PHY 109: Astronomy and Cosmology

The Solar System

 

Fall 2003

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

Last updated January 12, 2004

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1. At First Glance

Instructor

Prof. Patrick Cote; Office hours: Monday 9:50am to 11:10am (Period 2)

Grader

Chenglin Zhang

Class Hours and Venue

Period 7 (6:10-7:30 pm), Tuesdays and Thursdays
Physics Lecture Hall

Homework Deadline

11:59pm each Tuesday.

Exams

First Midterm Exam: Thr. Oct. 2
Second Midterm Exam: Thr. Nov 6
Final Exam: Tue. Dec. 16.

 

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2. Course Description

This course describes the historical foundations of astronomy, the techniques by which astronomers gather information, the Sun, planets, moons and minor bodies of our Solar system, and the processes by which the whole system formed. There are no college-level prerequisites, but minimal high school algebra and science preparation are assumed. A companion course, PHY110, covers the structure and evolution of stars, the properties of galaxies, and the past, present, and future of the Universe. 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 instead. That course, which is also offered this fall, covers much of the same material as PHY109, but at a more advanced level. PHY342, which is offered next semester, assumes familiarity with PHY341.

Click here for a copy of the course syllabus (in pdf format). [Note that this syllabus hasn't been updated to reflect the class cancellation on September 9.]

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3. Instructor and Grader

This is the official website of Section 1 of PHY109. The instructor for this course and section (and the author of this website) is:

Prof. Patrick Cote
Room 309
Physics and Astronomy Building (Serin Labs), Busch Campus
Phone: (732)-445-2544

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.

The grader for this course is:

Chenglin Zhang
Room 218
Allison Road Classroom Building (ARC), Busch Campus
Phone: (732)-445-6889
Email: chenglin@physics.rutgers.edu

Please address questions about grading to Mr. Zhang.

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4. Office Hours

My office hour is Monday period 2 (9:50-11:10). During that time, I can be found at the above location.

I prefer not to provide individual help with course material by email. However, questions on logistics, etc, can be sent to me at:

pcote@physics.rutgers.edu

Some suggestions on the use of email are given here.

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5. Lecture Schedule and Notes

The lecture schedule is posted below, along with the relevant material from the textbook, and links to the lecture notes. Notes for each lecture will generally be posted by noon on the day that the lecture is given. To download the notes, you will be prompted for a username and a password; the username is PHY109 (capital letters), and the password will be given in class.

Downloading the notes from the web is not a substitute for attending class: the material is discussed in much more detail in class than it is in the notes. In addition, animations and movies, which are sometimes shown in class, are not included in the notes. Several questions on the exams will be based on these videos and movies.

LECTURE

DATE

TOPICS

MATERIAL

NOTES

1

Sep 2
(Tue.)

INTRODUCTION.
COURSE OVERVIEW AND GOALS.

 

no longer available

2

Sep 4
 (Thr.)

OUR PLACE IN TIME AND SPACE.
THE CELESTIAL SPHERE.

Chapter 1

no longer available

3

Sep 9
 (Tue.)

SEASONS, MOTIONS, CYCLES, PHASES, ECLIPSES

Chapter 1

class postponed

4

Sep 11
(Thr.)

SEASONS, MOTIONS, CYCLES, PHASES, ECLIPSES

Chapter 1

no longer available

5

Sep 16
(Tue.)

HISTORICAL BACKGROUND

Chapter 2

no longer available

6

Sep 18
 (Thr.)

LAWS OF MOTION AND GRAVITY

Chapter 2

no longer available

7

Sep 23
 (Tue.)

ELECTROMAGNETIC SPECTRUM

Chapter 3

no longer available

8

Sep 25
 (Thr.)

RADIATION LAWS AND SPECTRAL LINES

Chapters 3,4

no longer available

9

Sep 30
 (Tue.)

ATOMIC STRUCTURE AND SPECTROSCOPY

Chapter 4

no longer available


Oct 2
 (Thr.)

First Mid-term Exam



10

Oct 7
 (Tue.)

