Astronomy 2: Overview of the Universe

Fall 2012

Instructor: 

Prof. Connie Rockosi
Office:  ISB 261
Email:  crockosi .at. ucsc.edu
Office Hours:  Thursdays 2 - 3:30 pm

Lecture times:   TTh 10:00 – 11:45 am     
Lecture room:     Earth and Marine Sciences B206
Discussion sections:   see below.


Important information:

Updates and news will get posted here during the quarter, so watch this space.

• A Final Exam scores are now available. As always, the list is sorted by student ID. These are raw scores on the final exam, just the number of questions correct out of 100. A histogram is also abailable so you can see how well you did relative to the curve. The class average was 66 out of 100.
• A preliminary version of the scores is posted here. As always, the list is by student ID. The scores include the homeowork and lecture participation points as well as the two midterms. Each of those four cateogories will be weighted about equally in the final grades. Therefore, each of these four categories counts for 25% of the preliminary grade calculated here (note: if you saw an earlier versoin of this file you saw un-weighted grades. This is closer to how I will calculate the final grade, so a more fair assessment.) The class average is 70%, and I will curve the final grades around that. Depending on what the final distribution looks like, the average will likely be a high C or low B. So if you are reasonably close to or above the average, you are doing fine. You know how diligent you've been about going to section, so you know if you can expect a boost to your grade from the section attendance points. And, of course, there is still the final exam to go. Above all, please DON'T PANIC. Focus on what is in your control, which is studying for the final. Good luck!

• Final exam info: The exam is Wednesday, December 12th, 4 - 7 pm in our regular classroom, Earth and Marine Sciences B206. A review sheet is available for you to study from, as are some sample problems.
  Review sessions:
  Camille: Friday, Dec. 7th, 11 am - 12:10 pm in PSB114.
  Feña: Friday, Dec. 7th, 3:30 - 4:40 pm, Natural Sciences Annex room 101.
  Elizabeth: Tuesday, Dec. 11th, 1:30-2:40 pm, Natural Sciences Annex room 101.
  Content: approximately 50% on the last third of the class, Homeworks 7,8,9. The other half of the exam will be on material tested on the first two Midterms.
  Rembember: Bring a Scantron form f-1712 (the pink one), a #2 pencil, and a calculator (no web-enabled calculators).

• November 28: Midterm 2 results are in. The scores, by student ID sorted in descending order, are posted here. A histogram showing the score distribution and how I curved it is also posted. The exam with answer key is also posted so you can review for the final exam. I'll look again at the score distribution for final grades.

• November 16: MIDTERM 2 REVIEW MATERIAL Review sheet posted here. Also, a sheet of sample problems. Here is the formula sheet that will be on the exam. The midterm is on the content of Homeworks 4,5,6. The material is covered in Chapters 4,5 and 14, plus the inverse square law for light in Chapter 15. The material is from Lecture 5-10, though lectures 5 and 6 have some review for Midterm 1 and Lecture 10 has covers parallax and measuring masses of binary stars, neither of which will be on the exam.

• Upcoming schedule: Homework 7 due Thursday, 11/15 before class, usual. No homework due the week of 11/19, and all regular homework sections are cancelled. The Midterm review sections are not required, but I encourage you to go. The TAs do a great job putting together the reviews. Next homework will be due Thursday, 11/29 before class.

• MIDTERM REVIEW SESSIONS: Once again, our great TAs are putting together midterm review sessions. Feña: Monday, Nov. 19th, 11:00-12:10 in PSB114. Feña will also have extra office hours on the 19th, between 2 and 3 pm. Elizabeth: Friday, 11/16 11 am - 12:10 pm, PSB 114 and Monday, 11/19 3:30-4:40 pm, Thimann 1. A review packet will be posted here when available.

• Novemeber 12: Monday sections rescheduled due to the Veteran's Day holiday today. New times and locations: Camille: Wednesday, November 14th at 12:30-1:40 and 3:30-4:40 in ISB 165. Feña: Tuesday, 11/13 2-3:10 in ISB 236.

• Novemeber 4: A check on how you are doing in the class is available here, sortedy by student ID. It The list gives scores for all the homework assignments and the midterm. The total possible points for each assignment are at the bottom of the columns. Total points and percentage of total points are given in the last column. The average percentage of the total points is at the bottom of the last column. You know how regularly you've been attending section and lecture, so you know whether that part of the grade will increase or decrease your final total. If you have questions or concerns, ask your TA.

• October 30: Telescope night November 5th. Come see the universe with your own eyes, with telescopes brought by the Astro. department grads. 8pm, behind the music center. If there is doubt about the weather, watch this page for announcements.

