Astronomy 101 Fall 2007
Introduction to Astronomy
Course Syllabus
    Instructor Information:
  • Mike Solontoi
  • Email: solontoi@astro.washington.edu
  • Office Hours: By Appointment

    		•

    Course Information:

    Contents:

    Course Objectives:

    The goals of this course are
    - to understand science as a process: how it is done, what skills are involved, how it applies to everyday life, and how it is used to learn about the universe
    - to understand and apply basics physics concepts to problems in astronomy

    Course objectives are derived from the course goals and designed to be assessable (ie-things we can grade). By the end of this course, students should be able to:

    These objectives will be achieved through the labs, in-class discussions, and critical thinking homework and mid-lecture questions. They will be assessed using exams, quizzes, homework, and participation.

    Prerequisites:

    Science without math is philosophy, so there will be some basic math needed for this course.  Simple relations will be stressed, not actual computation.

    Materials:

    You will need a stapler for any multi page work you wish to submit.

    The required text for this course is The Essential Cosmic Perspective Fourth Edition, Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit., (2007) Pearson Education, Inc.

    Another fine source of material is Nick Stroble's web page. This is essentially an online textbook. It presents much of the material we will cover quite well, although not in great detail. I will try to point out the particular chapters of it that supplement our current topic. You can find it at:
    www.astronomynotes.com

    You are also encouraged to utilize other resources you may have access to such as old astronomy text books or other sources.

    Points:

    Item Number Percent of
    grade    		 Approximate Scale
    Exams 2 55% 3.0 ~ 70% (curved)
    Homework 7 35% 3.0 ~ 80%
    Constellation Report 1 10% 3.0 ~ 80%
    Extra Credit 3 up to +7% Grade increase

    Student Expectations:

    Students should expect to do the following class-related work: attend class, take in-class quizzes, participate in group discussions at least at the small group level, turn in homework on time, and do the necessary reading and studying you require to review what we've covered in lecture..

    Use the resources available in this class to develop your skills as a scientist. The point of the class is to learn science - not to memorize facts to pass a test! Any student who completely fulfills these expectations should expect to pass this course.

    		   

    Grading:

    Here are my primary grading criteria:

  • Did you understand the point of the assignment? Does what you did make sense?
  • Do your answers to "critical thinking" questions demonstrate that you have thought the question through logically? For some questions I am more interested in seeing your thought process than the answer itself.
  • Did your work meet the purpose of the assignment?
  • Were the facts you stated in your work correct?
  • Were your results communicated clearly? This may not be a writing class but good communication skills are important no matter what you do in your life. If I can't read or don't understand what you're saying I will have to assume you don't either.
  • Math or graphing errors. If your final answer is not even physically realistic you should think to check your math. I do take points off for bad math that leads to bad results.
  • Did you answer all questions posed?  

    Exams:

    There will be two exams, the first will cover material adressed during the first half of the course and in chapters 1-4 and 6-9. The second exam will focus on the second half of the course and chapters 5 and 10-18, but will also include important material from the first half of the course. In this sense the final exam will cover material from the entire course. All the material that the exams will draw from will be covered in lecture and or the homework assignments.

    Policies:

  • GROUP WORK:
    In this class you are encouraged to work in small groups on the homework both in class and outside of class. More specifically, you are encouraged to share infromation and discuss methods, graphs, and results. But you must still do all your own work. See "CHEATING".
  • CHEATING:
    Cheating will not be tolerated. A group of people may have the exact same data if they are working together. However, all work you turn in must be yours - all the words, all the calculations, all the graphs, all the thinking. If your work looks too similar to someone else's or too closely resembles something published on paper or online I will suspect cheating and investigate it fully in accordance with the College's and the Division's policies on cheating. This is not a good thing to have happen.
  • LATE WORK and MISSED EXAMS:
    Late work of any kind will not be accepted without a valid excuse and communication as early as possible.
  • ACCEPTABLE WORK:
    The work you turn in is a reflection of you. Please make sure that your work is legible and either typed, or written neatly in pencil or blue or black ink on standard (8.5 x 11 inch) paper, and that if there are multiple pages they are fastened neatly together with a staple.
  • SPECIAL ACCOMIDATIONS:
    If you require accommodations based on a documented disability, have emergency medical information to share, or need assistance in case of emergency evacuation; please make an appointment with me as soon as possible.
    If you would like to inquire about becoming a DSS (Disability Support Services) student please call 425-564-2498 or go in person to the DSS office in B132 .

    Course Outline (dates subject to change - check back often!):

    >
    Date Topic Assignments Reading
    9/25 Introduction, Astronomy as a Science HW #1 (science) Due 10/2 Chapter 1, 3.4, Appendix C
    9/27 Sky Motions I   Chapter 2
    10/2 Sky Motions II, History
    		 HW #2 (sky motions) Due 10/11 Chapter 3
    10/4 Forces and Gravity   Chapter 4
    10/9 Introduction to the Solar System
    		   Chapter 6
    10/11 The Moon HW #3 (solar system) Due 10/25 Chapter 7.2
    10/16 Terrestrial Worlds
    		   Chapter 7
    10/18 Meteorites and Asteroids, Gas Giants   Chapters 8.1, 9.1, 9.4
    10/23 Outer Moons, Comets and Pluto   Chapter 8.2, 8.3, 9.2, 9.3
    10/25 Review Presentations: Round 1 Chapters 1-4, 6-9
    10/30 No Class - silly day.
    		    
    11/1 Exam #1
    		 HW #4 (light) Due 11/8 Chapters 1-4, 6-9
    11/6 Light   Chapter 5
    11/8 The Sun HW #5 (sun and stars) Due 11/20
    image for HW#5    		 Chapter 10
    11/13 Stars   Chapter 11
    11/15 Stellar Evolution   Chapter 12
    11/20 Star Death, Birth and the Milky Way HW #6 (galaxies) Due 11/29 Chapters 12.1, 13, 14
    11/22 No Class - Holiday    
    11/27 Galaxies, Dark Matter and the Hubble Law   Chapters 14, 15.2, 16.2
    11/29 The Big Bang HW #7 (Cosmology) Due 12/6 Chapters 16.3, 17.1, 17.2
    12/4 Modern Cosmology and Astrobiology   Chapters 16.4, 17.3, 18
    12/6 Review Presentations: Round 2 Chapters 5, 10-18
    12/11 (3:30-5:30pm) Exam #2   Chapters 1-18

    Astro Links

    Hubble Heritage Image Gallery (source of images on this page)
    Astronomy Picture of the Day
    Nick Strobel's Astronomy Notes
    Best of the Hubble Space Telescope
    Realtime updates for the Sun from the satellite SOHO