Learning Goals

Studying this chapter will enable you to

	Describe the characteristics of the universe immediately after its birth.
	Explain how matter emerged from the primeval fireball.
	List the epochs in the evolutionary history of the universe, and specify the major characteristics of each.
	Explain how and when the simplest nuclei and atoms formed.
	Summarize the horizon and flatness problems, and discuss the theory of cosmic inflation as a possible solution to these problems.
	Explain the formation of large-scale structure in the cosmos, and discuss the observational evidence for our theories of the formation of structure in the universe.