TELESCOPES

Chapter 5

no longer available

11

Oct 9
 (Thr.)

TELESCOPES

Chapter 5

no longer available

12

Oct 14
 (Tue.)

OVERVIEW OF THE THE SOLAR SYSTEM

Chapter 6
Parts of Chapters 15 and 16

no longer available

13

Oct 16
 (Thr.)

EARTH

Chapter 7

no longer available

14

Oct 21
 (Tue.)

EARTH, GLOBAL WARMING AND THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT.

Chapter 7

no longer available

 15

Oct 23
 (Thr.)

THE MOON AND MERCURY

 Chapter 8

no longer available


Oct 28
 (Tue.)

No Lecture Scheduled



16

Oct 30
 (Thr.)

VENUS

Chapter 9

no longer available

17

Nov 4
 (Tue.)

VENUS

Chapter 9

no longer available


Nov 6
 (Thr.)

Second Mid-term Exam



18

Nov 11
 (Tue.)

MARS

Chapter 10

no longer available

19

Nov 13
 (Thr.)

MARS

Chapter 10

no longer available

20

Nov 18
 (Tue.)

JUPITER

Chapter 11

no longer available

21

Nov 20
 (Thr.)

SATURN

Chapter 12

no longer available

22

Nov 25
 (Tue.)

THE OUTER PLANETS

Chapter 13

no longer available


Nov 27
 (Thr.)

No Lecture: Thanksgiving Recess



23

Dec 2
 (Tue.)

SOLAR SYSTEM DEBRIS

Chapter 14

no longer available

24

Dec 4
 (Thr.)

MASS EXTINCTIONS

Chapter 14

no longer available

25

Dec 9
 (Tue.)

FORMATION OF PLANETARY SYSTEMS

Chapter 15

no longer available

 

Dec 16
(Tue.)

Final Exam

 

 


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6. Homework Assignments

Homework will be assigned on weekly intervals, using the on-line WebAssign system. A description of WebAssign may be found here.

Homework questions will be drawn from both material covered in lectures and material in the relevant chapter(s) of the course textbook. You are expected to have done the appropriate readings and familiarized yourself with the material covered in class.

Deadlines: Assignments will be due one minute before Tuesday midnight every week, beginning 9/16 and ending on 12/9. Assignments will be graded and returned via WebAssign approximately one week after the due date.

IMPORTANT: because homeworks are handled by a computerized system, it is impossible to accept homeworks after the 11:59pm deadline. No exceptions can be made, no matter what the reason for the delay is. You are therefore strongly encouraged to submit your homework well in advance of the deadline.

Copied Homework: It can be beneficial to discuss homework questions with your fellow students, but your submitted answers must be in your own words. Representing someone else's work as your own is a serious infringement of academic integrity that is reportable to your College Dean.

Homework Scores: There will be twelve homework assignments. However, only your ten best homework scores will count towards your grade for the course.

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

  1. Homework counts for 1/4 of the final grade for the course.
  2. It is easier to get a higher score in the homework than in the exams.
  3. Doing the homework wil prepare you for the exams: many of the exam questions will test the material covered in the homework.

Homework
Assigned
6:00pm on Wednesday
Due
11:59pm on Tuesday
Lecture Material
1
Sep 10
Sep 16
1, 2
2
Sep 17
Sep 23
3, 4
3
Sep 24
Sep 30
5, 6
4
Oct 1
Oct 7
7, 8
5
Oct 8
Oct 14
9, 10
6
Oct 15
Oct 21
11, 12
7
Oct 22
Oct 28
13, 14
8
Oct 29
Nov 04
15
9
Nov 05
Nov 11
16, 17
10
Nov 12
Nov 18
18, 19
11
Nov 19
Nov 25
20, 21
12
Nov 26
Dec 9
22, 23, 24

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7. Examinations

There will be two mid-term exams, held during regular class hours, on October 2 and November 6. The time and date of the final exam will announced in class. Make-up exams will be offered for both midterms and 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, for instance by a doctor's note), or other serious and unforseen events (which must be documented) will be allowed to take the make-up exams.

