Date of Class
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Topics
|
Main Reading (pages)
|
Recommended Items at Textook website
|
Jan. 17
|
Our place in the Universe
|
ch. 1 p. 1-13
|
Scale of the Universe Tutorial
|
Jan. 19
|
Our motions in the Universe
|
ch. 1 p. 14-22
|
|
|
Patterns and Cycles in the Sky
|
ch. 2 p. 26-29
|
|
Jan. 24
|
Angles on the Sky, Daily Cycle, Seasons
|
ch. 2 p. 30-40
|
Seasons Tutorial
|
Jan. 26
|
Phases of the Moon, Eclipses, Planets
|
ch. 2 p. 41-53
|
Phases of the Moon Tutorial
|
Jan. 31
|
Greek Science, Copernican Revolution
|
ch. 3, especially
p. 65-72
|
|
Feb. 2
|
Kepler's Laws; Properties of Motion; Newton's Laws
|
ch. 3, p. 73-77 &
ch. 4, p. 117-120
|
Kepler's Laws Tutorial
|
Feb. 7
|
Newton's Laws of Motion & Gravity; Energy
|
ch. 4, p. 121-130
|
Motion & Gravity Tutorial
|
Feb. 9
|
Orbits; Tidal Force; Light as a Wave & Particle
|
ch. 4, p. 131-140
ch. 5, p. 145-152
|
Light & Spectroscopy Tutorial
|
Feb.
14-16
|
Atoms, Spectra, Thermal Radiation, Doppler shift
|
ch. 5
|
Light & Spectroscopy Tutorial
|
Feb. 21
|
Telescopes
|
ch. 6
|
|
Feb. 28
|
Overview of the Solar System
|
ch. 7
|
|
Mar. 2
|
Formation of the Solar System
|
ch. 8
|
Formation of the Solar System Tutorial
|
Mar. 7
|
Asteroids, Comets, and Kuiper Belt Objects
|
ch. 12
|
|
Mar. 9
|
Extrasolar Planets
|
ch. 13
|
Doppler Shift Tutorial; Detecting Extrasolar Planets Tutorial
|
Mar. 23
|
The Sun
|
ch. 14.1-14.2,
p. 478-490
|
"The Sun" Tutorial
|
Mar. 25
|
Solar Activity; Properties of Stars
|
ch. 14.3, p. 490-497
ch. 15.1, p. 502-510
|
Measuring Cosmic Distances Tutorial
|
Mar. 28
|
Properties of Stars; the Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram
|
ch. 15, p. 510-521
|
Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram Tutorial
|
Mar. 30
|
Star Birth and Aging
|
ch. 16 & 17
|
Stellar Evolution Tutorial
|
Apr. 4
|
White Dwarfs & Neutron Stars
|
ch. 18.1-18.2
|
|
Apr. 11
|
Black Holes
|
ch. 18.3-18.4
|
|
Apr. 13
|
The Milky Way Galaxy
|
ch. 19.1-19.2
|
|
Apr. 18
|
Other Galaxies
|
ch. 19.3-19.4;
ch. 20.1
|
|
Apr. 20
|
Galaxy Distances, Hubble's Law, Active Galactic Nuclei
|
ch. 20.2-20.3;
ch. 21.3
|
|
Apr. 25
|
Dark Matter & Energy
|
ch. 22
|
Prof. Shields,
Guest Lecture
|
Apr. 27
|
The Big Bang
|
ch. 23.1-23.2
|
|
May 2
|
Inflation and Olber's Paradox; Course-Instructor Survey
|
ch. 23.3-23.4
|
|
May 4
|
Exam 3 (on ch. 16-23) and Last Class Meeting
|
