FALL 2012
AST 2037 – LIFE IN THE UNIVERSE
Section 1021
Monday, Wednesday, Friday – 7th Period (1:55 PM – 2:45 PM)
Florida Gym – Room 260 (FLG 260)
Instructor:
Office:
Email:
Website:
Telephone:
Office Hours:
George R. Lebo
BRT 11-A
lebo@astro.ufl.edu
http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~lebo
392-2052 Extension 4-1887
2:00 PM – 4:00 PM, Tuesday and Thursday and by appointment
Text:
The Search for Life in the Universe, Third Edition, by Goldsmith and Owen
Publisher: Addison Wesley
This course, as intended, will be taught using very little math. However, the student should have a working
knowledge of simple algebraic manipulations. Whenever potentially confusing material is encountered, I will
make available copies of explanatory material.
This course satisfies 3 credits of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences physical science requirement.
Students with special needs MUST register with the Dean of Students Office if special accommodations are
expected.
ALL CELL PHONES AND PAGERS MUST BE MUTED DURING CLASS!
EXAMS
I will give four exams. Each will consist of 24 multiple choice questions. After each exam I will post a
provisional curve to help you determine where you stand. I will refer to these curves when calculating the final
curve but I will use them as a guideline only. Those grades close to the dividing line can fall on either side of
the curve. There will be no final exam.
EXTRA CREDIT
Weekly Reports: Read the stories posted on NASA’s websites: http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/scienceat-nasa/ and http://spaceweather.com Each exam period (For the first exam period this would be the dates 8/22
through 9/12.) write a short, one-to-three paragraph, report on each story posted on the
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/ site AND a one paragraph report on the six
http://spaceweather.com items that interested you the most during the exam period. You can subscribe to get
free email notices at http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/ when the site posts new material.
The reports will be due the day of each exam. The reports for each exam period can count for as much as 1.25
points, a total of 5 points over all. Late extra-credit reports will be marked down 20% for each day they are
late.
Student Observatory Visits: You can also earn additional extra-credit points by visiting the student
observatory when it’s open to the public on Friday evenings. You will receive one point for each evening visit
(maximum two). You must get a slip from Dr. Reyes, the observatory director, saying that you were there, and
you must report what objects (at least three) you observed and what telescope(s) you used. If you can’t view at
least three objects on a given night you’ll have to go another night to get credit. Don’t put off going to the
observatory until the end of the term as the public nights might be clouded out.
GRADING:
Each exam will count 25% of your grade. I will drop each student’s lowest score. I will determine the
final curve by adding the total of the three highest scores for each student. I will then add in any extra credit
points that you might have. In cases where your grade falls close to the dividing line between grades I will use
my evaluation of your interest and effort and your performance on the other (“dropped”) portion to choose the
grade. Note: Time spent doing the extra credit may take away from your studying for the exams. Be sure
to balance your efforts.
MAKE-UP EXAMS: I do not give make up exams after the exam date. If you can’t make an exam for
any reason it becomes the one you will drop. If you anticipate missing an exam (with a legitimate excuse) it
must be taken before the scheduled exam. “I have to go to a wedding” (unless it’s your own) and other similar
excuses do not constitute a “legitimate” excuse.
TENATIVE LECTURE SCHEDULE
Note: The Lectures will come from material in the listed chapters. However, I will not cover all of the material
in a given chapter and I will certainly add material that is not in the text.
DATE
TOPICS COVERED
TEXT
Wed, 8/22
Fri, 8/24
Introduction, Overview of space dimensions
Basic Principles, Light as a wave
Ch. 1, 2
Ch. 2, 6
Mon, 8/27
Wed, 8/29
Fri, 8/31
Doppler effect, Light as a Particle
Spectra, Black Body Radiation
Wien’s Law, Stefan’s Law, Measuring distance
Ch. 2
Ch. 2
Ch. 2
Mon, 9/3
Wed, 9/5
Fri, 9/7
Labor Day, No Class
Inverse Square law, Stellar Magnitudes
Resolution (Resolving Power), Kepler’s laws
Ch. 2, outside reading
Ch. 2, outside reading
Mon, 9/10
Wed, 9/12
Fri, 9/14
Einstein’s Theories, Forces of Nature , Review
Review
Exam #1
Ch. 2, outside reading
Mon, 9/17
Wed, 9/19
Fri, 9/21
Solar System Overview, Origin of the Solar System
Overview of the Sun
Overview of the Sun, continued
Ch.2, 3, 11
See Index
See Index
Mon, 9/24
Wed, 9/26
Fri, 9/28
Earth/Moon Overview
Stellar Spectral Types, Stellar Evolution
Stellar Evolution Continued, Stellar Death
See Index
Ch. 4,5
Ch. 4,5
Mon, 10/1
Wed, 10/3
Fri, 10/5
Big Bang Theory, Origin of the Universe.
