ISP 205 Section 003

ISP 205 Section 003

VISIONS OF THE UNIVERSE

Tuesday and Thursday

Noon to 1:20pm

Room 1410 Biomedical and Physical Sciences Building

Instructor: Horace A. Smith

Rm 3272 BPS Building

smith@pa.msu.edu

517-355-9200 x2415

Office hours: Monday 1:50-2:40pm, Tuesday 2:40-3:30pm, Thursday 1:50-2:40pm, or by appointment. I can often be found in my office at other times,

but it is safer to make an appointment outside of the regular office hours.

Text: The Essential Cosmic Perspective by Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit

Be sure to get your copy bundled with a “clicker” for answering questions in class.

Grading: There will be two mid-term exams, each worth 27.5% of the total course grade. There will be a final exam on Monday, December 12, 8-10pm. The final exam will count for 30% of the total course grade. The in-class “clicker” questions will be worth 5% of the total grade. Homeworks and other assignments will account for the remaining 10%.

Welcome to ISP 205, section 003. Astronomy is a subject with origins that run deep into history and even prehistory. In this course we will concentrate on five main themes:

(i) The roots of astronomy. Here not only will we discuss the growth of astronomy as a science, we will also consider the appearance of the night sky.

(ii) How physics helps us to understand the universe beyond our reach.

(iii) The modern view of our solar system.

(iv) The life and death of stars.

(v) The large scale structure of the universe, its beginning and possible fate.

Course web page: http://www.pa.msu.edu/courses/2005fall/ISP205/sec-3/

Below is a tentative list of the lectures to be covered each day, but this schedule could change slightly during the semester, depending upon how quickly we actually proceed.

It is important to read the relevant sections of the text before the lecture in which they will be discussed.

Week One

August 30 Introduction and a “big picture” look at the universe

Read chapter 1 of the text.

Sept. 1 The appearance of the sky

Read chapter 2 of the text.

Week Two

Sept. 6 The ancient roots of Astronomy

Read chapter 3

Sept. 8 Continuing with the Copernican Revolution

More on chapter 3, plus sections 4.1 and 4.2

Week Three

Sept. 13 Newton and gravity

Finish reading chapter 4

Sept. 15 Light!

Read chapter 5

Week Four

Sept. 20 The solar system

Read chapter 6

Sept. 22 Terrestrial planets

Read chapter 7

Week Five

Sept. 27 Jovian Planets

Read chapter 8

Sept. 29 Asteroids, comets, Pluto, and beyond

Read chapter 9

Week Six

Oct. 4 Review

Oct. 6 First Exam

Week Seven

Oct. 11 The Sun

Read chapter 10

Oct. 13 The Sun-Earth Connection

Still on chapter 10

Week Eight

Oct. 18 Surveying the stars

Read chapter 11

Oct. 20 The lives of stars

Read chapter 12 through section 12.2

Week Nine

Oct. 25 The Explosive Deaths of High Mass Stars

Finish chapter 12.

Oct. 27 White dwarfs, neutron stars, and black holes

Read chapter 13

Week Ten

Nov. 1 The Milky Way

Read chapter 14

Nov. 3 Galaxies beyond the Milky Way

Read chapter 15

Week Eleven

Nov. 8 Review

Nov. 10 Second Exam

Week Twelve

Nov. 15 Dark Matter

Read chapter 16

Nov. 17 Dark Energy and the Fate of the Universe

Still chapter 16

Week Thirteen

Nov. 22 The Big Bang

Read chapter 17

Nov. 24 Thanksgiving

Week Fourteen

Nov. 29 The history of the universe