Instructor Information Name Office Email Office Hours Course Information ASTR 100 Introduction to Astronomy Syllabus for Fall 2015 Prof. Emily Hardegree-Ullman 125 Astronomy emilyehu@illinois.edu Tuesdays & Thursdays 1:30 3:00 pm or by appointment Section 1 (CRN 41827): MWF, 1 1:50 pm, 103 Mumford Hall Section 2 (CRN 31278): MWF, 2 2:50 pm, 103 Mumford Hall Credit: 3 credit hours. This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a Physical Sciences (Natural Sciences and Technology) course. Credit is not given to students with credit in ASTR 121, ASTR 122, or ASTR 210. College of Engineering students will not receive credit towards graduation for ASTR 100. Prerequisites: None. Course Description ASTR 100 is a one-semester introduction to astronomy. In this course we will discuss the nature of science; sun, planets, and moons; origin of the solar system; nature and evolution of stars; stellar remnants, including white dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes; extrasolar planetary systems; galaxies and quasars; dark matter and dark energy; the Big Bang and the fate of the universe; and life in the universe. This course is not intended for physical science or engineering majors. Course Objectives I want graduates of this course to begin to understand the following: Our place in the cosmos: This doesn t only mean our cosmic address, but also where we are in the evolutionary processes that have shaped the universe. How we know: It is just as important to know how humanity has learned to understand the universe as it is to understand what we know about the universe today. In this course, we will explore science as a way of learning about nature through observation, experimentation, and theory, and you will come to understand it as a creative, human, and often messy process. Course Resources Textbook: The Cosmic Perspective: Fundamentals, Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, & Voit, 2nd ed., Addison-Wesley, 2016 (ISBN-13: 9780133858648). You are not required to purchase this book, but it is useful for you to study the material covered in this course. You do NOT need any bundled supplementary materials, so used textbooks, electronic versions, or 1st ed. copies should be sufficient. 1
i>clicker: Participation in lectures requires the use of an i>clicker remote. Please make sure you register your device using the i>clicker registration link on the course webpage. Course Web Page: Located at https://compass2g.illinois.edu. The course schedule, lecture slides, assignments, and grades will be posted on the course website. Check the course page often as materials are routinely updated. Course Grade Grade Components: Component Percentage of Overall Grade Online Quizzes (13) 20% Observing/Planetarium Reports (best 2 of 3) 10% Online Lab Exercises (4) 20% i>clicker Questions ( 100) 10% Exams (best 3 of 4) 40% TOTAL 100% Grading Scale: A+: 97 100%; A: 93 96.9%; A-: 90 92.9% B+: 87 89.9%; B: 83 86.9%; B-: 80 82.9% C+: 77 79.9%; C: 73 76.9%; C-: 70 72.9% D+: 67 69.9%; D: 63 66.9%; D-: 60 62.9% F: 59.9% and below Final grades will be rounded to one decimal place. Assignments & Exams Online Quizzes: There will be 13 online quizzes over the course of the semester (about 1 per week). The quiz questions are mostly multiple choice, and you will submit your answers using the course website. After your first submission, you will be able to review your answers. You can then re-take the quiz BEFORE its due date, and you will be credited with the higher score. Note: The course website does NOT accept late submissions of quizzes. Observing/Planetarium Sessions: You are required to attend and complete reports for one planetarium visit and at least one of the observing sessions for this course: Planetarium Show: a presentation to illustrate the motions of the sky at a local planetarium, Night Observing: an evening observing session at the campus observatory, and Solar Observing: a daytime session to observe the surface features of the sun. Detailed instructions regarding the planetarium and observing sessions are posted on the course website. If you attend both types of observing and turn in a report for each, you will get extra credit. Note: Every semester many students put these activities off until the last day and then find the planetarium is sold out or the weather is cloudy. GO EARLY. If you are unavailable for an activity due to unavoidable circumstances, see the instructor immediately. 2
Online Lab Exercises: To enhance your understanding of particular topics in the course, you will be assigned to complete four online laboratory exercises over the course of the semester: Lunar Phases Lab: explore how the earth-sun-moon geometry gives rise to moon phases. Planetary Orbits Lab: explore Kepler s Laws of Planetary Motion and how basic Newtonian concepts relate to orbits. Extrasolar Planets Lab: examine how we search for planets outside our solar system. Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram Lab: explore how other stars appear relative to the sun. You are encouraged to work on the labs with partners (up to three students total working together in one group) and to turn in one lab report for the group. i>clickers: In order to provide an environment more conducive to participation and interaction, each student will have an i>clicker remote with which to respond to concept-check questions during lecture. Each question is worth 2 points: 1 point for attempting the question and 1 point for a correct answer. There will be about 100 assessed i>clicker questions over the semester (i.e., about 200 available points ). Therefore, you can be absent or forget your i>clicker a few days without negatively affecting your grade. To receive i>clicker credit, your device must be registered to your NetID. Information on registering your i>clicker to your NetID can be found on the class website. Note: The original i>clicker, i>clicker2, and i>clicker+ should all work for ASTR 100. Exams: There will be four non-cumulative exams for this course, but no comprehensive final exam. Exams will consist