This is a relativity course for Msc year I students at the Department of Physics, University of Nairobi. It deals with: Lorentz Transformations; Tensors in Special Relativity- Relativistic Kinematics and Dynamics; Electrodynamics in space-time; Newtonian Gravitational Theory; Equivalence Principle; Geometry of Spacetime; Covariant differentiation; Geodesics; Parallel transport; Curvature tensor; Schwarschild geometry.
During first year undergraduate physics most students often get the impression that physics is made up of distinct disciplines with little or no connection: Mechanics, electromagnetism, thermodynamics, atomic physics, quantum physics e.t.c. each dealing with a separate phenomena.
This course focusses on specific attributes of stars that are of crucial significance to understanding stars and the universe. It deals with topics such as: the measurement of positions of stars in the sky, proper motions of stars, distances to nearby stars, measurement of brightnesses of stars, the color-magnitude diagrams, masses and radii of the stars, pulsating stars and understanding of stellar spectra.
Studying physics can be likened to Carpentry where using the right type of tool makes the job less tedious. The invention of quantum mechanics during the first 27 years of the twentieth century marked a revolutionary change in our understanding of phenomena on microscopic scales. Classical physics ideas held before then had instant limitations in their validity, as quantum mechanics became an alternative theory more richer both in scope and application.
This course is one of the core units in theoretical and experimental physics. It is a continuation of second year Electricity and Magnetism course unit. It aims at introducing the student to the fundamental aspects of classical electrodynamics and will climax in the derivation and application of the famous Maxwell's equations of electrodynamics.
This course unit is one of the core units in the third year Bsc astronomy and astrophysics degree at the University of Nairobi. It addresses the important astrophysical subject of stellar evolution which describes how the observed physical properties of stars change during their lifetime- from birth to death.