Tuesday, Thursday 2:30 -3:45 pm Hasbrouk 20
Instructor: Thomas Burbine, Lederle Graduate Research Tower (LGRT) 528
Email: tburbine@mtholyoke.edu
Course Website: http://www.xanga.com/astronomy100
Textbook: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology, The Cosmic Perspective, 3rd Edition by
Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit
InterWrite PRS: You need to have an InterWrite PRS transmitter. They are sold at the
Textbook Annex.
Teaching Assistants: Hui Dong and Guilin Liu
Hui Dong is located in LGRT 517H - phone 545-0731 - hdong@astro.umass.edu
Guilin Liu is located in LGRT 815D - phone 545-4261 - gliu@astro.umass.edu
Course Overview:
I have two principal goals for this course, these are:
Get you interested in Astronomy
Have you learn important fundamental concepts in Astronomy
The course is organized into four sections:
The Night Sky
Gravity, Light, and Spacetime
The Nature of Stars
Galaxies and the Universe
Course Philosophy:
My goal in lectures is to emphasize what I believe are important fundamental concepts in astronomy. I will try to promote discussions and show demonstrations in class, so lectures will be an interactive experience. Therefore, both attending class and doing the readings are essential for success in this course.
Course Theme:
The underlying theme of this course will be the question “Is there life elsewhere in the
Universe?” and “Can we find it if it does exist?” We will use Astronomy to try to answer these questions.

Course Requirements:
Attendance will not be taken, however InterWrite PRS will be used during class and scores from using PRS will be 10% of your grade.
Reading assignments will be given in class and will be posted on the class website. You will have a reading assignment for each lecture. Reading the assigned materials before each class is important to get the most out of lectures.
Internet access will be required to complete the homework assignments. The homework will primarily be available on the OWL website. Instructions for logging on will be provided on the course website. Each homework assignment will have a due date and no credit will be given for late homework (except for assignments assigned before the adddrop date).
There will be four in-class exams and a final exam. Only the top four exam scores will be part of your grade. The lowest exam score will be dropped. The final exam will be comprehensive. Exam questions will be drawn from both class lectures and the reading assignments. Be sure to bring your ID and a #2 pencil to all exams, since we will be using machine-graded forms.
You must notify me in writing of any conflicts between exams and other universitysponsored activities or religious observances at least a week in advance of the one-hour exams and at least two weeks prior to the final exam. Makeup exams for a missed exam will be given only for documented medical or family emergencies or by prior arrangement. Cheating on an exam will result in a grade of zero for that exam and a report to your academic dean.
General courtesy is also expected of all students. Please turn off cell phones, arrive on time, and do not chatter during class. Blatant and rude disruptions of class will result in expulsion from class.
Grades:
The highest four scores from the results of the five exams (four in-class exams and the final) will each count 20% of the grade. The homework will be 10% of the grade. Inclass results from using PRS will be 10% of the grade.
Grades
20% Highest exam score
20% 2 nd highest exam score
20% 3 rd
highest exam score
20% 4 th
highest exam score
10% Homework
10% PRS

To get a perfect homework score, you need to obtain 20 homework points out of a ~30 possible points. The homework score will be computed by dividing your number of points by 20 with a highest possible score of 100%.
To get a perfect PRS score, you need to obtain 20 correct answers out of a ~30 possible points. The PRS score will be computed by dividing your number of points by 20 with a highest possible score of 100%.
Where to go for help:
Come to my office hours: LGRT 528 Tu,Th 1:00-2:00 pm or make an appointment: tburbine@mtholyoke.edu
538-2263 (Mount Holyoke Number) or
545-3556 (UMASS number)
Go to the Astronomy Help Desk (staffed by Astronomy majors)
Hasbrouck 205 M,Tu,W,Th 7-9 pm
Check our the Textbook website http://www.astronomyplace.com

Class Schedule
Any changes will be announced in class and on the website
Date Topic Chapter Meeting
1
2
3
4
5
6
Jan. 29 Thu
Feb 1 Tue
Feb 3 Thu
Feb 8 Tue
Feb 10 Thu
Feb 15 Tue
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
Feb 17 Thu
Feb 22 Tue
Feb 24 Thu
Mar 1 Tue
Mar 3 Thu
Mar 8 Tue
Mar 10 Thu
No class Mar 15 Tue
No class Mar 17 Thu
The Night Sky
Course Overview & Scale of the Universe
Patterns in the Sky
Contributions of the Greeks
Copernican Revolution
Timekeeping and Calendars
Exam 1
Gravity, Light, and Spacetime
Matter and Energy
Newton's Laws of Motion and Gravity
Light
Telescopes
Einstein Revolution
Spacetime and Gravity
Exam 2
14
15
16
17
18
19
Mar 22 Tue
Mar 24 Thu
Mar 29 Tue
Mar 31 Thu
Apr 5 Tue
Apr 7 Thu
The Nature of Stars
The Sun’s Energy Source
Stellar Properties
Evolution of Stars
Exam 3
Synthesis of the Elements
Stellar Remnants
Galaxies and the Universe
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
Apr 12 Tue
Apr 14 Thu
No class Apr 19 Tue
Apr 21 Thu
Apr 26 Tue
Apr 28 Thu
May 3 Tue
May 5 Thu
May 10 Tue
May 12 Thu
The Milky Way
Galaxies
Life of a Galaxy
Dark Matter
Cosmology and the Big Bang
Is there life elsewhere in the Solar System?
Is there life elsewhere in the Universe?
Exam 4
Review
May 14-20 Final Exam (Comprehensive)
1
2
3
3
S1
4
5
6
7
S2
S3
15
16
17
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
24

Astronomy 100 – Thomas Burbine
Spring 2005
Student Contract
1. I will carefully read the course syllabus, which was handed out in class and available on the course website.
2. I understand that there will be FOUR in-class exams on Feb. 15, Mar. 10, Apr. 7, and May
10 and a cumulative final exam. The final exam may be scheduled as late as May 20.
3. I will bring a #2 pencil and student ID to all exams.
4. A makeup exam will be given for a missed exam for DOCUMENTED reasons beyond my control.
5. I will arrange to notify the instructor, in writing, of any conflicts between exams and other university-sponsored activities or religious observances at least a week in advance of the onehour exams and at least two weeks prior to the final exam.
6. I understand that, although attendance will not be taken, I will be responsible for all material covered in class. Note that attending class is important since materials covered in class will be emphasized on the exams and may not be adequately covered in the text.
7. I understand that an important part of the course grade will be web-based OWL homework assignments, thus internet access is required for this course. I understand that no extension will be granted for OWL assignments barring exceptional circumstances (which must be documented in writing). In the event of technical problems with the course web site, I will contact the instructor by email or by phone with a thorough description of the problem.
8. I will not represent anyone else’s work as my own or assist anyone else in submitting work that is not their own unless the instructor has indicated that cooperative work is acceptable. I understand that failure to observe the rules of academic honesty is likely to result in a failing grade for the course.
9. Exam grades will be posted on the OWL website, accessible by your login and password.
10. I understand that my in-class activity grade is based in large part on using a functional
InterWrite PRS transmitter and I will bring my PRS transmitter to each class.
11. No extra credit will be available in this course.
If I do not agree to these terms, I must see the instructor and explain in writing my objections in order to remain enrolled in this course.
Print Name Clearly __________________________________
My ID Number _____________________________________
My Signature _______________________________________
Date___________________