Abstract.
For the first time in the history of cosmology, there is general agreement concerning the values of cosmological parameters. This turns out to be a rather strange set of values and they raise a number of questions for fundamental physics. In this lecture, a strongly physical approach will be taken to the construction of cosmological models. The most recent evidence on the values of the cosmological parameters will be summarised and potential solutions to fundamental problems discussed. It will be argued that the inflationary model is surprisingly successful in accounting for many of the large scale features of the Universe. It will be demonstrated how many of the most important results can be derived from physical arguments involving no more than first year dynamics and quantum mechanics. The lecture will be delivered at a level accessible to all physicists and astronomers.