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ASTRO 100/2 Spring 2008 Exploring The Universe

ASTRO 100/2 Spring 2008 Exploring The Universe. M/W/F 11:15 – 12:05 Hasbrouck 134 Professor: Dr. Mauro Giavalisco TA: Ms. Cindy Wu Textbook: Stars and Galaxies, Fifth Edition, Michael A. Seeds. Contact Information. Dr. Mauro Giavalisco: Room 520 LGRT; phone: 413-545-4767

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ASTRO 100/2 Spring 2008 Exploring The Universe

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  1. ASTRO 100/2Spring 2008Exploring The Universe M/W/F 11:15 – 12:05 Hasbrouck 134 Professor: Dr. Mauro Giavalisco TA: Ms. Cindy Wu Textbook: Stars and Galaxies, Fifth Edition, Michael A. Seeds

  2. Contact Information • Dr. Mauro Giavalisco: • Room 520 LGRT; phone: 413-545-4767 • Office Hours: M/W 2:00 – 3:00, or by appointment • Email: mauro@astro.umass.edu • Ms. Cindy Wu • Room 519 LGRT • Office Hours: by appointment • Email: szuying@astro.umass.edu

  3. Philosophy of the Course • This course will lead you through a journey of about 14 billion years, from the present back to the beginning of the time. • The goal is to give you an idea of where we happen to exist, while at the same time introduce you to the most fundamental aspects of physics, from the four forces to the very essence of space and time, and of the methodology of science. • At the same time, the course will illustrate the methodology of science and scientific investigation, the power of innovation and of creative thinking • Size does not matter: we are relatively small, but we do understand an amazing lot about the universe and physical world. • Follow us, and we will show you how and what.

  4. Why Bother with Astronomy? • This course will cover larger topics -- measured by mass, size, age -- you name it! -- than any other class you will ever take. • The conceptsare not really hard to grasp. Logic, imagination and curiosity are really all that is required. However, these concepts are often new to students. It is important to think about them and try to understand them through reasoning and mental modeling. Prof. Giavalisco will guide you through this process and help you develop an intuitive understanding. • More importantly, you live in a complex society where science and quantitative reasoning play an ever-increasing role. • It is crucialthat you understand how science and scientists actually work, and learn to think logically and quantitatively. • Even more important, creative and imaginative thinking are becoming essential to succeed in today’s life. This is what studying astronomy is all about: curiosity, creativity, imagination. • Perhaps this course will spark a life-long interest in science; perhaps not. In any event, the thought processes and reasoning skills you develop this semester should stand you in good stead in situations far surpassing this single undergraduate 3-credit course.

  5. Format of the Course • Course material will be covered in three weekly lessons (M/W/F); readings from the text; homework. • Ample opportunity for individual interactions: ASK QUESTIONS, in class and during office hours. • REMEMBER: • there are no stupid questions (but there are stupid answers) except one: • the only stupid question is the one that was never asked • Not everything from the reading will be covered in class, however, we cover most of it, especially the most difficult parts. Important: you are responsible for all the material in the syllabus • Our goal is to teach you think like a scientist, analytically and logically. Answers to exam questions will not be found as a single fact either in the reading or in the lecture notes, but will require you to put one or more facts together.

  6. Course Requirements.I • Attendance: the single most important element to ensure success in this course • Reading: assignments in the text will be given for the following class; they are required • Quizzes: there will be 7 quizzes throughout the semester. Only your six highest quizzes will counts towards your final grade (you can drop the lowest one), each one worth 2.5%, for a total of 15% of the final grade. Quizzes are identical to exams, but much shorter in length (5-10 min) • Exams: there will be 3, 1-hour exams (multiple choice), each worth 15% of the final grade, and one final exam worth 20%. Anything discussed in the class or in the reading may appear in exams. • Makeup exams: will be allowed only for documented medical or family emergencies, or by prior arrangements. They will be oral exams. • Homework: there will be 8 homeworks, worth 2.5% each, for a total of 20% of the final grade. • Extra credit: none • Late assignements: will receive half credit • Academic honesty: expected of all scientists, and science students

  7. Course Requirements.II • Grades: will be assigned on a modified straight scale. Scores will be adjusted upward if the exams is too hard • Guaranteed minimum grade: • A: 92% • AB: 87% • B: 82% • BC: 77% • C: 72% • CD: 67% • D: 60% • Totals of components of Final Grade • 6 quizzes: 15% • 3 1-hr exams: 45% • 1 Final exam: 20% • 8 Homeworks: 20%

  8. About Homeworks • Homeworks are crucial to understanding the course material • Homeworks carry 20% of the final grade. That is a lot! Be diligent with your homeworks • Students are strongly encouraged to do homeworks in study groups • Discussing with other students and working together is a great way to learning • First Homework (HW1) is already on the Web • Accessible clicking the appropriate link in the Course main Web page • It is due IN CLASS on Monday, February 4

