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Cosmology

The Study of the Universe as a Whole

The study of cosmology addresses questions such as:

  • What is the size of the universe?
  • How did the universe begin?
  • What happened before the Big Bang?
  • How is the universe evolving with time?
  • What is the nature of dark matter and dark energy?

In the sessions on cosmology, we will address these questions and more.

Students will have the opportunity to learn about and discuss how the expansion of the universe arises from Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, as well as the Friedmann equation, a simple equation that describes the expansion of the universe in terms of its energy density. We will explore the Hubble constant which quantifies the expansion rate of the universe as a function of time and explain how it is measured.

We’ll also look at the current leading theory in cosmology that takes into account the effect of dark matter and the very mysterious dark energy. The theory of inflation will also be explored, which aims to explain what might have happened before the Big Bang and the reason why the Big Bang might have occurred. Finally, we will discuss the current excitement in cosmology having to do with the fact that two different methods of measuring the Hubble constant are giving different and inconsistent answers.