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Astronomy 109 Fall 2023 (01:750:109:02:0209371)
(subject to revisions)
Astronomy 109 Fall 2023 (01:750:109:02:0209371) Web Page www.physics.rutgers.edu/~croft/109-F23.html
Instructor:Prof. Mark Croft/Serin113/848-445-8746/croft AT physics.rutgers.edu
Text: ASTRONOMY TODAY V.1:SOLAR SYSTEM 9th edition by Chaisson & McMillan Pearson
[Print ISBN: 9780134566221][Etext ISBN: 9780134873787]
Lectures: Mon. & Wed. 7th period 7:30 PM-8:50 PM at the Physics Lecture Hall (PLH)
Office hours: 1 hour before and after every Lecture
and by appointment (contact through email)
The course CANVAS site is at https://rutgers.instructure.com/courses/239823
Lecture notes are on CANVAS https://rutgers.instructure.com/courses/239823/files
Note: 01-...pdf means pdf-file of lecture number 1.
Lecture videos are on CANVAS https://rutgers.instructure.com/courses/239823/external_tools/33394
!!Announcements:
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0] NOTE THE COURSE WEB PAGE IS SUBJECT TO REVISION [CORRECTIONS MUCH APPRECIATED]
1] MIDTERM Oct 25, 7:30-8:50 PM. in PLH Midterm Announcment
2] Homeworks are a major part of the grade! Do not fail to do them !! [Due on Wed. before the 7:30 PM Lecture (best submit well before).]
3] Lecture Notes in the lecture note directory link above.
4] Follow space in the news and current sky charts at: Sky & Telescope
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Schedule
Wk Lect Day Date Subject Read Chapt. HW-Due Readings & Demonstrations
1 1 W Sep 6 Introduction & celestial motions 1,
A1-A3
2 2 M Sep 11 Seasons and eclipses 1
2 3 W Sep 13 Ancient/Greek Ast./Earth Cent. Univ. 2 HW1 Additional Reading
3 4 M Sep 18 Copernicus/Galileo 2
3 5 W Sep 20 Kepler/Newton: mechanics & Gravity 2 HW2 Galileo?s d=at2/2 experiment and graph
4 6 M Sep 25 Light: continuous spectra 3 Galileo?s inclined plane demo
4 7 W Sep 27 Atoms: emission & absorption lines 4 HW3 Galileo?s anagram
Good Hume & Ivey reference frames video
Law of Inertia- rest Law of Inertia- moving
Force reaction force
human rocket demo Torque-rotation video
Force/reaction-force demo video.
wine-glass-waiters tray demo cannon recoil in movie
Law of Inertia - moving
5 8 M Oct 2 Telescopes and instruments 5 spectra
5 9 W Oct 4 Solar System: Overview & Formation 6 HW4
6 10 M Oct 9 Solar System: Overview & Formation 6 force direction (torque)/rotation
6 11 W Oct 11 The Earth: atmosphere and tides 7 HW5 ang mom demo-1 ang mom demo-2 rotation demo
7 12 M Oct 16 The Earth: interior & geology 7 Force on current in wire in magnetic field
7 13 W Oct 18 The Moon 8 HW6 Force on e in magnetic field
8 14 M Oct 23 Mercury: Review 8 magnetism and geomagnetism
8 15 W Oct 25 MIDTERM 7:30-8:50 PM. in PLH Material: Lectures 1-10; Book chapters 1-6, A1-A3
9 16 M Oct 30 Venus: greenhouse effect 9
9 17 W Nov 1 Mars: geology of a mid-sized planet 10 HW7
10 18 M Nov 6 Mars continued 10
10 19 W Nov 8 Jupiter:gas giant 11 HW8 Mars-Tharsus-rotation
;moons, mini solar system
11 20 M Nov 13 Jupiter's moons: mini solar system 11 magnet in tube- induced current
11 21 W Nov 15 Saturn & its rings, moons 12 HW9
12 22 M Nov 20 Uranus & Neptune 13
12 W(W=F) Nov 23 no class Nov 23-26 Thanksgiving Break
13 23 M Nov 27 Solar System Debris;Chicxulub impact 14
13 24 W Nov 29 The Sun: our star, solar activity 16 HW10
14 25 M Dec 4 The Sun (cont); Nuclear Physics 16
14 26 W Dec 6 Exoplanets:Life Question 15,28 HW11
15 27 M Dec 11 Review
15 28 W Dec 13 Review
CUMULATIVE FINAL EXAM Monday, December 18, 8-11 PM Location Physics Lecture Hall (PLH)
Although the exam is cumulative the greatest emphasis will be on material covered after the midterm exam.
Readings: The weekly reading assignments from the book are listed on the syllabus and should be
completed before the corresponding lectures. Additional reading assignments from the web will be in the lecture notes.
Homework: Complete Homework questions must be submitted on Wed. before the 7:30 PM Lecture on the Date Due (see above).
Homework will be assigned in CANVAS on a roughly weekly basis, and will be due before the start
of class on Wed. Assignments will consist of multiple choice questions that assess your
understanding of material covered by previous week's lectures and assigned reading.
Your one lowest homework score will be droped in computing your semester average.
Examinations: A 80 min. Midterm; and a final (Final) 180 min. exam.
A simple calculator (for selected problems) might be useful for the exams.
The exams are multiple choice. The exam dates are noted on the syllabus.
Grades: The course grade will be determined by your scores on:
Homework (35%); Midterm (25%); Final (40%).
In determining your Homework grade the one lowest score will be droped.
Class Policies and Resources: click here