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Fall 2010
Instructor: Dr. Parviz GhavamianClass: MWF 9:30–10:20 AMLab: Mon
6:30–9:30 PMWebsite: Intro to Astronomy on BlackboardOffice Hrs:
G19, M 10:30–12:30 , and by appointmentE-mail:
[email protected] Phone: 410.337.6555 (at Goucher),
410.608.8189 (at STScI)
Course Objectives: By the end of this course, you should:
Understand that we live in a big universe described by a very
small number of rules, which we have figured out through scientific
inquiry.
Appreciate how this inquiry is done, in particular, through the
eyes of an astronomer.
Learn how these rules can help us understand nearly everything
that happens in the Universe.
...and, if you find you enjoy astronomy (and science) and have a
lifelong interest in them, then that is icing on the cake!
Instructional Philosophy
Let’s be honest. Most people who don’t already know that they
like science are fairly convinced that they hate it. Many educators
are bewildered by when this attitude starts. I’ve taught astronomy
to 4th graders and they all love it. They participate, they ask
questions, they work on math prob-lems, they can’t wait for me to
come back. Somewhere be-tween them and college, things change, and
people develop pretty negative feelings toward science, especially
physics.
To make matters worse, it seems that more introduc-tory science
classes turn students off than on, and students leave disliking the
subject even more. Solutions? Consider the following paragraph,
which is from an article in a well-known scientific research
journal.
During cell division, mitotic spindles are assembled by
microtubule-based motor proteins. The bipolar organi-zation of
spindles is essential for proper segregation of chromosomes, and
requires plus-end-directed homo-tetrameric motor proteins of the
widely conserved kinesin-5 (BimC) family. Hypotheses for bipolar
spindle formation include the ʻpushpull mitotic muscleʼ model, in
which kinesin-5 and opposing motor proteins act be-tween
overlapping microtubules.
This paragraph is very well written and readily under-standable
to a professional scientist. You’ve read it, and you are smart, so
now tell me, what is kinesin-5? You could answer “a homotetrameric
motor protein” and while this is correct, I doubt it means anything
to you. In fact, I bet the whole thing sounds like a foreign
language. There are many points to learn from this.
First, just because something is presented “clearly” to you
doesn’t mean you will understand it. Second, you can memorize texts
and answers without understanding either
of them. Third, every scientific field has its own vocabulary
and syntax. There are as many vocabulary terms in your textbook as
in an introductory language class, and learning to read and think
scientifically is no different from learning another language.
Fourth, many intro classes are taught believing that as long as
information is presented clearly (like the spindle paragraph), you
will easily learn and mas-ter it. The fact is, you probably don’t
already speak “sci-ence,” so it’s like being tested on Les
Misérables in first se-mester French. This is why many intro
science classes do more harm than good. Students are left behind at
the start, and trying to catch up from an already break-neck pace,
they have little option but memorize without understanding and pray
for the course to end.
Now as an astronomer, I speak “I-know-astronomy,” but you have
to learn it. And no matter how hard I try, I can’t pretend that I
don’t speak it, so there will always be times when I’ll sound like
the mitotic spindles paragraph despite my best efforts. The
solution is twofold. First, if you don’t understand something, ask
me for help! Ask in class, come to office hours, make an
appointment, send me an e-mail, but ASK ME FOR HELP. Second, learn
from your peers. Your classmates all speak various stages of
“I’m-learning-astronomy” and you can all help each other, often
more than I can! In this course, we will continuously use
collaborative learning and self-evaluation exercises. By working
together, you will be more actively involved in your own learning,
and you will learn more from each other than from just my lectures,
no matter how entertaining I may be.
Finally, whether you are taking my class, or the history of rock
music, we professors all want the same thing: We want you to
develop a deep, conceptual understanding of the subject. We don’t
want you to blindly memorize 3,000 things, only to spit them out
onto a final exam and then
Ast 110: Introduction to Astronomy
Introduction to Astronomy 1
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Fall 2010
forget them the next day. We all really do love what we teach,
and we really do care about your learning. No matter what happens
over this semester, try to remember that.
Working in GroupsYou will spend much of each class period
working in groups of four. Use the first few class meetings
figuring out who the best members of your group should be – people
who balance your skills and weaknesses, with whom you communicate
well, etc. These make great study groups, too!
Attendance and Being Prepared
Attendance in lecture will not be taken. Labs are mandatory. On
the last page you will find your course schedule, which shows you
the rough order in which we will cover your text. My job during
class isn’t to teach you everything under the sun, but to clear up
difficult points and make connections from the reading. It is your
responsibility to read the cor-responding sections of your text
before you come to class. Failure to come prepared may seem benign,
but it makes me waste class time, causes you to learn and retain
less from my lessons, and negates self-assessment I offer. And, it
hurts the performance of your group.
