4.8
stars
3,260 ratings

Hitoshi Murayama

88,529 already enrolled

Offered By

From the Big Bang to Dark Energy

The University of Tokyo

About this Course

46,827 recent views

We have learned a lot recently about how the Universe evolved in 13.7 billion years since the Big Bang. More than 80% of matter in the Universe is mysterious Dark Matter, which made stars and galaxies to form. The newly discovered Higgs-boson became frozen into the Universe a trillionth of a second after the Big Bang and brought order to the Universe. Yet we still do not know how ordinary matter (atoms) survived against total annihilation by Anti-Matter. The expansion of the Universe started acceleration about 7 billion years ago and the Universe is being ripped apart. The culprit is Dark Energy, a mysterious energy multiplying in vacuum. I will present evidence behind these startling discoveries and discuss what we may learn in the near future.
This course is offered in English.

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 31 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 31 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.88/5 (694 Ratings)

Hitoshi Murayama

MacAdams Professor of Physics, University of California, Berkeley

University Professor, Kavli Institute for the Physics and Mathematics of the Universe (Kavli IPMU), The University of Tokyo Institutes for Advanced Study (UTIAS)

88,529 Learners

1 Course

Offered by

The University of Tokyo

See how employees at top companies are mastering in-demand skills

Learn more about Coursera for Business

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating96%(13,730 ratings)

Week

Week 1

9 hours to complete

From Daily Life to the Big Bang

Understanding the Universe in which we live and how to probe it can begin with simple daily life experiences such as night and day and the four seasons. Starting from these observations, we will take a journey from our local Earth at the present time all the way to the edge of the universe and back to its birth, learning the techniques and findings in modern physics that provide us this understanding.

9 hours to complete

12 videos (Total 95 min), 3 readings, 14 quizzes

12 videos

Course Preview1m

Introduction8m

1-1 Night and Day, and Four Seasons9m

1-2 Revolution of the Earth5m

1-3 Why Elliptic?8m

1-4 Why Does Everything Fall the Same Way?8m

1-5 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past I13m

1-6 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past II5m

1-7 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past III6m

1-8 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past IV8m

1-9 Beginning of the Universe Look Far into the Past V10m

1-10 Cosmic Expansion6m

3 readings

Course Description10m

Syllabus10m

About Optional Challenge Problems10m

14 practice exercises

Practice Quiz 1-130m

Practice Quiz 1-230m

Graded Quiz 1-130m

Practice Quiz 1-330m

Practice Quiz 1-430m

Graded Quiz 1-230m

Practice Quiz 1-530m

Practice Quiz 1-630m

Practice Quiz 1-730m

Practice Quiz 1-830m

Practice Quiz 1-930m

Practice Quiz 1-1030m

Graded Quiz 1-330m

Optional Challenge Problem 130m

Week

Week 2

7 hours to complete

Birth of Elements and Higgs Boson

7 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 97 min)

9 videos

2-1 Birth of Elements I5m

2-2 Birth of Elements II11m

2-3 Birth of Elements III6m

2-4 Birth of Elements IV9m

2-5 Birth of Elements V14m

2-6 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe I7m

2-7 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe II13m

2-8 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe III15m

2-9 Higgs Boson Frozen into the Universe IV12m

11 practice exercises

Practice Quiz 2-130m

Practice Quiz 2-230m

Practice Quiz 2-330m

Practice Quiz 2-430m

Practice Quiz 2-530m

Graded Quiz 2-130m

Practice Quiz 2-630m

Practice Quiz 2-730m

Practice Quiz 2-830m

Practice Quiz 2-930m

Graded Quiz 2-230m

Week

Week 3

7 hours to complete

Dark Matter and Anti-Matter

In this module, we will learn about dark matter and anti-matter -- some of the more mysterious sides of the Universe. We know dark matter played an important role in the formation of stars and galaxies, but much of properties are still unknown to us. In another strange mystery, we will see how the beginning of the universe started with equal amounts of matter and anti-matter, yet somehow only matter (which we are composed of!) survived.

