Examples; Algebraic Properties; Tensor Fields; Spacetime Volumes; Currents; Electrodynamics: Sourcefree Electromagnetism; Electro-Magnetism with Sources; Solution of the Wave Equation. Readership: Undergraduates and graduates in astronomy and astrophysics. more...

Price: $41.60

Introduction to international guidelines for calculating and expressing uncertainty (the GUM) for students and professionals in science and engineering. Emphasising the role of uncertainty in scientific and 'everyday' contexts, worked examples, case studies and exercises are spread throughout the text. Online resources support the book at www.cambridge.org/9780521605793. more...

Price: $31.00