Astronomy 2002H-0201
Introductory Astronomy, Spring 2016
TTh10:30to 11:45AM, MSB06
Instructor: Dr. Dan Britt
Office:Physical Sciences Building 442
Contact:Telephone, 407-823-2600
email:
Office hours:Tuesday and Thursday 9:30-10:20AM or by appointment
Course Website:
Course description: An introductory survey of our solar system, the planets, space exploration, stars, stellar evolution, and galaxies.
Course Organization: The basic requirements for this course are attending lectures, reading the assigned chapters, exams, readings with discussion, and in-class quizzes. You should read the chapter in the textbook that relates to the upcoming lecture before class. This syllabus and selected powerpoint slides will be posted on the course website.
Textbook:The Essential Cosmic Perspective, by Bennett.Included in the book package at the bookstore is an on-line access package to MasteringAstronomy. This has a number of useful tutorials and study materials.
Lectures:In the lectures I will cover a number of important topics that are not in the bookand will not appear in detail in the powerpoint slides posted on the course website. Exams will be based on the book and the material covered in class, especially if it is not in the book.ATTENDANCE AT THE LECTURES IS MANDORATORY. This is not an “on-line” course. About 30% of the material on tests will not be in the book or on the posted powerpoint slides.
Readings: Since this is an honors class we will go a bit more in-depth. Most weeks there will be a short assigned reading. READ IT IN ADVANCE! We will discuss it in class and I will be asking questions of each of you about the reading. Answers and participation in the discussions will count for 10% of your grade, so read all the assignments.
Quizzes: I will give quizzes on the topics covered by the book every week. These quizzes will be about 10 questions and mostly short answers. Quizzes will count 10% of the overall grade.
Tests: There will be two exams (25% of grade each) as listed in the attached schedule and a cumulativefinal (30% of grade). As stated below in the Missed Work Policy unexcused missed exam counts as score of ZERO. Review questions will be posted on the course website prior to each test. It is a good idea to thoroughly study the review questions.Tests will be multiple choice and count 80% of the grade.
Extra Credit: You can earn up to 2% by attending an observing session at the Robinson Observatory andturning in an observing form with a write up of what you have seen. This will include a list of the three objects observed (one object will not do), what those objects are, describe the object including colors, shape, and how large they appeared in the eyepiece. Observing forms will be reviewed and incomplete/sloppy answers will get no/incomplete credit. Observing forms will be available at Robinson. Observing forms MUST BE turned in at Robinson during the observation period. I will not accept them in class.The observing schedule is listed on the Robinson web site Extra credit must be completed before April.
Grades: The total of your 3 exams (80% of grade), the quizzes (10% of grade), and the discussions (10% of grade) and extra credit (if any), will determine your semester letter grade, according to the scale below. In practice, doing the extra credit usually moves you up a grade step (i.e. converts a C+ to a B-). Your course scores will be posted in MyUCF grades. Note that these posted scores are RAW scores and not scaled by the weight tests and quizzes have on your final grade.
Missed Work Policy: It is the policy of the Department of Physics that making up missed work will only be permitted for University-sanctioned activities and bona fide medical or family reasons. Authentic justifying documentation must be provided in every case (and in advance for University-sanctioned activities). For missed exams, the final is the only makeup offered. For missed quizzes, I will reopen access on receipt of justifying documentation.
Grading: The grade will be independent any curve.
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A At or above 92.5%
A-90%
B+85%
B 82.5%
B-80%
C+75%
C 72.5%
C-70%
D+65%
D 62.5%
D-60%
F below 60%
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Date / Title / Assignment / ReadingsTuesday 1/12 / Introduction: Observing the Moon; Distance, Scale, and Time / Chapter 1
Thursday 1/14 / The Earth's Orbit, Constellations, Earth's Motion, Seasons / Chapter 2 / R1-Soter
Tuesday 1/19 / The Nature of Science
Thursday 1/21 / Lunar phases, Eclipses / Chapter 3 / R2-Ruddiman
Tuesday 1/26 / Orbits and Ice Ages
Thursday1/28 / Ancient Astronomy, Copernican Revolution
Tuesday 2/2 / Matter and Energy / Chapter 4
Thursday 2/4 / Motion, Gravity, and Tides / R3-Kiang
Tuesday 2/9 / Light and Matter / Chapter 5
Thursday 2/11 / Optics and Telescopes
Tuesday2/16 / Exam I / Chapters 1-5
Thursday 2/18 / Intro. to the Solar System / Chapter 6 / R4-Zwart
Tuesday 2/23 / Solar System Formation and extra solar planets
Thursday 2/25 / Terrestrial Planets-Mars and Venus / Chapter 7 / R5-Hazen
Tuesday 3/1 / Terrestrial Planets-Moon and Mercury
Thursday 3/3 / The Planet Earth / R6-Air Leak
Tuesday 3/8 / Spring Break
Thursday 3/9 / Spring Break
Tuesday 3/15 / Jovian Planets / Chapter 8 / R7-Sasselov
Thursday 3/17 / Jovian Planets: Satellites and Rings
Tuesday 3/22 / Meteorites, Asteroids / Chapter 9 / R8-Becker
Thursday 3/24 / Comets and Pluto
Tuesday 3/29 / Exam II / Chapters 6-9
Thursday 3/31 / Our Sun, The Solar Cycle / Chapter 10
Tuesday 4/5 / Stellar Properties / Chapter 11 / R9-Barcelo
Thursday 4/7 / The H-R Diagram, The Birth and Evolution of Stars / Chapters 12 and 13
Tuesday 4/12 / Low Mass Stars, High Mass Stars, The Death of Stars / R10-Lineweaver
Thursday 4/14 / The Milky Way and Galaxies / Chapters 14 and 15
Tuesday 4/19 / Dark Matter and Energy / Chapter 16 / R11-Steinhardt
Thursday 4/21 / The Origin of the Universe / Chapter 17
Tuesday 4/19 / Life / Chapter 18 / R12-Smith
Thursday 4/21
Tuesday 5/3 / Final (1-3:50 pm) / All Chapters
Readings for Honors 2002 Spring 2016
- Soter: Are Planetary Systems Filled to Capacity? American Scientist. Discusses the spacing of the inner planets and why there are not more.
- Ruddiman: How Did Humans First Alter Global Climate? Scientific American. Covers orbital control of ice ages and the early human contribution to CO2 buildup.
- Kiang: The Color of Planets on Other Worlds. Scientific American. Discusses why planets on Earth are green and how colors would change with effective peak wavelengths.
- Zwart: The Long Lost Siblings of the Sun. Scientific American. Covers the formation of our system in a cluster and how that cluster broke up over time.
- Hazen: The Evolution of Minerals. Scientific American. Minerals evolve with planetary conditions and most minerals on Earth owe their existence to the presence of life.
- Catling and Zhanle: The Planetary Air Leak. Scientific American. Atmospheres can be lost to space by a number of processes.
- Sasselov: Planets we could Call Home. Scientific American. Theoretical geophysics are producing insights on how systems critical for life on Earth would work on other planetary systems.
- Becker: Repeated Blows. Scientific American. Evidence of the role played by impacts in extinctions.
- Barceló: Black Stars, not Black Holes. Scientific American. Discusses a quantum view of black holes.
- Lineweaver: Misconceptions about the Big Bang. Scientific American. Goes over common conventional problems with the Big Bang theory.
- Steinhardt: The Inflation Debate. Scientific American. Looks at the evidence for inflation and suggests some alternatives.
- Smith: Alone in the Universe? American Scientist. Addresses the question of intelligent life elsewhere in the Universe.
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