Foundations of Astronomy (with InfoTrac and CD-ROM)

by Seeds, Michael A.

• ISBN13: 9780534392048
• ISBN10: 0534392040
• Edition: CD
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2002-05-22
• Publisher: Brooks Cole

Summary

This newly revised and updated seventh edition of FOUNDATIONS OF ASTRONOMY shows students their place in the universe ? not just their location, but also their role as planet dwellers in an evolving universe. Fascinating and engaging, the book illustrates how science works, and how scientists depend on evidence to test hypotheses. Students will learn to focus on the scientific method through the strong central theme of "how we know what we know." Through a discussion of this interplay between evidence and hypothesis, Seeds provides not just a series of facts, but also a conceptual framework for understanding the logic of astronomical knowledge. The book vividly conveys the author's love of astronomy, shows students how the universe can be described by a small set of physical laws, and illustrates how they can comprehend their place in the universe by understanding these laws, rather than simply memorizing facts. By crafting a story about astronomy, Seeds shows students how to ask questions of nature and therefore gradually puzzle out the beautiful secrets of the physical world. The book's use of mathematics is incorporated into the body of the text (as well as in separate sections for easy reference), but the arguments of the text do not depend on mathematical reasoning, allowing math-averse students to easily follow the story. The revision covers the history of astronomy, elementary physics concepts, stars and galaxies, the origins of the universe, and the solar system.

Table of Contents

Part I: EXPLORING THE SKY

1. The Scale of the Cosmos

2. The Sky

3. The Cycles of the Moon

4. The Origin of Modern Astronomy

5. Newton, Einstein, and Gravity

6. Light and Telescopes

Part II: THE STARS

7. Starlight and Atoms

8. The Sun-Our Star

9. The Family of Stars

10. The Interstellar Medium

11. The Formation of Stars

12. Stellar Evolution

13. The Deaths of Stars

14. Neutron Stars and Black Holes

Part III: THE UNIVERSE

15. The Milky Way Galaxy

16. Galaxies

17. Galaxies with Active Nuclei

18. Cosmology

Part IV: THE SOLAR SYSTEM

19. The Origin of the Solar System

20. Planet Earth

21. The Moon and Mercury: Airless Worlds

22. Venus and Mars

23. Jupiter and Saturn

24. Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto

25. Meteorites, Asteroids, and Comets

PART V: LIFE

26. Life on Other Worlds

Afterword

Appendix A: Units and Astronomical Data

Appendix B: Observing the Sky

Glossary

Answers to Even-Numbered Problems

Index