6 ECTS credits
180 h study time

Offer 1 with catalog number 4015691FNR for all students in the 1st semester at a (F) Master - specialised level.

Semester
1st semester
Enrollment based on exam contract
Impossible
Grading method
Grading (scale from 0 to 20)
Can retake in second session
Yes
Taught in
English
Faculty
Faculty of Sciences and Bioengineering Sciences
Department
Physics
Educational team
Christopher Blair (course titular)
Activities and contact hours

26 contact hours Lecture
26 contact hours Seminar, Exercises or Practicals
Course Content

Based on (parts of) the book by Sean Carroll mentioned below, which is used in class.

In the first half of the course, the formalism of general relativity is built up. An overview of special relativity is followed by an introduction to the necessary concepts from differential geometry (such as manifolds and curvature). In this language, Einstein’s description of the gravitational force is formulated.

In the second half of the course, we pay attention to experimental tests of the theory and to important physical applications: gravitational waves, cosmology and black holes. Some attention is devoted to questions left unanswered by the theory and to modern developments in gravitational research.

Course material
Handbook (Required) : Spacetime and Geometry, An Introduction to General Relativity, Sean Carroll, Pearson New International Edition, Pearson Education Limited, 9781108488396, 2019
Additional info

Not applicable

Learning Outcomes

General Competencies

The student can explain and derive important concepts and results in general relativity, Einstein's description of gravity.

They can apply the theory to new physics problems.

They are able to situate this theory within modern physics. For instance, they can explain that Newton’s theory of gravity can be viewed as a limit of general relativity and that the latter does not answer all questions about gravity either.

Grading

The final grade is composed based on the following categories:
Oral Exam determines 70% of the final mark.
Other Exam determines 30% of the final mark.

Within the Oral Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • examen mondeling with a relative weight of 70 which comprises 70% of the final mark.

    Note: Oral exam with written preparation. Both theory and exercises are part of the exam.

Within the Other Exam category, the following assignments need to be completed:

  • examen ander with a relative weight of 30 which comprises 30% of the final mark.

    Note: Three homeworks in the course of the semester.

Additional info regarding evaluation

Final grade determined using:

- Oral exam with written preparation. The exam consists of theory as well as exercises.
- Three homeworks in the course of the semester. 

Allowed unsatisfactory mark
The supplementary Teaching and Examination Regulations of your faculty stipulate whether an allowed unsatisfactory mark for this programme unit is permitted.

Academic context

This offer is part of the following study plans:
Master of Photonics Engineering: On campus traject
Master of Photonics Engineering: Online/Digital traject
Master of Physics and Astronomy: Minor Research
Master of Physics and Astronomy: Minor Economy and Business
Master of Physics and Astronomy: Minor Education
Master of Teaching in Science and Technology: fysica (120 ECTS, Etterbeek) (only offered in Dutch)