Undergraduate Course: Introductory Astrophysics (PHYS08050)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This is an applied physics course focusing on the practical application of physics to understand a range of different astronomy observations, studying the stars, galaxies and cosmology. This is a hybrid course, with content delivered virtually through a textbook that we wrote for you and a series of short videos with embedded quiz questions. There are no traditional in-person lectures. Instead we offer a weekly 1hr in-person peer learning session and 3x2hr problem solving workshops, spread throughout the semester. |
| Course description |
1. Stars (Weeks 1-5)
- Light and Gravity
- Spectra, Blackbody radiation, Newton's Laws
- Birth to Death
- HR diagram, Main Sequence Stellar Structure, Stellar Evolution, Star Death
2. Galaxies (Weeks 6-8)
- Milky Way and beyond
- Galactic structure, galaxy morphology/formation, AGN and Black Holes
3. Cosmology (Weeks 9-10)
- Big Bang and Inflation, CMB, Nucleosynthesis, Dark Matter and Dark Energy
4. Revision
- Mock exam and feedback
|
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | It is recommended that students have Higher or A-Level maths, or equivalent. |
| Additional Costs | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | It is recommended that students have Higher or A-Level maths, or equivalent. |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)
|
Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 16,
Online Activities 12,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 2,
Summative Assessment Hours 2,
Revision Session Hours 2,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
162 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
67 %,
Coursework
33 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
2/3 Examination
1/3 Coursework: Workshop Problems, Online Quizzes and Peer-Learning |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Minutes |
|
| Main Exam Diet S2 (April/May) | | 00 | | | Resit Exam Diet (August) | | 00 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Understand the key physical concepts underlying the properties of stars, galaxies, and the universe at large
- Think critically about astrophysical problems
- Understand how to frame astrophysical problems in mathematical terms
- Understand the key observed properties of stars, galaxies, and the universe at large
- Apply mathematical and physics techniques to solve astrophysical problems
|
Reading List
| We provide a textbook that we have written for you, containing all the information that we want you to understand by the end of the course. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Additional Class Delivery Information |
This is a Hybrid course. Each week there are roughly 6x12minute videos to watch and an assessed online multi-choice quiz. Students will join the weekly in-person peer-learning session (1hr), and will attend 3x2hr teaching studio problem solving workshops spread throughout the semester. |
| Keywords | InAst |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Catherine Heymans
Tel: 0131 668 8301
Email: heymans@roe.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Alex Delaney
Tel:
Email: adelane3@ed.ac.uk |
|
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