|
|
Announcements Archive
5/17
|
:
|
Course grades have been submitted.
Have a nice summer!
In case you are curious, over 80 students in the class took the optional final exam. Most
of those who took the final did better than on their previous lowest exam score, and many
raised their semester grade to the next letter.
Statistics on the course grades: 92% of the class received a passing grade, and 62%
received either an A or a B. (Another 10% took the class on a credit/no credit basis.) Of the
8% who failed, many stopped attending class partway through the semester, or did not take
most of the exams or quizzes.
|
|
5/14
|
:
|
The final exam was given on Saturday, May 13. Grading will take a few days, since scanning
could not be done over the weekend, and any optional essays must be graded by hand. Course
grades will not be submitted until the final exam is fully graded, either Tuesday or Wednesday
(May 16-17).
|
|
5/12
|
:
|
The eGradebook has been updated to include Exam, Quiz, and Participation Totals, scaled to the
percentage of the course grade based on each item. Also posted is the Course Total, the sum
of these three items. These have been calculated for your convenience; however, it is
conceivable that there are some errors in these scores, so you should check them yourself
using the detailed information on eGradebook before deciding whether or not to take
the final exam. If you believe that you have found an error in the posted numbers, please
contact the T.A.s directly by e-mail. However, note that it will not be possible
to respond to such messages if they come at the last minute (overnight or early in the morning).
I continue to be asked about the policy regarding rounding up of numerical scores. The
policy remains as it has been all semester: numerical scores will not be rounded
up. If you are not satisfied with your course grade, you need to take the final exam. If your grade
on the final is higher than on any previous exam, it will replace that lowest exam grade. Otherwise
it will have no effect.
The comprehensive, optional final exam is Saturday, May 13, at 9:00 A.M. in room 106 in
Burdine Hall. Although the University has set a 3-hour time slot for this exam, you must
arrive before 9:30 A.M. in order to take this exam, and no student will be allowed leave the
room until at least 9:30 A.M. As usual, you will need to show your U.T. picture ID at the exam.
Course grades will not be submitted until the final exam is fully graded, which will probably
not be completed until next Tuesday, May 16, at the earliest, since the exam is over the weekend,
and part of it must be hand-graded.
|
|
5/10
|
:
|
The eGradebook has now been updated to include not only the final scores for Exam 3, but also the
Exam Total, (best) Quiz total, and Participation Total, scaled to the percentage of the course grade
contributed by each type of assignment. You can add these three totals together directly in order to
determine your numerical Course Total, and look up the letter grade for this score on the Grading page.
If you believe you have found an error in these totals, please contact the T.A.s directly,
ideally by e-mail. They will check into it, and make any necessary corrections. Remember
that the course letter grades will not be submitted until after the optional final exam, so there is no
need to panic if you find a mistake!
|
|
5/8
|
:
|
Exam 3 grades are now posted, and a Frequently Missed Questions file is posted for it on the new
Hour Exams link. These are the final scores including any points for essays.
From the information now posted on eGradebook, you can compute your total score according to the
instructions on the updated Grading page. Please do not email the instructor or T.A.s, asking us to confirm
your arithmetic! It simply is not possible for us to do this for everyone who asks in a class this size. However,
no later than Wednesday, May 10, we will calculate totals for the entire class and post them on eGradebook. Then
all you will have to do is to look up the letter grade equivalent.
As it says on the syllabus and Grading page, numerical scores will not be rounded up. If
you are not satisfied with your course grade, you need to take the optional final exam. If your grade on the final
is higher than on any previous exam, it will replace that lowest exam grade. Otherwise it has no effect. Also note
that we will not reconsider quiz grades, since the answers have been posted for a while.
The optional final exam is Saturday, May 13, at 9:00 A.M. in room 106 in Burdine Hall. Although the
University has set a 3-hour time slot for this exam, you must arrive before 9:30 A.M. in order to take this
exam, and no student will be allowed leave the room until at least 9:30 A.M. As usual, you will need to show
your U.T. picture ID at the exam.
|
|
5/4
|
:
|
The optional final exam is on Saturday, May 13, at 9:00 A.M. in room 106 in Burdine Hall. Although the
University has set a 3-hour time slot for this exam, you must arrive before 9:30 A.M. in order to take
this exam, and no student will be allowed leave the room until at least 9:30 A.M. As usual, you will
need to bring your U.T. picture ID for checking.
The instructor and T.A.s will hold regular office hours on May 8 - 11 (see right), but no help sessions
can be held during exam week.