• October 25: Midterm 1 Results: Histogram of the results is here and the scores by student ID are here. You should review the test before next midterm. Here is the exam with the answer key at the back.
  Homework 4 due Sunday, 10/28 at midnight.
  Homework 5 due Thursday, 11/1.

• October 18: Midterm #1 is in class on Tuesday, 10/23
  Bring a Scantron form f-1712 (available from the bookstore) and a #2 pencil
  The material on the test will be taken from Homeworks 1-3, and the reading and lecture material from Lectures 1-3. Motion of the earth and moon in the solar system, Kepler's Laws. Know the angular diameter vs. distance relation. The equation for Kepler's third law will be on a formula sheet. You should know Kepler's three laws.
  Camille, Elizabeth and Feña have created a review sheet and some sample sample problems.
  Homework 4 due date extended to Sunday, 10/28 at midnight
  Homework 5 will be due Thursday, 11/1
  Camille and Feña have rescheduled their discussion sections on Monday, 10/22 to later in the week. These sections will be for Homework 4. See new times and locations below
  Connie's office hours this week: Friday 12:30 - 1:30 pm ISB 261
  Midterm Review Sessions
  Camille: Friday 10/19 3:30 pm Thimann Lecture Hall 1
  Feña: Monday 10/22 11:00 am Physical Sciences 114
  Elizabeth: Monday 10/22 3:30 pm Natural Sciences Annex 101
  Discussion Sections 10/22 rescheduled: Discussion sections that would normally be held on Monday, 10/22, have been rescheduled to later in the week, after the midterm.
  Camille: Thursday, 10/25 4-5:10 pm Thimann 101
  Camille: Friday, 10/26 12:30-1:40 pm Physical Sciences Building 130
  Feña: Thursday, 10/25 5-6:10 Physical Sciences Building 110

• October 4: This is the final announcement about the Homework 1 due date and issues about getting access to Mastering Astronomy in order to do the homework. This supersedes any earlier announcements about Homework 1.
  Homework 1 AND Homework 2 are due at the normal due date and time for Homework 2. That's Thursday, October 11 at 10 am (class time).
  You are responsible for getting access to Mastering Astronomy by the due date for Homework 2. The answers for BOTH homework problems must be uploaded to Mastering Astronomy by Thursday, October 11 at 10 am for you to get credit. At that time, the class will go to the normal policy of no late homework.
  The bookstore says they have ordered more of the textbook/MA/iClicker bundles, but you must use your judgement on whether to wait to purchase those things from the bookstore. If you can't get access to MA through the bookstore package in time to do the homework, you will have to purchase acces on-line or some other way.
  A PDF copy of Homework 2 is here. That way those of you trying to get MA access can get started on Homework 2.

• Sept 30 HOMEWORK 1 and getting access to Mastering Astronomy:
  For those of you having trouble getting access to Mastering Astronomy, I've printed Homework 1 as a pdf file (available here) You will have to enter your answers into the Mastering Astronomy on-line assignment to get credit, but this will let you get started while you sort out MA access.

• There are four things you need for this class:

1- The text book: Cosmic Perspective, 6th edition, Bennett et al.

2- Access to the web site for the text book:   www.masteringastronomy.com. The course ID is "AY2ROCKOSI2012".

3- An i-Clicker interactive remote.

4- Your student ID number so that you can register on www.masteringastronomy.com (hereafter referred to as “MA”) and register your i-Clicker. Your student ID number is seven digits long and has no leading letters.

I believe that your cheapest option is to BUY the textbook FROM THE BOOKSTORE. The textbook at the bookstore is a special version printed for UCSC. It is cheaper than the full version and includes only the chapters that we will be using. It also includes:

1.     a code for the www.masteringastronomy.com web site (worth $45) and access to the electronic version of the textbook that is on that web site (worth another $40).

2.     a coupon for an i-Clicker interactive remote, which we will use in class (worth $10).

• I-Clicker registration:  Before October 2 (the second lecture), you will need to register your i-clicker. To do this, go to the i-clicker registration web site (http://www.iclicker.com/registration) and follow the instructions. If your last name includes a space, please hyphenate your name when registering so that your last name is only one word. For example, Huan de Mateo (student ID = 1234567) would enter: "de-Mateo, Huan, 1234567".
• Tutoring: In addition to the regular lecture, discussion sections, and TA office hours, there is additional tutoring available for the course through UCSC. In general, the university provides students with up to one-hour of tutoring per week per course. You can check out the resources at the UCSC Learning Center. You can register here to sing up for tutoring. If you are registered, you can sign up for tutoring for a specific class here

• Disabilities Accommodations: If you qualify for classroom accommodations because of a disability, please submit your Accommodation Authorization from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me after class or at my office hours within the first two weeks of the quarter. You must also send me an email documenting what, if any, special accommodations you require during exams. Contact DRC at 459-2089 (voice), or drc@ucsc.edu. The DRC web site also has a link for TTY service.

