Astrophysics in a Nutshell |  | Author: Dan Maoz
Publisher: Princeton University Press
Category: Book
List Price: $55.00
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Seller: betterbks
Rating:  6 reviews
Sales Rank: 436356
Media: Hardcover
Pages: 268
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.6
Dimensions (in): 10.1 x 7 x 0.8
ISBN: 0691125848
Dewey Decimal Number: 523.01
EAN: 9780691125848
ASIN: 0691125848
Publication Date: March 5, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Product Description
A concise but thorough introduction to the observational data and theoretical concepts underlying modern astronomy, Astrophysics in a Nutshell is designed for advanced undergraduate science majors taking a one-semester course. This well-balanced and up-to-date textbook covers the essentials of modern astrophysics--from stars to cosmology--emphasizing the common, familiar physical principles that govern astronomical phenomena, and the interplay between theory and observation. In addition to traditional topics such as stellar remnants, galaxies, and the interstellar medium, Astrophysics in a Nutshell introduces subjects at the forefront of modern research, including black holes, dark matter, gravitational lensing, and dark energy, all updated with some of the latest observational results. To aid physical understanding, mathematical derivations are kept as simple, short, and clear as possible, and order-of-magnitude estimates, dimensional analysis, and scaling arguments are frequently used. These no-nonsense, "back-of-the-envelope" calculations train students to think like physicists. The book is amply illustrated with simple, clear figures and each chapter ends with a set of problems. In addition to serving as a course textbook, Astrophysics in a Nutshell is an ideal review for a qualifying exam and a handy reference for teachers and researchers. - The most concise and up-to-date astrophysics textbook for science majors
- Contains a broad and well-balanced choice of traditional subjects and current research topics
- Uses simple, short, and clear derivations of physical results
- Trains students in the essential skills of order-of-magnitude analysis
- Includes teaching problems with each chapter
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
 An excellent overview October 4, 2008
James Lynch (Woods Hole, MA)
6 out of 7 found this review helpful
Astrophysics in a Nutshell is an absolutely excellent introduction to the subject for those with a reasonable physics background, but from outside the field. I am recommending it heartily to all my friends and colleagues who want a concise overview of this vast field.
Concise and Wonderful December 6, 2009
Tamlane (Somerville, MA United States)
This book is NOT meant to be an in-depth look at all of astrophysics, but rather a concise overview. Hence the "in a nutshell" title! This book is appropriate for educators who plan on teaching a semester or even quarter course with an emphasis on breadth of knowledge rather than depth. Furthermore, students will find this book EXTREMELY useful for reviewing basic astrophysics and for preparing for exams (such as the PhD qualifying exam). The problems at the end of the book are wonderful, and are at a level that undergraduates should be able to complete them. This book does assume a basic background in both physics and astronomy. Also, since the book is so concise, it's not a good book to learn from for the first time, however as I mentioned, it is an excellent book if supplemented by lectures. Bottom line, if you are trying to learn this material for the first time, this book is not for you. However, if you're looking for a good book to adopt for class, or you already "know" the material but want to review, this book is for you.
 useful undergrad text May 15, 2007
W Boudville (Terra, Sol 3)
21 out of 22 found this review helpful
Maoz presents a book that is well suited to a one term undergraduate course, of say 2 lectures a week. There is enough material, but not too much, so that all of it can be reasonably covered by the lecturer and understood by a typical student.
This being a book on astrophysics, there is little of the descriptive observational material of a general astronomy book. Instead, it assumes a physics background of at least a first undergraduate year with physics courses. So there is assumed a familiarity with simple optics, blackbody curves, a little bit of quantum mechanics, and some good old classical orbital mechanics. All this suffices to define the basics of how a star forms and burns, under a tradeoff between collapsing under its own gravitation and the opposing outward force of nuclear reactions and photon pressure.
There are also 3 chapters on simple General Relativity. Certainly not at the level of Misner, Thorne and Wheeler, or Weinberg. But good enough to illustrate ideas like the Hubble Constant and redshift.
 Text much like an outline from lecture notes October 21, 2007
Dr. Kenneth T. Bastin MD (brookfield, wi United States)
10 out of 13 found this review helpful
I have completed reading this textbook, appreciating the conciseness of the material and completeness of this topic when compared to larger and more rigorous texts. Diagrams are plentiful and explanations flow well, but for the independent reader a more polished, better illustrated text would work better. This physics book would work well with a class supplemented with explanations, more mathematical examples, and correlating images.
reference text, not for use in class January 31, 2010
Alethessa (USA)
I was assigned this textbook for an advanced undergraduate astrophysics course. I found it to be ambiguous and difficult to use effectively. Many of the equations seemed to come from nowhere, and were presented with little explanation.
I suspect that this textbook could be helpful for those who are already quite familiar with the material, as a reference text. However, I do not think that it is an effective classroom text to be used on its own.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 6
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