Exam 3 is being graded; grades should be posted by early next week. If you have questions about
the Final Exam or estimating your course grade, see the
FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions) page before addressing queries to the Prof and T.A.'s.
|
|
5/3
|
:
|
All Lecture Summaries including those for April 27 and May 2 are posted, as well as Quiz 6 answers and the
April 27 index card responses. Exam 3 will be given on Thursday, May 4. It will cover chapters 16 - 23
(see Readings page for details). Remember to bring your UT picture ID to the exam in order to get credit
for this exam. We will post grades for Exam 3 as soon as possible, which is likely to be early next week.
Many people have questions about the Final Exam. Most of your questions are already answered on
the FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions) page, so look there first, before firing off emails to the Prof and T.A.'s.
|
|
4/27
|
:
|
The FAQ
(Frequently Asked Questions) page has been updated. Please look there first if you have a
question about the optional final exam or how to estimate your course grade.
On Tues., May 2, we will finish ch. 23 and answer queries on the last set of index cards. All remaining
quizzes and homeworks will be graded, and returned in the mailboxes in the lobby. We will also do the
Course-Instructor survey on Tuesday. Please participate; your input is valuable and will be taken seriously!
Exam 3 will be given on Thurs., May 4 in class and cover ch. 16 - 23. All Star party slips for
credit must be turned in by the beginning of the exam. (This means that you cannot get
credit for star parties on May 5 or 6.)
|
|
4/20
|
:
|
Prof. Dinerstein will be on travel from Mon. - Wed. (Apr. 24 - 26), so Tuesday's lecture will
be given by Prof. Shields. Quiz 6 will be on Thurs., Apr. 27, covering ch. 19 & 20. HW 8 is
due at the beginning of class that day.
To clarify the policies on earning participation credit: No more credit is being given
for write-ups on TV programs, so please stop suggesting additional programs for credit.
You can still earn participation credit for attendance at Star Parties, up to a maximum of 2
star parties (2 points each). However, the last star party you may attend for credit will be
on Wed., May 3, and no credit can be given for star parties that are cancelled due to weather.
Also, you must turn in an official signed slip by the beginning of class on Thurs., May 4 in
order to get this credit. (The Astronomy Department will still hold star parties on May 5 & 6,
but these will be held after our last class meeting and cannot be used for credit.)
|
|
4/17
|
:
|
Grades for Exam 2 are now available on eGradebook; the letter-grade to numerical-score
correspondences are the same as for Exam 1 (and also for the semester course grade).
Most of the class performed about the same on Exam 2, on averge, as on Exam 1; however,
there were a number of very low scores (about 15% of the class). If you were one of the
students who received a low score, you may wish to redirect more study time to this class,
to attend more regularly, and to do more of the homeworks. You should also see the file
of "Frequently Missed Questions"
for Exam 2, which gives answers to at least some of the questions you may have answered
incorrectly.
|
|
4/13
|
:
|
There will be a Quiz on Tues., April 18, on ch. 16, 17, and 18. Homework 7 has been assigned
and is due Thurs., April 20.
We have moved on to Part VI of our textbook, "Galaxies and Beyond." On Tuesday we covered the
first half of ch. 19 (see Readings & Resources for upcoming topics).
In order to check on the validity of the grades for Exam 2, posting of these scores will be delayed
until the week of April 17.
|
|
4/11
|
:
|
On Tuesday, April 11, we will finish chapter 18 and move on to the next Section of the book -
Galaxies and Cosmology - starting with ch. 19. We will have a quiz next Tues., April 18, in
order to fit in two more quizzes for practice (and to improve your cumulative quiz score) before
the third Exam.
Exam 2 is still being graded; grades will not be posted until Thursday.
|
|
3/27
|
:
|
An "answers" file for Quiz 4 and a summary of index card responses on March 23 are now posted,
and the schedule of readings has been updated. Prof. Gregory Shields will give the lecture on
Tues., April 4 on ch. 18 ("The Stellar Graveyard") and proctor Exam 2 on Thurs., April 6, while
Prof. Dinerstein is on professional travel. If you need help or have questions about the class
during the week of April 3 - 7, please contact the T.A.'s.
|
|
3/17
|
:
|
There will be a quiz on Thursday, March 23, on chs. 12 and 13. Homework 5 is due at the
beginning of class that day, and HW 6 (due March 30) will be assigned. The second Exam will
be on Thursday, April 6 and will cover chs. 6-8 and 12-15. Prof. Dinerstein will be out of town
April 2 - 8, but class will meet as usual, led by Prof. Gregory Shields.
The Grading page now gives explicit instructions on how to estimate your semester grade, based
on the assumption that your performance in the second half of the semester (after Spring Break) is
similar to your performance in the first half. Note especially that total credits will not be
rounded up to the next integer number when assigning the letter grade. Note also that no more
than 20 points of participation credit will be counted. (Participation cannot compensate for
low grades on the quizzes and exams.)
|
|
3/10
|
:
|
We covered the topic of "extrasolar planets" (ch. 13) on Thursday, March 9. After Spring Break,
we will start on ch. 14 of the textbook, skipping Part IV, chs. S2-S4.
