Date                             Topic                    Reading Assignment

Monday,  Aug. 30      Introduction                        Prologue
                      Class Information
                      Tour through the Universe: sizes

Wednesday, Sep. 1     Pretest

Wednesday, Sep. 8     The Big Questions                   Chapter Reviews:
                      End & beginning of the Universe       1 - 18
                      Death of Stars (a bang or a whimper)
                      Birth of Stars and Planets
                      Celestial Motions (us or them)

                      Homework #1, due Wednesday Sep. 15

Monday, Sep. 13       The Big Questions (continued)

Wednesday, Sep. 15    Scientific Models and Theories      Interlude 1.1
                      Science is Problem Solving
                      Process of scientific problem       interlude 1.1 
                        solving or model building

                      Homework #1, due NOW
                
Monday, Sep. 20       Appearance of the sky               Chapter 1

                      A-J: Planetarium Visit #1 
                      Motions of the Sun, Moon, Stars     Chapter 1
                        daily, monthly, and annual        sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
                      Locating bright stars and           section P.2
                        constellations using star maps    Appendix S1-4 
                        Celestial Sphere                  section P.2
                        Coordinates                       section P.2
                
                      K-Z: In Class
                      The Moon: phases & eclipses         sections 1.2, 1.3
                      Seasons                             section 1.1

                      Homework #2, due Monday Sep. 27







Wednesday, Sep. 22    Appearance of the sky (continued) 

                      K-Z: Planetarium Visit #1
                      Motions of the Sun, Moon, Stars     Chapter 1
                        daily, monthly, and annual        sections 1.1, 1.2, 1.4
                      Locating bright stars and           section P.2
                        constellations using star maps    Appendix S1-4
                        Celestial Sphere                  section P.2
                        Coordinates                       section P.2

                      A-J: In Class
                      The Moon: phases & eclipses         sections 1.2, 1.3
                      Seasons                             section 1.1

Monday, Sep. 27       Appearance of the sky (continued)

                      A-J: Planetarium Visit #2
                      Motions of the planets
                        Orrery: geocentric vs. heliocentric

                      K-Z: In Class
                      Models of the Solar System          Chapter 1
                      Ptolemaic Geocentric model          section 1.4
                      Copernican Heliocentric model       section 1.4
                      Testing the models: parallax        sections P.3, 1.5
                        Galileo, Tycho Brahe
                      Kepler's Model                      section 1.6

                      Homework #2, due NOW
                      Homework #3, due Monday Oct. 4

Wednesday, Sep. 29    Appearance of the sky (continued)

                      K-Z: Planetarium Visit #2
                      Motions of the planets
                        Orrery: geocentric vs. heliocentric

                      A-J: In Class
                      Models of the Solar System          Chapter 1
                      Ptolemaic Geocentric model          section 1.4
                      Copernican Heliocentric model       section 1.4
                      Testing the models: parallax        sections P.3, 1.5
                        Galileo, Tycho Brahe
                      Kepler's Model                      section 1.6

Monday, Oct. 4        Motion and Gravity                  section 1.7
                      Motion, Velocity and Acceleration
                      Force and mass
                      Newton's Law of Motion:           
                        Acceleration = Force / Mass
                        Force of Gravity = G M m / R2
                      Kepler's laws explained           
                      Energy                              MP 2.1 (pg. 57)

                      Quiz 1: (Warm-up for Exam 1)        Prologue, Chapter 1
                      Review Quiz

                      Homework #3, due NOW

Wednesday, Oct. 6     Mid Term Exam #1                    Prologue, Chapter 1

1. Become familiar with the night sky: the bright stars and their constellations, the planets and the Moon.
2. Describe the stages in the development of a new scientific model. Identify these stages in the development of the different models of planetary motion.
3. Describe and explain the apparent daily motions of the sun, moon, planets and stars relative to the horizon.
4. Describe and explain the apparent and real motions of the sun, moon and planets with respect to the stars.
5. Tell what astronomical cycles set the time intervals of day, month and year.
6. Relate the appearance, location and motion of the moon and planets in the sky to their position and motion with respect to the sun and earth in a model of the solar system. Specifically, explain: daily motions, the seasons and annual motions, eclipses and phases of the Moon.
7. Describe the development of the Copernican, Keplerian and Newtonian models of the solar system.
8. Explain retrograde motion in the Ptolemaic, Copernican and Keplerian models of the solar system.
9. Identify the concepts: velocity, acceleration, momentum, force, mass, and energy.
10. Describe the cause-effect relation between force and motion (Newton's law of motion). Illustrate it by simple concrete examples.
11. Describe the relation between matter (mass), distance and gravity (Newton's law of gravity).
12. Describe the observational evidence for and against the Ptolemaic, Copernican, Keplerian and Newtonian models of the solar system.
13. Compare and contrast the Ptolemaic, Copernican, Keplerian, and Newtonian models of planetary motion in terms of geometry, physics, simplicity and prediction.
14. Evaluate the impact of the Ptolemaic, Copernican, Keplerian and Newtonian models of the solar system on our concept of the universe.
15. Apply the theories of motion and gravity to explain astronomical and everyday phenomena.
16. Use Kepler's Third Law to determine the masses of astronomical objects.
17. Identify the concept of energy. Understand the concept of conservation of energy.

Visions of the Universe