Teaching Assistants:

         Maria Fernanda Duran Sierra (Feña), office hours Tuesday and Wednesday 2-3 pm, ISB 235

         Camille Leibler, office hours Wednesdays 11:15 am - 1:15 pm, ISB 255

         Elizabeth Otto, office hours Tuesday noon - 2 pm, ISB 255

Course material for Astronomy 2, Overview of the Universe:

         Syllabus

         Course content

         Grading

         Lecture and Discussion Section times

         Homework assignments will all be available through the www.masteringastronomy.com web page.

         Review of basic Math Concepts.

         Lecture Notes will be linked here.

Syllabus (will be updated throughout the term):

Week #, Dates	Reading	Topics
week 1 9/27	Chapter 1, esp. 1.1 and 1.2, Chapter 2.1	A short introduction to the course and course content
week 2 10/2 10/4	Chapter 2.1, 2.3, S1.2 Chapter 3, esp. 3.3 and 3.4. Sections 3.1 and 3.2 are good historical background	Motion of Earth/Sun, the Celestial Sphere, motion and phases of the moon, eclipses Planetary Motion (Ptolemy to Kepler)
week 3 10/9 10/11	Chapters 4.1, 4.2 Chapter 4.3, 4.4, 4.5	Momentum, Force, Newton's Laws Conservation of momentum, Measuring mass, orbits, and tides
week 4 10/16 10/18	Chapter 4.3 on energy, 5.1, 5.2, 5.3 Math Insight 5.1 and Thermal Radiation, 5.4 on Thermal Radiation Chapter 5.3, 5.4	Energy, Conservation of energy, Light as energy, Thermal ("blackbody") Radiation Atoms, Interaction of Light and Matter
week 5 10/23 10/25	MIDTERM Chapter 5.4, 5.5	MIDTERM Doppler shifts, detecting light, spectra in astronomy.
week 6 10/29 11/1	Chapter 14.1, 14.2 Chapters 15.1, 15.2	The Sun as a star, nuclear fusion and synthesis of the elements Measuring distances and luminosities of stars.
week 7 11/6 11/8	Chapters 16.1, 17 (focus on main sequence properties) Chapter 17 (focus on post main sequence evolution), S4.3, S4.4	Measuring masses of stars, Main sequence stars Stellar evolution, star clusters, the ends of the lives of low-mass stars.
week 8 11/13 11/15	Chapter 17 (focus on post main sequence evolution), 18.1,18.3 Chapter 18.3, S2, S3	Stellar evolution, ends of the lives of high-mass stars. Dead stars, Black Holes, Special & General Relativity
week 9 11/20 Thanksgiving	MIDTERM	MIDTERM -------------
week 10 11/27 11/29	Chapter 19,22.1,22.2 Chapter 20,21.1,21.2	The Milky Way galaxy: structure, content, star-gas-star cycle, evidence for dark matter Galaxies, galaxy types, redshifts and the expanding universe
week 11 12/4 12/6	Chapter 20,22.3 Chapter 22.4, 23	Galaxies and galaxy evolution in the universe, Large Scale Structure Cosmology and The Big Bang
Final exam time:		Wednesday, 12 Dec, 4 - 7 pm

Course Content

         Topics:

This is a one-term introductory course on astronomy and astrophysics.   We will cover the basic history, content, and fate of the universe.   Some of the topics we will touch on include: the origin & evolution of the Universe and the Big Bang model; galaxies & their constituents, including stars, planets & the interstellar medium (gas and dust); normal and active galaxies; the formation and evolution of galaxies; the life cycles & deaths of stars, including supernovae, white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes; nucleosynthesis (the origin of chemical elements); and dark matter.  Such studies require knowledge of  simple mechanics and basic laws of radiation, quantum mechanics, and nuclear & particle physics, which we shall develop as we go along.

The class syllabus  contains a detailed calendar listing weekly topics, homework deadlines, exam dates, and holidays. There may be some deviations from this syllabus depending on our rate of progress and any special topics that come up in current research.

         Textbook & Other Resources:

The Cosmic Perspective, UCSC special version of the 6th Edition (Bennet, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit), Pearson.

