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A Student's Guide #4
A Student's Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy
The study of astronomy offers an unlimited opportunity for us to gain a deeper understanding of our planet, the Solar System, the Milky Way Galaxy and the known Universe. Using the plain-language approach that has proven highly popular in Fleisch's other Student's Guides, this book is ideal for non-science majors taking introductory astronomy courses. The authors address topics that students find most troublesome, on subjects ranging from stars and light to gravity and black holes. Dozens of fully worked examples and over 150 exercises and homework problems help readers get to grips with the concepts in each chapter. An accompanying website features a host of supporting materials, including interactive solutions for every exercise and problem in the text and a series of video podcasts in which the authors explain the important concepts of every section of the book.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 31, 2013
100 people are currently reading
324 people want to read
About the author
Daniel Fleisch
8 books43 followersProf. Dan Fleisch short biography
Dan Fleisch is a Professor in the Department of Physics
at Wittenberg University, where he specializes in
electromagnetics and space physics. He is the author of
the internationally best-selling book A Student’s Guide to
Maxwell’s Equations, published by Cambridge
University Press in January 2008 and already in its 12th printing. This book has been
translated into Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Dr. Fleisch is also the author of A
Student’s Guide to Vectors and Tensors, published by Cambridge Press in 2011, and A
Student’s Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy, to be published in September of 2013.
He is currently under contract with Cambridge Press for A Student’s Guide to Waves,
which will be published in 2014. Fleisch is also the co-author with the late Prof. John
Kraus of The Ohio State University of the McGraw-Hill textbook Electromagnetics with
Applications.
Prof. Fleisch has published technical articles in the IEEE Transactions, The Journal of
Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, and Microwave Journal, and has presented more
than a dozen professional papers on topics related to high-speed microwave
instrumentation and radar cross-section measurement. He has been a regular contributor
of science commentary to PBS station WYSO of Yellow Springs, and in 2006 he
appeared in the documentary "The Dayton Codebreakers" shown on Public
Television. In 2009 he was the first U.S. citizen to receive an Arthur Award from Stuart
McLean of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Prof. Fleisch was named Outstanding Faculty Member at the Wittenberg Greek
scholarship awards in 2000, and in 2002 he won the Omicron Delta Kappa award for
Excellence in Teaching. In 2003 and 2005 he was recognized for Faculty Excellence and
Innovation by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), and in
2004 he received Wittenberg’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the university’s highest
faculty award.
In November of 2010 Prof. Fleisch was named the Ohio Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
In August of 2013 Prof. Fleisch was named one of the Top 25 Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Professors in Ohio.
Fleisch received his B.S. in Physics from Georgetown University in 1974 and his M.S.
and Ph.D. in Space Physics and Astronomy from Rice University in 1976 and 1980,
respectively.
Dan Fleisch is a Professor in the Department of Physics
at Wittenberg University, where he specializes in
electromagnetics and space physics. He is the author of
the internationally best-selling book A Student’s Guide to
Maxwell’s Equations, published by Cambridge
University Press in January 2008 and already in its 12th printing. This book has been
translated into Japanese, Korean, and Chinese. Dr. Fleisch is also the author of A
Student’s Guide to Vectors and Tensors, published by Cambridge Press in 2011, and A
Student’s Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy, to be published in September of 2013.
He is currently under contract with Cambridge Press for A Student’s Guide to Waves,
which will be published in 2014. Fleisch is also the co-author with the late Prof. John
Kraus of The Ohio State University of the McGraw-Hill textbook Electromagnetics with
Applications.
Prof. Fleisch has published technical articles in the IEEE Transactions, The Journal of
Atmospheric and Terrestrial Physics, and Microwave Journal, and has presented more
than a dozen professional papers on topics related to high-speed microwave
instrumentation and radar cross-section measurement. He has been a regular contributor
of science commentary to PBS station WYSO of Yellow Springs, and in 2006 he
appeared in the documentary "The Dayton Codebreakers" shown on Public
Television. In 2009 he was the first U.S. citizen to receive an Arthur Award from Stuart
McLean of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.
Prof. Fleisch was named Outstanding Faculty Member at the Wittenberg Greek
scholarship awards in 2000, and in 2002 he won the Omicron Delta Kappa award for
Excellence in Teaching. In 2003 and 2005 he was recognized for Faculty Excellence and
Innovation by the Southwestern Ohio Council for Higher Education (SOCHE), and in
2004 he received Wittenberg’s Distinguished Teaching Award, the university’s highest
faculty award.
In November of 2010 Prof. Fleisch was named the Ohio Professor of the Year by the
Carnegie Foundation and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education.
In August of 2013 Prof. Fleisch was named one of the Top 25 Science, Technology,
Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Professors in Ohio.
Fleisch received his B.S. in Physics from Georgetown University in 1974 and his M.S.
and Ph.D. in Space Physics and Astronomy from Rice University in 1976 and 1980,
respectively.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 26, 2025
decent, understandable
Read
August 13, 2021I have a question. I have looked everywhere for the solutions to the questions at the end of each chapter but am unable to find them. Could somebody please help me? (i checked the website but I cannot find anything other than reviews of the books and an insight of the context)
May 31, 2017
Really excellent review of the basics and a good beginner reference. I strongly encourage use of the web site resources particularly the chapter videos.
June 10, 2019
3.5 stars
February 22, 2020
Painless Overview of basic astronomical equations
This is a great text for someone new to astronomy. It is intended to supplement an introductory text. No calculus is used.
This is a great text for someone new to astronomy. It is intended to supplement an introductory text. No calculus is used.
July 5, 2021
Life saver.
February 10, 2024
Easy to understand although a summary page would’ve made it better
August 1, 2025
Excellent overview of basic math used for astronomy. Probably all that any amateur would need, or a solid introduction to more advanced study.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews