Undergraduate

The relativistic Universe

On this page

• What you will study
• Entry
• If you have a disability or additional requirement
• Study materials
• Teaching and assessment
• Students also studied
• Future availability

If you are interested in using quantitative physical methods to understand relativistic and high-energy processes in the Universe, and already have a good background in Level 2 maths, physics and astronomy, then this is the course for you. This course comprises three parts that present, in turn, the theoretical basis for modern cosmology, described by Einstein’s special and general theories of relativity; cosmological observations of the local and distant Universe that are used to understand its structure and evolution; and high-energy phenomena in the Universe including interacting binary stars, active galactic nuclei and gamma-ray bursts.

Course facts

Register for the course

This course is available for study in the countries shown. Fees and financial support may vary by country.

What you will study

This course will give you a good understanding of relativistic astrophysics and cosmology, including both their theoretical underpinnings and their observational consequences. It is a mathematical course that builds on skills and concepts you will have developed by studying maths, physics and astronomy at a level equivalent to Open University (OU) Level 2 courses, such as Mathematical methods and models (MST209), The physical world (S207), and Astronomy (S282). The course makes full use of tools in the OU’s Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and internet-based resources are used throughout.

Part 1, Relativity, Gravitation and Cosmology, is based around a book which allows you to develop an understanding of special and general relativity and apply this knowledge to the structure and evolution of the Universe as a whole. You will learn how a metric is used to describe mathematically a space-time (including unrealistic two- and three-dimensional models, as well as possibly more realistic four-dimensional space-times). You will then develop an understanding of Einstein’s theory of general relativity as a metric theory of gravity, including the role of the Einstein field equations, some examples of specific solutions and the current status of a range of ‘tests’ of general relativity. Finally you will learn about the existence, nature and implications of cosmological solutions to the Einstein field equations subject to the assumption of large-scale homogeneity and isotropy (including the effect of a cosmological constant/uniform dark energy density).

Part 2, Observational Cosmology, is based around a book which allows you to learn about the various observational techniques and measurements that provide a picture of the structure and evolution of the Universe on the largest scales. You will acquire knowledge and understanding of statistical cosmological techniques as well as current relativistic cosmological models and the observational evidence for them. You will learn about the bulk properties of local and distant galaxies and the physical inferences that can be made from them.

 Part 3, Extreme Environment Astrophysics, is based around a book which focuses on the role of accretion in the presence of strong gravitational fields and the physics of relativistic objects, including white dwarfs, neutron stars and black holes. You will learn the physics of the main high-energy phenomena arising in compact and accreting systems as well as the main physical processes occurring in, and parameters of, accreting systems at small and large scales. You will study the astrophysics of interacting binary stars, active galaxies, accretion discs, their outbursts and outflows, and gamma-ray bursts, and will also discover the methods used in the measurement and characterisation of accretion flow properties. Your study of this part will allow you to develop basic concepts of hydrodynamics, thermodynamics and plasma physics.

Entry

This is a Level 3 course that builds on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from previous studies at Levels 1 and 2. It is intended for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject at this level.

The course is designed to follow Astronomy (S282), The physical world (S207) and Mathematical methods and models (MST209). The parts of MST209 relating to ordinary and partial differential equations and matrices, the parts of S282 relating to galaxies and cosmology, and the parts of S207 relating to special relativity are especially important.

It is essential that you establish whether or not your background and experience give you a sound basis on which to tackle the course, since students who are appropriately prepared have the best chance of completing their studies successfully. The Science Faculty has produced a booklet Are You Ready For S382/S383? to help you to decide whether you already have the recommended background knowledge or experience to start the course or whether you need some extra preparation. This can be viewed or printed from the Are you ready for science? website. If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.

Outside the UK

This course is suitable for study outside the UK.

Preparatory work

As a result of taking the Are you ready for ...? test, you may find that you need to study a further course or courses before embarking on S383. If this is not possible, you may choose to spend time studying relevant background material. For this purpose we have produced a ‘Book 0’ for S383 (and the related course S382) entitled An introduction to astrophysics and cosmology, which you may download as a PDF from the Physical Science subject website. This document covers the recommended background knowledge and skills that we expect students to possess before embarking on S383. If you need to study all the maths, physics and astronomy background contained within this Book 0, we estimate it will require about 40–60 hours of study. It is not a replacement for taking the appropriate Level 2 courses, but it will serve to fill the gaps in your knowledge in many cases.

If you have a disability or additional requirement

Written transcripts of any audio components and Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF) versions of printed material are available. Some Adobe PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader (mathematical materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way). Other alternative formats of the study materials may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.

If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our publication Meeting your needs.

You can also find information about accessible study materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.

Study materials

What's included

Course books, other printed materials, DVD-ROM, website.

You will need

Basic scientific calculator.

Computing requirements

This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave. Some of your course software will be provided on disk.

You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new Windows computer since 2005 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual. Please note that you cannot use an Apple Mac or Linux computer unless it is running Windows using Boot Camp or similar dual-boot system.

Teaching and assessment

Support from your tutor

You will have a tutor who will help you with the study material and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. There will be a number of online tutorials that you can join and access via your computer. You are encouraged, but not obliged, to participate in these. You will also be able to participate in discussions through online forums.

Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.

Assessment

The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.

You will be expected to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) online through the eTMA system unless there are some difficulties which prevent you from doing so. In these circumstances, you must negotiate with your tutor to get their agreement to submit your assignment on paper.

You will, however, be granted the option of submitting on paper if typesetting electronically or merging scanned images of your answers to produce an electronic TMA would take you an unacceptably long time.

There will be a mixture of online interactive computer-marked assignments (iCMAs) and short tutor-marked assignments (TMAs), with a total workload equivalent of three full TMAs.

Both the iCMAs and TMAs will focus strongly on learning through practice rather than on assessment. The feedback you receive on your answers will help you to improve your knowledge and understanding of the study material and to develop important skills associated with the course. The feedback on the iCMAs will be instantaneous and hints will be given so that you can refine any incorrect answers. Although your scores on all these assignments will not contribute directly to your course grade, they form an essential part of the learning process and you will be required to submit a proportion of them to complete the course.

Your overall course grade will be based on two examinable components. The first comprises an extended written assignment for Part 2 of the module which you submit at the end of this study period. The other is an end-of-module written examination based on Parts 1 and 3.

Students also studied

Students who studied this course also studied at some time:

• The quantum world (SM358)
• Mathematical methods and models (MST209)
• The physical world (S207)
• Electromagnetism (SMT359)
• Astrophysics (S382)

Future availability

The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2013. We expect it to be available again in October 2013. We then expect it to be available once a year, in October.

Fees 2012

See fees and funding options for study from September 2012.

Study explained

Financial support

- find out if you qualify for support with your fees with our eligibility checker.

Study explained

- all you need to know about distance learning with the OU.

Your questions

We may have already answered it in our frequently asked questions.

Or contact an adviser in our Student Registration & Enquiry Service Email or call +44(0) 845 300 60 90+44(0) 845 366 60 35

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