Astronomy, loads of queries, PLEASE HELP

I am not an Astrophysics student, I am a Maths + Theoretical Physics applicant, however I was going to apply to Astrophysics initially so I can sort of solve some of your doubts.

1. They are alright. Having FM would be ideal but there is no problem in you not having it, no unis specify FM as a requirement for Astrophysics.

2. Have a read at stuff like general relativity, black holes, dark matter/dark energy, and some stuff about stellar evolution, exoplanets, etc...

3. You are fine with A-Level maths, but the maths will get much more complicated gradually as you do your degree. The pace at which this happens should be ok, don't worry.

Don't really know what book to recommend you. Have a look on the Internet for good laymen Astrophysics books.

Oh and p.s. if you mean Einstein's field of work as in General Relativity, that is not Astrophysics, it is Cosmology. Totally different areas of physics, yet very related at the same time.

Hi, I'm currently doing my A-levels, and recently did a course on Cosmology fundamentals, I am really considering doing it in Uni, but I don't know where to start.

1) My subjects are Physics, Maths, Chem and Bio. Are these okay, or do I need further Maths, because, I'm almost done with my A-levels.

2) I have a basic interest and am sort of starting from scratch, can someone give me egs of things I should know, before I start uni?

3) What level of maths do I require to do the course? How high level maths do I need, the minimum?

I'm so lost as to what kind of profile I should have, what kind of books I should read, I have no idea. Cosmology has sort of always been rejected by me, because I never thought I was smart enough to do it.

It is, after all, Einstein's field of work.

Please, I need guidance.

I know that you said you have already done an introductory course, but this is a pretty great one too!
https://www.edx.org/course/astrophysics-cosmology-anux-anu-astro4x
And they have 3 other astrophysics based courses (:

1) I'd recommend further maths A level as it'll most certainly help with the transition to university - it contains a large amount of the early content covered in first year(assuming you do FP2 and FP3). An AS level in further maths isn't really worth it, as the content is generally basic, whereas the later further pure modules contain extentions on your c4 knowledge such as further calculus and vectors etc...

2) The only cosmology that you are really expected to know prior to university is what you cover in physics A level, aside from that any other knowledge you have is just a bonus - I'd really recommend the course I linked above although you might want to skip a few chapters that may seem repetitive.

3) You'll learn most(if not all) of the maths you need while at uni, but as previously mentioned, further maths would be helpful.

Don't worry about how smart you are, if you enjoy it you'll find a way to make it work out (:

If you're interested in the kind of stuff you've outlined above then a degree in astrophysics or physics and astronomy would probably be best. At research level, cosmology is a very theoretical branch of physics so would be very maths and/or computation heavy. Experimental cosmology exists but it's just a part of modern astronomy. You might be surprised about how close most physics research is to each other.


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Well then I've made a fundamental mistake. What initially intrigued me were thing s like the value of omega, big rip, big freeze, etc.

So, I guess I'm interested in cosmology. I always thought cosmology was highly philosophical, my mistake.

So, what kind of mathematics would you need for cosmology? Basic calculus, or advanced? I'm willing to work for it, so, if unis offer extra courses on the mathematics, I would take them. I just find the universe and it's vastness fascinating, and, it's evolved into a love, for me.

Hi, I'm currently doing my A-levels, and recently did a course on Cosmology fundamentals, I am really considering doing it in Uni, but I don't know where to start.

1) My subjects are Physics, Maths, Chem and Bio. Are these okay, or do I need further Maths, because, I'm almost done with my A-levels.

2) I have a basic interest and am sort of starting from scratch, can someone give me egs of things I should know, before I start uni?

3) What level of maths do I require to do the course? How high level maths do I need, the minimum?

I'm so lost as to what kind of profile I should have, what kind of books I should read, I have no idea. Cosmology has sort of always been rejected by me, because I never thought I was smart enough to do it.

It is, after all, Einstein's field of work.

Please, I need guidance.

I think you're making a typical mistake for A-level students and over-egging the difficulty of undergraduate Physics.

1) Those subjects are fine. You will be introduced to all the Maths you need beyond A-level Maths at university. AS Further Maths can give you a head start or even qualify you for slightly more advanced Maths courses.

2) You don't need to know anything beyond the A-level curriculum before you start, but reading up on some of the key issues could be a way to demonstrate your interest in applications. There's an extremely good book called 'An Introduction to Modern Cosmology' which might be a bit difficult by A-level standards but would give you an idea of the kinds of principles you'd encounter.

3) A-level Maths.

If you are interested on understanding how the Universe works at its most fundamental level, I would apply to Theoretical Physics (or if you apply to Edinburgh since you posted on the Edinburgh Physics thread, apply to Mathematical Physics). I am interested by kinda the same stuff and that is what I have done. Loads of maths in there but that is how you get to understand the Universe. You will do loads of stuff in fundamental physics like cosmology, particle and nuclear physics, etc... + maths, loads. You don't need to start preparing in advance, you will be taught all the new stuff at uni and difficulty will increase gradually but you will be able to cope with it, don't worry.

Yeah, thanks! So, if I do this course, I would be able to, say, transition into cosmology and astronomy as masters or PhD level?

Thank you, will definitely check the book! I'm really concerned about interviews and things for physics. I'm not stupid, but I am quite slow and steady I take time to solve a problem, but I do solve it! I was just wondering what kind of questions they would ask, and they would ask questions on my areas of interest, so, just generally a bit concerned about that.

Oh lol I also have problems with interview questions. I think the best thing is to just prepare as much as possible. They shouldn't ask you anything too far out from the A-level syllabus and if they do it will be to test you.

yeah......I'm so nervous, I keep thinking I'm not good enough!

What are you doing now? A-levels, applying for uni, at uni??

I've already done uni, I did Cosmology modules as well.