ASTRONOMY 301 Introduction to Astronomy Spring 2010
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FINAL GRADES WERE POSTED ON MAY 11, 2010.
The final conversion from numerical grades to letter grades was unchanged
from the table that I gave you at the start of the class (see below).
You did EXCEEDINGLY well. Out of 374 people who were registered to get a
letter grade, 105 got A and 65 got A-. This means that 45.5 percent of
the class got either A or A-. This is much better than any class that I
have ever had. Only 116 people got Bs, 73 people got Cs, and 10 people
got Ds. Five people failed, but some of these people probably
Q-dropped and the records didn't catch this. Fourteen people got CR grades.
You can see that there were MANY more people -- 76.5 percent of the class! --
who got As and Bs than the University expects when it says that B means
"above average". Maybe the most important thing that you can learn from
this course is the importance of enthusiasm and hard work. You were enthusiastic
and you worked hard and that's why you did so well. That's also why teaching
this class was fun. You should be proud of your results.
I am proud of you, and I wish you well in everything that you do.
Many of you have been kind enough to send positive feedback and tell me that
you enjoyed the course. Thank you! I appreciate this very much.
I wanted the course to be an enjoyable experience and an educational milestone
in your lives.
Sincerely yours, John Kormendy
For practical reasons, I need to add the following comments:
A number of people have sent email to ask me or Carlos whether there is anything that they can do to improve their grade. I'm sorry, but the course is finished. With two test grades dropped, it was A LOT easier to get a good grade this year than in the past. There were many opportunities to do well throughout the course, and overall, you made the most of them.
No matter what the "grade curve" is, there will always be some people who miss a higher grade by a tiny amount. There is nothing that I can do about this. Fortunately, now that we have +- grading, the difference in earned grade points between consecutive grades (like B+ and A-) is small.
Unique number: | Sections 48980 and 48995 |
Classes: | TuTh 12:30 - 2 PM and 2 - 3:30 PM in Welch 3.502 |
Instructor: | John Kormendy |
Office: | RLM 15.326 |
Office Hours: | Wednesday from 4 - 5:30 PM in RLM 15.326 |
Office Telephone: | 471-3492 (Please don't leave phone messages; send email instead.) |
Email: | kormendy@astro.as.utexas.edu |
Teaching Assistant: | Carlos Oliveira |
Office: | SZB 340 |
Office Hours: | Tuesday from 3:30 - 5 PM in SZB 340 (in the back of the room) |
Office Hours: | Thursday from 11 AM - 12:30 PM in SZB 340 (in the back of the room) |
Telephone: | (512) 772 - 4408 |
Email: | carlos.oliveira@mail.utexas.edu |
Teaching Assistant: | Hoo Kim |
Office Hours: | Monday from 1 - 3 PM in RLM 13.132 |
Office Hours: | Wednesday from 1 - 3 PM in RLM 13.132 |
Telephone: | 804 - 9258 between 9 AM and 6 PM |
Email: | hookim@mail.utexas.edu |
Teaching Assistant: | Bharadwaj Subramanian |
Office Hours: | Monday from 3 - 5 PM in RLM 13.132 |
Office Hours: | Friday from 3 - 5 PM in RLM 13.132 |
Telephone: | 788 - 7429 from 9 AM to 6 PM |
Email: | bharadwaj.subramanian@gmail.com |
Carlos Oliveira's Help Session for Homework 1: Wednesday, February 3, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM in FAC 21
Carlos Oliveira's Help Session for Homework 2: Monday, March 1, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM in JGB 2.324
Carlos Oliveira's Help Session for Homework 3: Monday, April 5, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM in JGB 2.324
Carlos Oliveira's Help Session for Homework 4: Monday, May 3, 2010 from 4 to 6 PM in JGB 2.324
John Kormendy's Help Session for Exam 1: Monday, February 8, 2010 from 4 - 6 PM in Welch 2.224
John Kormendy's Help Session for Exam 2: Wednesday, March 3, 2010 from 4 - 6 PM in Welch 2.224
John Kormendy's Help Session for Exam 3: Regular class on Tuesday, March 9, 2010 from 12:30 - 2 PM and 2 - 3:30 PM in Welch 3.502
John Kormendy's Help Session for Exam 4: Wednesday, April 7, 2010 from 4 - 6 PM in WCH 1.120
John Kormendy's Help Session for Exam 5: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 from 4 - 6 PM in WCH 1.120
This is a Java tutorial that is similar to the "Powers of Ten" video that
I show in class.
