About this course: We have learned a lot recently about how the Universe evolved in 13.7 billion years since the Big Bang. More than 80% of matter in the Universe is mysterious Dark Matter, which made stars and galaxies to form. The newly discovered Higgs-boson became frozen into the Universe a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang and brought order to the Universe. Yet we still do not know how ordinary matter (atoms) survived against total annihilation by Anti-Matter. The expansion of the Universe started acceleration about 7 billion years ago and the Universe is being ripped apart. The culprit is Dark Energy, a mysterious energy multiplying in vacuum. I will present evidence behind these startling discoveries and discuss what we may learn in the near future. This course is offered in English.
Who is this class for: Completion of this course requires introductory physics knowledge (qualitative understanding of concepts such as force, energy, etc.) and some basic math (basic algebra and geometry). To audit the course, no prior knowledge is required.
Created by: The University of Tokyo
Taught by: Hitoshi Murayama, Director, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU), Todai Institutes for Advanced Study (TODIAS)
MacAdams Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley
| Level | Beginner |
| Commitment | 2-4 hours/week |
| Language | English, Subtitles: Russian |
| How To Pass | Pass all graded assignments to complete the course. |
| User Ratings |
Syllabus
WEEK 1
From Daily Life to the Big Bang
Understanding the Universe in which we live and how to probe it can begin with simple daily life experiences such as night and day and the four seasons. Starting from these observations, we will take a journey from our local Earth at the present time all the way to the edge of the universe and back to its birth, learning the techniques and findings in modern physics that provide us this understanding.
12 videos, 3 readings, 10 practice quizzes
- Video: Course Preview
- Video: Introduction
- Reading: Course Description
- Reading: Syllabus
- Video: 1-1 Night and Day, and Four Seasons
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-1
- Video: 1-2 Revolution of the Earth
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-2
- Video: 1-3 Why Elliptic?
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-3
- Video: 1-4 Why Does Everything Fall the Same Way?
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-4
- Video: 1-5 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past I
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-5
- Video: 1-6 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past II
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-6
- Video: 1-7 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past III
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-7
- Video: 1-8 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past IV
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-8
- Video: 1-9 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past V
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-9
- Video: 1-10 Cosmic Expansion
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 1-10
- Reading: About Optional Challenge Problems
Graded: Graded Quiz 1-1
Graded: Graded Quiz 1-2
Graded: Graded Quiz 1-3
Graded: Optional Challenge Problem 1
WEEK 2
Birth of Elements and Higgs Boson
We are made of chemical elements. So one of the fundamental questions “where do we come from?” leads to another question: “how were elements born?”. This is related to the Higgs Boson, an important particle in answering this question which remained elusive until its discovery was recently announced on July 4, 2012. In this module, we will learn recent research outcomes on these topics.
9 videos, 9 practice quizzes
- Video: 2-1 Birth of Elements I
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-1
- Video: 2-2 Birth of Elements II
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-2
- Video: 2-3 Birth of Elements III
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-3
- Video: 2-4 Birth of Elements IV
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-4
- Video: 2-5 Birth of Elements V
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-5
- Video: 2-6 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe I
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-6
- Video: 2-7 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe II
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-7
- Video: 2-8 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe III
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-8
- Video: 2-9 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe IV
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 2-9
Graded: Graded Quiz 2-1
Graded: Graded Quiz 2-2
WEEK 3
Dark Matter and Anti-Matter
In this module, we will learn about dark matter and anti-matter -- some of the more mysterious sides of the Universe. We know dark matter played an important role in the formation of stars and galaxies, but much of properties are still unknown to us. In another strange mystery, we will see how the beginning of the universe started with equal amounts of matter and anti-matter, yet somehow only matter (which we are composed of!) survived.
8 videos, 1 reading, 8 practice quizzes
- Video: 3-1 Power Spectrum
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-1
- Video: 3-2 Dark Matter I
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-2
- Video: 3-3 Dark Matter II
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-3
- Video: 3-4 Nature of Dark Matter I
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-4
- Video: 3-5 Nature of Dark Matter II
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-5
- Video: 3-6 Neutrinos and Anti-Matter I
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-6
- Video: 3-7 Neutrinos and Anti-Matter II
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-7
- Video: 3-8 Neutrinos and Anti-Matter III
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 3-8
- Reading: About Optional Challenge Problems
Graded: Graded Quiz 3-1
Graded: Graded Quiz 3-2
Graded: Optional Challenge Problem 2
WEEK 4
Inflation and Dark Energy
At the very beginning, the Universe exponentially expanded during a period known as the cosmic inflation. Recent studies suggested that the Universe has entered into another stage of expansion, considered to be caused by 'mysterious' dark energy. In this module, we will learn about inflation, dark energy, and the possible fates of our Universe.
8 videos, 7 practice quizzes
- Video: 4-1 Inflation and Uncertainty Principle I (Inflation)
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 4-1
- Video: 4-2 Inflation and Uncertainty Principle II (Uncertainty Principle I )
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 4-2
- Video: 4-3 Inflation and Uncertainty Principle III (Uncertainty Principle II )
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 4-3
- Video: 4-4 Fate of the Universe
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 4-4
- Video: 4-5 Dark Energy
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 4-5
- Video: 4-6 Big Rip
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 4-6
- Video: 4-7 Future Observations
- Practice Quiz: Practice Quiz 4-7
- Video: 4-8 Wrap-up
Graded: Graded Quiz 4-1
Graded: Graded Quiz 4-2
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The University of Tokyo
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Ratings and Reviews
An excellent document to understand the Universe! I got to learn a lot, lot of things that I never thought, I would otherwise know at this stage!! A recommended course to anyone who loves to know more about the Universe!
very clear introduction, many new ideas.
Very well presented.
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EK
Very Nice!