Homework 5 is due at the beginning of class on Thurs., March 23. The second full-length
Exam will cover chapters 6-8 and 12-15, and will be on April 4 or 6.
The lunar eclipse on March 14 is only penumbral (ch. 2.3), so it might not be so interesting.
Have a nice Spring Break!
|
|
3/7
|
:
|
On Tuesday, March 7, we finished ch. 12; on Thursday we'll cover ch. 13 and do another index
card. Depending on the responses, we might talk a bit more about extrasolar planets on the
Tuesday after Spring Break, and then go on to Part V, beginning with ch. 14, "The Sun"
(skipping Part IV, chs. S2 - S4).
Homework 4 is due at the beginning of class on Thurs., March 9. The second full-length
Exam will probably be on April 4 or 6.
Have a nice Spring Break, and don't forget to look for the lunar eclipse on March
14!
|
|
3/1
|
:
|
In Part III of the textbook, "Learning from Other Worlds," we will cover only chapters
7, 8, 12, and 13 in detail. (We will skip chapters 9 - 11, but might come back to
them at the end of the semester if time permits.) We covered ch. 7 on Tues., Feb.
28, will do ch. 8 and 12 on March 2, and ch. 13 next week. After Spring
Break, we will resume with ch. 14 (skipping Part IV, chs. S2 - S4).
Quiz 3 will be given at the beginning of class Tues., March 7; it will cover ch. 6, 7, and 8.
Homework 4 will be assigned on 3/2 and due at the beginning of class on Thurs.,
March 9.
|
|
2/24
|
:
|
We are now starting our unit on the Solar system and planets; read chapters 7 and 8 for
next week. Grades for Exam 1 will be posted on eGradebook by next Tuesday, Feb. 28.
The NOVA program on solar neutrinos, "Ghost Particle," will be repeated on KLRU this
Sunday, Feb. 26, at 2:00 PM. See here
and click on the "Check local listings" link for further details. Write-ups in your own words should
be turned in as hard copy in class no later than next Thursday, March 2.
|
|
2/20
|
:
|
Graded quizzes and homeworks will be returned in the mailboxes in the lobby of the lecture hall,
where they can be picked up either before or after class. They are sorted alphabetically; for the
sake of your fellow students, please do not disturb the order of the other papers when you
collect your own.
The Feb. 16 index cards showed that many students have questions or confusions about the
material in ch. 5. Please see the posted file for Feb. 16 on the
Index Cards
link.
You have another opportunity to earn participation credits outside of class this week, by
watching and writing up a NOVA program entitled "Ghost Particle." It will first air on KLRU on Tues.,
Feb. 21 at 7:00 PM (CST, which is 8 PM EST), and will be repeated several times.
See here and click on the "Check local listings"
link for full details.
|
|
2/17
|
:
|
The first hour Exam will be on Thurs., Feb. 23. It will consist of 50 multiple-choice
questions and will cover chapters 1 through 5 (skipping ch. S1). You must bring
your UT Picture ID card in order to take the test.
Opportunities to ask questions about the course material include help sessions on
Mon. and Wed. at 5 PM, and office hours; see right for details. Monday afternoon's office
hour, 1-2 PM, will be held by T.A. Rongfeng Shen instead of Prof. Dinerstein (this week only).
There are also two copies of the textbook on overnight reserve in the PMA library in RLM.
|
|
2/16
|
:
|
The first hour Exam will be on Thurs., Feb. 23. It will consist of 50 multiple-choice
questions and will cover chapters 1 through 5 (skipping ch. S1). You must bring your
UT Picture ID card in order to take the test.
There are now two copies of the textbook on overnight reserve (with no renewals) in the PMA
Library on the ground floor of RLM.
Weather permitting, Star Parties
are held on Wed. evenings on the roof of RLM Hall, and Fri. and Sat. evenings at Painter Hall. A signed
slip from the person in charge earns 2 points of participation credit, for a maximum of two Star Parties
during the semester.
|
|
2/9
|
:
|
Quiz 2 will be given at the beginning of class on Tues., Feb. 14. It will be on sections
2.3, 2.3, 3.3, and 4.1-4.4 in the textbook (also covered in classes from Jan. 26 through Feb. 7).
Homework 3 has been assigned - see the Homeworks page for details - and is due
Thurs., Feb. 16 at the beginning of class. The first hour Exam will be on Thurs., Feb. 23.
For those students who are still waiting for the textbook reorder to arrive at the Co-op, there
are now two copies on overnight reserve (no renewals) in the PMA Library in RLM Hall.