There are small inconsistencies between the above map and the one that
I show in class, e. g., in Australia, where the posted map does not show
three, half-hour time zones meeting at one place. Countries frequently make
changes in their time zones; the posted map (from 1996) is slightly out of
date. During the 2000 Millennium celebration, the time zones were as I show
them in class.
Applet demo of the retrograde motion of Mars
Applet illustrating the Doppler effect
Astronomical Picture of the Day
Mars:
A selection of Mars Global Surveyor images
Mars:
Evidence for recent liquid water
Mars:
NASA homepage for Spirit and Opportunity rovers on the surface
COURSE DESCRIPTION: |
This course is an introduction to astronomy for non-science majors. We start with explanations of the seasons on Earth and of what you see when you look up at the sky. Two lectures cover the history of astronomy from the ancient Greeks until the Renaissance. The history of astronomy is also the history of the development of the way that we do science; we will see why science is so successful in teaching us new things. Throughout the course, I try to show you how we learn things about our Universe. I then discuss stars - their formation, life histories, and deaths. This section includes a discussion of our Sun. From stars, we expand our horizons to the study of galaxies of stars and of the Universe as a whole. We look back in time to the beginning of the Universe to give us perspective on how everything around us was created - everything from the stuff that you and I are made of all the way out to the most distant stars. Given this perspective, we then return home to our Solar System. I describe the planets, moons, comets, and asteroids, and I put our planets into context by comparing them to the planets that astronomers are now finding around other stars. All this leads up to a discussion of our Earth, of the history of life on Earth, and of the prospects that there is life elsewhere in the Universe. The emphasis throughout the course will be on conceptual understanding of the "big picture". You will be astonished by how much we can learn about places far away and long ago. | ||||||||||
PREREQUISITES? MATH? |
It helps if you had high school science courses, but I do not expect this or require it. I will - as much as possible - start each subject from the beginning. There is only a little math in the course, and even people who have "math anxiety" usually find that the math is not a big problem. I will use "scientific notation" for large and small numbers, and I will introduce about half-a-dozen equations that describe how nature behaves. You never need to memorize equations. If you need them on exams, I will give them to you. But you need to understand what they mean and how to use them. Here is a question that is typical of the reasoning that you may be asked to apply: Your SUV has a 20 gallon tank for gasoline, and you can drive 24 miles with one gallon of gas. If you want to drive 1000 miles, how many times will you have to fill the tank? Most of the mathematical reasoning involves ratios and proportions, and all of the arithmetic that I ask you to do during exams can be done without a calculator. | ||||||||||
TEXT: |
Horizons: Exploring the Universe by Michael A. Seeds, published by Brooks/Cole and available at the Co-Op. You can get the 8th, 9th, 10th or 11th Editions. Older editions are not bad. If you get one, then you will have to be careful about reading assignments: the pages and section numbers mentioned in assignments may not correspond to those in later editions. | ||||||||||
CLASS ATTENDANCE: |
VERY IMPORTANT: I strongly recommend that you attend classes. Astronomy is not intrinsically difficult, but it is probably unfamiliar to you, and it is much harder to understand the material if you only read about it. Also, I will omit some subjects that are in the book, and I will lecture on other subjects that are not in the book. You will be responsible for the content of the lectures. I will distribute handouts on the most important things that are not in the book. Don't let the convenience of handouts fool you into thinking that you can skip class. The handouts are supposed to help you to remember what I said. They are not a substitute for coming to class. If you skip classes and study only from the handouts, chances are that you will pass the course but that your grade will be lower than it could have been (for example, C or D instead of B). This is not because I am nasty to people who skip classes (I'm not) but because you will not know the material. | ||||||||||
EXAMS AND GRADES: |
There will be 5 in-class exams (see the syllabus). Four of these will follow and cover the 4 major sections of the course. The fifth is essentially a makeup exam following Section 2. Your lowest exam score will be dropped and the average of your other exam scores will make up 80 % of your final grade. The remaining 20 % will be the average grade on the 4 homework assignments. There will be no final exam. There is no penalty for missing any one exam as long as you take 4 of the 5 exams. For this reason, there will be no makeup exams, not even for valid reasons such as medical or family emergencies.
