FINAL REVIEW
The final exam will cover Chapters 23 through 28 in the online text
as shown in the
course syllabus. The final is not cumulative,
so you do not need to review the first half of the course, except to the
extent that you may need to use some of that information in the later chapters.
The unproctored quizzes will give a good representation of the type of questions to
expect on the exam. So do the self-quizzes at the ends of each chapter, from which the
quiz questions were taken. Expect to see many of the same questions, perhaps phrased
differently. The exam will have a combination of multiple choice and matching questions.
Since there are no lectures, the test will necessarily follow the material in the
online text. The best guide for what to remember is the statement of chapter objectives
and keywords at the beginning of each chapter. This informaion is presented below, in a
slightly edited form, so you will have it in one place to facilitate review.
Material presented only in the laboratories
will not appear on the exams.
Normally, the questions will avoid asking about things which are just trivia, and will
try to emphasize concepts which are important to understand how the universe works. It
is important to understand the reasons the universe works the way it does, which means
some knowledge of the physics behind the astronomy is important, in addition to the
astronomical observations themselves, and the models they have led to. Understanding the material at an extremely technical level is not necessary, since
the exam questions will not be testing technical minutiae, but you should understand the relationships between all of the concepts presented, and
their significance.
Some numerical questions may be expected, but these will be limited, and any equations
needed will appear on the exam. You will just need to know how to use them.
A calculator will be permitted on the exam, but not notes.
Chapter 23: The Milky Way
Objectives:
- Sketch the Milky Way galaxy in an edge-on and overhead view and indicate our Sun's postition.
- Be able to describe the main parts of the Milky Way
- Discuss how our perceptions concerning our galaxy (and our place in it) have changed through the centuries.
- Give the evidence that indicates there is a dark matter halo surrounding our galaxy.
- List the evidence that suggests our galaxy is a spiral type galaxy.
- Describe the density wave explanation for spiral arms.
- Show how self sustaining star formation could also lead to a spiral arm pattern.
- Discuss the components of the interstellar medium within the Milky Way,
and how they are observed.
Keywords:
Milky Way,
Milky Way galaxy,
Cepheid variables,
spiral galaxy,
kiloparsec,
megaparsec,
galactic coordinate system,
galactic longitude,
galactic latitude,
galactic poles,
neutral hydrogen,
21 cm line,
spin-flip transition,
galactic nucleus,
central bulge,
galactic halo,
galactic disk,
spiral arms,
galactic magnetic field,
dark matter,
Population II,
Population I,
metal poor,
metal rich,
interstellar medium,
Sagittarius A (black hole at center of galaxy),
spiral tracers,
density waves,
self-sustaining star formation,
differential rotation,
grand design spirals,
rotation curve,
emission nebulae,
reflection nebulae,
carbon monoxide,
HI and HII regions,
interstellar dust grains,
dark (absorption) nebulae,
interstellar extinction,
interstellar reddening,
forbidden transitions,
metastable state
Chapter 24: Galaxies
Objectives:
- Describe the basic physical characteristics of spiral, elliptical, and irregular galaxies.
- Discuss the evidence for and the effects of interactions between galaxies.
- Distinguish between groups, clusters, and superclusters of galaxies.
- Describe how galactic clusters evolve over time.
- Describe the Local Group that our Milky Way galaxy belongs to.
- Give the evidences for the existence of Dark Matter and the suggested forms this matter may take. What are the main categories?
- Describe the three dimensional large scale structure of the Universe and the methods by which such pictures of the Universe are constructed.
- Summarize the various distance scales used in the study of the Universe as a whole and the Cosmic Distance Ladder used to measure them.
- Outline the history of the discovery that our Universe is expanding and the importance of Hubble's Law in present day astronomy.
Keywords:
Hubble Classification,
tuning fork diagram,
elliptical galaxies,
spiral galaxies,
barred spirals,
irregular galaxies,
giant elliptical,
dwarf elliptical,
peculiar galaxies,
galactic cannibalism,
clusters of galaxies,
superclusters,
groups of galaxies,
The Local Group,
Andromeda Galaxy,
Large Magellanic Cloud,
Small Magellanic Cloud,
Sagittarius Dwarf,
rich clusters,
poor clusters,
Virgo cluster,
Coma cluster,
dark matter,
X-ray gas,
baryonic matter,
nonbaryonic matter,
supersymmetric particles,
hot dark matter,
cold dark matter,
relativistic matter,
nonrelativistic matter,
The Local Supercluster,
Hubble flow,
peculiar velocity,
The Great Attractor,
standard candle,
Tulley-Fisher Relation,
type Ia supernova,
Olber's Paradox,
Cepheid variables,
galactic red shift,
red shift parameter,
Hubble Law ,
Hubble constant,
Hubble time,
look-back times,
voids,
Great Wall,
Southern Wall,
colliding galaxies,
starburst galaxies,
Cartwheel Galaxy
Chapter 25: Active Galaxies and Quasars
Objectives:
- Give the history of the discovery of quasars and the reason for the name "quasar".
- List the characteristics of quasars and quasistellar objects.
- Discuss the "energy problem" associated with quasars.
- Describe Seyfert galaxies and BL Lac objects and their similarities to quasars.
- Outline the method used to estimate distances to quasars and discuss the inherent uncertainties in these distances and resulting look back times.
