ASTRONOMY 110G - Sections M04,M05,M06 - Fall 2009 - Syllabus

Instructor: Dr. Jon Holtzman

Office: Department of Astronomy, Room 202B

Office hours: By appointment, but generally available: immediately after class is a good time

Phone: 646-8181

Email: holtz@nmsu.edu

Web information: http://astronomy.nmsu.edu/holtz/a110

Class time: 11:30-12:20 Monday, Wednesday and Friday, in Biology Annex 102

Lab time: EITHER Tuesday 3:30-5:30 pm, Wednesday 12:30-2:30 pm, OR Wednesday 2:30-4:30 pm in Biology Annex 102. The lab is part of the class and comprises a significant part of the total grade.

Campus Observatory: you will need to visit the campus observatory twice during the semester; it will be open from 9-10 pm two days each week (likely Monday and Thursday). See attached Observatory information pages; more details will be given in lab.

Teaching Assistants: Mark Gleed, mgleed@nmsu.edu, Astronomy Room 209, phone 646-7724, office hours TBD and by appointment; Liz Klimek, eklimek@nmsu.edu, Astronomy Room 212, phone 646-3000, office hours TBD and by appointment. Both TAs have mailboxes in Astronomy Room 101.

Textbook/supplementary materials: We will be using an online book (Universe, by Freedman and Kauffman) and database of tutorials and problems (AstroPortal) during this class. You are required to purchase access to this database; online homework will make up 20% of your class grade! The cheapest way ($\sim$ $60 for 180-day access) to purchase the online access (to database and textbook) is to buy it online at http://courses.bfwpub.com/universe8e.php; you will need to select this class (New Mexico-NMSU-Introduction to Astronomy/Holtzman). Instructions on using the online textbook and database will be given in class/lab. For those of you who might prefer to have a physical textbook, I have ordered some bundles of textbook+online access at the bookstore. Reading material in the online textbook will be identified that is supplementary to what we cover in class. Note, however, that the lecture material defines the class, not the book material.

Class notes are available on the class web site, and are probably your most valuable resource for reviewing and previewing what we do in class.

Lab text: AY 110G Lab Manual. This is required, and you must bring it (at least the appropriate lab) to every lab class. You must have the Fall 2009 version. It is available at Kinko's for about $20.

Grades will be based on:

Homework	20%
Lab reports	30%
Midterm 1	12.5%
Midterm 2	12.5%
Paper/project	5%
Final	20%

There may also be a small amount of extra credit available in the labs, which the TAs will discuss. A total grade of 90% will guarantee you an A, 80% a B, and 70% a C, although it is possible that the cutoffs will be a bit lower than these. Most likely, a minimum grade of 50-60% will be required to barely pass the class.

Attendance policy: Attendance at every lecture is highly recommended. This is especially true since we will not be following a specific textbook. Attendance will be taken at each lecture using a signup sheet, and this will be used, in part, to judge interest on the part of each student. The attendance record will be consulted to determine grades for borderline cases. When you come to class, you are expected to be polite with respect to other, e.g., no cell phones or talking in class. Sitting in the back row will only be allowed if all other seats are occupied.

GENERAL INFORMATION AND REQUIREMENTS

• Laboratory sections meet once a week. You must attend one of the Tuesday or Wednesday sections (M04, M05, or M06), and you must attend the same section for the whole semester. Participation in the lab is mandatory; the lab comprises a significant portion of the total grade. We will drop your two lowest lab grades of the semester, but no make-up labs will be provided. Late lab reports will be accepted only if you received prior approval for turning in a report late, which will be granted only for valid excuses. Specific lab policies for your section are discussed in the attached lab syllabus.

  The lab reports are an important part of this class, as they constitute most of the out-of-class writing which is required. Because this course satisfies a general education requirement, writing is an important component of the course. Consequently, each lab report is required to include a description of the problem that the lab addresses and the techniques used to solve it, and a final discussion summarizing what was learned. It is important that these parts of the labs are written clearly and in good english. Lab reports must be completed by the beginning of the next lab section; exceptions will only be granted if the TA is approached in advance and if you have a valid excuse. You will collaborate with a group in the lab, but every person must hand in their own individually-prepared lab summary.