Grading
Your grade will be composed of: 25% labs, 35% homework, 3%
assessments, and 37% exams. I will drop the lowest lab grade. There
will be three exams given during the course. To help you monitor
your progress your grades will be posted on Blackboard, but it
can’t drop low grades (so your actual grade may be higher than the
percentage you see). Final grades will be based on your overall
percentage be-low. If you want a better grade than you are getting,
you should consider doing more than the assigned minimum, i.e., do
other lecture tutorials, use the textbook’s website, and come to
office hours.
A: 90–100% B: 80–84% C: 70–74% D: 60–64%
A-: 87–90% B-: 77–80% C-: 67–70% D-: 57–60%
B+: 84–87% C+: 74–77% D+: 64–67% F: 0–56%
Exams
There will be three exams given during the course, roughly one
every four weeks. Each exam will cover all material – anything
discussed in class, lab, or your readings – from the previous exam
to that point. Exams will be closed book and closed notes. You may
bring a single, 3x5 index card with any information you wish to
use. Calculators are al-lowed but use of programmable calculators
with notes stored inside will be considered cheating. The last exam
will focus mostly (50%) on the last third of the course but
the remaining 50% will be drawn from the first two-thirds of the
course.
Homework
Homework is assigned roughly every other week on Black-board.
This is your chance to master course material. You have a lot of
time to work on them and a lot of opportunity to consult with me or
your peers for help. There is really no reason why you can’t have
nearly-perfect grades on all your homework, provided you put in the
appropriate time and effort. No homework will be accepted late
without prior approval at least 24 hours in advance. Otherwise,
late homeworks receive a zero, period.
Changing Test Dates and ACE
You may find yourself with more than one test on a given day. I
am sensitive to the increase in work and stress, but this is part
of life and everyone has to deal with it, so I will consider only
one extenuating request to take a test early per person. If you
normally take tests at ACE, please speak with me privately before
scheduling your exams with them.
Assessments
There are 3 assessments you will take this term. All are
ungraded: you will receive 100% credit for taking it, and 0% credit
otherwise. This counts as an easy 3% of your grade.
Cheating
You are encouraged to work together on problem sets and in lab.
Blindly copying someone else's homework just en-sures that you
haven't taken advantage of that chance to learn, and you will
probably suffer the consequences on tests. Cheating is disgraceful,
plain and simple. Anyone caught or suspected of cheating or
otherwise violating the Honor Code will be immediately reported to
the Honor Board as outlined in the Campus Guidebook.
Office Hours
I hold office hours to augment the contact we have to-gether,
for those who need or want it. During these hours you may come by,
unannounced, and for any reason. These are hours that I set aside
for you; I hold them for your benefit, not mine. Outside of office
hours, I maintain an “open-door” policy, i.e. if my door is open,
you are free to talk to me, provided I’m not busy at that
moment.
I will never hunt you down and force you to seek help. It is
your decision and responsibility to monitor your learning, to make
time to see me, and to do so in a timely manner. For example, do
not come to me the day before your exam needing to learn everything
in the course. Also, do not ex-
Ast 110: Introduction to Astronomy
Introduction to Astronomy 2
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Fall 2010
pect me to entertain questions about homework or tests on the
day they are given or due.
Asking For Help
Over the past few years, I’ve noticed that fewer students are
taking advantage of the resources we professors provide, such as
office hours, even though many of them obviously would benefit from
assistance. So I’ve looked into why this is. Some common
explanations include “I’m afraid if I ask for help, my professor
will think I’m stupid. Maybe he’ll even pick on me in class, or
give me poorer grades.” “I know he says he is always available for
help, but I don’t be-lieve he really means it.” “I should be able
to figure things out on my own, so asking my professor for help
means I’m a poor student,” or even worse, “needing help means I’m
weak or a failure.” Or the dreaded “I’m so lost I don’t even know
where to start, so asking for help is pointless.”
I know this isn’t always easy – news flash, I was a student too!
If a college-degree’s worth of learning were easy, you wouldn’t
come to college in the first place. I’m here, as are all your
professors, for you. I love my field and I want to share it with
you. If I didn’t care about teaching, I’d go to a lab or research
university. So if you need some help, guid-ance, clarification,
whatever, stop making excuses and ask for it. The worst that
happens is that you learn something.
On Studying and Testing
In this branch of science, it could take you 10 seconds or 10
hours to figure out a problem, but regardless of the time you spent
on it, your answer is either right or wrong. This is different from
humanities courses, where your effort can effect how quality and
content are assessed. In my course, spending 16 hours before an
exam rereading your book five times and redoing every homework
problem does not guar-antee a good test grade, nor does this mean
you deserve one for a “good-faith effort.” Your effort will affect
my will-ingness to help you outside of class, but results – how
well you have understood (not memorized) the material – count.
Tests will examine whether you have conceptual and quan-titative
understanding of material, not whether you have memorized lots of
facts and all your homework problems. They will be similar to your
lecture tutorials and the self-assessment questions I post
throughout a lecture. You should expect to be tested on situations
you have not di-rectly seen before, because I want to know (a) how
well you have learned, and (b) how well you can synthesize that
in-formation. Those are tests of understanding and lifelong
learning.
