SYLLABUS
VISIONS OF THE UNIVERSE
ISP 205, SECTION 1, FALL 2002
Tuesday, Thursday 8:30-9:50AM, Room 1410 BioMedical & Physical Sciences Bldg.
This is an introduction to astronomy for non-science majors. The goal of the course is to give you an outline of what we do (and don’t) know about the universe on size scales from planets on up, and also to teach you a bit about how science works. Major topics will include the scientific method, the laws of physics (and what happens when you break them), the solar system, how stars work, galaxies, and cosmology (the overall structure and evolution of the universe). Simple algebraic equations will be used.
Instructor: Jack Baldwin, Room 3270 BioMedical & Physical Sciences Bldg. (BMP),
Phone 355-9200, ext. 2411 (baldwin@pa.msu.edu)
Office hours: 2-3 Monday, 10-11 Tuesday, 11-12 Thursday, or by appointment.
Text: “VOYAGES THROUGH THE UNIVERSE (2ND EDITION)” by Fraknoi, Morrison & Wolff.
Web site: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/isp205/sec-1/ contains a copy of this syllabus and will hold announcements, grade curves, etc in the future.
Homework. Yes. Assignments and due dates to be
announced. Simple math will be involved, and then similar problems will appear
on the exams. You will do these over the web, using the CAPA system. See the
course website for instructions.
Midterms: 3 Midterms, each for the full class period. Tentatively
scheduled for Sept. 17, Oct. 10 and Nov. 5.
Final exam: This will be held at the assigned place and time for this course. Tentatively, the time is Tuesday, Dec 10, 8-10PM, but it is up to you to double check later in the semester, at the official MSU web site (WARNING: be sure to use the COMMON FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE, which appears at the bottom of the web page). About half of the questions will be from the material covered after the third midterm, but the other half will cover the rest (first 3 parts) of the course.
Extra Credit. From time to time there will be a 1-point extra credit question asked just before the end of class. These will be open-notebook, short answer questions. The goal is to encourage you to attend classes and to take decent notes. These extra points will be added onto your score on the next exam.
Grading system: Homework: 10%. Each midterm: 20%. Final exam: 30%. The final course grade will then be based on a to-be-determined curve. But students who average less than 50% correct answers should expect to fail the course.
APPROXIMATE COURSE SCHEDULE
VISIONS OF THE UNIVERSE
ISP 205, SECTION 1, FALL 2001
Chapter numbers from the text are indicated in square brackets…. [8,9] means the material is covered in chapters 8 and 9, etc. The midterms and final will be on the material actually covered in the lectures, but the lectures usually will be on material found in the book.
1. Background: The Laws of Physics.
Aug
27,29. The size of the Universe.
The scientific method, “laws” in physics, the four forces [Prologue].
Sept
3,5. Laws of motion: Ptolemy,
Copernicus, Kepler, Newton [1,2].
Sept
10,12. Radiation and spectra [4].
Telescopes [5].
Sept 17. MIDTERM
2.
The Solar System: Exploring the Planets.
Sept
19. The solar system [6 briefly].
Earth as a planet [7]. The seasons, tides, phases of moon [3].
Sept
24,26. The Moon, Mercury, Venus,
Mars [8,9].
Oct
1,3. The giant planets (Jupiter,
Saturn, Uranus, Neptune) [10]. Rings, moons and Pluto [11]
Oct.
8 Comets and asteroids [12]. The
origin of the Solar System [13].
Oct 10. MIDTERM
3.
How Stars Work, and Where the Chemical Elements Came From.
Oct. 15,17. The Sun: an example of a star [15.1,15.2,15.3], The surface of the sun [14].
Oct
22,24. Analyzing starlight
[16.2,16.3].Types of stars [17.2,17.4], The evolution and death of stars
[21,22].
Oct
29, 31. The birth of stars &
the search for planets [20]. Search for life elsewhere [Epilogue].
Nov 5. MIDTERM
4.
The Universe: Where Did It Come From & Where Is It Going?
Nov
7. Our Galaxy (the Milky Way)
[18.2,18.3,24].
Nov
12,14. Other galaxies [25]. Quasars
and active galaxies [26].
Nov 19,21. General
Relativity [23].
Nov
26. Cosmology… the nature and evolution of the
universe [27,28].
Nov
28. THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Dec
3,5. Finish up cosmology.
Review.