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HELP SESSIONS: |
If you have trouble understanding something in the course, please ask questions in class or come and see me. I will be happy to discuss the problem with you. The TAs are also available. Review sessions will be scheduled prior to exams and otherwise as needed. | ||||||||||
MISCELLANEOUS: |
Astronomy is an observational science. My research depends in part on visits to various observatories, including the University's McDonald Observatory in west Texas. If I miss a class for this or any other reason, the class will meet as usual. You may be interested to visit our Student Observatory on the roof of Painter Hall. It houses a 9 inch refracting telescope. For information on viewing times, please consult our Educational Services Office. |
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STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES: |
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of Students at 471-6259, 471-4641 TTY. Also, please notify me of any modification/adaptation that you may require to accommodate a disability-related need. Specialized services are available on campus through Services for Students with Disabilities. | ||||||||||
CLASS RULES: |
Homework assignments will have a due date that is 2 weeks from when the homework is distributed. Late homework will not be accepted unless you have given and I have accepted your reason for requesting an extension prior to the due date. No homework will be accepted after I have discussed the answers in the help session that preceeds each exam. Exam dates: The syllabus lists the dates of the exams. I promise not to change these dates. Please note the dates of the exams, since it is impractical to schedule makeups. Substituting exam 3 for one of the other exams gives you flexibility in case you have to miss a test. I emphasize again: There will be no makeup exams. There will be no final exam. Copying during exams is a crime for which the punishment will be at least an F for that exam and very possibly an F for the course. I will not hesitate to report cheating to the Dean of Students. University standards of academic integrity are posted here. All work handed in for grading must be your own work. It is OK to discuss homework with a friend, but it is important to use your own thoughts and words in writing your answers. If you are puzzled by a question, do not copy a friend's answer. Instead, please discuss the problem with me or with a TA. Don't be shy! We are here to help! Recommendation: When you write homework solutions, show intermediate steps; don't just write down the answer. When the TA grades the homework, he or she needs to see how you thought about the problem. If you get the wrong answer but thought about at least some of the problem correctly, you get partial marks. If the intermediate steps are not shown and the answer is wrong, we can't give you any partial marks. |
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MORE CLASS RULES: |
Cell phones and laptops:Use of laptops is strongly discouraged. They get in the way of understanding, and they cause distraction for other students. The best way to take notes is NOT to use your laptop but rather to write on the class handouts. You will find that you don't need to do a lot of writing. Cell phone use is not allowed, please. NO TEXTING IN CLASS. |
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ASTRONOMY DEPARTMENT MEMO: |
Information on astronomy courses and on Departmental rules are posted in the Astronomy Department's Memo to Undergraduate Astronomy Students Copies are handed out on the first day of classes. | ||||||||||
UNIVERSITY RULES: |
The University's deadlines and rules regarding dropping the course will be strictly enforced. I will assume that you know the deadlines and the rules. Deadlines are listed in the University's Calendar for Fall 2009 - Spring 2010.
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