Introduction to Cosmology

Several decades ago the fields of astronomy and particle physics began to combine forming the shared discipline of cosmology. The general populace has consistently shown greater fascination with the observable entities of astronomy rather than imperceptible atoms and most likely encountered the field of cosmology for the first time through Steven Weinberg''s renowned publication The First Three Minutes. While there is already a wide selection of popular monographs on cosmology there is a lack of beginning textbooks specifically designed for university undergraduate level. Introductory works on relativity or astronomy have chapters on cosmology although these chapters provide just a partial coverage of the subject. Undoubtedly there are already excellent publications available on the subject of cosmology. The reader will indeed discover several references to such publications which have proven to be an essential source of information for me. Cosmology being expressly cross-disciplinary does not hold a significant role in either physics or astronomy courses. Specifically this text does not presume any prior understanding of general relativity.