Introduction & Background Material

• What is science? What sets it apart from, say, pseudo-science?
• Define three units of length used in astronomy.
• How do we use scientific notation?
• What is our cosmic address?
• Where does our modern culture fall on the Cosmic Calendar?

Cosmology & The Big Bang

• What is cosmology?
• What was the `Steady State’ model?
• What is a spectrum? What is Doppler Shift? What do they tell us?
• Describe how Hubble deduced that distant galaxies are receding.
• What is Hubble’s Law?  How did it lead us to believe the universe is expanding?
• Describe Olber’s Paradox and its solution.
• How old is the Universe? How do we know?
• How many fundamental forces exist today? What are they?
• Why do we believe all of the forces were once unified?
• What is the Big Bang Theory? What evidence do we have for it?
• Why is science limited about what it can tell us of the moment of the Big Bang itself?
• What is inflation? What do we think caused it? What problems does it solve?
• What is the Cosmic Microwave Background? What does it represent?
• Did stars and galaxies form during the Big Bang itself? Explain.
• What are the possible fates of the Universe? Which is most likely to occur?
• What are Dark Matter and Dark Energy? What evidence do we have for each?

Our Strange Universe

• Why are Einstein’s theories named “Relativity”?
• What assumptions does Special Relativity make?
• What effects does Special Relativity predict for fast moving objects?
• What does Special Relativity tell us about the speed of light?
• How are Special and General Relativity different from each other?
• Describe 3 tests that Relativity has been subject to.
• What is a star? What happens in the cores of all stars?
• What determines the eventual fate of a star? What will happen to our Sun?
• How do black holes form? What evidence do we have they exist?
• What are `wormholes’?
• In what realm is Quantum Theory valid?
• What was the Photoelectric Effect? What fact(s) did it illustrate?
• What is a `wave-particle duality’?
• What is a `probability wave function’?
• What does the Double Slit Experiment imply about the nature of reality?
• Describe the meaning of the Uncertainty Principle.
• What is the `Standard Model’? How do we test its predictions?
• What is String Theory? Why is it not fully accepted?

Extraterrestrial Life

• Describe Fermi’s Paradox.
• Why do we believe life began quickly on the Earth?
• List the `necessities’ of life (as we know it).
• What are some likely locations to search for life in our own solar system? Why?
• What is the `habitable zone’ of a star?
• Where do we search for other life? Why?
• Why are planets difficult to detect directly?
• Describe the three methods most commonly used to find extrasolar planets.
• What sort of extrasolar planets do we tend to find? Why?
• What does the Drake Equation tell us? What are its limitations?
• What is SETI?
• What is the most likely `language’ to communicate with alien life? Why?
• What challenges exist with regard to interstellar space travel?