8. Introduction to Black Holes

Frontiers/Controversies in Astrophysics (ASTR 160) The second half of the course begins, focusing on black holes and relativity. In introducing black holes, Professor Bailyn offers a definition, talks about how their existence is detected, and explains why (unlike in the case with exoplanets where Newtonian physics was applied) Einstein's Theory of Relativity is now required when studying black holes. The concepts of escape and circular velocity are introduced. A number of problems are worked out and students learn how to calculate an object's escape velocity. A historical overview is offered of our understanding and discovery of black holes in the context of stellar evolution. Complete course materials are available at the Open Yale Courses website: http://open.yale.edu/courses This course was recorded in Spring 2007.