- Show how synchrotron radiation may be produced in an active galaxy.
- Present the evidence that makes a rotating supermassive black hole the best explanation for the energy source of quasars and active galaxies.
Keywords:
quasars
(quasistellar objects, QSOs),
cosmological redshift,
host galaxy,
3C 273,
active galaxies,
Active Galactic Nuclei (AGNs),
radio galaxies,
core-halo radio galaxies,
lobed radio galaxies,
BL-Lacertae objects (blazers),
Seyfert galaxies,
optically violent variables (OVVs),
nonthermal emission,
synchrotron radiation,
relativistic synchrotron jets,
polarized light,
optical jets,
radio jets,
supermassive black hole,
Virial Theorem,
ionization cone,
water masers,
superluminal motion
Chapter 26: Cosmology
Objectives:
- State the definition of cosmology and the "big questions" it asks.
- Give the basic tenets of modern cosmology.
- Use a two dimensional analogy to show how we can say our expanding Universe has no center.
- Describe the different types of geometry possible for our Universe and their relationship to mass.
- State the Cosmological Principle and its implications.
- Discuss the possible fates of the Universe and the related geometries.
- Describe what is known concerning gamma ray bursts and the suggested causes for these energy bursts.
Keywords:
cosmology,
expanding universe,
big bang,
hot big bang,
balloon analogy,
comoving coordinates,
cosmological principle,
Friedmann cosmologies,
Einstein field equations,
cosmological constant,
vacuum energy density,
cosmic inflation,
the big crunch,
open universe,
closed universe,
gravitational lensing,
Einstein Cross,
gamma ray bursts,
BATSE,
hypernova
Chapter 27: The Early Universe
Objectives:
- Distinguish between the "observable Universe" that we can now see and the entire Universe.
- Explain why the early Universe was radiation dominated and how it became a matter dominated Universe.
- List the "cast of characters" that were the participants in the Universe one millionth of a second after the Big Bang.
- Outline the events of the first three minutes of the Universe's history.
- Show how the Steady State was ruled out by observations concerning the Universe.
- Describe the observed properties of the cosmic background radiation.
- Explain how the cosmic background radiation is a natural consequence of the Big Bang and thus is the strongest piece of evidence in support of the Big Bang model.
- Show how the idea of Cosmic Inflation can eliminate the problems associated with the hot Big Bang theory.
- Distinguish between "Top Down" and "Bottom Up" theories of the formation of the large scale structure of the Universe.
- Briefly discuss the Planck scale and the need for a quantum view of gravity to understand the earliest era in our Universe's history.
Keywords:
big bang,
radiation dominated universe,
matter dominated universe,
photon,
proton,
neutron,
electron,
positron (antielectron),
neutrino,
antineutrino,
antimatter,
quarks,
gluons,
thermal equilibrium,
decoupled,
freezout,
quark confinement,
confinement transition,
deuterium bottleneck,
baryon,
recombination transition,
steady state model,
perfect cosmological principle,
cosmic background radiation (CBR),
blackbody curve,
isotropy,
anisotropy,
horizon problem,
dipole anisotropy,
inflationary universe,
flatness problem,
magnetic monopole problem,
Grand Unified Theories (GUTs),
elementary particle physics,
lightcone,
particle horizon,
event horizon,
strong interaction,
electromagnetic force,
weak force,
gravitational force,
Superunified Theories,
Standard Model,
Standard ElectroWeak Theory,
spontaneous symmetry breaking,
Planck scale,
inflationary epoch,
phase transition,
vacuum energy,
cosmological constant,
top-down theories,
bottom-up theories,
Planck era,
quantum gravitation,
superstring theory,
spacetime foam
Chapter 28: Life in the Universe
Objectives:
- Identify the basic characteristics of life as we know it.
- Describe briefly the structure of the DNA molecule.
- Outline the history of life on Earth.
- Discuss the habitable zones (ecospheres) around different types of stars.
- Describe different methods that have been used to attempt communication with extraterrestrial civilizations.
- What is the SETI Project?
- Explain why the "water hole" is regarded as the most logical region of the radio spectrum to search for signals from other civilizations.
Keywords:
life,
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA),
cell,
adenine (A),
cytosine (C),
guanine (G),
thymine (T),
genes,
chromosomes,
gene mutation,
ribonucleic acid (RNA),
evolution,
natural selection,
carbon-based chemistry,
habitable zone (ecosphere),
Drake equation,
UFOs,
water hole,
SETI,
Project Phoenix
Equation Review
Some of the numerical relations introduced in the first half of the course
are still useful in the second half. You can find these at the end of the
Midterm Review
Hubble's Law describes the ratio of the recession velocity of galaxies to
their distance. If v is the recession velocity and d is the
distance, then
v = H d .
with Hubble Constant H = 72 km/sec/Mpc at the present time.
For low velocities (nonrelativistic), the redshift parameter is
z = (wavelength shift)/wavelength = v / c
where v is the velocity and c is the speed of light. For
relativistic velocities, the right-hand side must be modified, and
the redshift z
actually approaches infinity when v approaches the speed of light.
The relativistic expression for the doppler shift in the wavelength is
z = [(1 + v/c)/(1 - v/c)]1/2 - 1