Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math ASTR/PHYS 109 Dr. David Toback Lecture 1

IntroductionTopic 1: Introduction

Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math

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ASTR/PHYS 109Dr. David Toback

Lecture 1



Before we start…

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•Get comfortable… we will be using the full lecture time today•Studies show that the students who sit up front get the best grades–They also tell you WHY– http://people.physics.tamu.edu/toback/TeachingArticle/

PerkinsWieman_PT.pdf



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Overview

1.What this course is really about and why I’m teaching it

2.How the course is organized

3.Stuff you’ll need for the course and the next lecture



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Big Picture

This course is really designed to teach the wonder and excitement of the universe around us

•I want it to be understandable

•By the end of the course, I want you to be able to communicate the understanding AND the excitement to others



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The Story

•I think in terms of stories as well as questions and their answers

The story of how the Universe came to be

the way is now•We have a good degree of confidence in this story



Some of the Questions

•How did the Universe come to exist? •A Big Bang occurred… then what?•How did we get from a Big Bang ~14 billion years ago to the Universe we have today?•What are black holes REALLY? •What are dark matter and dark energy?•Is the Universe REALLY expanding? Will it contract again and we’ll all die?

•Should I be worried?

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Questions and Evidence

•These are important questions for all for humankind•Everyone should know about (some of) these questions and what we know about the answers•You should also know something about the evidence 7



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Aside before we continue• I will admit I have a bone to pick… I

think there is WAY too much ignorance about science and too much science phobia– I prefer a world where there is

evidence-based decision making• Some of the many problems:

1.Physics taught for people to USE rather than enjoy (physicists/engineers in training)

2.Learning to DO physics requires math, and lots of it, which makes it un-fun for many people

3.Often taught by people who have forgotten what it was like to not understand



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Communicating the Excitement

•A great deal of the understanding can be had WITHOUT the math– You can enjoy music without

being a musician or a composer

•As future leaders I want you to be able to go out into the world and effectively teach your senators, friends, co-workers, etc. why this stuff is exciting and important



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Back to the Course

This course is designed to teach you about the Big Bang, Black Holes,

Dark Matter, Dark Energy, and other stuff, and to do it without the

Math

Next talk about HOW we’ll do it…



Being a Detective•Want you to use evidence to make decisions like a detective (Sherlock, Elementary, Criminal Minds, CSI, NCIS, Bones, House, Law & Order, others…)– Don’t need you know HOW to do DNA

tests– Do need you to understand that DNA

tests (using blood from the scene of the crime) can tell us whose blood it is)

•Can we put together evidence that would convince a jury? 11



What’s the Evidence?

•What is the evidence that the Big Bang actually occurred? •What is the evidence that supports our understanding of the “history” of the Universe? •What is the EVIDENCE for little things we can’t see directly with our own eyes?

–Atoms, protons, electrons, Dark Matter

–Black Holes12



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Course Content

These are REALLY big questions

•We want to know what we observe in the universe–Big and Small

•To do this we need to understand some of the most important ideas in science–Quantum Mechanics

–General Relativity

–Others



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Don’t worry

•Don’t worry… we aren’t going to do ALL of physics in a semester•We aren’t going to ask you to calculate anything•What we want is for you to understand, and re-tell, the story and explain some of the evidence



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How the course is organized

Next few slides are on course

organization, grades etc…



Class Time

•We meet from 5:45PM to 7:00PM•Will use the full time period•I expect you to be on time and prepared for class 16



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Coming to Class•Need you to be proactive DURING class!! Get into it and have fun

•If you need sugar or caffeine go for it… just do it quietly–Candy/Soda machine just outside the door at the top of the steps

•Laptops will only be allowed in the first 5 rows, and with explicit permission



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Class Time• Lecture will be a time where you and I

interact by asking and answering each others questions

• You will need prepare BEFORE lecture – Do the reading assignments– Write down, and turn in online,

questions on the reading •“Pre-Lecture Reading Questions”

– Be ready to be answer questions in class using a clicker

• If you don’t understand something, ask a question in class!



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Course Work

You will:•Read about the Big Bang and Black Holes in the books•Ask and discuss questions before, during and after class•Answer some questions in paper format, and learn to be a critic of excellent writing•Take quizzes online about the material



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Course Home Pagefaculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/

109Most things can be found there… if you can’t find it, send me email

at [email protected]

Course WebSite

Syllabus is also on Howdy



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TextbooksRequired Textbook• Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math (Toback)

• Extra credit for students who email me corrections which make it better

• eBook or paper is fine. Can order now at bigbang.physics.tamu.edu

Recommended books• Briefer History of Time (Hawking)• The Science of Interstellar (Thorne)• Theory of Everything (Hawking)• Stephen Hawking’s Universe (Filkin)• The First Three Minutes (Weinberg)• Other readings on the WebMake sure you get the most up-to-date versions of each

