Astronomy 1: Introduction to the Cosmos, Winter 2013, UCSC

Astronomy 1: Introduction to the Cosmos, Winter 2013, UCSC
MWF 9:30–10:40 AM, Thimann Lecture Hall 1
Instructor: Jerome Fang
Office: Interdisciplinary Sciences Building (ISB) 131
Office Hours: W 11 AM–12 PM, Th 3:30–4:30 PM in ISB 126
Contact Info: jjfang@ucolick.org, (831) 459–3259 (Office)
Course Website: “Astronomy 1 Winter 2013” at http://ecommons.ucsc.edu
Course Description:
Astronomy 1 is a one-quarter, self-contained survey of the universe aimed at non-science majors.
In this course, we will cover the following topics: the nature of science, the night sky, planets around
other stars, the properties and life cycles of stars, galaxies and how they evolve, black holes, dark
matter and energy, and the origin of the universe.
Astronomy is a physical science, and we will be developing the necessary physical concepts
during the course. These concepts include mechanics (force, energy, gravity), radiation (light,
spectra), and quantum physics (atomic structure, nuclear reactions). No prior college-level math
or science is required to take this course. The course is designed to be “non-mathematical”. This
means we will be presenting physical principles in a qualitative way, and you will be solving problems
that develop your conceptual reasoning skills over mindless plugging and chugging.
Astronomy 1 satisfies the Scientific Inquiry (SI) general education requirement, but not the
Mathematical and Formal Reasoning (MF) [AKA the Quantitative (Q)] requirement. If you need
an MF/Q course, consider Astronomy 2 or 3 instead; both are offered this quarter.
Course Goals:
By taking this course, I hope that you will:
1. Develop an understanding of the scale, constituents, and processes of the universe and how
complex phenomena can be explained using basic physical principles.
2. Gain insight into the scientific process by studying how astronomers use observations to draw
conclusions about the workings of the universe.
3. Come away with a continued interest in astronomy and science in general, and recognizing
the importance of being scientifically literate in today’s society.
Textbook and Required Materials:
1. Our textbook is The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 6th Edition, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider,
and Voit. To save money, find a used copy online. To save even more money, you may
buy the 5th edition instead. (Note that all readings will be based off the 6th edition.)
2. An access code to MasteringAstronomy, an online resource where homework will be assigned,
completed, and graded. If you bought the book new from Bay tree Bookstore, the access
code is included. If you bought the book used or elsewhere, you can purchase access to
MasteringAstronomy at http://www.masteringastronomy.com or buy a code from Bay Tree
Bookstore.
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3. ABCD Voting Card—This will be handed out on the first day. You will be using it to vote
during think-pair-share questions. BRING IT TO EACH CLASS! If you lose yours, you
must download the PDF file from our eCommons website (look under “Resources”) and print
another card.
4. On test days, you need to provide your own Scantron form #F-1712 and a #2 pencil.
Course Websites:
The main class website is hosted on eCommons at http://ecommons.ucsc.edu. The course
name is “Astronomy 1 Winter 2013,” which should be visible once you have enrolled in the class.
Annnouncements, lecture notes, grades, and a discussion forum/chat room will be found here.
You will be using the MasteringAstronomy (MA) website (http://masteringastronomy.com)
to complete homework assignments. The site also provides excellent tutorials and assessments to
help you study the material. Our MA course ID is AY1FANG2013.
IMPORTANT: When you enroll on MA, be sure to select the correct textbook
edition: The Essential Cosmic Perspective, SIXTH Edition, even if you bought an
older edition.
Course Assessment:
1. In-class writing assignments will be completed during each lecture. These assignments
will be graded on effort (not if you answer correctly) using a 3-point scale (2 points = complete
and clear response; 1 point = incomplete/unclear response; 0 points = no response). No late
writing assignments will be accepted. Instead, the lowest three scores will be dropped when
computing your final grade.
2. Homework is assigned regularly and forms a significant portion of your final grade. Each
assignment consists of multiple choice and short answer questions, as well as interactive
tutorials. Homework is completed and submitted online through MA. Due dates are listed in
the schedule below. Scores for late assignments will be reduced by 20% for each day late.
3. Exams consist of two in-class midterms and one final. The midterms will emphasize the
most recent material, but will also include a few questions on older material. The final
exam is cumulative. All exams are multiple choice and are closed-book and closed-notes. No
calculator is needed for exams. BRING YOUR STUDENT ID–it will be checked! Exam
dates are listed in the schedule below. There are NO make-up exams, except in exceptional
circumstances (you must make arrangements with me in advance). You must take each
exam in order to pass the class.