Big Bang Theory Cont’d
Big Bang Theory Cont’d
Ch. 6,
Ch. 6
Ch. 6
Mon, 10/8
Wed, 10/10
Fri, 10/12
Life on Earth
Catch up, Review
Exam #2
Ch. 7
Mon, 10/15
Wed, 10/17
Fri, 10/19
Origin of Life
Origin of Life Cont’d, Development of Life
Development of Life Cont’d
Ch. 8,
Ch. 8, 9, 10
Ch. 9, 10
Mon, 10/22
Wed, 10/24
Fri, 10/26
Life Requirements and Extreme Life forms
Life Expectations, Life on other Solar System Planets
Life on other Solar System Planets, Cont’d
Ch. 10
Ch. 10, 12-15
Ch. 10, 12-15
Mon, 10/29
Wed, 10/31
Fri, 11/2
Life on other Solar System Planets, Cont’d
Life on other Solar System Planets, Cont’d, Review
Exam #3
Ch. 10, 12-15
Ch. 10, 12-15
Mon, 11/5
Wed, 11/7
Fri, 11/9
Uniqueness of Planet Earth
Uniqueness of Planet Earth cont’d.
Homecoming, No Class
Ch. 16
Ch. 16
Mon, 11/12
Wed, 11/14
Fri, 11/16
Veteran’s Day Observed, No Class
Habitable Zones
Extrasolar Planets
Mon, 11/19
Wed, 11/21
Wed, 11/23
Extrasolar Planet Populations
Thanksgiving, No Class
Thanksgiving, No Class
Ch. 18
Mon, 11/26
Wed, 11/28
Fri, 11/30
Space Flight, Solar System and Interstellar matter
How Common is Life? Interstellar Communication
The Drake Equation, Extraterrestrial Visitors
Ch. 19
Ch. 18,20
Ch. 20,21
Mon, 12/3
Wed, 12/5
Fermi’s Conjecture and Review
Exam #4
Ch. 21,22
Ch. 16
Ch. 17
FACTS, WARNINGS, SUGGESTIONS, ETC.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Tests will come from the lectures. I do not post many of my notes on the Internet. Those which I do
post can be seen at http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~lebo/. Even though no attendance will be taken,
failure to attend class may cause you to fail.
Find another student with whom to study – then do it.
Rewrite your class notes in your own words the same day as the lecture. If you cannot express them
in lucid terms, you don’t understand them. Come see me.
Know appropriate definitions, concepts, and terms well. The exams will be constructed so that “a
little knowledge” may be worse than “no knowledge”.
All mathematical formulas needed for an exam will be provided on the blackboard.
Grades and a provisional curve will be posted on the Tuesday following each exam.
Do not skip an exam early in the term because you haven’t prepared sufficiently lest you perform
poorly on a subsequent exam and wish to drop it.
BACKGROUND READING
365 Starry Nights, Chet Raymo
Rare Earth, Peter Ward and Donald Brownlee
Man in the Universe, Fred Hoyle
A Brief History of Time, Stephen Hawking
Just Six Numbers, Martin Rees
The Accelerating Universe, Mario Livio
The Elegant Universe, Brian Greene
The Language of God, Francis Collins
The God Particle, Leon Lederman
The Cell’s Design, Fazale Rana
Darwin’s Black Box, Michael Behe
The Mystery of Life’s Origin, Charles Thaxton, Walter Bradley and Roger Olsen
The Edge of Evolution: The Search for the Limits of Darwinism, Michael Behe
Why the Universe is the Way it is, Hugh Ross