(see webpage)– Not “Brief History”, Briefer History– I find purchasing them online is much cheaper– Paperbacks available for most



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Grades• I like for my students to do well and I

like giving lots of good grades • It will be a lot of work, so if you don’t

want to keep up with the class every day, work hard and stretch your mind, you should drop now

• I’ll expect you to keep at it until you get it right

•Do all the work and I’ll make it worth your while, both in terms of fun and your grade– If you blow off the easy stuff or

don’t ask for help when you need it, then I’m unlikely to have much sympathy when you ask for a grade change at the end of the semester



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Grades

The course grade will be:1.Short Papers: 90%2.In-class quizzes and Pre-

Lecture Reading Questions Assignments: 5%

3.End-of-Chapter, and other online quizzes: 5%

No in-class exams or final



Requirements to Pass the Course

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•Some things need to be turned in to pass the course– All the stages for each Paper Assignment (in

CPR)– All the End-Of-Chapter quizzes– Pre-Lecture Reading Question Assignment for

Unit 1•Some things MUST get a passing grade to pass

the course– All End-Of-Chapter quizzes and Pre-Lecture

Reading Questions for Unit 1•Some things in the course are pass/fail the first

time, but are for a grade after that– Unit 1 PLRQ

•Note: you are allowed (but not encouraged) to get a zero on the later PLRQ assignments



Papers

•Will talk more about the papers as we get closer to doing them•If you want to learn more about them now, go to the FAQ page

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Regular and Honors Sections

•Regular sections– ASTR 109-501– PHYS 109-501

•Honors sections– ASTR 109-200– PHYS 109-200

There is no difference between the Physics and Astronomy sections (All meet together)

Students in the honors section will have an extra research paper – See Course WebPage



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Recitation

•No recitation for this course•However, there are assistants who are here for you to ask questions, get help with your eCampus work and give you feedback on your paper drafts– Katrina Colletti and Xuji

Zhao



Lab – ASTR/PHYS 119•You are not required to take the Lab for this course

•Useful if you want to use this course as a Tier 2 science course, or just want to learn more/get more in-depth

•Two different sections, pick one– Tuesday: 12:45PM-2:45PM– Wednesday: 12:40PM-2:40PM

•Will meet this week•You need to read the lab Manual and do the prep work BEFORE lab 28



More about the various assignments

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Pre-Lecture Reading Questions

• It is important to learn how to ask good science questions, and to be well prepared for Lecture

•For these reasons we will have a number of PLRQ Assignments

•Will be turned in online– Will be doing a full Unit at a time– Each assignment has 2 stages (more on

this later)– Will us the Calibrated Peer Review (CPR)

system (more on this later also)•There is a set of guidelines on what we are

looking for on the websites, and practice quizzes online before we start– You will be responsible for reading

instructions before next class– First set is Pass/Revise, you have to keep

redoing them until you get a passing score

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In-Class QuizzesThere will frequently be in-class quizzes•Most will be done with an iClicker– Can buy the old ones– Register with your UIN at

http://www.iclicker.com/support/registeryourclicker/ (we will be using eCampus)

•We will some times do written answers– Bring a sheet of lined paper and

a pen everyday31



End-of-Chapter Quizzes in eCampus

•There are End-of-Chapter quizzes for each chapter– Helps ensure you have a good

knowledge of some of the important FACTS for each chapter

– Will be done online, using eCampus

– Are assigned AFTER we finish the chapter in lecture, and due before the next lecture

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End-of-Chapter Quizzes Cont.

Bad news:•To pass the course you need to get a perfect score on all of them

Good news:•You can take as many attempts as you want until you get a perfect score•I will only count your best score

I REALLY want you to learn and get good grades!

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More on eCampus Quizzes• There are free warm-up quizzes before the End-of-

Chapter quizzes– Need a 100% on them (don’t worry… they are easy)

• There will be a course pre-test called AMS (Astronomy Misconception Survey) AFTER you finish the warm up– Please do your best. Won’t count as part of your

grade. We just want to know what you know coming into the course

• After these are done you will get a set of CPR and PRLQ quizzes– Instruction quizzes– Practice Quizzes

• When these are done you will be able to get to the End-of-Chapter Quizzes– First one is Chapter 2 (no chapter 1 quiz)– EOC quizzed due AFTER we finish the chapter in

lecture

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Review: Plan for Each Chapter

Example for Next Time• Before Lecture:

– Read Chapters 1-4 in BBBHNM (Unit 1)– Write down FOUR questions for Unit 1

• Will give more instructions on how to submit CPR next time, don’t need to turn this in during class. Just hold on to them for now

– Do the warm-up eCampus quizzes• During Lecture

– Listen & Ask Questions– Take clicker and other quizzes– More CPR/PLRQ Instructions

• After Lecture– If we finish Chapter 2, then take End-of-Chapter quiz 2 in

eCampus– PLRQ for Unit 1 in CPR

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Typical Order of Things to Do!