Think-Pair-Share Questions:
Lectures will be interspersed with think-pair-share (TPS) questions that assess your comprehension
of the material discussed that day. TPS questions are multiple-choice questions that work
as follows: 1) All students initially vote on the answer they think is correct, 2) students share their
reasoning with a partner and try to convince the other they are correct, and 3) the whole class
votes again. This technique has been shown to increase student engagement and comprehension,
and is a great way to practice expressing your ideas in a low-pressure environment. While your
responses are not graded, several exam questions will be based on the TPS questions.
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Grading:
In-class Writing (drop lowest 3 scores) = 15%
Homework = 25%
Two Midterm Exams = 30% (15% each)
Final Exam = 30%
There is NO extra credit in this course. Final grades will be “curved” such that the class average
is roughly a B–. If you are taking the class Pass/No Pass, you must earn a C or higher in order to
receive a Pass.
Getting Help:
Unfortunately, this course has no teaching assistants or discussion sections. However, there are
still many ways for you to get help with the material.
1. Office hours: Please stop by during my OH (or set up an appointment) whenever you want
to discuss course content, get help on assignments, or just to chat. OH are a great way for
me to get to know students better and provide help one-on-one.
2. eCommons Discussion Forum & Chat Room: Our class website on eCommons has a
discussion forum where you can post questions related to the course. Students are encouraged
to help each other out by posting replies. I will also post replies when needed. Also, there is
a real-time chat room where you can talk with other students who are signed in.
3. Tutoring: UCSC Learning Support Services (http://www2.ucsc.edu/lss/) offers tutoring
for Astronomy 1. Students can sign up for weekly, one-hour sessions with a tutor. This
service is free and open to all students. See the LSS website for more information.
Academic Dishonesty:
All work done in this course must be your own. Cheating and plagiarism will not be tolerated
in this class. If you are caught cheating on an assignment or exam, you (and anyone else involved)
will receive a zero for that assignment or exam. In addition, you will be reported to the university
for disciplinary action. Please familiarize yourself with the following guide to academic integrity:
http://undergraduate.ucsc.edu/acd_integrity/student.html.
Disability Accomodations:
If you qualify for classroom accommodations because of a disability, please submit your Accommodation
Authorization from the Disability Resource Center (DRC) to me during my office hours
in a timely manner, preferably within the first two weeks of the quarter. Questions? Contact the
DRC at 831-459-2089 or by email at drc@ucsc.edu.
Course Schedule:
The next page lists the course schedule. The table includes the topic covered during each lecture,
the relevant reading, and important dates. Please note that the schedule may change during the
quarter depending on our rate of progress. Any updates will be announced and the schedule revised.
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Lecture Schedule, Due Dates, Exam Dates
Lecture Date Topic and Reading Due Dates
1/7 Class Intro; Our Place in the Universe (Ch 1)
1/9 Night Sky; Sun and Seasons (Ch 2.1, 2.2)
1/11 Moon Phases and Eclipses (Ch 2.3) MA Intro DUE*
1/14 Planetary Motion; Kepler’s laws (Ch 2.4, 3.3)
1/16 Nature of Science (Ch 3.4)
1/18 Motion; Forces; Newton’s Laws (Ch 4.1, 4.2) HW #1 DUE*
1/21 No Class–MLK Holiday
1/23 Energy; Gravity (Ch 4.3, 4.4)
1/25 Light and Matter (Ch 5.1)
1/28 Spectra; Doppler Effect (Ch 5.2)
1/30 Catch-up; Review for Midterm
2/1 MIDTERM HW #2 DUE
2/4 Searching for Exoplanets (Ch 6.5)
2/6 The Sun; Nuclear Fusion (Ch 10.1, 10.2)
2/8 Properties of Stars (Ch 11.1) HW #3 DUE
2/11 Patterns Among Stars (Ch 11.2)
2/13 Star Birth (Ch 12.1)
2/15 Life Cycle of Low-Mass Stars (Ch 12.2) HW #4 DUE
2/18 No Class–President’s Day
2/20 Life Cycle of High-Mass Stars (Ch 12.3)
2/22 White Dwarfs & Neutron Stars (Ch 13.1, 13.2)
2/25 Relativity & Black Holes (Ch 13.3)
2/27 Catch-up; Review for Midterm
3/1 MIDTERM HW #5 DUE
3/4 Milky Way Galaxy (Ch 14.1, 14.2)
3/6 Galaxies (Ch 15.1, 15.3)
3/8 Supermassive Black Holes (Ch 14.4, Ch 15.4) HW #6 DUE
3/11 Dark Matter (Ch 16.1, 16.2)
3/13 The Big Bang (Ch 17.1, 17.2)
3/15 Expanding Universe; Dark Energy (Ch 15.2, 16.4)
3/18 Catch-up; Review for Final HW #7 DUE
3/22 FINAL EXAM, Friday, 8–11 AM
* = These due dates will be extended for students enrolling after the quarter has begun.
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