82-104, 82-114: Stars, Galaxies, and the Universe -Spring 2007
Lecture Times: 12:40-1:40 MWF
Labs start during the week of February 5th
Lecture Location: HS 106
Labs Location:
HS 364
Lectures and course responsibility:
Dr. Nadia Kaltcheva, HS 354, phone 424-7107
E-mail: kaltchev@uwosh.edu
WWW: http://planck.phys.uwosh.edu/kaltchev/
Office hours: Thursday 9:20 am - 10:20 am
Monday, Friday 1:50 pm - 2:50 pm
Office hours are also available by appointment (call or e-mail)
Lab Instructors for Spring 2007:
Dr. Ramanathan Jambunathan, jambuna@uwosh.edu, HS 349, phone 424-4430
Dr. Mark Lattery, lattery@uwosh.edu, HS 351, phone 424-7105
Course Text: Pathways to Astronomy, Volume 2, Stars and Galaxies (Schneider & Arny, McGraw
Hill, Copyright ©2007) (available at the bookstore).
Course Materials:
1. Hand calculator
2. Lab Manual “Stars and Galaxies Workbook”, UW Oshkosh. (82-104 only). The lab manual will be
available at the bookstore at the beginning of the semester.
About This Course:
What is Astronomy?
Astronomy is the study of the cosmos, at all levels. It is the investigation of life on Mars,
figuring out what the comets are made out of; finding planets around other stars,
searching for the first stars and galaxies that have ever existed, and much more. It is
perhaps the oldest of all sciences. Astronomy is a scientific explanation of how the
universe works. It is the ability to "see" into other times and places, like the center of the
Sun, the origin of the Solar system, or the origin of the Universe. It is unfinished, there
will always be something new to learn, discover and explain.
What Will We Study in This Course?
First we will start with a general look at the night sky and its motions and will try to
understand the reason for these motions. We then will talk about light and telescopes, and
will start our tour of the Universe. We will study the basic properties of stars, their
formation and evolution, the characteristics of our Galaxy, the Milky Way, other nearby
and more distant galaxies, and the structure of the Universe.
Astronomy is different from most sciences - we cannot actually experiment with our
subjects. We must instead be content to only observe from afar and try to apply our
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understanding of physics, as we know it on Earth, to everything else we see. Because of
this, we will have to spend time reviewing a little math and learning a little physics,
including gravity, orbits, light, and a few more ideas that we’ll need later on.
Liberal Arts
82-104/114 Stars, Galaxies and the Universe is an introductory level class designed for
non-science majors. This is a survey course about the diverse nature of our Universe. It
fulfills a natural science requirement for the general education program at UW Oshkosh,
representing the contemporary scientific understanding of the world around us. It teaches
students to appreciate the beauty of the Universe, but also to understand the controversial
journey of the human mind in seeking answers to complex questions about the structure
and evolution of the stars and the planets.
Studying introductory Physics and Astronomy at a non-science level refreshes and
improves your skills to think qualitatively and perform simple numerical estimates. It
also teaches you as how to formulate hypotheses and how to test them. All these are
valuable transferable skills which apply in any subject and beyond academia. The
introductory science classes also encourage you to observe and understand better the
natural phenomena we see every day. They are an important contribution toward your
college education providing you with an impression of the concepts of science, its
methodology and the processes of scientific thinking. This knowledge applies to aspects
of virtually any career you wish to consider.
Expectations:
During our 14 weeks together, we will cover the whole textbook. It is your responsibility
to keep up with the lectures and assigned readings. Read the textbook ahead. It will give
you some familiarity with the material before we start discussing it in class. Also, it helps
to read the material again after the lectures. When studying, keep in mind that it is not
only important to know the facts, but to also understand how we know what is going on.
Outside/Other Materials:
This course has a home page on the World Wide Web:
http://planck.phys.uwosh.edu/kaltchev/teaching1, then click on 82-104/114
From here you will be able to find:
• Copies of all handouts, including the syllabus
• Links to other astronomical sites
• Information about upcoming exams and where to find your current grade.
Exams:
There will be 4 exams, each made up of about 50 multiple choice questions (taken from
lecture material and the text) for a total of 100 points each. They will be given according
to the following schedule (these dates and the number of the questions in each exam are
subject to change):
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Exam #1: Wednesday, February 21 (includes the material covered during Jan 29 – Feb 20
(10 Lectures))
Exam #2: Friday, March 16 (includes the material covered during Feb 23 –March 14 (9
Lectures))
Exam #3: Friday, April 16 (includes the material covered during March 26 – April 13 (9
Lectures))
Exam #4: Friday, May 11 (includes the material covered during April 18 – May 9 (10
Lectures))
Quizzes:
There is now a good deal of research which supports the idea that a large lecture may not
be the best way for all students to learn effectively. One supplement that has been
suggested is a series of group activities where you, as part of a group, must discuss and
analyze a topic, idea, or a problem. With this in mind, over the course of the semester
there will be several collaborative “practice quizzes” (which will not be graded) and
several collaborative “quizzes” (these will be graded). They will be given in the last 15 20 minutes of class and will consist of several questions covering concepts from the
lectures and the textbook. You will then break up into groups of 3 or 4 and discuss the
questions. By the end of class, every student must turn in the quiz which will be graded.
Keep in mind though that these quizzes aren’t meant to be a hard assignment, just
something to get you thinking and talking about the material. There will be eight
randomly selected quizzes, each of them 5 points, which will be added to your grade
points.
Grades:
Exams (4 total, 100 points each): ……..400 points total
Quizzes:
40 points total
Labs (82-104 only):
140 points total
Note for lab students: You must complete all the lab exercises according to the schedule
and have them APPROVED by your lab instructor in order TO RECEIVE CREDIT FOR
THE COURSE!
Total Points Possible: 580 (82-104)
440 (82-114)
Grades: will be assigned according to the following table (although this scale may be adjusted if
necessary):
% of total possible points
92 - 100
87 - 91
83 - 86
77 - 82
Letter Grade
A
A/B
B
B/C
3
67 - 76
59 - 66
54 - 58
Below 53
C
C/D
D
F
Cheating:
Cheating, copying, plagiarism, and other examples of academic dishonesty will not be
tolerated. All material submitted must be your own work. Violators will receive a score of
0 (zero) for that assignment and the incident will be reported to the Dean of Students for
further disciplinary action.
Extra Credit:
There is no extra credit possible, so it is in your best interest to keep up with the material.
and do well on the tests!
Incompletes:
Incompletes will not be granted, except under the conditions outlined in the University of
Wisconsin Undergraduate Bulletin (illness, injury, or other extenuating circumstances).
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