  The first lab will meet the week of August 24.

• There will be weekly homework assignments using the online database at
  http://courses.bfwpub.com/universe8e.php; these are intended to help your understanding and provide additional supplementary information. Instructions on using the online database will be given in class/lab. Your lowest two scores on these will be dropped.

  The weekly assignments are designed to try to keep you up-to-date with the material so you will be prepared for exams without needing to review excessively. The online assignments contain links to reading in the online textbook and to the appropriate sections in my class notes. Homework problems also may have references to relevant sections. When you finish the homework, you will be able to immediately see how well you did.

  There are also some online resources such as tutorials that are available through the textbook web site. Where relevant, these will be linked to in the weekly assignments, but you are always free and encouraged to browse through the available materials.

• There will be one required short project, which can either be a paper or a podcast. This will be due on November 20. This can be on an astronomy topic of your interest; a list of some ideas will be distributed. More details on the expectations for this will be given later in the semester.

• Midterm exams will be given around 9/30-10/2 and 10/30-11/2 and will be on all the material covered up to those dates. A final exam will be given on Wednesday, 12/9 from 10:30a-12:30p which will cover the entire course, but with emphasis on the last section. These exams will include multiple choice questions, true/false questions, and short answer/problem questions. If for some reason it is impossible to make one of the exams, you must arrange a makeup plan with the instructor before the exam; no makeup exams will be given to anyone notifying me after the exam has already taken place without an exceptional excuse.

• I strongly encourage oral participation in both classes and labs; this is the best way you can demonstrate your interest and your ability to formulate good questions about the material. I'm also willing to address issues in which you might have special interest. For people with borderline grades, active participation can make a difference in your final grade! What I am looking for here is a demonstration of interest and thought about the material.

• If you are taking this class S/U, you mush achieve at least a C grade to receive an S.

• An incomplete in this class will be given only when the student is passing the class and is precluded from successful completion of the course due to circumstances beyond his/her control. These circumstances must have developed after the last day to withdraw for the class (October 14). Appropriate circumstances include documented illness, documented death or crisis in the student's immediate family, or similar circumstances. Job related problems are not appropriate grounds for an incomplete. You must be doing passing work at the time of the request in order to be granted an incomplete.

• Any student who has not taken the first midterm and missed three or more of the homeworks may be withdrawn automatically on October 7. Wednesday, October 14 is the last date that you can withdraw the class on your own initiative.

• Plagiarism is a serious offense. It is your responsibility to understand what plagiarism means, to be aware that both intentional and unintentional plagiarism is prohibited, and to be aware that plagiarism extends to material found online. See http://www.nmsu.edu/~vpsa/SCOC/misconduct.html for more information.

• Feel free to call Jerry Nevarez, Director of Institutional Equity, at 505-646-3635 with any questions you may have about NMSU's Non-Discrimination Policy and complaints of discrimination, including sexual harassment.

• Feel free to call Michael Armendariz, Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities, at 505-646-6840 with any questions you may have on student issues related to the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and/or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. All medical information will be treated confidentially.

CLASS GOALS

General goals

The main goal of this class is that you will be more interested and knowledgeable about astronomy and the process of science when you leave this class than when you started it.

General education goals

This class satisfies the New Mexico general education requirement for a laboratory science. This requirement is designed to help students become competent in the following five areas:

• Describe the process of scientific inquiry.

• Solve problems scientifically.

• Communicate scientific information.

• Apply quantitative analysis to scientific problems

• Apply scientific thinking to real world problems

The class is designed to attempt to educate in these areas through examples in astronomy. Of course, we also hope that students come away from the class with increased interest and knowledge in general astronomy!

Many of the core competencies are addressed through the laboratory section, so students are urged to spend some time and effort thinking about the labs and handing in assignments that reflect this thought.