There is a lot of information on active research in astronomy on the web. Here are a few links to get you started:

 A pictorial tour of the Solar System
 The Nine Planets
 Astronomy Picture of the Day
 The Best of Hubble Space Telescope Pictures
 Sloan Digital Sky Survey
 W. M. Keck Observatory -- home to the world's largest optical telescopes

         Emphasis and Advice:

We will emphasize scientific methods and the process of discovery, reasoning, and understanding.  The goal is not just memorizing facts about the Universe.  Students are expected to develop a quantitative grasp of key astrophysical concepts.  

The course material is self-contained. No previous college-level math, physics, or astronomy is required. It will be assumed, however, that the student has mastered elementary arithmetic, algebra, and powers, and has  some familiarity with scientific concepts and reasoning. A background in math or physics will help, but is not necessary to succeed in the class.  Some of the best students in our previous ASTR-2 classes  have been non-science majors who took a strong interest in the course material.

It is advisable to purchase a small inexpensive calculator, if you don’t already own one. Be sure to get one that does powers and roots. Questions and classroom discussion are encouraged, both for your benefit and to help me properly pace the course. Please browse astronomy web sites (we’ll provide some links on the class web site) and share your findings, comments, questions, etc in class.

To get the most out of class (and a good grade), it is critical that you attend lectures. In order to get the most out of lectures, it is also a really good idea to read the chapter before hand so that you are familiar with the material.  It is also extremely important to attend discussion sections. Students who do not attend both discussion sections and lecture are at a huge disadvantage for exams, homework, and the overall grade.

Course Grading

18%  Homework
7%    Discussion section
15%  In-lecture (i-Clicker questions and quizzes).
15%  Midterm 1
15%  Midterm 2
30%  Final Exam (Wednesday, December 12,  4 - 7 pm)

         Homework:

There will be homework assignments every week to help you digest the material. All homework will be assigned via the textbook web site: www.masteringastronomy.com. You can register on that web site using the code that is in your textbook if you purchase a new book from the UCSC bookstore. If you arrange to get a used book, you will need to purchase access to the web site also.

To register, you will need your student ID, and you will also need the course ID, which has been emailed to all of you. You should expect to spend 2-3 hours per week reading the material in addition to the time required for  the homework. You will find that the web site contains a lot of additional resources to help you understand the information. Explore it!

Your grade on the homework assignments will be clear as you complete the homework. Each assignment will be worth a certain number of points. Your final homework grade will simply be the fraction of the points you have earned during the term relative to the total number possible.

Homework assignments will appear each week on the course web page at www.masteringastronomy.com. Each homework assignment will be available until its posted due date. Once that date/time is passed, the assignment will be "closed" and there will be no way to get the points for that homework. No exceptions can be made. You will be able to review any homework assignment at any time during the term.
 

         iClickers:

We will be using the iClicker remotes (electronic, hand-held response pads) in most lectures to help you assess if you have understood the material and get feedback from the class. In most classes, you will get points for simply answering the questions, right or wrong. In some classes, the clickers will be used for a short quiz. If you skip lectures, or forget your clicker, you will not get the points from the questions or quiz that day. Come to lecture and bring your clicker!

Your iClicker score will be the fraction of the total number of points you have accumulated during the term compared to the total number of points possible. However, I will reduce the total number of points possible by 10% before I calculate your grades. In other words, you can miss about 2 lectures and still get up to 100% of the credit from questions and quizzes.

It will be important to register your iClickers in order for me to associate it with you!   You can register any iClicker (new or used) for this class on the iClicker web site.  Information about how to register your iClicker can be found here.

         Midterm and Final:

There will be two midterms and a final.   You must take all exams in order to pass the course.   Each midterm will cover all material up to that point in the course, but the second midterm will emphasize the material covered after the first midterm.   The final will cover material from the whole term.

 
 
Discussion Sections:

Discussion sections are mandatory. Attendance will be taken. More importantly, this is your primary opportunity to ask questions outside of lecture and get help working out particular problems. Be sure to take advantage of this! 

Monday evening Sections (01E,01F) meet in Earth and Marine Sciences B214.

Monday morning (01A) section, all Tuesday sections (01B, 01C) and the Wednesday section (01D) meet in Physical Sciences 114.

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday
	10:00-11:45 am   Lecture		10:00-11:45 am   Lecture
11:00 am -12:10 pm 01-A (Feña)		12:30-1:40 pm 01-D (Feña)
5-6:10 pm 01-E (Camille)	6:00-7:10 pm 01-B (Elizabeth)
6:30-7:40 pm 01-F (Camille)	7:30-8:40 pm 01-C (Elizabeth)