doc2b.a301-48310-syllabus.txt


	FALL 2005/A301/48310: INTRODUCTION TO ASTRONOMY		      
	Instructor: Professor Shardha  Jogee
		    SYLLABUS

Below is an approximate  timeline and list of topics to be covered. The pace will be 
adjusted based on feedback from the students. A partial reading list of chapters from 
the course textbook (Cosmic Perspectives, 3rd Edition, by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, 
and Voit) is also given.  As the semester proceeds, please consult the course website
    http://www.as.utexas.edu/~sj/a301-fa05
for additional reading, current announcements, and help sessions.

====== WEEK 1: Th Sep 1
-- Handouts: course description, syllabus; "Memo to Undergraduate Students".
-- Overview of the course: topics, grades, help, pre-requisites
-- A guided tour of the course: a quest for the origin and fate of the Universe


 	
====== WEEK 2: Tu Th Sep 6,8
-- Reading: Ch 1

-- Math Review 	
-- Building blocks of matter: protons, electron neutrons and atoms
-- Astronomical Objects and Key Concepts 
 - Stars, energy generation, supernovae remnants, planetary nebulae 
 - Why are humans 'star stuff'?
 - Planets,brown dwarfs, our Sun and solar system  

====== WEEK 3: Tu Th Sep 13,15
-- Reading: Ch 1, 3
-- Homework 1 assigned, due next week  

-- Astronomical Objects and Key Concepts  (continued)
- Galaxies, cluster of galaxies, 
- Superclusters, cosmic web

-- Distance and sizes : from the microscopic to the grandest scales

-- Timescales in the Universe: from the earliest epoch to the present day



====== WEEK 4: Tu Th  Sep 20,22
-- Reading: Ch 3, 4.1--4.4 ??

-- The Four Fundamental forces   

--  Relating Motion to Forces using  Newton's Three Laws of Motion
 - Newton's  1st  and 2nd Law
 - Applying Newton's 1st and 2nd laws to objects moving along a circular orbit  
 - Centripetal acceleration and centripetal force 

====== WEEK 5: Tu Th  Sep 27,29

-- Reading: Ch 1,3,5
-- Homework 2 assigned, due next week  

-- Relating Motion to Forces using  Newton's Three Laws of Motion (contd)
- Centripetal acceleration of different orbiting objects
- Newton's 3rd law
- Using Newton's 3rd law to  understand weight and weightlessness

-- Motion of galaxies on large scales: Hubble's Law & the Expansion of the Universe 


====== WEEK 6: Tu Th Oct 4,6		
-- In-class review on Tue Oct 4
-- Exam 1 on Th Oct 6

====== WEEK 7: Tu Th Oct 11,13 

-- Homework 3 assigned, due next week  

-- Explaining Natural Phenomena on Earth 
- Spin and Orbital Motion of Earth
- Why do we have seasons? 
- Precession of the Earth's tilted axis. 
- Moon's orbital motion and  Lunar phases

-- The Scientific Method 



====== WEEK 8: Tu Th Oct 18,20 

-- History and Science of Astronomy  (300 BC to 1915 AD)
-  Chinese, Egyptian, and Babylonian astronomy 
-  Geocentric models and Greek Astronomy 
-  Library of Alexandria; House of Baghdad; Fall of Byzantine Empire. 
-  European Renaissance and Development of Geocentric models (1473-1670)
-  Modern Astronomy:  Newton,Einstein, Hubble

-- Energy 

====== WEEK 9: Tu Th Oct 25, (27=am away) 

-- Energy  (contd)
- Forms of Energy. 
- Principle of Conservation of Energy
- Equivalence of Mass and Energy or E=mc2 
- How efficiently do processes convert mass into energy?
- General Principles of Nuclear Fusion 


====== WEEK 10: Tu Th Nov 1,3

-- Homework 4 assigned, due next week  
-- Energy  (contd)
--- The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Light as waves and particles


====== WEEK 11: Tu Th Nov 8,10

-- Reading Ch 6.1--6.3, 15.1--15.4
-- Exam2 on Nov 10 

--- The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Light as waves and particles (contd)
-- Waves
-- Dual nature of light: light as electromagnetic waves  or as photons
-- light as electromagnetic waves:
-- Luminosity and flux of an object
-- The spectrum (continuum, emission, and absorption) of a star
--  Using the continuum spectrum of a star 
    to estimate its surface temperature via Wien's law
    to estimate surface flux via Stefan Boltzmann law
    to estimate radius 
-- Use emission and absorption lines to  to trace chemical composition of a star
-- Use the Doppler shift of an emission line to calculate recession speed.



====== WEEK 12: Tu Th Nov 15,17 ; Lec 22+23

--- The Electromagnetic Spectrum: Light as waves and particles (contd)

-- Telescopes : Our Eyes on the Universe 
-  Important properties of a telescope 
- NASA's four Great Observatories : Hubble, Compton, Chandra, Spitzer
- Using observations at  different wavelengths to unveil the mysteries of 
  the Universe


====== WEEK 13: Tu Nov 22
-- Reading: Ch 20
-- Homework 5 assigned,  due next week  

-- Telescopes : Our Eyes on the Universe (contd) 

-- Galaxy Formation and Evolution
- Types of galaxies : An amazing diversity. 
- Galaxy interactions: Cosmic Fireworks
  Major and minor mergers. Interactions of the Milky Way.
- Looking back in time using images of distant galaxies
  Galaxy  surveys: area, depth, resolution 
  GEMS, HUDF surveys

		
====== WEEK 14: Tu Th Nov 29,Dec 1					

-- Reading: Ch 21,23 
-- Homework 6 assigned,  due Dec 8

-- Dark matter content of galaxies and of the Universe  
-- The beginning of Time: Evidence for the Big Bang
-- The Planck Era  and GUTs
-- Inflation
-- Dominance of matter over anti-matter
-- The first three minutes: cosmic nucleosynthesis 
-- The recombination epoch
-- Reionization and the end of the dark Ages
-- Dark energy 
-- Fate of the Universe 


====== WEEK 15: Tu Th Dec 6 8  		
-- Final perspectives. Review session
-- Exam 3, tentatively scheduled for Th Dec 8