Content goals

The class is split up into four main sections, as listed below. Some of the questions we will address in each section are also given:

1. Introduction and Overview of the Universe. Why is astronomy interesting and relevant? What is the difference between astronomy and astrology? What are all of the different objects in the Universe, and roughly how far away are they? How do astronomers look back in time? How do astronomical objects move through space? What is the size, shape, and age of the universe?
2. Motions in the sky: astronomy by eye. How do the Sun and stars appear to move through the sky, and why? Why do we have seasons? How does the Moon appear to move through the sky, and why does the moon have phases? What is an eclipse? How do planets appear to move through the sky, and why? How do we know that the Earth and planets revolve around the Sun? What were the historical steps that led to this knowledge?
3. The physical basis of astronomy: gravity and light. Why do objects in the Solar System move as they do? How does gravity work? How can we use our understanding of orbits to measure masses of objects in the Universe? What are the masses of different object? What is dark matter and why do we think it is there? What is light, how is it produced, and what can it tell us about the objects that produce it? Why do we use telescopes and how do they work?
4. The nature of astronomical objects. What is the Solar System and what are the objects that compose it? In what respect are planets similar and different to each other? What are the processes that affect the appearance of planets? How hot is it on the planets, and why? What is the greenhouse effect? How old is the Solar System? What do we know about planets around other stars? How do stars produce light? In what respects are stars similar and different to each other? What are stars made of? How do stars evolve? How old are they?

LAB INFORMATION

Lab Description

Lab is comprised of weekly indoor labs and two visits to the campus observatory. The lab sections are taught and run by the TAs; if you have questions about labs or lab policies, consult with them first, but the professor has ultimate responsibility for both class and labs, so feel free to come to him/her if you have any unresolved issues.

Indoor Labs

Lab sessions are scheduled for two hours each week. To increase your understanding and efficiency, you must read the labs before coming to the lab session. Some introductory questions may be asked to make sure you're doing this reading.

LAB ACTIVITIES (65 points): This section is completed in groups. You will work in groups of 3-5 people in the lab to answer questions from lab materials. Each group will hand in a single write-up of these questions with the names of all of the group members. Please try to write things up neatly: illegible handwriting cannot be graded. These writeups should be handed in at the end of the lab session.

SUMMARY: (35 points): This section is to be completed on an individual basis. What we are looking for in a summary is a description of what you learned (or did not learn) from the lab; it can also include your opinion of the lab, addressing both positive and negative points. Most labs also include some questions at the end that might provide some guidelines about what you might talk about in the summary. Summaries are to be typed or well-written in black or blue ink. They should be between around 1 page typed (double spaced) or 1-2 pages hand written (double spaced).

If you complete the lab activities in less than 90 minutes (out of a 120 minute lab session), we want and expect that you will stay in class and work on your summary while things are fresh in your mind. If you can hand in everything before you leave, you won't have labwork to do during the week (aside from reading the next week's lab)! Otherwise, the summaries will be due at the beginning of the next lab meeting. Those submitted after that will be considered late.

Campus Observatory

You must visit the campus observatory twice during the semester: one during the first half (before October 15) and one during the second half. The observatory will probably be open on Mondays and Thursday from 9-10 PM; additional information or changes will be given in class. There will be a TA present (not necessarily one of the TAs for our particular class section), who you will have verify what objects you have looked at. If you go early in the observing peroid, you will likely be able to get done quicker, as there are usually less people present. Also, remember, the weather is unpredictable, so saving things for the last few nights in the period can be dangerous!

We would like you to go to the observatory and look at several objects that the TA is showing. You should then hand in a written description of each object (color, shape, etc.) to your lab TA using forms that are available at the back of the lab manual. For each object, we would like you to look up information about each object and write it down along with your object description.

Late Submission

There will be a 25 percent penalty for each week after the due date. If you have a valid excuse (medical reasons, etc.), talk to your TA. Late submission can be handed to your TA in person or dropped in their mailbox.

Grades

Labs are worth 100 points each. We will drop the lowest two lab grades. Each campus observatory report is also worth 100 points. Lab scores comprise 30% of your total grade in this course.

Miscellaneous

You are expected to read the lab manual before each lab meeting; the labs will make much more sense if you spend a bit of time getting acquainted with them beforehand. Arrive on time. Please turn off cell phones, as they are a huge distraction; if they become a problem your lab instructor may take further action.

