The Big Bang

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The Big Bang provided by OpenLearn is a comprehensive online course, which lasts for 20 hours worth of material. Upon completion of the course, you can receive an e-certificate from OpenLearn. The course is taught in Englishand is Free Certificate. Visit the course page at OpenLearn for detailed price information.

Overview
  • This is the way the world ends / Not with a bang but a whimper.' (T.S. Eliot) But how about the way the world begins? Was this the biggest bang of all? This free course The Big Bang will introduce ...

Syllabus
    • Introduction
    • Learning outcomes
    • 1 Introducing cosmology
    • 1 Introducing cosmology
    • 2 Radiation from the galaxies
    • 2 Radiation from the galaxies
    • 3 Distances of galaxies
    • 3 Distances of galaxies
    • 3.1 First steps towards a distance scale
    • 3.2 Some general properties of galaxies
    • 3.3 Extending the distance scale
    • 4 The variation of redshift with distance
    • 4 The variation of redshift with distance
    • 4.1 Hubble's discoveries
    • 4.2 Evidence for a big bang
    • 5 The microwave background radiation
    • 5 The microwave background radiation
    • 5.1 A second major discovery
    • 5.2 The origin of the 3 K radiation
    • 5.3 The redshift of the 3 K radiation
    • 6 The angular distribution of the 3 K radiation
    • 6 The angular distribution of the 3 K radiation
    • 6.1 Basic isotropy
    • 6.2 The effect of the motion of the Earth
    • 6.2.1 The need for a reference frame for describing the Universe
    • 6.2.2 The Earth's motion relative to the 3 K radiation
    • 6.2.3 Measurement of the angular distribution of the 3 K radiation
    • 6.2.4 The speed and direction of the Earth's motion
    • 6.3 Anisotropies in the Universe itself
    • 7 The primordial nuclear abundances
    • 7 The primordial nuclear abundances
    • 7.1 Introduction
    • 7.2 The temperature of matter and radiation
    • 7.3 The formation of light nuclei
    • 7.4 Nuclear abundances as evidence for the big bang
    • 8 Conclusion
    • 8 Conclusion
    • Summary
    • Acknowledgements