ASTRONOMY 201 FALL 2007 RICE UNIVERSITY

 

Course Instructor:  Dr. Reginald J. Dufour

                                  Herman  Brown Hall 346 (office)  Tel. (713) 348-3348

                                  rjd@rice.edu

 

Office Hours: Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, 2:30-3:30 p.m., and by 

                        appointment

 

TA:  Greg Brunner

         gbrunner@rice.edu

 

Lectures:   Tuesday/Thursday 1:00 p.m. – 2:20 p.m.  Room 227, HBH

 

Start:  August 28th, 2007

 

Problem Solving Recitation:  to be scheduled irregularly as warranted (attendance optional)

 

Course Description:

 

This is an introductory course to astronomy for students in academic programs. It fulfills Group III distribution requirements.  (This course is not part of the requirements for students majoring in Astronomy/Astrophysics.   They need to take the more in-depth courses ASTR- 350/360.  However, if you are not sure about your major yet, or if you would like to get warmed up to the topic first, this course is a good start.)   ASTR 201 covers such fundamentals in astronomy as astronomical distances, coordinates, and timekeeping, as well as basic physical principles required for the understanding of astrophysical phenomena, e.g., energy, gravitation,  and light.  The focus of this course will be on the structure and evolution of stars, galaxies, and the universe at large.  A complementary course, ASTR 202, concentrates on the solar system.

 

 

Prerequisites

 

High school algebra and physics.  This course will not use calculus.  However, homework and some test problems will involve equations and calculations.  You will need a calculator that can do logs, exponentials and trigonometric functions in addition to basic arithmetic.

 

Required Textbooks/Media:

 

The Cosmic  Perspective, 4th  edition, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit (ISBN  0.8053-9269-6).  Depending on your interest, and whether you plan to also take Astr 202 in this or the next semester, you have a choice of buying the complete edition, which covers both  this course and the Solar System course (providing a rather complete introduction to astronomy),  or the reduced version, The Cosmic Perspective, 4th edition:  Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology (ISBN 0-321-49969-7), which covers all topics of this course.  You will also need a personal access kit for the Mastering Astronomy website and the SkyGazer CD, both of which should come with your book if you purchased a new copy.  If you bought a used copy of the book you need to purchase access to the website online at http://www.masteringastronomy.com.

Grading:

 

Homework problem sets:  30%

Three exams (#1 in class, #2 take home, #3 in class):  45%

Quizzes, special projects, and class participation:  25%

 

Homework problems will be due typically one week after being assigned.  You may discuss general concepts with fellow students and you are encouraged to do so.  However, the submitted material must be done individually, and the honor code applies.   You can always ask your professor questions.  The TA will also host a problem solving recitation session the night before a problem set is due. You should always study the relevant sections in the textbook and use the tutorials on the textbook website to deepen your understanding.

Exams(3) will be closed book and notes, calculator allowed.  There is NO FINAL EXAM.

Class participation means that you are asked to actively participate in class and contribute with questions and answers.  This includes attendance and active participation during problem-solving recitations with the TA outside class.

Online Quizzes:  There will be online quizzes in conjunction with hardcopy problem sets.  You will need the Mastering Astronomy subscription to access the online quizzes.  Honor code applies to online quizzes.  Make sure that you complete each online quiz on time.

 

Grades Curve:  (can slide slightly, depending on actual distribution)

 

90-100+ points           A-/A/A+ 

75-90    points            B-/B/B+

60-74    points            C-/C/C+ 

50-59    points            D-/D/D+ 

<50       points             F

 

You can get a decent grade without having much of a scientific background.  You will find, however, that you have to put in a nominal amount of work to achieve good grades.  Keep up reading the book following the lectures, and make use of the helpful tutorials and other materials available on the textbook website and media workbook!  Come see me or the TA for questions or any concerns during our office hours, or send email to set an appointment.   During office hours, you will usually find me in or near the office.  You will likely fail the course if you end up with less than 50 points of credit (and there is no chance of exam week heroics or extra credit).  For students taking the class pass/fail, please be advised to leave a safety margin before entering the third exam.  There will be special sessions before problem sets are due and before each exam.

 

Deadlines:

 

Strictly enforced!  Requests for extensions must be cleared with the professor (by email) BEFORE the due date, and you need valid reasons for them to be accepted.  Except for medical or family emergencies, extensions beyond the next lecture, even if it is granted, will result in a point discount for that assignment.

 

Websites:

 

Course    website:  http://galaxy.rice.edu/~rjd/astr201.html    -- special announcements, homework, solutions, and lecture notes will be posted here regularly.

 

Textbook website:  http://www.masteringastronomy.com  -- which contains tutorials, study guides, exercises, online quizzes, etc.

 

 

Emails:

 

In any email communication with your professor or TA, please include “ASTR201” as part of the subject line.  This will make sure your email gets proper attention.

 

Special Needs:

 

Any student with a documented disability needing special adjustments or accommodations is requested to speak with the professor during the first two weeks of class.  All discussions will be confidential.  Students with disabilities should also contact Disability Support Services in the Ley Student Center.

 

Note that the prof has a hearing disability, partially corrected, so please speak up in class and elaborate your question if he misunderstands it at first.

 

Any athlete needing special arrangements or requiring absence permission due to university events should email the prof beforehand so accommodations can be made. 

