PHY 110: Astronomy and Cosmology

Stars, Galaxies and the Universe

 

Spring 2008

Prof. Gawiser's Website • Astronomy at Rutgers • Department of Physics & Astronomy • Rutgers University

Last updated February 3, 2008

1. At First Glance

Instructor

Prof. Eric Gawiser; Office hours: Thursday, 5:00-6:20 PM in Serin Physics Lab W303.

Class Hours and Venue

Tuesday and Thursday (6:40-8:00 pm)
Physics Lecture Hall, Busch Campus

Quizzes

At the beginning of each lecture using the iClicker personal response systems

Exams

Midterm Exam: Thursday, Mar 13th, in class
Final Exam: Thursday, May 8th, 8-11 PM, location TBA.
Make-up Exams:dates and location TBA

 

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2. Course Description

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, PHY109, covers the historical foundations of astronomy, the tools and techniques used by modern astronomers, the 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.

Note that this course is intended for non-science majors. Students with college-level math and science credits should consider taking PHY341 and/or PHY342, instead. Those courses cover much of the same material as PHY110 and PHY109, but at a more advanced level.

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3. Instructor

This is the official website of Section 2 of PHY110 for Spring 2008. The instructor for this course and section (and the author of this website) is:

Prof. Eric Gawiser
Room 303, West Wing
Physics and Astronomy Building (Serin Labs), Busch Campus
Phone: (732)-445-2733

In addition to my regularly scheduled office hours, I am available to offer help and answer questions for a few minutes just before, or just after, each lecture.

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4. Office Hours

My office hours are Thursdays 5:00-6:20PM in Serin Physics Building W303.

We have a PHY110 "virtual classroom" setup through Rutgers' Sakai system. This is the best place to submit questions about course material or logistics. Emails on these topics will not be responded to directly, rather I will post them anonymously on Sakai along with the answers. You are of course welcome to email me at

gawiser@physics.rutgers.edu
with emergencies or confidential issues - please make it clear in the subject line that this is referring to PHY110 and if it should remain private.

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5. Lecture Schedule

The lecture schedule is posted below, along with the relevant material from the textbook.

LECTURE

DATE

TOPICS

CHAPTERS

1

Jan 22
(Tues.)

INTRODUCTION.
COURSE OVERVIEW AND GOALS.

 

2

Jan 24
(Thurs.)

CELESTIAL SPHERE, iCLICKER PRACTICE

1

3

Jan 29
(Tues.)

MOTIONS AND CYCLES

2

4

Jan 31
(Thurs.)

ORBITS AND GRAVITY

4.5, 5

5

Feb 5
(Tues.)

LIGHT

6

6

Feb 7
(Thurs.)

TELESCOPES

6

7

Feb 12
(Tues.)

STARS

16

8

Feb 14
(Thurs.)

STELLAR SPECTRA

16

9

Feb 19
(Tues.)

THE SUN

17

10

Feb 21
(Thurs.)

STAR FORMATION

18

11

Feb 26
(Tues.)

STELLAR EVOLUTION

19

12

Feb 28
(Thurs.)

STELLAR EXPLOSIONS

19,20

13

Mar 4
(Tues.)

NEUTRON STARS AND BLACK HOLES

20

14

Mar 6
(Thurs.)

BINARY STARS

21

15

Mar 11
(Tues.)

REVIEW

1,2,5,6,16-21

16

Mar 13
(Thurs.)

MIDTERM EXAM

1,2,5,6,16-21

17

Mar 25
(Tues.)

THE MILKY WAY

22

18

Mar 27
(Thurs.)

THE MILKY WAY

22

19

Apr 1
(Tues.)

NORMAL GALAXIES

23

20

Apr 3
(Thurs.)

NORMAL GALAXIES

23

21

Apr 8
(Tues.)

ACTIVE GALAXIES

24

22

Apr 10
(Thurs.)

GALAXY EVOLUTION

25

23

Apr 15
(Tues.)

GALAXY EVOLUTION

25

24

Apr 17
(Thurs.)

COSMOLOGY

26

25

Apr 22
(Tues.)

COSMOLOGY.

26

26

Apr 24
(Thurs.)

LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE

27

27

Apr 29
(Tues.)

LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE.

27

28

May 1
(Thurs.)

END OF SEMESTER REVIEW

22-27

 

May 8
(Thurs.)

Final Exam

22-27

 

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6. Homework and Quizzes

Homework will be assigned for each lecture, in the form of reading the chapter ahead of the lecture and answering several homework questions. Homework will not be graded, but reading and homework quizzes will be given at the beginning of each lecture. If you do the reading and homework problems, you should find these quizzes easy. The quiz problems will be similar - but not identical - to the assigned homework problems, so memorizing the answer will not help you, but understanding the problems will!

Completing the homework assignments is essential is you wish to get a good grade in the course, for three reasons:

  1. Personal response participation, which includes the reading and homework quizzes, counts for one third of the final grade for the course.
  2. It is easier to get a high score on the reading and homework quizzes than on the exams.
  3. Doing the homework will prepare you for the exams: many of the exam questions will test the material covered in the homework.

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7. Examinations

There will be a midterm exam, held on March 13th during the regular class period. The final exam covers the second half of the course and will be on May 8th at 8 PM. Note: this is scheduled by the University. There will be make-up exams for those who have an excused absence for either the midterm exam or the final exam.

Only those people who are unable to attend the regular exams because of a class conflict, a medical/family emergency (which must be documented with a dean's note), or other serious and unforeseen event (which must be documented with a dean's note) will be allowed to take the make-up exam.

All exams will be multiple choice, computer graded, and closed book. Calculators are not required, though you may bring one to the exam if you wish.

IMPORTANT: During the midterm and final exams, you will be asked to present the appropriate identification: i.e., a valid Rutgers student ID card. Students lacking the appropriate identification may not be allowed to take the exam!

IF YOU ARE GOING TO TAKE THE MAKE-UP, YOU MUST  HAVE A VALID CONFLICT AND GET PERMISSION FROM ME PRIOR TO THE END OF CLASS ON MAY 1ST!!!!

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8. Grades

The course grade will be determined by:

Midterm exam:

1/3

Final exam:

1/3

iClicker Personal Response Scores:

1/3

Note that the maximum score that can be obtained from exams alone is 67%. Therefore it is impossible to get a good overall grade without attending the lectures where the iClicker personal response systems will be used.

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9. Other Texts

There are many other good textbooks available for introductory courses on astronomy and cosmology. You may want to consult some of these other books from time to time. Try:

  1. The Universe Revealed, by Chris Impey and William K. Hartmann. Published by Brooks/Cole.
  2. Universe, by Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann. Published by W.H. Freeman and Company.
  3. Astronomy: From the Earth to the Universe, by Jay M. Pasachoff. Published by Brooks/Cole.
  4. Foundations of Astronomy: by Michael A. Seeds. Published by Brooks/Cole.
  5. Astronomy Today, by Chaisson and McMillan. Published by Prentice Hall.

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10. How to Succeed in this Course

  • Read the appropriate text sections before each class so that you get the maximum benefit from the lectures.
    • Attend all lectures and come prepared with questions on the material.
  • After reading the material, try several of the odd-numbered questions at the end of each chapter of the text and check your answers against the solutions in the back of the book.
  • Do all of the assigned homework problems and make sure you understand the answers.
  • If you have any questions/concerns about the material or content, talk to me during office hours or immediately before or after the lectures.

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11. Students with Disabilities

Students with Disabilities: Rutgers provides a variety of services to support a successful learning experience. Please click here for further information.

 

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