SYLLABUS AST 2002 Introduction to Astronomy Section 0001, Fall 2015 Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:30 1:20 pm. MSB 260

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1 SYLLABUS AST 2002 Introduction to Astronomy Section 0001, Fall 2015 Monday, Wednesday, Friday 12:30 1:20 pm. MSB 260 Instructor Dr. Julie Brisset Office Physical Sciences Building 420 Contact Information Office Hours It is very likely that I will need to send to you regarding class logistics or material. These s will go to the address on record at UCF. In addition, announcements will be posted on Webcourses. If you write an to me, please identify yourself in it, and please include AST2002 in the subject line. Do not send me messages within Webcourses or masteringastronomy. Monday: 2-3 pm Wednesday: 2-3 pm Friday: 2-3 pm This will be a big class, so please feel comfortable coming to my office hours for any questions or help you might need (also, I will not write a recommendation letter for you if I haven t met you ) Textbook iclicker The Essential Cosmic Perspective, 7 th Edition by Bennett et al. this book can be purchased at the UCF Bookstore or online at It includes the access code to the masteringastronomy.com website for homework. We will be using the iclicker feedback system in class every day. iclickers are available in the campus bookstore and other locations. The same iclicker can be used for any classes requiring them. Both iclicker and iclicker 2 are compatible with our system. When you first get the iclicker, go to to register it. Use your NID, including the two leading letters, as you student ID. You MUST always use only your iclicker. Anyone caught using someone else s clicker will immediately receive an F for the course, as will the owner of that clicker. Homework We will be using Mastering Astronomy for this course. Pay attention in class to find out in more detail how to access the site for our course. All homework will be done on masteringastronomy.com, in the Assignments section. The course code that you will need is MABRISSET Use your UCF

2 NID (usually 2 letters and 6 numbers) for your student ID. Webcourses All of your grades will be accessible on the UCF Webcourses page for AST2002 (webcourses.ucf.edu), as well as a wealth of other tools, including course announcements. Course notes and other documents, such as exam reviews, will be posted here as well. All instructors/faculty are required to document students academic activity at the beginning of each course. In order to document that you began this course, please complete the Syllabus Quiz on our Webcourses page by the end of the first week of classes or as soon as possible after adding the course. Failure to do so may result in a delay in the disbursement of your financial aid. We will not be using Webcourses very often this semester, but keep your ears open for any further use. Grading Two in-class exams (two highest scores of three exams): 50% Final exam (cumulative): 25% Quizzes/Homework: 20% Clickers: 5% There will be three in-class exams during the semester, and a cumulative final exam. The lowest of the regular mid-terms will be dropped. If you miss an exam for any reason, it will count as your dropped exam. The homework will be online. Access is briefly discussed above and will be elaborated on during the first week of class. Assignments will usually be due on Sunday nights. Pay attention in class for any changes. We will be making use of the iclicker feedback system every day. You will receive points both for participation and for correct answers. There will be three dropped clicker days to account for any days you might miss due to illness, forgetting your clicker, etc. 1% of extra credit, added to your final grade, may be earned by visiting UCF s Robinson Observatory during the semester. They have open house nights approximately once per week, during which time you may attend and bring whomever you like. Open hours for this facility can be found at They have forms there for you to fill out to earn the extra credit. This must be done before the last day of classes. Plus and minus grades (A-, B+, etc.) will not be given. The grade scale is as follows: % - A 80-90% B

3 70-80% C D Less than 55% F I reserve the right to adjust the grade scale, and the grade scale for exams will be posted after each exam with adjustments (a curve ) if any. These adjustments, if made, will only help your grade. All assignment and exam grades are final 72 hours after they have been returned. Contact me before this 72-hour period is over if you have a grading dispute. Missed Work Policy Course Description It is Physics Department policy that making up missed work will only be permitted for University-sanctioned activities and bona fide medical or family reasons. Authentic justifying documentation must be provided in every case (and in advance for University-sanctioned activities). At the discretion of the instructor, the make-up may take any reasonable and appropriate form including but not limited to the following: giving a replacement exam, replacing the missed work with the same score as a later exam, allowing a dropped exam, replacing the missed work with the homework or quiz average. Note that for this class, the dropped exam is the default policy for a missed exam for any reason. This is also the policy for homework and clicker absences. This is a broad survey of astronomy including motions in the sky, the solar system, stars, galaxies, and the origin and evolution of the universe. With such a broad array of topics it is not possible to cover each one in great depth. Instead we will emphasize the scientific techniques used to elucidate the physical evolution of the universe. We will use astrophysics as a case study to illustrate scientific inquiry and quantitative reasoning. The goals of the course are (1) Learn the key concepts of modern astronomy, from planetary science to cosmology. (2) Learn how scientists use basic principles of physics to understand the larger cosmos. (3) Develop skills in quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and scientific inquiry, using astronomy as a test case. Our goal in this course will be to gain an appreciation of the basic concepts in modern astronomy and to use astronomy as a case study in scientific study and quantitative reasoning. To accomplish this, we will use the powerful techniques of scientific inquiry, and we will learn how these techniques have been used to teach us what we now know about the universe. We will learn about the solar system, the night sky, stars, and galaxies. However, we will not treat these topics as a source of facts to be memorized. Rather, we will employ elegant and simple physical concepts such as the

