Physics 311: Introduction to Astronomy
MWF 8:45-9:50 am and
12:30-1:35pm
+ MW 10pm-12am (lab)
Summer 2002 course
information:
INSTRUCTOR: Jack Dostal
OFFICE: 226 EPS / 315 Culbertson
PHONE: 994-2443 (EPS)
994-3382
(Culbertson)
994-0436
(home)
EMAIL: dostal@physics.montana.edu
OFFICE HOURS: MWF 10-11am and by appointment.
TEXT: Universe, sixth edition, Freedman and
Kaufmann (2002), Freeman Publishing
COVERAGE
We
will cover parts of many of the chapters, but not all of them. Rather than try to pack the universe into
six weeks, we’ll cover a smaller number of topics a bit more in depth.
GRADING
Your
course grade will be based upon the following criteria. The grading scale is meant as a guide; it
may be lowered at the instructor’s discretion, but will not be raised. Thus, for example, if you end the course
with 440 points, the lowest possible grade you could receive is a B-.
2 hour exams @ 75 points each 150 |
Grade cutoffs: |
|
3 quizzes @ 20 points each 60 |
A 511
(93%) |
C 401
(73%) |
In-class questions 40 |
A- 495
(90%) |
C- 385
(70%) |
Homework 100 |
B+ 478
(87%) |
D+ 368
(67%) |
Laboratory 100 |
B 456
(83%) |
D 346
(63%) |
Poster presentation 100 |
B- 440
(80%) |
D- 330
(60%) |
------- |
C+ 423
(77%) |
F below 60% |
Total 550 |
|
|
EXAMS
Each exam is worth 75 points and will include
several types of problems, including multiple choice, short answer, and free
response questions (working out problems, interpreting or drawing diagrams, or
essay are examples of free response questions). All lectures and work assigned (including labs) are fair game for
exam questions. You will have two exams
in class on the dates/times listed below:
Exam #1:
Fri, July 12, 12:30-1:35pm
Though the exams are not “comprehensive” in the
traditional sense of the word, they are comprehensive in that some concepts
later in the course that depend on what you learned in the beginning of the
course. For example, it’s difficult to
understand stellar temperature and composition if you don’t understand what a
spectrum is. So don’t forget what you
learned early in the course; you’ll need it later.
QUIZZES
There will be three quizzes during the semester,
each worth 20 points. The quizzes will
be related to both the lecture material and the homework assignments.
MAKEUP
QUIZZES/EXAMS
If you miss a quiz or exam for a valid reason,
you will be allowed to take a makeup quiz and/or exam (see below). Valid reasons include illness, an official
university excuse, or a personal emergency, and must be presented to your
instructor in writing within one week
of the absence. Being unprepared is not
a valid excuse.
IN-CLASS
QUESTIONS
On most class days I will be asking multiple-choice
questions of the entire class. The
format I use after asking a question is to ask for a response, have brief
partner discussion, and then ask for a second response. These will be worth up to 1 point each
depending on the class response, and you must be present to receive the
points. There are no makeups for
in-class questions. This will begin to
make more sense once we’ve done it a few times. There will likely be more than 40 questions total, so any points
you receive above 40 will be counted as extra credit.
HOMEWORK
Homework will generally be collected daily except
for exam days. Not every problem will
necessarily be graded, but every assignment will be worth 10 points. At the end of the semester, your lowest
homework score will be dropped, and the remaining 10 assignments will count
toward your 100 points. If there are less than 10 assignments, the lowest score
will still be dropped and the remaining scores averaged to get a score out of
100.
I plan to grade homework as soon as possible after
it is collected, so it is very important that you turn in your homework on
time. Late assignments will be given a
maximum of half credit if turned in within one week of the due date, and no
credit thereafter. Homework turned in
after I have started grading (which usually means after class is over) will be
considered late.
Please write neatly, legibly, and in a format that I
can understand. If I can’t understand
it, I can’t grade it, and you won’t get the credit for working on it. You should always show your work or give
your reasoning for your answer, and always use units.
As
part of this course, you will put together your own poster presentation to be
shown at the Museum of the Rockies!
This is an opportunity for you to learn about something that interests
you, even if we don’t have enough time to cover it in the course. The poster session will be held on Monday,
August 5th during and between our class periods.
