Physics 109, Astronomy & Cosmology

Course Outline (Summer 2008)

M. & W. 6:00 – 9:45 PM

May 27 to July 3

PHYS LH

Dr. Slawomir Piatek

Office: Serin Labs (West), 311

Phone: 732-445-8250

e-mail: piatek@physics.rutgers.edu

Office hour: F. 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM

Class website: www.physics.rutgers.edu/~piatek/class/Phys109/U08/Outline.htm

Text:

Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier, 5^th edition by J. Fix. Published by McGraw Hill ISBN 978-0-07-305002-7

Special Notes:

Class Website: www.physics.rutgers.edu/~piatek/class/Phys109/U08/Outline.htm

Students with disabilities: If you have a disability, you are urged to speak to me early in the semester to make the necessary arrangements to support a successful learning experience. Also, you must arrange to have a letter sent to me from your Disability Concerns Coordinator verifying that you have a disability. If you do not know who your Coordinator is, please contact the Office of the New Brunswick Campus Coordinator for the Concerns of Students with Disabilities at 732-932-1711 or send an e-mail to cclarke@rci.rutgers.edu.

Readings: I have listed the reading assignments below. You should complete the readings before the corresponding lectures.

Exams: There will be two exams (on the days indicated in the outline, unless amended by the instructor) and a final exam. Each exam has 30 multiple-choice questions with five choices for an answer. The final exam is cumulative and it has 40 multiple-choice questions. Bring a photo ID and a pencil to each exam.

Exams from summer 2007 (Correct answers are in green)

Exam 1

Exam 2

Exam 3

Homework: There is no homework.

Attendance: I do not take attendance.

Grading: I will determine your course grade from the two exams and the final exam. Each exam determines 30% of your course grade while the final exam determines 40%.

Grading: I will assign your course grade from the following grade schedule:

85% - 100% A

80% - 85% B+

70% - 80% B

65% - 70% C+

50% - 65% C

40% - 50% D

0% - 40% F

Class Calendar:

Lecture 1 (W. 5/28) Introduction and course overview. Backyard astronomy: Motions and patterns in the sky.

Read: Chs 1 & 2

Lecture 2 (M. 6/2) Motions and patterns in the sky, cont’d. History of astronomy: Greek times and renaissance.

Read: Chs 2, 3, & 4

Lecture 3 (W. 6/4) Renaissance astronomy. Newton’s Laws. Gravity.

Read: Chs 4 & 5

Lecture 4 (M. 6/9) Newton’s Laws. Light and telescopes.

Read: Chs 5 & 6

Lecture 5 (W. 6/11) Light and telescopes. Exam 1 (Chs. 1– 5, 8:00 PM – 9:45 PM, 30 MC Qs).

Read: Ch. 6

Exam 1 Solution (Correct answers are marked in green)

Exam 1 Scores (Sorted by your ID with leading 0s ignored)

Lecture 6 (M. 6/16) Overview of the Solar System. Fundamental concepts in physics. The Earth-Moon system

Read: Chs 7, 8, 9

Lecture 7 (W. 6/18) Mercury, Venus, and Mars

Read: Chs 10 & 11

Lecture 8 (M. 6/23) Jovian planets and their moons.

Read: Chs 12, 13, & 14

Lecture 9 (W. 6/25) Solar System Debris. Our Sun. Exam 2 (Chs. 6 – 11, 8:00 PM – 9:45 PM, 30 MC Qs).

Read: Chs 15 & 17

Exam 2 Solution (Correct answers are marked in green)

Exam 2 Scores (Sorted by your ID with leading 0s ignored)

Lecture 10 (M. 6/30) Our Sun. Solar system formation.

Read: Chs 17 & 18

Lecture 11 (W. 7/2) Review. Exam 3 (Chs. 1 – 15 & 17-18, 7:30 PM – 9:45 PM, 40 MC Qs)

Exam 3 Solution (Correct answers are marked in green)

Exam 3 Scores (Sorted by your ID with leading 0s ignored)