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Read Chapters for

the whole Unit

Write PLRQ Questions

and Submit to CPR (stage 1) before due

date

Go to Lecture, take

in-class Clicker

quizzes and actively

participate

After we finish a chapter in

Lecture, do the End-of-Chapter

Quiz in eCampus

After Stage 1 due date, do Stage 2 of CPR for PLRQ

Things will be a little different for the first week, but here is the general picture



Just for Fun… •We have created a “just for fun” Facebook

account for students (past, present and future) who want to stay in touch with the course

•Learning about the Big Bang and Black Holes Without the Math

• It’s not part of the course, but I try to post fun, related things there periodically– If you send me something fun (and

appropriate) I’ll post it for everyone– If you send me something fun, but

inappropriate, I’ll say thank you and just enjoy privately

•Also, lots of fun stuff on http://people.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109/Video/

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Frequently Asked Question Page

•Can be found on the main course page

•http://faculty.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109/109FAQ.shtml

•In general, you should check there if you have a question about the course or assignments before emailing– Don’t want to highlight to your

professor you haven’t done the reading when you email38



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Next Time…

•Start with in-class written quiz and in-class iClicker quiz

•Talk more about eCampus and CPR stuff–End-of-Chapter Quizzes–PLRQ Assignments

•Lecture is on Chapter 2 •The Very Big



Prep for Lecture 2 Pop QuizThe in-class quiz at the beginning of the next class on will contain at least two of the following questions:•Why are you taking this class? •What do you most want to know about?–Be prepared to answer these two honestly (there are no right answers, and don’t tell me what you think I want to hear)

•Are you taking ASTR/PHYS 119? Why/Why not?

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Prep for Next Time – L1• Reading:

– Required: BBBHNM: Chapter 1-4– Recommended Reading:

• BHOT: Chap. 1-3• SHU: Chap. 1-2• TOE: Chap. 1

– Pre-Lecture Reading Questions• Read Instructions on what kinds of questions we are looking

for at• http://people.physics.tamu.edu/toback/109/Question_Guideline_109_CP

R.pdf

• Write down 4 questions on paper from Unit 1 (Chapters 1-4) or the recommended reading

– Instructions on what to do with them next time • eCampus:

– Read eCampus Instructions on the main course page– Complete Warm-up quizzes, AMS, CPR and PLRQ quizzes in

eCampus• Other Prep:

– Make sure you are receiving email using the Official A&M email, will use it for class announcements

– Bring lined paper and your iClicker to the next class

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Full Set of Readings So Far

•Required: BBBHNM: Chap 1-4

•Recommended:–BHOT: Chap. 1-3–SHU: Chap. 1-2–TOE: Chap. 1

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Prep for Lecture 2 Pop QuizThe in-class quiz at the beginning of the next

class on will contain at least two of the following questions:•Why are you taking this class? •What do you most want to know about?

– Be prepared to answer these two honestly (there are no right answers, and don’t tell me what you think I want to hear)

•How many pages are there in the “Pre-Lecture Reading Question Grading Guidelines”?

•What is the webpage for the “physics department eCampus instructions?”

•What is the website for the BBBHNM book?•Are you taking ASTR/PHYS 119? Why/Why

not?



End-of-Chapter Quizzes in eCampus

•There will be End-of-Chapter quizzes for each chapter– Will help ensure you understood

each chapter– Are assigned AFTER we finish

the chapter in lecture, and due before the next lecture

•Will be done online, using eCampus•Before we start on them, we will do some practice in eCampus



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NetID Account

You will need a netID account

•You are responsible for checking it periodically for email

•Will use it for eCampus stuff and turning in your papers



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Books continued…

•Again, the goal of this course isn’t to understand Everything about the Universe (that would mean understanding ALL of physics) but to be able to understand enough of it to be able to tell the story•If you don’t understand something, ask a question in class!



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The Big Questions•What do we really know about the universe? How do we know it? Where did the universe come from? Where is it going?•Did the universe have a beginning? If so, what happened before then?•What is the nature of time? Will it come to an end?•Can we go backward in time?



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Just getting started…•It’s tough to be energetic this time of the day!!•I like enjoying class, so I’ll work hard for this to be fun for all of us•I’ll try to take one break per class for humor, and often show short video clips at the beginning (please be on time)– You guys will need to send me

good videos and jokes, I don’t have enough!



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Stuff You’ll Need for the Course

1. In general2. For the next

lecture and the weeks after that

Documents

Big Bang, Black Holes, No Math ASTR/PHYS 109 Dr. David Toback Lecture 1