The
poster can be on any subject related to astronomy, and should be well
researched and constructed. This
subject of your poster is up to you; anything from astronaut gloves to the
surface of Venus to dark matter. Refer
to the additional attached sheets for the requirements for and grading of your
posters.
LABS
Lab manuals are available in the Bookstore. Your lab instructor will cover the logistics
and workings of the lab in more detail at your first lab meeting. The lab is an important part of this class,
and some questions on the exams will relate to your laboratory work.
POLICIES
Copies of the departmental policies on “Cheating and
Plagiarism” will be distributed in lab and is also available on the Web.
Friendly
Advice:
Summer classes move FAST, and this one is no
exception. It is imperative that you do
not fall behind, even for one day.
Missing both lectures in a day or not reading the text for a day is
roughly equal to missing a week of class during a normal semester. If you do have to miss class for some
reason, try to get your work done before you leave, rather than afterward. Always find out what happened in lecture if
you missed it.
When you work on homework, I encourage you to work
with other people. They will often have
insight on a problem that you didn’t, and vice versa. HOWEVER, all work you turn in must be your own. It does you little good to simply copy
someone else’s work; in fact, not having worked the problems yourself will hurt
you for the quizzes and exams.
Always ask questions! If you don’t understand something, chances are you’re not the
only one. In addition, every claim I
(or the book, or you, etc.) make should have supporting evidence or reasoning
behind it. If I told you that the
universe was 10 billion years old, I would want you to say, “Why? How do you know?” On occasion, I might not be able to answer your question. In that case, I’ll tell you that I don’t
know, but will do some work to find out the answer after class. Most of all, enjoy the class! As one of my former advisors said, “If
you’re not having fun, you’re doing it wrong.”
Daily Class Schedule (subject to changes as
the semester progresses)
Date
|
|
Subject |
Reading for the day |
HW due |
July 1 |
AM |
Introduction |
- |
- |
|
PM |
Finding your way around the sky, coordinates |
2.3 – 2.7 |
- |
3 |
AM |
Light and spectra |
5.1 - 5.6, 5.9 |
See sheet |
|
PM |
Light, telescopes |
6.1 – 6.7 |
|
5 |
AM |
Solar system phenomena, seasons |
2.5 – 2.8 |
|
|
PM |
More phenomena, moon phases Quiz #1 |
3.1 – 3.6 |
|
8 |
AM |
More phenomena |
4.1-4.8 |
|
|
PM |
Solar system motion, Kepler, Newton |
4.1-4.8 |
|
10 |
AM |
Solar system origin |
7.7 – 7.9 |
|
|
PM |
Catch-up period |
|
|
12 |
AM |
Revisiting light and spectra |
5.3, 5.4 |
|
|
PM |
EXAM #1 |
|
|
15 |
AM |
Star properties |
19.1-19.10 |
|
|
PM |
Star properties |
19.1-19.10 |
|
17 |
AM |
Stars and stellar interiors |
18.1-18.2, 20.4 |
|
|
PM |
The Sun
|
18.3-18.10 |
|
19 |
AM |
Stellar birth and evolution |
20.1-20.8 |
|
|
PM |
Stellar evolution Quiz #2 |
21.1-21.6 |
|
22 |
AM |
Stellar evolution and death |
22.1-22.6 |
|
|
PM |
Stellar remnants: |
22.6-22.10 |
|
24 |
AM |
Neutron stars and pulsars, Black Holes |
Chapters 23-24 |
|
|
PM |
Catch-up period |
|
|
26 |
AM |
The Milky Way Galaxy |
Ch. 25 |
|
|
PM |
EXAM #2 |
|
|
29 |
AM |
Other galaxies, higher rungs on the distance
ladder |
Ch. 26 |
|
|
PM |
The galactic freak show |
Ch. 27 |
|
31 |
AM |
Special topics |
TBA |
|
|
PM |
Special topicsQuiz #3 |
TBA |
|
August 2 |
AM |
Guest Lecture |
TBA |
|
|
PM |
NO CLASS, use this time to prepare your posters! |
- |
|
5 |
AM |
Poster presentations |
- |
|
|
PM |
Poster presentations |
- |
|
7 |
AM |
Special topics |
TBA |
|
|
PM |
Special topics |
TBA |
|
9 |
AM |
NO CLASS |
- |
- |
|
PM |
NO CLASS |
- |
- |