Course Syllabus for PHYS 106(L) (Introductory Astronomy) Fall 2008

Lecturer: Scott Heinekamp (scotth@wells.edu) Stratton 202 364-3361
Office Hours: Tues 12:30-1:30; Fri 1:30-2:30 or by appointment
TAs: Russ Bailey (office hour Monday 5-7 pm 3rd floor atrium Stratton) and Mary Gooding (office hour 3-5 Tuesday same location)
Course web page (this very page): aurora.wells.edu/~swh/ph106/ph106syl.htm
PHYS 106 meets the lab science requirement for graduation from Wells

GOALS AND METHODS OF INTRODUCTORY ASTRONOMY
Astronomy concerns itself with "big" questions: What is the nature of the universe, and of the things the universe holds? How can these things be perceived, and described, and what processes govern the ways in which these things change? The goals of the course are to become aware of scientific ways of thinking in all three areas -- perception, description, time evolution -- by studying more-or-less well-understood phenomena.
     There is so much NEW information emerging every day that it is easy to forget that astronomy is the oldest science of all. Astronomy is "pan-cultural", too -- humans in all places, and (as far as we know) at all stages of history and prehistory, have looked at the sky wonderingly. There is something truly universal about our instinctive desire to UNDERSTAND, and to DESCRIBE and to FORMULATE LAWS governing, what we see in the sky.
     For you to achieve those three goals, be sensitive to three ways of understanding astronomy:: Historical: invaluable, especially in a liberal arts context. Astronomical understanding has changed (greatly!), thanks to courageous thinkers and the persuasive power of science, keeping pace with (and often driving) the increasing sophistication of modern civilizations; Descriptive: the core of the course. Clear knowledge of facts and of successful theories allow us to comprehend complexity; Mathematical: the use of graphs, and of quantitative statements, and manipulation of equations, are essential to the deepest scientific understanding of the physics of astronomy.
     A mixture of homework, testing and laboratory experiences will provide you with a way to strengthen your understanding of the material, and for me to assess how well you understand what astronomy is all about.

COURSE SUBJECT MATTER
The material falls into four parts (see the Lecture Schedule and the Powerpoint Presentations for details). Sometimes a single set of ideas is contained in more than one chapter.
    Introduction to the Skies: Elements of celestial "navigation"; Stars as seen from Earth; The apparent motion of the sun, moon, stars and planets through the day, and year; Early explanations (Chs 1-4)
    Physical Processes in Astronomy: The true motion of the planets; Light and other forms of radiation; Energy and matter; Nuclear physics; Properties of the solar system's members (Chs 5-7, bits of Chs 8-15)
    Stellar and (proto)Planetary Evolution: Formation of a star and its planets; Star classification and the relation structure; (Chs 16-19)
    From Stars, through Galaxies, to the Universe: More exotic star-like objects; The formation and structure of our own, and other, galaxies; Even more exotic celestial objects (like black holes); Cosmology (Chs 20-26)

IMPORTANT FACTS
    Textbook is John Fix, Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier (5th ed) (ISBN 978-0-07-305002-7). The 4th edition is essentially identical for our purposes and is widely available, too (and was used at Wells last year). The text comes with a CD-ROM ("Starry Night Pro") for viewing the night sky on your computer: fun!! We will omit many chapters and parts of some others. Please obtain a cheap scientific calculator (no graphing needed), and perhaps some colored pencils for notetaking and homework/lab. Warm clothes, and dew-proof shoes, come in handy too.
    Lectures will be powerpoint-based, for the most part. Some other computer-based demos will be used. Often, too, we will resort to the blackboard, as powerpoint has its limitations especially when dealing with mathematical issues. I will distribute paper versions of the powerpoint lectures in class, but without actual class attendance you are sure to miss important information (more on attendance later).
    Laboratories are hands-on activities, meant to reinforce the class ideas. At times, two will be done during one three-hour session. You are encouraged to collaborate with your lab partner(s) and to ask questions!! All labs are required.
    Night Viewing will take place usually at the AA House, but we have a standing invitation to utilize the fancy new observatory up at Southern Cayuga High School, as well. Because of the unpredicatable nature of the sky, no hard and fast rules can be given about night viewing, other than that I ask you to make every effort to attend at least one telescope session, either at Wells or up at SCCS.
    A Planetarium visit is planned, early in the semester. We are fortunate that there is one up at SCCS.

BASIS FOR YOUR GRADE
Attendance, Class Participation and Presentation (20%): You will be allowed to miss one class without medical excuse or prior arrangement (5% deduction per absence after this). Preparedness for class and engagement of the subject while in class are two of the most important pieces of the learning process. Your presentation will be included in this piece. More about this later in the semester, but, briefly, two-person teams will give 15-minute presentations, roughly one every other week, in the form of "investigative reports", getting across important facts and accepted beliefs about some astronomical topic.
Homework and Laboratory (24%). Roughly weekly homework assignments, taken from the text and other places, and posted on the web site at aurora.wells.edu/~swh/ph106/ph106hwk.htm (or click the link). Expect about six labs in all (including night sessions). Some lab times may be used for exams and/or exam review so keep those Monday afternoons free!
Hour Examinations (36%): Three in all; format will be multiple-choice, short answers, and mathematical exercises. These may take place Monday afternoons.
Final Paper (20%): 7-10 pp, topic to be agreed upon by you and me. The presentation topics should stimulate ideas here. Feel free to read ahead in the text, or tap into the web or magazines, too. Needless to say, there is a TON of web-based material, at all levels of difficulty, on the subject of astronomy!!

HONOR CODE
You will be expected to live up to the Wells Honor Code. Everyone benefits when we work in an atmosphere of honest inquiry. Do your own work; contribute your fair share to collaborative efforts; engage the material as best you can; ask if you need help.