Due to the large enrollment in this class, the final exam will be held simulataneously in two different rooms. The room assignments are as follows (see also the Table below).

Students having last names beginning with the letters A-L (inclusive) will take the exam in SC-123 (College Ave. Campus).

Students having last names beginning with the letters M-Z (inclusive) will take the exam in SC-135 (College Ave. Campus).

Pictures, maps and directions for the two buildings/rooms may be found be clicking on the Location links in the Table below.

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.

The first midterm exam will be based on the material found in Lectures 1-9 (inclusive) and Chapters 1-4 (inclusive). The second midterm exam will be based on the material found in Lectures 10-17 (inclusive) and Chapters 5-9 (inclusive). The final exam will be based on the material found in Lectures 18-25 (inclusive) and Chapters 10-15 (inclusive).

In preparing for the first midterm, you may wish to practice on the midterm from a previous year. A practice midterm suitable for the second midterm is available here. A suitable practice exam for the final is given here.

Click here to see the solutions to the first midterm exam.

Click here to see the solutions to the second midterm exam.

Neither the second midterm nor the final exam will be cumulative (i.e., they will contain only material covered since the previous exam).

MPORTANT: 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!

 Date

First Mid-term Exam
 Location

Thr. Oct. 2

6:10 pm - 7:30 pm (class hour)

PHY-LH
HLL-114

 

First Mid-term Exam (Make-up)

 

Fri. Oct. 3

4:00 pm - 5:00 pm

HLL-116

 

Second Mid-term Exam  

 

Thr. Nov. 6

6:10 pm - 7:30 pm (class hour)

PHY-LH
HLL-114

Second Mid-term Exam (Make-up)

Fri. Nov. 7

4:00 - 5:00 pm

HLL-116

 

Final Exam

 

Tue. Dec. 16

4:00 - 5:00 pm

SC-123
SC-135

 

Final Exam (Make-up)

 

Mon. Dec. 15

10:00 - 11:00 am

ARC-206

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8. Grades

The course grade will be determined by your overall score out of 400, which is made up as follows:

First Mid-term exam:

Up to 100 points

Second Mid-term exam:

Up to 100 points

Final exam:

Up to 100 points

Homework:

Up to 100 points

NOTE: the cumulative homework score (out of 100 points) is given by half the sum of your ten best homework scores (each of you homework will be graded out of 20 points).

Note that the maximum score that can be obtained from the mid-terms and the final exam is 300. Therefore it is impossible to get a good overall grade without a good homework score.

An approximate guide in calculating your final letter grade from the above system, the following table shows the conversion used in previous years. Note, however, that this conversion should be viewed only as an rough guide, and the final grades will be determined only after all scores exam and homework scores are available.

A

85% to 100%

B+

80% to 85%

B

70% to 80%

C+

65% to 70%

C

50% to 65%

D

40% to 50%

F

0% to 40%

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9. Other Texts

The textbook for the course is Astronomy Today (4th Edition), by Chaisson and McMillan, which is described more fully here. There are, however, 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. I recommend:

  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: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier, by John D. Fix. Published by McGraw Hill

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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 sample 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 homework assignments!
    • Do not wait until the last minute to submit your solutions with WebAssign.
  • If you have any questions/concerns about the material or content, talk to me during office hours or immediately before or after the lectures.
  • In preparing for the examinations, work through the past exams .
    • Be sure you understand how the answers are derived. Do not memorize answers!
    • Do not wait until the last minute to start preparing.
    • Do not skip questions you cannot do. See me instead. 


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11. Students with Disabilities

Students with Disabilities: If you have a disability, you are urged to speak to the course supervisor early in the semester to make the necessary arrangements to support a successful learning experience. Also, you must arrange for the course supervisor to receive a letter from your College's Disabilities Coordinator verifying that you have a disability. A list of the College Coordinators can be found here.


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 12. Evening Childcare

The Campus Kids Evening Childcare Program is available during 7th and 8th period classes. For information, either phone 732-545-6681, send email to jromsted@rci.rutgers.edu, or see the website www.ckchildcare.com.


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