Author: Michael A. Seeds

Publisher: Brooks Cole

Published: 2000-07

Total Pages: 506

ISBN-13: 9780534380489

Adapted from the newly revised FOUNDATIONS OF ASTRONOMY, Sixth Edition, STARS AND GALAXIES, Second Edition contains the introductory and historical chapters from FOUNDATIONS, as well as all of the chapters on stars, galaxies, cosmology, and the chapter on extraterrestrial life. This newly revised and updated Second Edition shows students their place in the universe -- not just their location, but also their role as planet dwellers in an evolving universe. In a clear and conversational writing style, Seeds shows students how science works, and how scientists depend on evidence to test hypotheses. Through a discussion of this interplay between evidence and hypothesis, the book provides not just a series of facts, but also a conceptual framework for understanding the logic of astronomical knowledge. Fascinating and vivid, the book conveys the author's love of the subject, shows students how the universe can be described by a small set of physical laws, and illustrates how they can comprehend their place in the universe by understanding these laws, and not through memorization of facts. The book's use of mathematics is incorporated into the body of the text, but the arguments of the text do not depend on mathematical reasoning, allowing math-averse students to easily follow the story.