Physics 103 Spring 2008
General Information
Kevin Crosby
DSC 204 x5855
kcrosby@carthage.edu
Office Hours: M: 11-12, T-F: 3-4
Course Prerequisites
High school mathematics through trigonometry.
Textbooks and other supplies
- Explorations, An Introduction to Astronomy, 4th Ed., T Arny
- Lecture-Tutorials for Introductory Astronomy, J. Adams, E. Prather, T. Slater
- Planisphere
Course Description
Astronomy is the study of the objects, structure, and evolution of the Universe. As such, astronomy is a strongly interdisciplinary subject that relies on all branches of physics, chemistry, and geology to understand the Universe around us.
While we will discuss and examine the various cultural contexts in which astronomy has been developed and practiced, this course is primarily about the science behind the world-view astronomy gives us. Students will engage in the practice of science through cobservation, analysis, interpretation, and model building. The language of science is mathematics and you must be at least minimally conversant in this language. Translation: Be comfortable with high-school algebra and trigonometry before taking this course.
The course begins with an overview of the history of astronomy, from ancient civilizations to the present day. We will next talk about how astronomy is practiced: the kinds of instruments and observations that are made, the work of astronomers, and the applications of astronomy to everyday life. The course continues with three major units which cover, respectively, the solar system, our galaxy (the Milky Way), and the structure of the Universe.
This is a laboratory course. Each week includes both classroom sessions and observing/laboratory sessions. You will each have the opportunity to observe the universe through a telescope, and see the objects we discuss in class with your own eyes.
A Warning:
This is a course in which you will be doing science. This is very different than reading about science. To do well in this course, you will need to completely understand the material in the readings. This involves much more than simple memorization. You will need to develop the ability to think scientifically as evidenced by your ability to do all chapter problems and answer summary questions.
Course Objectives
- Develop the “world-view” of an astronomer.
- Learn the methods and tools employed in astronomy.
- Develop a knowledge of the characteristics of the objects in the Universe.
- Develop skills to observe the sky.
- Develop an appreciation for the night sky.
Requirements
Assignments
Assignments will include in-class worksheets, tutorials, and laboratory exercises. Late assignments will not be accepted. Makeups for exams are allowed only in cases of extenuating circumstances such as serious illness. Prior notice is required. Spring Break Airline Reservations do not constitute an extenuating circumstance!
Homework and Homework Quizzes
Homework assignments are to be completed each week. You will not be asked to submit your written work. However, there will be a an online quiz every Thursday night which will consist of questions similar to the homework and chapter examples from the text. If you've done your homework the quiz is easy - if you haven't, you might be doing some guessing. The lowest quiz grade will be dropped. The weekly homework assignments can be found on the course schedule.
Exams
There will be two in-class exams and a comprehensive final exam. Each exam is 10% of the overall course grade. You may bring one 8.5"x11" sheet of hand-written notes to each exam. Exams may not be made up. If a medical emergency causes you to miss an exam, the missed points will be added to your Final Exam. Documentation is required.
Laboratory
There are two types of lab exercises for this course: Observing sessions and benchtop experiments. See Course Schedule for details.
Lab Reports:
The indoor experiments will be conducted in the astronomy laboratory, DSC 106, and in the Planetarium. For these exercises a formal laboratory report will often be required. These reports will be due one week after the laboratory session. Remember, these reports are the only record of what you did and what you found. The rest of the world wants to know! You therefore must be complete. Assume that the reader knows nothing about your experiment. You will need to motivate the work, completely describe what you did, what you got, and what it means. All laboratory reports must be word processed. Use graphics software (or a spreadsheet) for plotting data. All figures should have titles and captions and be referenced in the body of your report. Format guidelines for the lab reports will be available in class.
Depending on weather conditions, 2-3 outdoor labs will be scheduled during the semester. You will be informed when and where these will take place and your participation is required (lab assignments will be collected). At least one of the outdoor lab activities will involve a trip to Yerkes Observatory in Williams Bay, about a 50 minute drive from campus.
Blackboard
http://blackboard.carthage.edu
You will be required to enroll in this course on Blackboard. You can find it in Blackboard's Course Catalog in the Physics folder. There, you will find announcements, supplementary course materials, and communication capability with the instructor and fellow students. Course evaluations will also be administered through Blackboard.
Grading and Policies
Participation/Worksheets/Tutorials |
10% |
Homework Quizzes |
35% |
Lab Reports |
20% |
Two Exams |
20% |
Final Exam |
15% |
Academic Honesty
Students are bound by the terms of the Carthage College Academic Honesty Contract in the Student Handbook. Any act of academic dishonesty is sufficient cause for failure of the course.
Special Circumstances
If you have a documented disability and anticipate needing any accommodations for the course, please speak with the instructor during the first two weeks of class. You will also need to have documentation on file with Learning Specialist Diane Schowalter in the Advising Center (dschowalter1@carthage.edu, x5802, Advising Center, South Hall).Course Calendar
Necessary revisions will be distributed in class.