Lab Philosophy

The labs are used as tools to aid in the understanding of the concepts explored in the lecture. These concepts are expanded upon by applying them in a practical manner in the classroom and at the campus observatory.

You will probably do well in lab if you do the following:

1. ATTEND ALL LAB MEETINGS: There will be NO make up labs. If you know ahead of time that you will miss lab, you can possibly make arrangements with your lab instructor to attend a different lab section that week. Since emergencies and illness do occur, your two lowest lab grades will be dropped.
2. COMPLETE LAB PROJECTS: All in-class labs are due the next time your lab meets, usually the next week. Keep in mind that each of these labs is worth 100 points which includes a summary at the end that is worth 35 points. Don't forget the campus observatory visits!
3. PREPARE FOR LAB: To be adequately prepared, you need to read over the lab before coming to class.
4. PARTICIPATE: You are encouraged to ask questions at any point during the lab about anything that is related to the material being covered. Remember, you are in the class to learn about astronomy, not just to finish the labs. Participating in class is not only a good way to help you learn, but it also helps others in the class.

If you have questions about an upcoming lab or about one that you have completed, be sure to stop by during office hours.

ASTRONOMY 110G - Sections M04,M05,M06 - Fall 2009 - Approximate class schedule

The assignments, except for midterms, refer to assignments in AstroPortal. Note that these will generally be due Monday classtime, unless otherwise noted in class. The assignments include both reading suggestions and a set of homework problems. The lowest two homework grades will be dropped, so if you have a particularly busy week, you can afford to miss a couple of assignments, although, of course, the more you take, the better your top grades will be. When you do the online assignments, take advantage of the online feedback so that you go away from the problems understanding more, whether you got them correct or not.

Week	Subjects	Online assignment	Lab
8/24-8/28	Introduction: astronomy, science. Astronomy and astrology. Overview: solar system	Introduction	Introduction to online resources, labs, measurement, and campus observatory
8/31-9/4	Overview: solar system and stars, Milky Way galaxy. Galaxies and the Universe.	Solar System Overview	4. Shaping surfaces in the solar system
9/9-9/11	Distances in astronomy; powers of 10. What do we see in the sky, and motions in general.	Overview of the Universe	14. Galaxy Morphology
9/14-9/18	Rotation of Earth. Revolution of Earth and seasons. Revolution of moon, eclipses.	Sky and seasons	2. The Origin of the Seasons
9/21-9/25	Motion of planets. History of astronomy. Kepler's laws.	Moon	8. Measuring distances using parallax
9/28-10/2	Motions: definitions and Newton's laws. Law of gravity.	Motion of Planets/Kepler's laws; Midterm	TBD
10/5-10/9	Orbits. Origin of angular momentum in the solar system. Rockets, weightlessness, etc. Gravity as a mass probe, gravity and dark matter.	Newton's Laws/Gravity	7. The Orbit of Mercury
10/12-10/16	Light: spectra and Kirchoff's laws, spectra and astronomical objects. What can we learn from light: continuous spectra. Reddening.	Orbits/Dark matter	9. Optics
10/19-10/23	Emission and absorption line spectra. Doppler shift. What can we learn from brightnesses of objects?	Light	10. The Power of Light: Understanding spectroscopy
10/26-10/30	The solar system: classes of planets, composition of planetary atmospheres.	Spectra/Doppler shift; Midterm 2	12. The Hertzsprung-Russell diagram
11/2-11/6	Earth, physical processes on planets. Moon; Mercury; Venus, greenhouse effect.	Classes of planets	5. Introduction to the geology of the terrestrial planets
11/9-11/13	Mars. Outer planets. Origin of solar system.	Terrestrial planets	3. The Surface of the Moon
11/16-11/20	Age of solar system. Extrasolar planets. The sun: nuclear reactions, energy transfer. Observations that support the solar model.	Outer planets/extrasolar planets	11. Our Sun
11/30-12/4	The sun: evolution. Stars: evolution, observations, clusters/HR diagram	The Sun	Review