PHYS 515 :: Physics Illinois :: University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

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Welcome to General Relativity I !

Announcements will be posted here as necessary.

This is the main website for the UIUC Physics Department graduate course PHYS/ASTR 515 on General Relativity. This one-semester course covers the basics of Einstein's theory, developing the mathematical tools and the underlying physical concepts that lead to black holes, neutron stars, gravitational waves and cosmology. You can find a detailed course description, together with an explanation of the target audience for this class, in the course description and syllabus.

Time and location

Time: Tue and Thu at 15:30 - 16:50 CST
Location: online

This course will be fully online via zoom. You need to be logged in to zoom to join our lectures. Recordings of the lectures will be posted here.

NEW: Final exam

The final exam will be a take-home exam taking place on 7-8 May 2021. The exam will become available online at 9am CDT on Friday, 7 May 2021. The completed exam has to be submitted until 21pm CDT on Saturday, 8 May 2021 online via my.physics exam.
Time: Friday, 7 May 2021, 9am CDT until Saturday, 8 May 2021, 21pm CDT.
Exam sheet: The exam will be available at 9am CDT on 7 May 2021
Submission: my.physics exam Deadline: Sat, 8 May 2021, 21pm CDT.

Midterm exam

The midterm exam will be a take-home exam taking place on 11-12 March 2021. The exam will become available online at 9am CST on Thursday, 11 March 2021. The completed exam has to be submitted until 21pm CST on Friday, 12 March 2021 online via my.physics exam.
Time: Thu, 11 March 2021, 9am CST until Fri, 12 March 2021, 21pm CST.
Exam sheet: The exam is now available
Submission: my.physics exam Deadline: Fri, 12 March 2021, 21pm CST.

Homework

Homework sets will become available online on Tuesdays, starting in week 2. They are due on the following Tuesday and have to be submitted via my.physics.

Textbooks

We will mainly use "Spacetime and Geometry" by Sean Carroll. This and additional references for further reading are listed under Textbooks .

Academic integrity

All activities in this course are subject to the Academic Integrity rules as described in Article 1, Part 4, Academic Integrity, of the Student Code.