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FY3452

Gravitation and Cosmology

Choose study year

Assessments and mandatory activities may be changed until September 20th.

Credits 7.5
Level Second degree level
Course start Spring 2026
Duration 1 semester
Language of instruction English
Location Trondheim
Examination arrangement Aggregate score

About

About the course

Course content

Special relativity. Lagrange formulation of classical fields. Differential geometry. Curved spaces and gravitation. Einstein's field equations. Special geometries (Friedmann, Schwarzschild, Kerr...). Black holes. Gravitational waves. Cosmological models.

Learning outcome

Knowledge:

The students should learn the basic principles and formalism of classical field theory in general, and in particular the application of these to problems in gravitation and cosmology. The students should learn the basic concepts and methods of differential geometry as applied to general relativity. The students should learn the main verified predictions of general relativity, and the main properties of the standard model of cosmology.

Skills:

The student should learn to analyze simple models in the field.

General competence:

The candidate should be able to apply abstract mathematical models to concrete physical problems.

Learning methods and activities

Lectures and exercise sessions; Expected workload in the course is 225 hours.

The course has joint lectures with FY8903.

Further on evaluation

The final mark is based on two assessments, "delvurderinger": Final written exam (67%) and a mid-semester assignment (33%). In case of a repeat exam, the written exam can be changed to an oral one.

When lectures are given English, the exam will be given in English only.

Course materials

J.B. Hartle: Gravity. An introduction to Einstein's General Relativity.

Additional literature: Jan Myrheim: Classical theory of fields, Michael Kachelriess: Lecture notes for FY3452; Gravitation and Cosmology.

Credit reductions

Course code Reduction From
TFY4270 7.5 sp Autumn 2007
FY8903 7.5 sp Autumn 2010
This course has academic overlap with the courses in the table above. If you take overlapping courses, you will receive a credit reduction in the course where you have the lowest grade. If the grades are the same, the reduction will be applied to the course completed most recently.

Subject areas

  • Astrophysics
  • Theoretical Physics
  • Astronomy
  • Physics

Contact information

Course coordinator

Lecturers

Department with academic responsibility

Department of Physics

Timetable

Timetable

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Show detailed timetable in TP Download .ics file iCal

Examination

Examination

Examination arrangement: Aggregate score
Grade: Letter grades

Ordinary examination - Spring 2026

School exam
Weighting 67/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.
Assignment
Weighting 33/100 Exam system Inspera Assessment

Re-sit examination - Summer 2026

School exam
Weighting 67/100 Examination aids Code D Duration 4 hours Exam system Inspera Assessment
Place and room
The specified room can be changed and the final location will be ready no later than 3 days before the exam. You can find your room location on Studentweb.
Assignment
Weighting 33/100 Exam system Inspera Assessment

All about examinations at NTNU