4 nature of gravity, energy, and light to understand the processes that shaped our solar system and the universe. This will require some quantitative work, but nothing beyond simple algebra. This course is designed for non-science majors, so the goal will be science literacy rather than science proficiency. By using scientific techniques to study the physics of the planets, stars, and galaxies, you will gain an appreciation of how science works not only in astronomy but other fields as well. This will be a challenging course. You will have to learn new physical principles and apply them in a quantitative as well as qualitative way to a subject matter that is not familiar. In addition to attending class sessions, you should count on at least two hours of study out of class for each hour in class. Read the text and complete the homework assignments. If you have difficulty with a problem or a concept, please see me. I am more than happy to go over the material during office hours. I'm here to help you learn, but you must invest the time to study and complete your assignments. If you do these things, this will be a rewarding and mind-broadening course and will give you a new appreciation for the world we live in and its place in the universe. We will follow the textbook in order, but we will not have enough time to cover every chapter. In addition, we will spend more time on some topics than on others in order to get a more in-depth understanding of at least some areas. Some material covered in the class and required for the exams is not covered in detail or at all in the textbook. Class notes are therefore important. I will be posting notes on the class website. You may also wish to share notes with other students. The reading assignments in the schedule below are to be completed before class on the day listed. The lectures will be aimed at an audience that has completed the reading assignment. I favor an interactive classroom environment. Be prepared to answer questions. Time permitting, I will answer your questions in class. If you are confused about a topic or would like to follow-up, please come to office hours or make an appointment for another time. Important Dates Drop/Swap Deadline: August 27 Withdrawal Deadline: November 02 Exam 1: September 28 Exam 2: October 21 Exam 3: November 23 Final Exam: December 11, 10am- 12:50pm

5 Schedule Class Date Textbook Chapter Description Aug 24 Syllabus Introduction to the course and the Mastering Astronomy website. Introduction to our Universe 1.1 Aug A modern view of the Universe Aug The night sky Aug Seasons Sep The Moon and planets Sep 04 3 The science of astronomy and its history Sep Describing motion Sep Newton s laws of motion Sep Conservation laws in astronomy Sep Gravity Sep Light and matter Sep The information we get from light Sep Telescopes Sep 25 Review 1-5 Exam 1 Review Sep 28 Exam 1 Sep Solar System formation 1 Oct Solar System formation 2 Oct and 7.5 Planet Earth Oct Moon, Terrestrial planets 1 Oct Terrestrial planets 2 Oct Jovian planets Oct Jovian planets moons and rings Oct Small bodies 1 Oct 19 Review 6-8 Exam 2 Review Oct 21 Exam 2 Oct Small bodies 2 Oct Exoplanets 1 Oct Exoplanets 2 Oct The Sun interior Nov The Sun magnetic activity Nov Stellar properties and how we measure them 1 Nov Stellar properties and how we measure them 2 Nov H-R diagram and star clusters Nov Star birth Nov Low mass stars Nov 18 Review 9-12 Exam 3 Review Nov 20 Exam 3 Nov High mass stars Nov Stellar remnants

6 Nov Galaxies Dec Cosmology Dec Life in the Universe Dec 11 Final Exam 10am-12:50pm I will be out of town on dates marked in bold and a substitute teacher will teach on those days. We may adjust the schedule according to how long it takes us to cover each chapter. Additional Information Picture ID will be required at all exams. Make-up exams will be given only in emergencies, with proper documentation, or for university-sponsored activities by prior permission. You may not collaborate on exams. Exams will be of the usual closed-book, closed-notes type. Some clicker questions may be answered individually (at the beginning of class, to check reading comprehension), while in general they will encourage group discussion. Please don't have any sidebar conversations during class. There will be ample opportunity for you to talk during class at certain times. I encourage you to raise your hand to ask relevant questions. All details of this syllabus are subject to change, so please pay attention to announcements on the website and in class. All general UCF policies apply. Especially see the Golden Rule, and the UCF Creed, As stated on the website "The University of Central Florida is committed to providing reasonable accommodations for all persons with disabilities. Students with disabilities who need accommodations in this course must contact the instructor at the beginning of the semester to discuss needed accommodations. No accommodations will be provided until the student has met with the instructor to request accommodations. Students who need accommodations must be registered with Student Disability Services, Student Resource Center Room 132, phone (407) , TTY/TDD only phone (407) , before requesting accommodations from the instructor. Version 1.0: Initial Version. August 05, 2015.