7 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 83 min), 1 reading, 11 quizzes

8 videos

3-1 Power Spectrum11m

3-2 Dark Matter I6m

3-3 Dark Matter II10m

3-4 Nature of Dark Matter I9m

3-5 Nature of Dark Matter II9m

3-6 Neutrinos and Anti-Matter I13m

3-7 Neutrinos and Anti-Matter II13m

3-8 Neutrinos and Anti-Matter III9m

1 reading

About Optional Challenge Problems10m

11 practice exercises

Practice Quiz 3-130m

Practice Quiz 3-230m

Practice Quiz 3-330m

Practice Quiz 3-430m

Practice Quiz 3-530m

Graded Quiz 3-130m

Practice Quiz 3-630m

Practice Quiz 3-730m

Practice Quiz 3-830m

Graded Quiz 3-230m

Optional Challenge Problem 230m

Week

Week 4

8 hours to complete

Inflation and Dark Energy

8 hours to complete

17 videos (Total 216 min), 1 reading, 9 quizzes

17 videos

4-1 Inflation and Uncertainty Principle I (Inflation)15m

4-2 Inflation and Uncertainty Principle II (Uncertainty Principle I )12m

4-3 Inflation and Uncertainty Principle III (Uncertainty Principle II )10m

4-4 Fate of the Universe5m

4-5 Dark Energy9m

4-6 Big Rip6m

4-7 Future Observations11m

4-8 Wrap-up5m

Extra Lecture 1 Theoretical Discovery of Higgs Boson8m

Extra Lecture 2-1 Discovery of Neutrino Oscillations and Neutrino Mass I13m

Extra Lecture 2-2 Discovery of Neutrino Oscillations and Neutrino Mass II12m

Extra Lecture 3-1 Discovery of Gravitational Waves I7m

Extra Lecture 3-2 Discovery of Gravitational Waves II11m

Extra Lecture 3-3 Discovery of Gravitational Waves III10m

Extra Lecture 3-4 Discovery of Gravitational Waves IV4m

Extra Lecture 4-1 Theoretical Foundation of Black Hole33m

Extra Lecture 4-2 Observational Evidence of Black Hole36m

1 reading

Introduction1m

9 practice exercises

Practice Quiz 4-130m

Practice Quiz 4-230m

Practice Quiz 4-330m

Graded Quiz 4-130m

Practice Quiz 4-430m

Practice Quiz 4-530m

Practice Quiz 4-630m

Practice Quiz 4-730m

Graded Quiz 4-230m

Reviews

4.8

896 reviews

5 stars
85.78%
4 stars
12.56%
3 stars
1.22%
2 stars
0.03%
1 star
0.39%

TOP REVIEWS FROM FROM THE BIG BANG TO DARK ENERGY

by DZApr 24, 2020

Although at the start the teacher said that maths won't be a problem, there are some problems (not the Honor ones) that involve math and chemistry for no reason. Beside that, it's a very good course.

by RVJun 26, 2021

Highly important course to get in depth understanding of the universe.

Sure, the course has some nerve cracking ,brain twisting facts about the universe and a significant explanation for them.

by DSMay 24, 2017

Engaging whirlwind tour of some big questions in cosmology and high-energy physics. The instructor's wry humor adds a special twist to an informative summary of the state of play as of 2015 or so,

by GPJun 13, 2017

Very interesting course.

Hold on for the last part of the course - that particles physics is hardcore.

The tutor is really gifted and it has been a pleasure taking part in this course

View all reviews

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I purchase the Certificate?
When you purchase a Certificate you get access to all course materials, including graded assignments. Upon completing the course, your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

More questions? Visit the Learner Help Center.

Build employee skills, drive business results

Discover Coursera for Business

From the Big Bang to Dark Energy

From the Big Bang to Dark Energy

About this Course