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Welcome to the Universe! A Brief Introduction to Astronomy

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Welcome to the Universe! A Brief Introduction to Astronomy

Third Edition   Carico, © 2022, 385 pages

This textbook is suitable for an introductory astronomy course.

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Prices and ISBNs

This title is available in the following formats.

Product Description
ISBN 		Description ISBN Bookstore
(Net Price)		 Student
(Retail Price)
LAB BOOKPlus
Online eBook + Lab
978-1-5178-1211-9 		Online eBook + Lab 978-1-5178-1211-9 (9781517812119) $50 $73
TEXTBOOKPlus Loose Leaf + eBook + Lab
978-1-5178-1212-6 		Loose Leaf + eBook + Lab 978-1-5178-1212-6 (9781517812126) $65 $95

Excerpts

The available Excerpts are listed below:


About the Author

David Carico person
David Carico obtained his Bachelor of Science from the University of California, Berkeley, in engineering-physics, then went on to earn his PhD in physics from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). During his graduate research on the properties of infrared-luminous galaxies, he worked extensively at Caltech's Palomar Observatory and at the Caltech Submillimeter Observatory on Mauna Kea, as well as with data from the Infrared Astronomical Satellite (IRAS). Upon completing his doctorate, David went immediately into full time teaching, beginning with an appointment as Assistant Professor of Physics at Principia College, in Illinois, where he remained for four years, before returning to his native California. Since then he has taught physics and astronomy at various institutions, including Cal Poly San Luis Obispo, San Francisco State University, Santa Rosa Junior College, and Shasta College, in Redding, California, where he now teaches full time. For the past several years, David's research interests have centered around applications of quantum mechanical principles to astronomical phenomena, a field known as "quantum astronomy." He is part of a research team that is planning to use the Allen Telescope Array at the Hat Creek Radio Observatory to create an astronomical sized interferometer, using radar signals bounced off of the Moon, as a precursor to further quantum astronomy experiments. David lives with his wife, four dogs, and three cats near the base of Mt. Shasta, where in his free time he enjoys playing the piano and building his model railroad.

Description

"If you were to walk down a busy street and ask every third person what astronomy is, I suspect most of the answers would have something to do with "looking up at the stars," or "looking through telescopes," or something along those lines. But what is astronomy, really?"

With these opening words, Dr. David Carico invites readers to join him on a journey of discovery--a journey that is not only educational, but engaging and awe inspiring like the Universe itself. Welcome to the Universe! A brief introduction to astronomy fulfills the need for a short, lively, non-mathematical textbook covering the vast and fascinating field of astronomy. Dr. Carico has taught college level astronomy for more than 20 years, at institutions ranging from small private colleges to large state universities. This book emerged as the direct result of his own inability to find a textbook that was ideally suited to the courses he was teaching, or to the students who were taking those courses. Welcome to the Universe! differs from most astronomy textbooks in three principal ways:

  • Ideas, not facts:The field of astronomy covers so much material that textbooks often provide "information overload," forcing students into a cram-the-facts mode which might get them through the exams, but will leave very little lasting appreciation of the wonders of the Universe. Welcome to the Universe! takes a simpler, more streamlined approach, focusing primarily on concepts and ideas, leaving it to the instructor's discretion to introduce supplemental facts and data.

  • A journey through time, rather than space: The usual approach to astronomy is to begin with the solar system and work outward through ever greater expanses of space. Welcome to the Universe! takes a very different approach, beginning with the Big Bang and following the evolution of the Universe through time. Not only does this give a wonderful starting place for the course "the idea of space, time, and energy being created from a single point of nothingness is a great way to catch attention!" but also, key topics emerge more naturally. A brief introduction to galaxies leads to the study of stars; which in turn enables students to appreciate the Sun and the solar system in a larger context. Then, rather than simply being told that the Sun is mostly hydrogen, they know that it must be mostly hydrogen, and they know why it must be, because they have already learned about the initial creation of elementary particles and primordial nucleosynthesis.

  • Writing that is worth reading: Most of your students are not going to be astronomers, or even scientists. So why should their astronomy book be written like a technical journal? Welcome to the Universe! is written in a lively, conversational style. Your students will actually want to read it!

Welcome to the Universe! is a highly readable, simple, yet thorough textbook, that provides every interested reader with a memorable introduction to this amazing Universe of ours.

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