Our Universe: A Primer About Matter, Energy, and How We Know What We Know

Written by a middle school science teacher for his students' reference, this is a quick read about basic ideas from the fields of cosmology, chemistry, physics, and astronomy. This primer is also for anyone who wants some understanding of what and how we know about our universe. Topics include the Big Bang, elementary particles, fundamental forces, nucleosynthesis, atoms, the Periodic Table of the Elements, compounds, mixtures, potential energy, kinetic energy, waves and wave energy, spectroscopy, cosmic distance measuring, and contents of our universe. The first chapter addresses some basic science skills and math information.