Visions of the Universe, ISP 205, Section 3

INTEGRATIVE STUDIES: PHYSICAL SCIENCE 205
VISIONS OF THE UNIVERSE
Section 3, Fall 99, Prof. Stein

FINAL EXAM: Monday, Dec. 13, 8-10 PM, 118 PA

Comprehensive, covers the entire course, Prologue - Chapter 17 + starmap

REVIEW:Thursday, Dec 9, 7-8:30 pm, 1281 Anthony Hall

GOALS

ISP 205 is an astronomy course designed for non-science majors. Its goals are to open your eyes to the Universe beyond your immediate surroundings, to exhibit how scientists work, and to develop your problem solving skills.

We show you how astronomers formulate and solve problems so that you can use such problem-solving methods yourself in other situations. We acquaint you with the night sky: the apparent motions of the Sun, Moon, planets and stars. Using our current knowledge of our solar system and other solar systems gathered from various Earth and spacecraft-based observations, you will understand how new observations lead to changes in theoretical models. Understanding the structure and evolution of our Sun and other stars will give you a new perspective on how seemingly arcane theories can affect mankind. The organization of the universe into galaxies and clusters of galaxies, the beginning of the universe, and possible ends to the universe are explored to give you a new sense of spatial and timescales and your place in the Universe.

COURSE INFORMATION

QUESTIONS

You can ask questions:

During class.
Before or after class.
During office hours.
In the help rooms

Help Room Schedule

Monday, 6-6:45 pm, PA 118

Tuesday, 5:10-6:10 pm, PA 317

Wednesday, 6-6:45 pm, PA 118
Via the web: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205/sec-3/comment.html
Via the ISP205 newsgroup: news:msu.private.isp.class.205.
By email to steinr@pilot.msu.edu.

ANSWERS

Answers to questions asked in the help rooms are posted each week.
ISP205 Newsgroup: news:msu.private.isp.class.205
ISP 205 Web Comment Page: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205/sec-3/commentpage.html
ISP 205 FAQ: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205/sec-3/FAQ.html

I strongly encourage you to participate in the newsgroup to discuss issues that arise in the course. You can use it to ask questions of each other and me, to discuss the questions and the answers. I will participate in these discussions and post answers to questions.

In addition, I will maintain a list of answers to Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about the course and the material we are discussing. These are answers to questions that are asked during class, in my office hours, in the news group, after class, by email, etc. They are items of general interest and the anonymity of the person asking the question is maintained. It will be updated throughout the course in reverse chronological order, with the new questions at the top of the file.