PHY 3130 Computational Tools for Astrophysics Research
Computational tools are essential for answering astrophysical questions in the era of large-scale astronomical surveys. Students in this course will gain deeper insight into astrophysical principles by developing skills to analyze large datasets. Students will learn the basics of data manipulation, data visualization, statistical analysis, and database queries, while also learning basic coding techniques and effective methods for documenting their results.
Course Types
Science; Advanced Studies
Course Outcomes
- Introduce Basic Research Skills:
A goal for this class is to develop the skills necessary to conduct research in astrophysics. To accomplish this goal, students will complete the following objectives throughout the semester:
• developing a research question
• exploration of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey database with SQL queries
• creation of plots using Python to compare theoretical and observed data
• keeping a notebook of key results and data analysis
• creating a scholarly paper and/or a presentation on an astrophysical topic - Prepare for Upper-Level Astronomy Classes:
The goal for this class is to develop the following:
• foundational knowledge of astronomy topics included in 4000-level astronomy classes
• visual literacy necessary to convey ideas through drawings and sketches
• ability to use back-of-the-envelope calculations to gain physical insight - Understand the Fundamentals of Astronomy:
A goal for this class is to understand the most fundamental facts of astronomy and, more importantly, to learn how to apply basic principles to a variety of astrophysical phenomena. These include:
• The size of objects in the Universe can be understood by scaling them relative to one another.
• Most of what we know about the Universe was discovered by three basic types of observations: astrometry, photometry, and spectroscopy.
• By assuming that the laws of physics work the same on Earth and in space, we can infer
properties about objects in space, and space itself, that we are not able to see directly.