Astronomy: The Human Quest for Understanding
- ISBN-10
- 0192560220
- ISBN-13
- 9780192560223
- Series
- Astronomy
- Category
- Science
- Pages
- 913
- Language
- English
- Published
- 2022-08-11
- Publisher
- Oxford University Press
- Author
- Dale A. Ostlie
Description
Since humans first looked up at the stars, astronomy has had a particular ability to stir the imagination and challenge the thinking of scientists and non-scientists alike. Astronomy: The Human Quest for Understanding is an introductory astronomy textbook specifically designed to relate to non-science majors across a wide variety of disciplines, nurture their curiosity, and develop vital science-based critical-thinking skills. This textbook provides an introduction to how science operates in practice and what makes it so successful in uncovering nature's secrets. Given that the study of astronomy dates back thousands of years, it is the ideal subject for tracing the development of the physical sciences and how our evolving understanding of nature has influenced, and been influenced by, mathematics, philosophy, religion, geography, politics, and more. This historical approach also illustrates how wrong turns have been taken, and how the inherent self-correcting nature of science through constant verification and the falsifiability of truly scientific theories ultimately leads us back to a more productive path in our quest for understanding. This approach also points out why, as a broadly educated citizenry, students of all disciplines must understand how scientists arrive at conclusions, and how science and technology have become central features of modern society. In discussing this fascinating and beautiful universe of which we are a part, it is necessary to illustrate the fundamental role that mathematics plays in decoding nature's mysteries. Unlike other similar textbooks, some basic mathematics is integrated naturally into the text, together with interpretive language, and supplemented with numerous examples; additional tutorials are provided on the book's companion website. Astronomy: The Human Quest for Understanding leads the reader down the path to our present-day understanding of our Solar System, stars, galaxies, and the beginning and evolution of our universe, along with profound questions still to be answered in this ancient, yet rapidly changing field.
Get the book
Other editions
-
- 2022-09-22
- - pages
- Paperback
- Independently Published
Similar books
-
Introduction to Astronomy and Cosmology
By Ian MorisonWritten for science students, this book takes a carefully developed scientific approach to this dynamic subject.
-
The Astronomy Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
By DKGet ready to discover the story of the universe one page at a time! This educational book for young adults will launch you on a wild trip through the cosmos and the incredible discoveries throughout history.
-
New Astronomy Book
By Danny R. FaulknerNow take an incredible look at the mysteries and marvels of space in The New Astronomy Book!
-
The Astronomy Book
By Jonathan HenryThese five study guides, available for each book in the Wonders of Creation series, are comprehensive and invaluable for teaching settings.
-
Astronomy For Beginners
By Jeff BecanAstronomy For Beginners is a friendly and accessible guide to our universe, our galaxy, our solar system and the planet we call home.
-
Astronomy for Amateurs
By Camille FlammarionThe Science of Astronomy is sublime and beautiful.
-
Fundamental Astronomy
By Hannu Karttunen, Pekka Kröger, Heikki OjaThe chapters on galactic and extragalactic astronomy as well as cosmology were extensively modernized in the previous edition. In this new edition they have been further revised to include more recent results.
-
Encyclopedia of Astrobiology
By Muriel Gargaud, Ricardo Amils, José Cernicharo QuintanillaThe carefully selected group of active researchers contributing to this work and the expert field editors intend for their contributions, from an internationally comprehensive perspective, to accelerate the interdisciplinary advance of ...
-
Astronomy on the Personal Computer
By Oliver Montenbruck, Thomas PflegerIn this book, a landmark in the youthful literature of astronomical com puter algorithms, Oliver Montenbruck and Thomas Pfleger cover many topics of keen interest to the practical observer.
-
Astronomy: The Evolving Universe
By Michael ZeilikTABLE F.1 Angular Diameter and Distance If the angular diameter Then the distance , in degrees is in diameters , is roughly 4 15 2 30 1 60 1/2 120 1/4 240 1/8 480 your little finger at arm's length and twice the angle covered by the ...