Physics 110 Astronomy & Cosmology Section 1

Spring Semester, 2008

Instructor: Dr. Ted Williams

306 Physics & Astronomy Building, Busch Campus

(732) 445-2516 (voice) (732) 445-4343 (fax)

williams@physics.rutgers.edu (email)

Office Hour: Thursday 1:30 - 3:00 pm

Overview: This course describes the structure and evolution of stars, the properties of galaxies and clusters of galaxies, and the past, present and future of the Universe. There are no college-level prerequisites, but typical high school algebra and science preparation are assumed. The companion course, Ph 109, covers the historical foundations of astronomy, the tools and techniques used by modern astronomers, the Sun, planets, moons, and minor bodies of our solar system, and the processes by which they formed. The two courses are independent; if you wish to take both, they can be taken in either order or concurrently.

Lectures: Tuesday & Thursday, 5:00 – 6:20 pm, Physics Lecture Hall, Busch Campus

Lecture notes for each class will be posted on the course web page.

Texts: Astronomy, Journey to the Cosmic Frontier, Fifth Edition, Volume 2, by Fix (McGraw-Hill)

Iclicker Classroom Response System

Texts are available at the Rutgers Bookstores, New Jersey Books, or on-line through www.efollett.com. The bookstores may list an additional item, Astronomy Barchart – this will not be used in the course and need not be purchased. The textbook is divided into two volumes, and we will be using the material in Volume 2 only. Note that Ph 109 uses Volume 1 of this text, so if you plan to take both courses this semester, you may want to purchase the combined version of the book. Edition 5 of the text was just released, and will be the only one available new in the bookstore. There will be Edition 4 texts available on the used book market, and this is a perfectly acceptable substitute – there are almost no differences between the two editions. You must have an Iclicker to participate in this course, but the same device is used in many Rutgers courses, so if you already have one, you do not need to purchase another.

Course Web Page: We will be using the Sakai system for this course. Go to sakai.rutgers.edu and log in using your RUId and password. Click on the “PHY 110 S08 Williams” tab to enter the course site. If you have trouble logging in, please send me an email. Homework assignments, important information about the course and useful links to astronomy websites will be posted here, so check it regularly. You can access Sakai using your own computer, or any of the student computing center machines (for locations and hours, see rucs.rutgers.edu/services/instruction/index.html).

Homework and Quizzes: Homework will be assigned for each lecture, and will normally include both readings and several homework questions. The homework questions will not be graded, but quiz questions based on the previous homework assignment will be given (using the iclicker system) at the beginning of each lecture. If you do the reading and homework problems, you should find the quizzes easy.

Exams: There will be two exams: an in-class midterm exam on March 11, and the final on May 14. Both exams will be closed-book format, and will consist of multiple-choice, computer-graded questions. Material from the text, lectures, and homework assignments will be used in selecting exam questions. The final exam will not be cumulative. A make-up exam will be offered for each exam for those with excused absences.

Grades: Course grades will be based on three equally-weighted components: the in-class quizzes and the two exams.

Observing: Viewing sessions using the telescopes located on the roof of the Physics & Astronomy Building (Busch campus) are held on the 2^nd and 4^th Thursday of each month when the sky is clear, beginning at 8 pm or 1 hour after sunset, whichever is later. Attendance at these observing sessions is optional. For more information, see: www.physics.rutgers.edu/ast/ast-serin.html

Students with Disabilities: Rutgers provides a variety of services to support a successful learning experience. Please visit www.physics.rutgers.edu/ugrad/disabilities.html for information.

Class Calendar: The schedule for lectures, readings, and exams during the semester is presented below. You should read the appropriate text sections before each class in order to obtain the maximum benefit from lectures.

Date	Lecture Topic	Text
1/22	Introduction
1/24	Stellar Distances & Motion	16
1/29	Stellar Brightness & Spectra	16
1/31	The H-R Diagram	16
2/5	The Sun: Our Star	17
2/7	Star Formation	18
2/12	Young Stars	18
2/14	Stellar Structure & Evolution	19
2/19	Giant Stars & Nucleosynthesis	19
2/21	Star Death: White Dwarfs	20
2/26	Star Death: Supernovae	20
2/28	Black Holes	20
3/4	Binary Stars & Clusters	21
3/6	Review	16 - 21
3/11	Mid-Term Exam	16 - 21
3/13	Our Milky Way Galaxy	22
3/25	The Interstellar Medium	22
3/27	Galactic Structure	22
4/1	Normal Galaxies	23
4/3	The Cosmic Distance Scale	23
4/8	Quasars and Active Galaxies	24
4/10	Galaxy Clusters	25
4/15	The Big Bang and the Microwave Background	26
4/17	Inflation and the Early Universe	26
4/22	Galaxy Formation and Evolution	25
4/24	The Fate of the Universe	26
4/29	Are We Alone?	27
5/1	Review	22 - 27
5/14	Final Exam	22 - 27