of about 40 multiple-choice questions. The first three exams will be given during regularly scheduled class meetings. The fourth exam will be given during the scheduled final exam period for ASTR 100 (but it is not a comprehensive final exam). Exam dates are posted in the class schedule at the end of this syllabus. You may bring one (1) 8.5 11 (letter-sized) note sheet to each exam. Notes must be handwritten, and both sides of the page may contain notes. Also bring pencils and your official university identification card (to show upon request). Additional details on all assignments and exams can be found on the class website. Class Policies General: This course will follow all policies in the Student Code (http://studentcode.illinois.edu). Attendance: You are expected to attend lectures. I will cover material in class that will not always be in the readings, and the lecture material will be included on the exams. Class time is most valuable for you if you come prepared and ready to actively engage the material. Late Work: Observing/planetarium session and online lab reports turned in after 5 pm on the due date will be assessed a 25% penalty per day (including weekends and University holidays). Exam Absences: Make-up exams will only be offered if the student has good reason, in accordance with sections 1-501, 1-502, and 3-201 3-204 of the Student Code. Advance notice and documentation are required for approved school events (e.g., athletic competition), religious observances, and other planned absences. In case of unforeseen circumstances (e.g., illness), contact the Emergency Dean request an Absence Letter to document the exam absence. Make-up exams must be taken within one week of the original due date. 3
Personal Issues: To insure that concerns are properly addressed from the beginning, students who require reasonable accommodations to participate in this class are asked to see the instructor as soon as possible. All accommodations will follow the procedures as stated in sections 1-107 and 1-110 of the Student Code. Working With Others: Discussing course material with your classmates is encouraged, but each student is expected to do his/her own work. For quizzes, you may work together and discuss the questions. These questions are designed to help you learn the course material and also serve as practices for the exams. If you simply copy the answers worked out by other people without understanding them, it s going to hurt you in the exams. For the planetarium and observing sessions, you may attend the events with friends, but one person cannot attend for the group. Each student must write and submit his/her own report. For online labs, you are encouraged to work in groups (of up to three people per group) and turn in group lab reports. Each student is responsible for understanding and participating in the exercises. If you are in any doubt about whether something is allowed or not, ask your instructor. Academic Integrity: Any instance of academic dishonesty (including cheating and plagiarism) will be handled in accordance with sections 1-401 1-406 of the Student Code. Rules of Etiquette: For the benefit of your fellow students and your instructor, you are expected to follow these basic rules of decorum. Show up for class on time. instructor. If you must be late on a regular basis, please inform the Do not leave class early, and do not rustle papers or pack up bags in preparation for leaving before class is dismissed. Be attentive in class. Do not use headphones, read newspapers, or prop your feet up on other chairs or desks. Phones, laptops, tablets, ipods, etc. should all be silenced and stowed away during class. The use of such devices is distracting to you, your fellow students, and your instructor. No food items or drinks other than water bottles are allowed in the classroom. Be respectful in your interactions with your fellow students and your instructor, whether in person or in cyberspace. 4
Course Schedule Day Date Topics Reading Assignments Due M Aug. 24 Intro, Astronomy vs. Astrology 3.2 W Aug. 26 Our Place in the Universe 1.1 1.2 F Aug. 28 The Sky and Its Motions M Aug. 31 Understanding the Seasons 2.1 W Sep. 2 Phases of the Moon 2.2 Quiz 0, Quiz 1 F Sep. 4 Eclipses of the Sun & Moon M Sep. 7 Labor Day no class W Sep. 9 The Copernican Revolution 2.3, 3.1 Quiz 2, Lunar Phases Lab F Sep. 11 Gravity and Kepler s Laws M Sep. 14 Energy and Orbits W Sep. 16 The Nature of Light Quiz 3 F Sep. 18 Exam 1, Material: Aug. 24 Sep. 16 M Sep. 21 Spectra and the Doppler Effect W Sep. 23 How Telescopes Work F Sep. 25 Observational Astronomy Quiz 4 M Sep. 28 The Solar System 1.3, 4.1 Planetarium Report W Sep. 30 Formation of the Solar System 4.2 4.3 F Oct. 2 Terrestrial Planets 5.1 Quiz 5 M Oct. 5 History of the Terrestrials 5.2 Planetary Orbits Lab W Oct. 7 Why is Earth Habitable? F Oct. 9 The Jovian Planets 6.1 Quiz 6 M Oct. 12 Exam 2, Material: Sep. 21 Oct. 9 W Oct. 14 Comets, Asteroids, and Impacts 6.2 6.3 F Oct. 16 Detecting Extrasolar Planets 7.1 M Oct. 19 Exoplanet Characteristics 7.2 7.3 Solar Obs Report W Oct. 21 The Origin of Sunlight 8.1 Quiz 7 F Oct. 23 Properties of Stars 8.2 M Oct. 26 The H-R Diagram 8.3 Extrasolar Planets Lab W Oct. 28 Stellar Lives 9.1 Quiz 8 F Oct. 30 Stellar Deaths 9.2 9.3 M Nov. 2 White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars 10.1 Night Obs Report W Nov. 4 Black Holes 10.2 10.3 Quiz 9 F Nov. 6 Exam 3, Material: Oct. 14 Nov. 4 M Nov. 9 The Milky Way 11.1 W Nov. 11 Other Galaxies 11.2 F Nov. 13 Quasars 11.3 Quiz 10 M Nov. 16 Cosmic Distance Ladder 12.1 12.2 H-R Diagrams Lab W Nov. 18 Observing Galaxy Evolution 12.3 F Nov. 20 The Big Bang 13.1 13.2 Quiz 11 Nov. 21 29 Thanksgiving Break M Nov. 30 Dark Matter 14.1 14.2 W Dec. 2 Dark Energy 14.3 F Dec. 4 Life on Earth 15.3 Quiz 12 M Dec. 7 Life in the Solar System 15.1 W Dec. 9 Life in the Universe 15.2 Quiz 13 Dec. 15/16 Exam 4, Material: Nov. 9 Dec. 9 Section 1: Tuesday, December 15, 8 11 am Section 2: Wednesday, December 16, 1:30 4:30 pm *Lecture schedule subject to change depending on class progress. 5