  9. About Quizzes and Exams • Quizzes and Exams are all in-class events • They are very similar, and differ only in length • Exams are longer and last 50 min (Final Exam is 2 hr) • Quizzes are shorter and last 10 min • They are all “open book”, “open note”. • You think this is good news. It is not, if you do not understand what you are doing. Furiously browsing the book or your notes will simply make you waste tons of time, unless you know what you are looking for…  • Student-to-student exchange of information during Quizzes and Exams is strictly forbidden, however • Inappropriate behavior will lead to immediate disqualification of the Quiz or Exam (I.e. your grade will be zero) 

  10. About Course Attendance • Students who do not attend the first two classes will be dropped from course • If you are not registered and want to, see me after class

  11. Things that bite in this class • Too much information and the class goes too fast. • Consistent attendance is the single, most important way to mitigate this problem. It is really crucial to come to class every time, participate and ask questions • Concepts are new, anti-intuitive and hard to grasp initially. • Dr. Giavalisco will focus on explaining new concepts at an intuitive level. However students must continuously think about them and try to develop their own mental models to explain and make sense of them • Difficult to locate homework answers in the book. • Dr. Giavalisco will not read from the book. Rather he will explain the material of the course stressing the physical meaning and helping the students develop an intuitive understanding of the various concepts presented during the course. Make sure you come to class and you understand new things.

  12. PED policy • Cell phones and other Personal Electronic Devices (PEDs): absolutely no PEDs during class. • PEDs *must* be turned off prior to class entrance • PED policy will be strictly enforced.

  13. Syllabus(on the Web) • Exploring the Sky • The solar system and planetary motions • The physics of gravity • Light, telescopes and astronomical exploration • The stars • Light, atoms and how they interact • The physics of stars • Life cycles of stars • The Universe • The Milky Way • External Galaxies • Galaxy Formation and evolution • Cosmology • Life • Nature of life • Life in other worlds and possible communications with them

  14. Scientific Notations • Metric system standard in science. Refresh your conversions: • 1 inch = 2.54 cm; 1 mile = 1,609 m = 1.609 km • 1 lb = 454 gr = 0.454 kg; 1 qt = 0.95 liter (l) = 950 cm3 • 0.1 = 1.0x10-1 deci • 0.001 = 1.0x10-3 milli (m) • 0.000001 = 1.0x10-6 micro (m) • 0.000000001 = 1.0x10-9 nano (n) • 10 = 1.0x10+1 deca • 1,000 = 1.0x10+3 kilo (K) • 1,000,000 = 10x10+6 mega (M) • 1,000,000,000 = 10x10+9 giga (G)

  15. Basic Notions. I • Time = Distance / Speed t = d/v • “t” stands for time; “d” stands for distance and “v” stands for speed • Imagine a neighborhood. Its elements are blocks • Block size: ~100 meter • Inter block distance: 200 meter • Time to go from one block to another (walking speed 5 km/hr): ~ minutes • Imagine a nation. Its elements are cities • City size: ~ 30 km • Inter-city distance: ~10+2 km • Time to go from one city to another (driving speed, 100 km/hr): ~ few hours • Imagine the Earth. Its elements are nations (countries) • Country size: ~2,000 (~2x10+3) km • Inter-country distance: several 10+3 km • Time to go from one city to another (jet speed, 900 km/hr): ~ several hours

  16. Basic Notions. II • Imagine the Solar system. Its elements are planets • Size of planet (Earth): ~12,756 (1.2756x10+4) km • Distance between planets: ~1.5x10+8 km (1.5x10+11 m) • Time to travel from one planet to another (speed of light, c=3.079x10+5 km/s or 3.079x10+8 m/s or 3.079x10+10 cm/s): ~0.5x10+3 s (about 8 min). • Imagine the galaxy. Its elements are stars • Size of a star (Sun): ~1.4x10+11 cm • Distance between stars: ~10+14 km • Time to travel between one star to the next (speed of light): ~3x10+8 sec ~ 10 yr (1 yr~3.154x10+7 s)

  17. Basic Notions. III • Imagine the Universe. Its elements are galaxies • Size of a galaxy (The Milky Way): ~9.3x10+22 cm • Distance between galaxies: ~3x10+24 cm • Time to travel between one galaxy to the next (speed of light): ~1x10+14 sec ~ 3x10+6 yr • The Universe is big (compared to us) • The light is pathetically slow for its size (and we can’t even go that fast)

  18. Required Reading for Next Class • “The Scale of Cosmos” (all), including the “Summary” at page 10 • The Sky, page12 to page 16 (excluded “The Brightness of Stars) • Appendix A, pages 475-477

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