An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics [Hardcover]

Bradley W. Carroll (Author), Dale A. Ostlie (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0201547309 | ISBN-13: 978-0201547306 | Publication Date: December 11, 1995 | Edition: 1st

This exciting text opens the entire field of modern astrophysics to the reader by using only the basic tools of physics. Designed for the junior- level astrophysics course, each topic is approached in the context of the major unresolved questions in astrophysics. The core chapters have been designed for a course in stellar structure and evolution, while the extended chapters provide additional coverage of the solar system, galactic structure, dynamics, evolution, and cosmology.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Bradley Carroll received his B.A. in Mathematics and a Secondary Teaching Credential from the University of California, Irvine, his M.S. in Physics from the University of Colorado, Boulder and his Ph.D. Astrophysics from the University of Colorado, Boulder.

Brad's lifelong fascination with astronomy, combined with a happy naivete concerning what lay ahead, led him to graduate school at CU Boulder. His thesis, supervised by Carl Hansen and John Cox, was a study of the effect of rotation on pulsating stars. Brad then headed east to work as a postdoc with Hugh Van Horn at the University of Rochester, where he carried out research on the oscillations of accretion disks and neutron stars. At both CU Boulder and the U of R, he learned the virtues of making simple models of complex astrophysical systems. .

Four years later, as the postdoc came to an end, Brad was lucky to find a teaching position in the Physics Department at Weber State University, and doubly lucky that Dale Ostlie was there. It is rare to find two experts in Stellar pulsation in the same institution and department, especially when their outlooks are congenial. .

Brad truly enjoys teaching which gives him the chance to share the wonders of the physical world with his students. Such a background served him well (especially his naivete about what lay ahead) when he and Dale decided to write An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics. Now that the book and solutions manual, are completed, Brad once again has the time to enjoy traveling, camping, and fishing.

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Dale A. Ostlie's long-time interest in astronomy began with his childhood fascination in the space program, including vivid recollections of watching the Apollo missions with his family. His interest in teaching was born from his experiences as a student, being fortunate to have had excellent instructors and mentors in high school, college, and graduate school. During graduate school, Dale had the opportunity to spend a significant period of time working with Dr. Arthur N. Cox and the theoretical astrophysics group at Los Alamos National Laboratory. While at Los Alamos, Dale was introduced to great number of exciting and challenging problems in astrophysics, which spurred his interest in developing a broad exposure to the discipline.

After completing his graduate thesis on Mira variable stars, and after a two-year teaching position at Bates College in Maine, Dale accepted a teaching position at Weber State University. With WSU nestled up against the Wasatch mountains of Utah, Dale is able to indulge his addictions to skiing, hiking, camping, and mountain biking. One year after Dale arrived at Weber State, Brad Carroll was hired, and their partnership in stellar pulsation studies and text-book writing was born. Sharing many of the same pedagogical views, as well as a dedication to producing the best possible text, Brad and Dale worked for six years to write An Introduction to Modern Stellar Astrophysics and An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, and another year to produce the Instructor's Solutions Manual. Work related to the texts continues today with the maintenance of a collection of web pages associated with the books, including discussions of new discoveries since the publication of the texts in 1996.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 1326 pages
• Publisher: Benjamin Cummings; 1st edition (December 11, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0201547309
• ISBN-13: 978-0201547306
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 7.6 x 2.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #483,726 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

94 of 95 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent and encyclopedic, January 26, 2000

By 

"physics-r-us" - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics (Hardcover)

There are very few comprehensive astrophysics text books at the junior/senior level. In trying to find a book which surveys most of the field I found only three possibilities. Two were good (Astrophysical Concepts by Harwitt and Astrophysics by Bowers and Deeming) but this one is EXCELLENT. The level of presentation is mathematically accessible to advanced undergrads in physics, math, comp sci, and engineering while the underlying physics is reviewed before it is applied. The exercises are interesting and complete and include several nice computer based problems in each chapter.

For a one semester survey class the size and scope of this book will induce heart attacks in your students but the organization and clear layout of the text allows the instructor to select a set of topics which (a) cover a wide range of astrophysical ideas and (b) don't depend strongly on the omitted material.

Highly recommended.

63 of 67 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-have for astrophysics beginners and theory lovers!, December 25, 1999

By 

Thomas Tsoi - See all my reviews

This review is from: An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics (Hardcover)

The book is a comprehensive book which guides you to the every corner of modern astrophysics.

From Kepler's Law to Relativity, from the geocentric model to modern cosmology, this book gives very clear descriptions of every aspect that you might be interested in.

The mathematical equations and formulaes are clear and tidy, wordings are simple enough to understand.

Therefore, not only if you are to take an astrophysics course at university, even if you just a high-school student or an amateur who is interested in knowing more about our universe, well, maybe in an mathematical way, this is a book for you.

29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The long awaited new edition of BOB (Big Orange Book), December 8, 2006

By 

John Matlock "Gunny" (Winnemucca, NV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, An (2nd Edition) (Hardcover)

The number of books suitable for undergraduate courses in Astrophysics is not great. But of them all, this, called BOB (Big Orange Book) is the best.

This new second edition, badly needed since the first edition is now ten years old. In these ten years, there seems to have been just about as much discovered as in the centuries before. To list just a few: extrasolar planets, objects bigger than Pluto but further out (but the book was finished before the IAU decided to downgrade Pluto from being a planet), Spirit and Opportunity have been roving on Mars, discoveries like the universe is not slowing down but, rather, is actually accelerating, Dark energy wasn't even imagined at that time (and isn't easy to imagine now).

The book is aimed at the advanced undergraduate level after the student has had several previous physics classes and mathematics through differential equasions.

The one problem most often reported about BOB is its size, 1400 pages. This allows for a series of different courses to be taught using the same book by selecting appropriate chapters. Alternatively a full year course can be taught to cover most of the book.