Course
Description

Lecture: In the lecture part of the course, we cover the first few introductory chapters and the second half of the textbook. In the introductory part, we start with an overview of the main observational facts on the sky, and the most important stages in the history of astronomy, and we discuss a few physics concepts that are often used in astronomy, like the force of gravity, light and radiation, and how telescopes work. We then study in more detail the Sun and the astronomical objects outside the solar system: Stars and their classification and evolution, including neutron stars and black holes, the Milky Way and other galaxies, and the evolution of the universe as a whole. Current astronomy news will also be discussed on a regular basis, as well as highlights of the night sky.

Lab: The course includes a lab component, and lab attendance is required of all registered students. Lab activities consist of outdoor observations through optical telescopes and indoor experiments on relevant physics concepts and computer simulations. (For more information on the lab, see the lab information page.)

Evaluation

Grading Scheme

Quizzes ...... 40 pts
Test 1 ....... 40 pts
Test 2 ....... 40 pts
Test 3 ....... 40 pts
Final Exam ... 40 pts
Labs ........ 100 pts

Total ....... 300 pts

Quizzes: Short quizzes consisting of multiple-choice or short-answer questions will be given on most lecture days. Each missed quiz (except for justified absences) is equivalent to a score of 0, and there will be no make-up quizzes. The lowest daily score or one unjustified absence will be dropped for each student.

Midterm Tests: There will be three midterm tests, consisting of 40 multiple-choice questions each, to be answered on a purple scantron sheet. Students will not be allowed to leave the room during the first 15 minutes of the test, or start the test after that time. A student who misses a test may be able to make it up if the absence is excused.

Final Exam: The final will contain 20 short-answer questions on any topic covered in the course. Students will not be allowed to leave the room during the first 30 minutes, or start the test after that time.

Class attendance: Attendance to lectures is not mandatory, but students who miss a lecture will receive a score of 0 on any quiz they miss. To receive credit for quizzes, students need to remain in class until the end of the lecture period. In class, I expect students not to do things that distract other students and/or the instructor, like talking with their neighbors, text messaging, or reading a newspaper during the lecture.

Justified absences: All justifications must be turned in on paper (not just shown to me); they must include a statement to the effect that the student was not able to attend class, and the date(s) they apply to.

Honesty: Students who are caught cheating in any way will have their overall course average lowered, by an amount dependent on how serious the cheating was. This includes not just cheating during tests, but also having another person answer quiz questions in one's name, and of course copying someone else's lab report, beyond a reasonable amount of collaboration among members of the same group.

Course
Policies

For lab policies
see the separate
lab page

Tips on
Studying
for Tests

In preparation for a test or final exam, I recommend studying:
(1) Assigned sections in the book (see the lecture schedule and the individual lecture pages); you don't need to know the proper names (people, places, stars, and the like) and numbers that I didn't mention in class, but you do need to be familiar with all the concepts in those sections; (2) The lecture notes posted online; they are a good summary, from which you can see which parts of the material I emphasize most, but they are not detailed enough for you to only study those.

Once you are familiar with the material, you can test yourself with posted tests from previous years (a few of the questions will probably appear again this year, and the other ones are good practice anyway), and with the practice questions that are posted for each topic; to access these questions, go to the "resources" page of this website, and click on the links below the various topics. However, do not rely just on practice questions and past tests! Memorizing the material is a bad way to study; if you want to do well, make sure you know what each of the concepts we talked about means, and that you are comfortable with all the explanations, so that you can answer questions about them that you might not have seen before.