This course may require you to work and study in ways to which
you are unaccustomed. Knowing how to study and learn is a skill
that must be developed. I can try to help as much as possible, but
keep in mind that Goucher has a Center for Academic Excellence
(ACE), with many qualified staff members who can help you develop
strategies for reading your text, taking notes, studying, taking
tests, etc. Take advantage of this resource.
http://wwnorton.com/astro21/ is a great companion website, with
many extra resources to help you, including on-line diagnostic
quizzes. Check it out! (note that while the exer-cises and quizzes
on this website are for an earlier edition of the textbook, their
content is virtually identical to the edition we’re using in our
class).
Required Texts
J. Hester et al.,
21st Century Astronomy, 3rd Ed.
W. W. Norton (2010)
E. Prather et al., Lecture Tutorials for Intro-
ductory Astronomy, 2nd Ed.
Addison Wesley (2007)
Ast 110: Introduction to Astronomy
Introduction to Astronomy 3
http://wwnorton.com/astro21/http://wwnorton.com/astro21/
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Fall 2010
Week Date Chapter In Class Work Lab
19/1 Diagnostic Test; Take-home math-skills worksheet
1 9/3 1, A.1 Angular Sizes; Positions of sun/moon/stars;
Position Lecture Tutorial (LT)
29/6 No Class Labor Day
No Lab2 9/8 2.1-2.2 Motion of Sky; Motion LT No Lab29/10 2.3
Path of the Sun; LT
No Lab
39/13 2.3 Seasons; LT
How Tall Is...?3 9/15 2.4 Causes of Moon Phases; LT How Tall
Is...?39/17 2.5 Predicting Moon Phases and Eclipses; LT
How Tall Is...?
49/20 3.1-3.2 Gravity; Keplerʼs 1st and 2nd Laws; LT
Celestial Spheres4 9/22 3.2 Keplerʼs 3rd Law; LTCelestial
Spheres4
9/24 3.3-3.4 Newtonʼs laws of motion
Celestial Spheres
59/27 3.5 Newtonʼs Law of Gravity; LT; tidal forces
Keplerʼs Laws5 9/29 4.1-4.2; 4.4 Nature of Light; Doppler
Effect; LT Keplerʼs Laws510/01 4.3 Atomic Physics
Keplerʼs Laws
610/04 Exam Chapters 1–3
Spectroscopy6 10/06 4.5 Blackbodies; Luminosity; Temperature
& Size; LT Spectroscopy610/08 4.5 Blackbody Radiation; LT
Spectroscopy
710/11 4.6 Inverse Square Law; Types of Spectra LT
No Lab (Exam Review)7 10/13 5.1 Telescopes; LT
No Lab (Exam Review)7
10/15 6.1-6.4 Formation of the Solar System; LT
No Lab (Exam Review)
810/18 No Class Mid-semester Break
No Lab8 10/20 7.1-7.5 Planet Resurfacing; Earthʼs Surface; LT No
Lab810/22 8 Atmospheres; Terrestrial Planets
No Lab
910/25 8 Terrestrials (contʼd)
Cratering His-tory of the Moon9 10/27 9 Jovian Planets
Cratering His-tory of the Moon9
10/29 11-12 Rings, Moons & Comets
Cratering His-tory of the Moon
1011/01 Exam Chapters 4-9; 11-12
Observing (ten-tative)10 11/03 13.1-13.3 Measuring Stellar
Properties; H-R diagram; LT
Observing (ten-tative)10
11/05 14 The Sun
Observing (ten-tative)
1111/08 15.1-15.2 The Interstellar Medium
No Lab (Exam Review)11 11/10 15.3-15.4 Stellar Birth; Star
Formation and Life; LT
No Lab (Exam Review)11
11/12 16 Life of a Star; Main Sequence and Low-Mass
Evolution
No Lab (Exam Review)
1211/15 17.1-17.2 Life of a Star; Main Sequence and High-Mass
Evolution
Albedo and Greenhouses12 11/17 17.3-17.4 Evolution of High-Mass
Stars
Albedo and Greenhouses12
11/19 17.4 Death of High-Mass Stars
Albedo and Greenhouses
1311/22 17.5 Stellar Death (contʼd); Star Clusters
Stellar Evolution13 11/24 No Class Thanksgiving Break Stellar
Evolution1311/26 No Class Thanksgiving Break
Stellar Evolution
1411/29 19 Galaxies; Galaxy Classification; Galaxy LT
Planetary Nebu-lae14 12/01 20 The Milky Way; Milky Way Scales;
Milky Way LT
Planetary Nebu-lae14
12/03 18 The Expansion of the Universe
Planetary Nebu-lae
1512/05 23 Search for Extraterrestrial Life in the Universe
Hubble Con-stant
15 12/08 Review FInal Exam Review Hubble Con-stantFinals Final
ExamFinal Exam Chapters 13-20 (50%), Chapters 1-12 (50%)
Hubble Con-stant
Ast 110: Introduction to Astronomy
Introduction to Astronomy 4