 

 

The Class/Exam Plan:  (This outline is tentative.   It may change during the course of the semester.  Check back regularly.)  First Revision: 8/28/2007

 

_________________________________________________________________________

Week            Date                Topics                                     Book          Notes/Assignments

_______________________________________________Chap._____________________

 

    1                8/28     Organization & Our Place in the                1     

 

                      8/30     Constellations, Seasons, Moon     2     

 

    2               9/04     Celestial Coordinates & Motions             S1     get book; go online

 

                      9/06     History of Astronomy & Astrology             3     PS1 & OQ1

                                                                                             

    3               9/11     Astrophysics I: Laws of Motion                 4

 

                        9/13     Astrophysics II: Gravitation                        4     PS2 & OQ2

 

      4               9/18     Astrophysics III: Light & Matter               5     observing project

                                                                                                            discussed

                        9/20     Astrophysics IV: Spectra & Motions          5     PS3 & OQ3

 

      5               9/25     Astrophysics V: Special Relativity        S2

 

                        9/27     Telescopes Across the EM Spectrum         6     PS4 & OQ4

 

      6                10/02   “Astrophysical Reviews”                       1-6;S1,2  web project

                                                                                                               discussed

                        10/04   FIRST EXAMINATION (in class)       1-6;S1,2

 

      7                10/09   The Sun: “Our Star”                                  14

 

                        10/11   Stellar Properties & Patterns                     15    PS5 & OQ5

 

      8                10/16   Mid-Term Recess                                 “Keep Looking UP!”

 

                        10/18   Stellar Spectra & HR Diagrams                15    PS6 & OQ6

 

      9                10/23   Star Birth and Protostars                           16   

 

                        10/25   Stellar Evolution                                        17    PS7 & OQ7

 

    10                10/30   Stellar Death                                             18

 

                        11/01   Black Holes & General Relativity          18;S3  PS8 & OQ8

 

    11                11/06   Our Milky Way Galaxy                 19

 

                        11/08   Galactic Center; Review; SECOND     14-18;S3

                                    (take-home) EXAM                                         (due 5pm 11/09)

    12                11/13   Galaxy Classification & Distances             20

 

                        11/15   Hubble’s Law                                           20 PS9 & OQ9

 

    13                11/20   Galaxy Evolution                                       21

 

                        11/22  Thanksgiving Recess

 

    14                11/27   AGN                                                        21  PS10 & OQ10           

 

                        11/29   The “Dark” Universe                                22   

                                                                                                           

    15                12/04   The Big Bang and Inflation                        23   obs project due

                                                                                                           

                        12/06   THIRD EXAMINATION (take home)  19-23; S3

                                    + Some notes about extraterrestrial life from Chapter 24

________________________________________________________________________

 

Notes:

 

PS are problem sets of 3-4 problems normally due a week after being assigned.

 

OQ are online quizzes taken on the MasteringAstronomy website and submitted electronically.

 

EXAMS will consist of both multiple choice questions and a few short problems.

 

OBSERVING PROJECT is observing five objects through a telescope at the campus observatory.

 

WEB PROJECT is submitting a web page report on a recent astronomy event or news item.

 

 

 

Guidelines for Submitting Homework and Writing Assignments:

 

•         Turn in your homework by 5:00 pm on the due date to the RSI office in Herman Brown Hall, room #202 into a box called “ASTR 201”. (There may be other course boxes, so make sure you put your homework into the correct one!) Write your name on top of the homework, number the pages, and staple them together.

 

•         You may discuss general concepts with fellow students and you are encouraged to do so. However, the specific homework has to be done individually and the honor code applies.

 

•         Due date and time are strictly enforced. If you cannot meet the deadline, email your professor before the due time.  Except for medical or family emergencies, extension  beyond  the  next  lecture, even if it is granted, will result in a point discount for that assignment.

 

•         Write your homework in a clear and well-organized form. Specifically, write in easily readable script or type your  homework  on  the  computer;  use  standard  letter-size  paper.  Include illustrations whenever they help explain your answer, and make sure your illustrations are neat, clear, and sufficiently large.  Try not to use ragged pages ripped out of a notebook. Points may be subtracted for very poor form of submitted homework.

 

•         Make your homework self-contained, i.e. make it  a  document  that  you  can  read  without  referring to the questions in the text.  Specifically, put a copy of the homework assignment sheet on top and write your name on it, and answer questions in complete sentences. This will also help make the home works more useful for your exam preparations.

 

•         For any problem requiring a calculation, write down the equation(s) and fill in the given values with physical units. Merely giving the final numerical result without equations may lead to some point subtraction. In addition, you may miss out on all points if you get the wrong numerical result despite a correct start and don’t provide the equation(s).

 

•         After obtaining a numerical result, put the final result into a single boxed sentence. As a check, ask yourself, does this answer make sense? (Maybe you lost some orders of  magnitude when  mistyping numbers on the calculator!) Round numerical results to a reasonable number of digits.

 

•         Watch out for proper physical units and dimensions.

 

•         For those who are using an older edition of the textbook rather than the 4th, you need to buy a proper online subscription for the 4th edition, to have access tothe proper textbook website.  Watch out for the different chapter numbers of the old editions.

 

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