Location: 331B North Kedzie Laboratory
Lab Manual: Visions of the Universe, by Beers, Daly, Kuhn,
Loh, Parker, Simkin, & Stein
Hayden-McNeil, 9th edition
Web Page: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205L/
Supervisor: Robert Stein, PA 310, 353-8661, email steinr@msu.edu
Office Hours: Tuesday 1 - 2 pm, Wednesday 3 - 4 pm, or by appointment
Instructors: Room PA 318, Phone 353-9920
| Instructor | |
| Amanda Bayless | baylessa@msu.edu |
| Lynn Carlson | carls147@msu.edu |
| Eric Eslinger | eslinge4@msu.edu |
| Jessica Fournier | fourni17@msu.edu |
| Irma Kuljanishvili | kuljanish@pa.msu.edu |
| Joe Kozminski | kozminski@pa.msu.edu |
| John Lee | lee@pa.msu.edu |
| Susan Musser | mussersu@msu.edu |
| Joshua Roebke | roebkejo@msu.edu |
| Christopher Waters | watersc1@pa.msu.edu |
| Jason Venema | venemaja@msu.edu |
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| 9:10-12:00 Kuljanishvili sec 1 |
8:00-10:50 Musser sec 4 |
8:00-10:50 Waters sec 8 |
8:00-10:50 Kozminski sec 12 |
8:00-10:50 Fournier sec 15 |
| 12:40-3:30 Eslinger sec 2 |
11:30-2:20 Venema sec 5 |
11:30-2:20 Stein sec 9 |
11:30-2:20 Lee sec 13 |
11:30-2:20 Musser sec 16 |
| 4:10-7:00 Eslinger sec 3 |
3:00-5:50 Carlson sec 6 |
3:00-5:50 Bayless sec 10 |
3:00-5:50 Roebke sec 14 |
|
| 6:00-8:50 Kuljanishvili sec 7 |
6:00-8:50 Lee sec 11 |
Questions, Comments, and Discussion
Comments, criticism, complements, questions and
discussion can be submitted via the web at
http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205L/comment_file.html.
The comments of others can be viewed at
http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205L/commentpage.html.
ISP 205L is the laboratory part of ISP 205, "Visions of the Universe." The goals of ISP 205L are to reinforce concepts introduced in ISP 205 lecture with concrete examples, to illustrate what astronomers do and how one makes deductions from observations, and to enhance reasoning and problem solving skills. The laboratory meets once a week for 2 hour 50 minutes. Each lab runs for one week (Tuesday through Monday before spring break and Monday through Friday after spring break). The dates for the labs are shown below.
| Lab | Dates | Topic | Discussion Questions |
| 1 | 1/16 -- 1/22 | Observing the Night Sky | Questions for Lab 1 |
| 2 | 1/23 -- 1/29 | Appearance of the Night Sky | Questions for Lab 2 |
| 3 | 1/30 -- 2/5 | Math, Measurements, and Making Plots | Questions for Lab 3 |
| 4 | 2/6 -- 2/12 | The Solar System | Questions for Lab 4 |
| 5 | 2/13 -- 2/19 | Measuring Distances with Parallax | Questions for Lab 5 |
| 6 | 2/20 -- 2/26 | Moon/Image Lab | Questions for Lab 6 |
| No Lab | 3/5 -- 3/9 | Spring Break | |
| 7 | 3/12 -- 3/16 | Spectra | Questions for Lab 7 |
| 8 | 3/19 -- 3/23 | Solar Rotation | Questions for Lab 8 |
| 9 | 3/26 -- 3/30 | Light Curve of a Variable Star | Questions for Lab 9 |
| 10 | 4/2 -- 4/6 | Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram of a Star Cluster | Questions for Lab 10 |
| 11 | 4/9 -- 4/13 | Galaxies and Galaxy Clusters | Questions for Lab 11 |
| 12 | 4/16 -- 4/20 | The Big Bang | Questions for Lab 12 |
To succeed in ISP 205L, talk to your lab partners and the lab instructor. You will be working in groups of two students for most of the labs (in exceptional cases you may be asked to work in groups of more than two). Make the most of your partner: ask him/her for help; test your understanding of by explaining ideas to him/her. However, each student is must write up their own answers (even if they are the same as your partners). Your lab instructor will help by clarifying any confusing instructions and explaining any confusing concepts. Ask them for help when needed.
To succeed in ISP 205L, YOU MUST TAKE PART IN THE CLASS DISCUSSION at the end of each lab. You can ask questions, make comments or answer questions. You can not remain quiet and get a good grade.
Your ISP205L grade is based (5%) on your answers to the QUIZZES at the beginning of each lab which test your reading the lab manual and your understanding of the previous lab.
Your ISP205L grade is based (70%) on your LAB ANSWERS that are handed in at the end of each lab. Your lowest lab score will be dropped. Their will be NO makeup labs permitted. If you DO miss a lab, this is the one which will be dropped with no penalty. If you miss MORE than one lab, then you will receive a 0.0 for each lab missed beyond the one which is dropped penalty free. Missed labs are very costly in terms of your final grade: each missed lab drops the final grade by about 0.5.
The remainder of your ISP205L grade (25%) is based on your participation in the DISCUSSION at the end of each lab. You will receive one point (up to a maximum of 3 in each lab) for each time you participate in the discussion with a relevant comment, question or answer to a question. A list of discussion questions will be handed out at the previous lab and will be available as a link from the web home page.
The grading scale for the Quizzes, Lab Answers and Discussion Participation is:
| Score | Grade |
| 95-100% | 4.0 |
| 90-95% | 3.5 |
| 85-90% | 3.0 |
| 80-85% | 2.5 |
| 75-80% | 2.0 |
| 70-75% | 1.5 |
| 65-70% | 1.0 |
| < 65% | 0.0 |
For general information see http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/ISP205L/intro.1stday.html
For information on arithmetic with numbers in scientific notation, see Scientific Arithmetic at the University of Oregon.
Updated: 2001.05.05 (Saturday) 17:44:54 EDT
Bob Stein's home page, email: steinr@pilot.msu.edu