The evolution of spatially homogeneous and isotropic cosmological models containing a perfect fluid with equation of state p = wρ and a cosmological constant Λ is investigated for arbitrary combinations of w and Λ, using standard qualitative analysis borrowed from classical mechanics. This approach allows one to consider a large variety of situations, appreciating similarities and differences between models, without solving the Friedmann equation, and is suitable for an elementary course in cosmology.
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2012
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