Tests:
There will be a quiz each Monday on the reading for that week and the topics covered the previous week.
There will be three in-class exams and a final exam. Late exams will be given only with a written doctor's
note. Exams will emphasize material discussed in class, but will include topics covered only in the text.
All quizzes and exams will be closed-book and closed-notes, and calculators will not be allowed (or needed).
Grades:
Grades will be based on homework (20% of the grade), the weekly quizzes (10%), in-class assignments (10%),
the three exams (30%), and the final (30%). Your lowest quiz and homework scores (one of each) will be dropped.
Collaboration:
You are encouraged to study and work on homework assignments with other students, and you are
encouraged to get help from the TA, but you must write out your own answers and make the assigned
observations yourself. If you copy another homework or let someone copy yours, both of you will receive
zero credit. In-class assignments will be done in groups, and all group members will receive the same
grade (if the assignment is graded).
Schedule:
Week of:
|
Reading:
|
Topics:
|
Exams:
|
Aug 27:
|
Ch 1+App A
|
The Scale of the Cosmos
|
|
Sep 3:
|
Ch 2+3
|
The Sky, Cycles in the Sky
|
|
Sep 8:
|
Ch 4
|
The Origin of Modern Astronomy
|
|
Sep 15:
|
Ch 5
|
Telescopes
|
Sep 19: Exam #1,
Ch 1-5
|
Sep 22:
|
Ch 6
|
Starlight and Atoms
|
|
Sep 29:
|
Ch 7
|
The Sun
|
|
Oct 6:
|
Ch 8
|
The Family of Stars
|
|
Oct 13:
|
Ch 9
|
The Formation and Structure of Stars
|
|
Oct 20:
|
Ch 10
|
The Lives and Deaths of Stars
|
Oct 24: Exam #2,
Ch 6-10
|
Oct 27:
|
Ch 11
|
Neutron Stars and Black Holes
|
|
Nov 3:
|
Ch 12
|
The Milky Way Galaxy
|
|
Nov 10:
|
Ch 15
|
Cosmology
|
|
Nov 17:
|
Ch 16
|
The Origin of the Solar System
|
|
Nov 24:
|
Ch 17
|
The Terrestrial Planets
|
|
Dec 1:
|
Ch 18
|
The Outer Planets
|
Dec 5: Exam #3,
Ch 11, 12, 15-19
|
Dec 15:
|
|
Final Exam
|
|
|