Date |
Reading |
Topic |
Activity |
Lab Exercise |
Homework |
Feb 6 |
Preview |
Intro, Cosmic Distance Scales, APOD |
Scales, Sun Size |
NO LAB
|
LT: How Big is Big? (Handout) |
8 |
1.1 |
Celestial Sphere, Cycles & Seasons |
Seasons |
LT: Seasonal Stars |
|
11 |
1.2-1.3 |
Moon Phases & Eclipses |
Phases of Moon |
Lab #1: The Night Sky* (Planetarium) |
1:QfR All; P1,3, |
13 |
2.1-2.5 |
Copernicus, Kepler's Laws, Gravity |
Kepler’s Laws |
4,8,9 2:QfR 1-8; |
|
15 |
2.7-2.9 |
Orbital Motion & Escape Velocity |
Quiz, Escape Velocity |
P 1,2,6,9 |
|
18 |
3.1-3.4 |
Nature of Light |
Blackbody-Radiation |
Lab #2: Earth’s Orbital Motion |
3:QfR 1-9; P 1-6 |
20 |
3.5-3.7 |
Spectra & Doppler Effect |
Spectra, Bohr Atom |
4:QfR 1-5,7-8; |
|
22 |
4.1, 4.5-4.6 |
Telescopes |
Quiz, Teles. & Atmosphere |
P 1-3 |
|
25 |
5.1-5.4 |
Earth's Interior & Age |
Density |
Lab #3: Optics & Telescopes*
|
5: QfR 1-13; P2 |
27 |
5.5-6,6.1-2 |
Earth’s Atmosphere, Lunar Structure |
Earth’s Surface |
6: QfR 1,3-7,9, |
|
29 |
6.3-6.6 |
Moon’s Orbit & Tides |
Quiz, Origins |
10; P 1-3,5 |
|
Mar 3 |
7.1-7.2 |
Overview & Formation of Solar System |
Planet Formation |
Lab # 4: Transits of Venus & Mercury (CLEA) |
7: QfR 3,5,10, |
5 |
7.3 |
Finding New Planets |
Extra Solar Planets |
13,15,17 |
|
7 |
8.1-8.3 |
Mercury & Venus |
Quiz, Resonance |
8: QfR 3,7, |
|
10 |
8.4-8.6 |
Mars, Terrestrial Planets |
Planetary Variations |
Review Session I
|
11,13,15,17,18 |
12 |
9.1-9.2 |
Jupiter & Saturn, Uranus, Neptune |
Europa, Titan |
9: QfR 1-4,9-14 |
|
14 |
9.3-9.4 |
1st Hour Exam |
|
||
17-24 |
Spring Break |
||||
26 |
11.1-11.2 |
Solar Atmosphere |
SOHO |
Evening Observing
|
11: QfR 1-5, |
28 |
11.3 |
Solar Interior, Thermonuclear Fusion |
Fusion, Star Lifetime |
8-11, 13,19; P1,5 |
|
31 |
11.4-11.6 |
Sunspots & Solar Cycle |
Quiz, Sun Observing |
Lab #5: Solar Rotation*
|
|
Apr 2 |
12.1-12.2 | Parallax, Inverse-Square Law, Magnitudes | Parallax & Distance | 12: QfR 1-16; | |
4 |
12.3-12.4 | Stellar Spectra/Types | Spectroscopic Parall. | P 1-4,7,11 |
|
7 |
|
NO CLASS |
|
NO LAB |
|
9 |
|
NO CLASS |
|
|
|
11 |
12.5-12.6 |
H-R Diagram, Main Sequence |
Quiz, H-R Diagram |
13: QfR 1,2,9- |
|
14 |
13.1,13.3 |
Stellar Evolution, Life on Main Sequence |
Spectroscopy |
Lab #6: Spectral Classification of Stars* (CLEA) |
12,14,17-24; |
16 |
13.4,13.6 |
Giants, Helium Fusion, Low-M Death |
Stellar Evolution |
P1,3,4,5 |
|
18 |
13.7,13.9 |
High-M Death & Supernovae |
Quiz |
|
|
21 |
14.2 |
Neutron Stars & Pulsars |
Neutron Stars, Nucl ρ |
Lab #7: Radio Astronomy of Pulsars (CLEA) |
14: QfR 5-15; |
23 |
14.3 |
Black Holes |
Black Holes, Spandex |
P 2, 4 |
|
25 |
15.1-15.3 |
The Milky Way Galaxy |
Quiz, Milky Way Sc. |
15: QfR 1-6 |
|
28 |
|
Types of Galaxies |
|
Review Session II Evening Observing
|
|
30 |
16.1 |
2nd Hour Exam |
Galaxy Classification |
|
|
May 2 |
16.2 |
Galactic & Extragalactic Distance Scales |
Cepheids HOU |
16: QfR 1-11, 21- |
|
5 |
16.3 |
Redshift & Hubble's Law |
Expansion Exercise |
Lab #8: Hubble’s Law (CLEA) |
25; P 1, 4 |
7 |
16.6 |
Galaxy Clustering, Dark Matter |
DM, Exploring LSS |
|
|
9 |
17.1 |
The Big Bang, Cosmic Microwave Background |
Quiz, Lookback Time |
17: QfR All; P 1 |
|
12 |
17.2-17.3 |
The Fate of the Universe |
Cosmology |
NO LAB
|
|
14 |
17.4-17.5 |
The Early Universe |
Hawking |
|
|
16 |
|
Review |
Quiz |
||
21 |
Final Exam (1:30-3:30 PM) |
||||