Course Description & General Information

 

 

Instructors:

Prof. Joanna Rankin, A514 Cook Bldg.  Office hours:  TTh 2-3

Prof. Don Manley, A515 Cook Bldg.  Office hours:  by appointment

 

Tutors:

Mr. David Buckingham, Cook Bldg. 5th floor commons:  TTh 11–12:30
Mr. William DeWitt, A425 Cook Bldg.  Office hours: TTh 12–2
                                        Cook Bldg. 5th floor commons:  M  3:30–5
                                                                                                W  3:30–5 (if no colloquium)

Ms. Amber Kano, A425 Cook Bldg.  Office hours: MWF 1–3
Ms. Rosa Keefe, Cook Bldg. 5th floor commons:  MW 10:30–12:30

Mr. Andrew Porwitzky, A425 Cook Bldg.  Office hours: MWF 11:30–12:30
                                        Cook Bldg. 5th floor commons:  MWF  2:30–3:30

 

Textbook:

Eric Chaisson & Steve McMillan:  Astronomy Today, 4th edition (Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River, New Jersey; 2001; ISBN 0-13-091542-4).  Required. 

The textbook CD ROM includes animations, web-links and cross-referencing.  Also included in the text and on the CD ROM are Learning Goals, Hints for the Self-Test questions, Review and Discussion questions, and Problems found at the end of each chapter.  Clicking on Hint takes you to one of the most relevant sections in the chapter.  In addition to the assigned home­work, I strongly recommend that you begin with the Learning Goals, take all of the Self-Tests, and that you study all of the Review and Discussion questions. 

Web Resources:

            http://www.uvm.edu/~jmrankin under Astronomy 5

            email: Joanna.Rankin@uvm.edu

 

Course Abstract:

            Since the entire universe is the subject of this course, it is fair to say that it deals with Òthe ultimate questionÓ - How did we get here?  I hope you will keep this ques­tion in mind while we are discussing topics that are less esoteric, such as: the motions of stars and planets, the nature of light, telescopes, the origin of the solar system, and the birth and death of stars.  There will also be comets, asteroids, neutron stars, super-massive black holes, quasars, active galaxies, and much, much more. The course ends with a brief discussion of the origin of life.  One of the best times to think about Òthe ulti­mate questionÓ is while we are looking at the stars.  For this reason, the course includes a set of required Observation Activities, of which the most important Observation Activity involves naked-eye measurements of the MoonÕs motion.  From these measurements, you will calculate the period of the MoonÕs orbit. Telescope and binocular observations of celestial objects are also a part of the required Observation Activities. 

Level of Difficulty/Math Skills 

            Astronomy 005 is intended mainly for students who are majoring in fields other than physical science, and it thus attracts people from Òall walks of lifeÓ.  It has no pre­requisites.  It does have an important quantitative component using a little simple (high school) algebra, and we constantly use numbers expressed in powers-of-ten notation.   The course is much more about concepts than numerical problems, but there are a lot of themÑand the pace of the course is rather fast.  Most students find science courses substantially more demanding than other courses they have taken, and Astronomy 5 is no exception.  Mathmatical skills are increasingly demanded and have a great deal of prestige in our society, so the course provides an excellent opportunity for those who have not done simple math in a while to reacquaint yourself and polish your skills.  We thus arrange tutoring sessions to help in this process. 

 

Reading Assignments:

            Please study Chaisson & McMillan for background before attending the rele­vant lectures and discussions in class.  This will make for much more interesting, fruit­ful and lively classesÑand it will greatly facilitate your own learning process.  Thus the reading assignment for Chaisson & McMillan , Chapt. 2, for instance, should be com­pleted before class on Sept. 9 (see Course Syllabus). 

 

Attendance:

            Lecture attendance is recorded by signing a clip-board that is passed around the room at most class meetings.  If you arrive late, itÕs your responsibility to find the clip-board before you leave.  Attendance and participation is 10% of your final grade. 

 

Homework:

            There are 15 weekly homework assignments.  Most are from the textbook, which are denoted in the Syllabus as R (Review and Discussion), P (Problems), Pr (Projects), S (Skychart III Projects), or H (under Homework Helps on the course section of my web site).  Homework Helps also includes a running file of occasional comments and advice on the assignments.  Each homework question is worth either 6 pts or 3 pts.  Grading guide­lines for the 3 pt questions are as follows:  If the answer is right, or fairly close: +3 pts.  If the answer is about half right: +2 pts.  If you gave it a good try, but the answer is com­pletely wrong: +1 pt.  There will be a 0.5 pt penalty per question for poorly written or hard to read answers. Homework due dates are given in the Syllabus, usually on the Thursday the week after we cover the relevant material in class.  Homework may be submitted in class or in my mailbox near A405, no later than 6 pm.  Otherwise, there will be a late penalty unless you have evidence of illness or a family emergency. 

            Homework is one of our ways of giving you feedback on the quantitative side of the course, so please do and hand in your assignments even if you are uncertain about your results and answers.  We give considerable credit for attempts, even if wrong. 

 

Sky Observations:

            No course in astronomy is complete without some opportunities to study the night sky, and much can be done to orient and familiarize yourself with the sky with very little equipment.  You will, however, need a small flashlight (and, best, a piece of red plastic to cover the light), a notebook, and a drawing compass.  A pair of binocu­lars will also prove exceedingly useful, if you can beg or borrow a pair. 

            You have two primary aids which will help you in learning more about the night sky:  First, the resources in Chaisson & McMillan, including the sky charting programs on the included CD.  Second, we will distribute sky charts and other aids from Sky & Telescope magazine and elsewhere. 

            The observation projects are described in the Observation Project Manual which will be distributed in class.  We will provide guidance regarding these projects on occa­sional clear nights, to be announced both in class and on the course section of my web site under Observations. 

            Most of your observations, however, will be made on your own.  Clear nights tend to occur most often early in the term.  Please also note that the Moon phases are given on the Syllabus for your information. 

 

Exams:

            We will have a mid-term and a final examination.  The mid-term is scheduled for the evening of Monday, Oct. 27 at 7:00 pm in 301 Williams Bldg.  Please put this date on your calendar, and drop me a note within the first three weeks of the course if you have any conflict.  The final exam is scheduled for Friday, Dec. 19 at 12 in the noon, venue to be announced.  The exams will consist of a mixture of question types, including simple problems.  We will make every effort to insure that you will have plenty of time to complete the exams and that you will not be rushed.  The final exam is cumulative and thus will cover all of the material we have stud­ied throughout the term. 

Observation Activities Fee:

            There is a $15.00 fee for star charts and other materials to be distributed in class.  This fee will be charged to your UVM account. 

 

Grading:

            The various components of the course will be weighted approximately as follows: 

                        Homework questions and problems                      25%

                        Night Sky Observation Projects                              20%

                        Mid-Term Exam                                                        20%

                        Participation and Attendance                                    10%

                        Final Exam                                                                 25%

My usual practice is not to curve scores, but to give exams which can be graded by the usual absolute scale (90%+ is an A, etc.). 

 

Scholarship:

            Good scholarly practice is expected in every aspect of the course--above all, honesty, good organization and legibility.  No written work should ever be shown to another student prior to submission.  Work exhibiting flagrant violations of minimal scholarly standards (i.e., poor construction or organization, misspellings) will be re­turned ungraded for re-submission and penalized appropriately.  University policy (see http://www.uvm.edu/~dosa/handbook/?Page=Academic.html) dictates that academic dishonesty cases cannot be handled by the faculty member and must be referred to the academic deans for adjudication.