There will be a public lecture on cosmology on Wed., Feb. 15 at 7:30 PM, in Room
1.110 of the Thompson Conference Center, by Prof. Steven Weinberg of UT Austin. See the
Astronomy home page for more information, including
a map. You can earn up to 2 participation credits in Ast 301 for attending this lecture and summarizing
it in a short essay, due on Tues., Feb. 21 in hard copy.
Weather permitting, Star Parties
are held on Wed. evenings on the roof of RLM Hall, and Fri. and Sat. evenings at Painter Hall. A signed
slip from the person in charge earns 2 points of participation credit, for a maximum of two Star Parties
during the semester.
|
|
2/8
|
:
|
Homework 2 is due on Thurs., Feb. 9 at the beginning of class. Please read the general
guidelines for homework assignments given on Homework 1, if you have not already done so.
For example, in order to receive full credit for your homework answers, you must explain your
reasoning and show intermediate steps. For numerical answers, state the units.
Write-ups for the special lecture on Sat., Feb. 4, are also due Feb. 9. They must be written in
your own words, less than 1 page long, and submitted on paper (no e-mails). Another opportunity
to earn extra credit by attending and reporting on a special lecture will be available next week;
details to be announced.
Quiz 2 will be given on Tues., Feb. 14; it will cover chs. 3 & 4. The first full-class hour
exam will be on Thurs., Feb. 23.
Weather permitting, Star Parties
are held on Fri. and Sat. evenings at Painter Hall. An official signed slip from the person in charge earns
2 points of participation credit, for a maximum of two Star Parties during the semester. It is also
planned to hold a Star Party at RLM on Wed., Feb. 8 (see link above).
|
|
2/6
|
:
|
We will cover the rest of ch. 4 on Tues., Feb. 7, and move on to ch. 5 on Thurs., Feb. 9.
Homework 2 has been assigned, and is posted on the Homeworks page. If you
attended the special lecture on Sat., Feb. 4, your write-up (in your own words, less than
1 page, hard copy) is also due on or before Thurs., Feb. 9.
Weather permitting,
Star Parties will be
held on Fri. and Sat. evenings using a telescope on the roof of Painter Hall. An official
signed slip from the person in charge will earn 2 points of participation credit, for a
maximum of two Star Parties during the semester. (Wednesday night star parties may
resume on Feb. 8.)
|
|
2/1
|
:
|
Quiz 1 will be on Thursday, Feb. 2, at the beginning of class. It will last about 15 minutes
and cover chap. 1 and 2. The format is three short essays, written on the quiz page.
There will be an extra opportunity to earn participation credits on Sat., Feb. 4. You may
attend the lecture on "Cosmic Explosions" by Prof. Pawan Kumar, from 1:00 - 2:00 PM in
ACES 2.302, and write up a short (1/2 - 1 page) report, due in hard copy
Thur., Feb. 9. Details about the lecture are posted here.
Weather permitting, Star Parties
will be held on Fri. and Sat. evenings using a telescope on the roof of Painter Hall. An official
signed slip from the person in charge will earn 2 points of participation credit, for a maximum
of two Star Parties during the semester. (Wednesday night star parties may resume on Feb. 8.)
|
|
1/26
|
:
|
Lecture Summaries are posted for all class meetings to date, in two formats:
with figures included (large files) and without figures that are also in the textbook (smaller files).
Homework 1 is due at the beginning of class on Tues., Jan. 31. See the file posted on
the Homework page for guidelines on the format, etc. A help session will be
held on Monday, Jan. 30, 5-6 PM in RLM 15.216B.
The first Quiz will be on Thursday, Feb. 2, at the beginning of class. It will be about
15 minutes long, and will cover chapters 1 and 2.
|
|
1/25
|
:
|
Good news; the due date for Homework 1 has been moved to Tues., Jan. 31.
Homework guidelines are given on the HW 1 handout (see Homework link, upper left).
Lecture summary files for Tuesday's (Jan. 24) class will be posted soon. Also see the
Index Cards link for summaries of student comments and the answers to some
queries.
|
|
1/22
|
:
|
On Thursday we covered pages 13-29 in the textbook. A schedule of topics and
readings is now posted; see Readings & Resources.
Homework 1 was assigned last Thursday and is due at the beginning of class on
Thurs., Jan. 26. For a list of assigned questions, a bonus question, and general
guidelines for preparing homework, see the Homeworks page.
Help sessions will be offered on Mon. Jan. 23 and Wed. Jan. 25, 5 - 6 PM in
RLM 15.216B. Office hours (see right) will also be held.
|
|
1/16
|
:
|
The class syllabus is posted at the Syllabus link on the Menu Bar.
If you already have the textbook, I recommend that you read chapter 1 and
bring the book to class on Tuesday.
|
|
