Week
7
Lectures
# and topic(s)
() = review session
Aug. 25-29 1, 2, 3 on Chapter 1 Mapping the solar
system
Sept. 1-5
4, 5 on Chapter 2: The
origin of the elements;
spectroscopy
Sept. 8-12 6, 7, (8) on Chapter 3:
The Moon, minerals,
rocks, cratering and
dating.
Sept. 15-19 9, 10 on Chapter 4:
Mercury, the interiors of
planets, angular
momentum
Sept. 22-26 11, 12, 13 on Chapter 5:
Venus, atmospheric
chemistry, and global
tectonics
Sept. 2914, 15, (16) on Chapter
Oct. 3
6: Earth, seismology,
convection, and the
seasons
Oct. 6-10
17, 18 Chapter 7: Mars
8
Oct. 13-17
9
Oct. 20-24
10
Oct. 27-31
11
Nov. 3-7
12
13
Nov. 10-14
Nov. 17-21
14
Nov. 24-28
Dec. 1-5
15
Dec. 8-12
Finals
Dec. 13-20
1
2
3
4
5
6
Dates
19, 20, 21
Chapter 8: Orbits &
Gravity
22, 23, (24)
Chapter 9: Meteorites
and asteroids
25, 26 Chapter 10:
Jupiter
27, 28, 29 Chapter 11:
The outer planets
30, 31, (32) Chapter 12
33, 34 Chapter 13:
Comets and the Solar
Wind
THANKSGIVING WEEK
35, 36, 37 Chapter 14:
The origin of the solar
system
38, 39, 40 Special
topics
Work due or other
comment
Wednesday:
Meet in B49 (MacLab)
HW1 due on Wednesday
(Note: Requires use of
Voyager™ or equivalent)
HW2 due on Monday.
Friday session = review for
Exam I.
EX 1 over Chapters 13
on Monday
HW3 due on Monday
Pre-proposal deadline
Sept. 24
HW4 due on Monday
Project Proposals due
WED
EX2 over chapters 4-6,
Monday
HW5 due on Monday
HW6 due on Monday
EXAM 3, chapters 7-9 on
Monday
HW7
HW8
Exam 4 , chapters 10-12
on Monday
EARLY PROJECT
DEADLINE = WED.
HW9 due Monday
PROJECTS DUE Friday
absolutely no late projects
HW10 due Monday
Final exam (for those not
satisfied with project grades)
over Chapters 1-14
Astro 342: The Solar System
Lecturer: L. A. Willson, University Professor
Office: A317 Physics Office phone 4-6765
lwillson@iastate.edu
TA: M. A. Bransford, Ph. D. Candidate
Office: A324 Physics
Office phone 4-2989
mabransf@iastate.edu
Willson will give most of the lectures and be responsible for homework, exams, and exam grades
for most of the course as well as for your final grades. Bransford will give the lectures over
Chapters 7, 8, and 9 and be responsible for the corresponding homework assignments and exam.
Both have taught in A342 before and both will be available to help. Willson will be responsible for
all aspects of the optional projects - guidelines, advice, evaluating proposals, and grading the
projects.
Class meets MWF 2:10-3:00 PM in Room 58
(or occasionally somewhere else)
Every week there will be (a) homework due on Monday or (b) an exam on Monday.
TEXT: Consolmagno & Shaefer Worlds Apart
We will cover 1 chapter / week. We will not cover everything in class, but will highlight and
clarify.
In most classes there will be a "lecture challenge question" that will count for 5 points towards
your final grade. Most of these will be graded pass/fail: full credit for a good and honest try, 2
points for just your name or a flippant answer, no points if you miss lecture (whether or not you
have a good reason).
There will be ten homework assignments worth 50 points each
(= 1/3 of an exam)
Homework sets will consist of 3 parts:
A. Warmup exercises. These are meant to make sure that you are prepared to do the main
exercise. These exercises will be discussed in class on Fridays, so they should be worked
BEFORE FRIDAY each week. These will not be graded.
B. Main exercise(s). These will be graded, and solutions will be made available to you after the
HW is turned in.
C. Sample test question(s) over the material. These will not be graded. Discussion of these may
form the basis of a pre-exam review session. Actual exam questions will rarely if ever be identical
to these, but the format and level and some of the substance tested will be the same.
WORKING TOGETHER ON HOMEWORK: This can be a very good thing, if done properly.
Some of the questions we ask will be much easier and more fun to do if you can discuss them in a
group. The main thing is to make sure that the work you turn in is your own. This means: After
any discussion with your colleagues, retreat to a private place and re-work the
problems to make sure you understand them, and to confirm or correct the
answers.
There will be 4 Exams plus 1 final (which may be replaced by the optional
project). Exam dates and deadlines associated with the project option are given on the handout
"Schedule for Astro 342".
Points will be accumulated as follows:
Each HW worth 50 points,
ten assignments planned
500
4 exams plus final or project.
Hour exams worth 150 points;
final or project 250:
850
In-lecture questions worth 5 points each:
up to 40x5 =
Total points for the course:
200
1550
(The final total may be adjusted if necessary to accommodate changes in the schedule. There may
be some opportunities to earn "bonus points" or extra credit; if so, such points are added to the
scores after the final curve is set.)
How the course grade is determined from scores:
if a is the score for the lowest A- on the homework, b is the score for the lowest A- on lecture
challenge points, etc then:
HW
Lecture
Exams 1-4
Final or project Course grade
Challenge
Lowest A- = a Lowest A- = b Lowest A- = c
Lowest A- = d Lowest A- =
a+b+c+d
Lowest B- = a' Lowest B- = b' Lowest B- = c' Lowest B- = d' Lowest B- =
a'+b'+c'+d'
(etc)
The Project Option:
You may choose to do an independent project in place of the Final Exam. Projects are
(absolutely!) due on the Friday before Dead Week; they will be graded and returned on Dead Week
Monday, giving you at least a week to prepare for the final if you are not satisfied with your grade
with the project.
Lecture notes:
Some lectures will be based on material that is in the book. For these, there will probably not be
formal notes distributed.
Some classes will feature more discussion than lecture. There will be no formal notes for these.
Some lectures will present new material or significantly different explanations for key material.
Such notes will be available to you, on the www, before or soon after the relevant class.
HOMEPAGE: http://www.public.iastate.edu/~lwillson/a342home.html.