869

Perlov, Delia,author

xiv, 372 pages illustrations (some color), portraits, charts 25 cm

Includes index , Part 1. The big bang and the observable universe -- A historical overview -- Newton's universe -- Special relativity -- The fabric of space and time -- An expanding universe -- Observational cosmology -- Hubble's law and the expanding universe -- The fate of the universe -- Dark matter and dark energy -- The quantum world -- The hot big bang -- Structure formation -- Element abundances -- The very early universe -- Part 2. Beyond the big bang -- Problems with the big bang -- The theory of cosmic inflation -- Testing inflation: predictions and observations -- Eternal inflation -- String theory and the multiverse -- Anthropic selection -- The principle of mediocrity -- Did the universe have a beginning? -- Creation of universes from nothing -- The big picture

Vilenkin, A