Professor: Loris Magnani Office: Physics 238 or 241C Phone: 542-2876

E-Mail: loris@physast.uga.edu

Web Page: www.physast.uga.edu/~loris/astr1010/prob.html

Class Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 11:00 AM - 12:15 PM in Physics 202

Office Hours: Tuesday and Thursday 2:00 PM - 3:15 PM (or by appointment)

Textbook: The Solar System – The Cosmic Perspective – Bennett, Donahue,

Schneider, & Voit (4^th Edition) - REQUIRED

Exams: Three exams during semester - each accounts for 22% of your final grade

Final Exam - December 12, 2006 - 34% of your final grade

You are responsible for attending class to find out exactly when the mid-term exams will be scheduled. The date and time of the final exam are scheduled by the University.

As is clear from above, there will be 3 in-class exams during the semester as well as a cumulative final exam. Your grade is based entirely on these exams; there is no extra credit work or make-up procedure in case you do poorly on the exams. However, the lowest midterm exam grade will be dropped and replaced by the average of the other two. All the exams will be closed-book and closed-notes. However, I will provide you with a formula sheet for each exam, so that you can focus your studying on understanding rather than rote memorization. You may use a calculator for arithmetic only; all memory registers and programs must be cleared.

If you miss one of the exams due to serious illness or family emergency, a make-up exam will be administered within one week of the missed exam at a mutually convenient time. However, you will be asked to provide evidence of such illness or emergency and I am the final arbiter as to what constitutes an emergency.

Letter Grades: The following system will be used: A is for an average of 95.00 or above, A- is for the range 90.00 – 94.99, B+ is for 87.00 – 89.99, B is for 83.00 – 86.99, B- is for 80.00 – 82.99, C+ is for 77.00 – 79.99, C is for 73.00 – 76.99, C- is for 70.00 – 72.99, D is for 60.00 – 69.99, and F is for any average below 60.00.

Note: Grades will NOT be rounded up to two decimal places: 89.99 is a B+ and will not be considered an A.

Course Description: In this course, you will study the development and current state of the astronomical ideas and concepts of our Solar System. The astronomy of all non-Solar System objects is covered exclusively in ASTR 1020, so if you want to learn about stars, or black holes, or cosmology, you’re out of luck (or you need to go through Drop/Add). We will spend the first half of the course talking about the motion of the planets and how the ancient, descriptive, geocentric view gave way to the Copernican model. We will use this part of the course to talk about Newtonian mechanics and the special and general theories of relativity. During the course, you will get a glimpse of how science works, and what types of questions it can – and cannot – address. This course is quantitative (we will be doing algebraic problems both on the homework and on the exams) because the science of astronomy is quantitative. Modern science describes nature best via precise mathematical relationships – and I will stress this in class. We won’t use anything more than algebra, but there will be plenty of that and I will assume that you have a working knowledge of high school algebra. If you don’t feel comfortable doing algebraic problems, then come see me within the first week, or drop the course. There will be almost no trigonometry in the course. As a final note, this is not the course to take if you’re only interested in “learning the constellations”. There will very little on positional astronomy or celestial navigation.

Course Objectives: You will learn a bit about astronomy and science in general. In the process, you will engage in complex thought, analysis, and reasoning. The course is more than memorizing “facts”; you will have to think about relationships and behaviors of esoteric objects and systems, and arrive at logical conclusions about them. Often, the most straightforward way of doing this will be to solve algebraic equations. Thus, we hope to develop your quantitative skills. By the end of the course, you will have insight into how modern science works and why it relies so heavily on mathematics.

Problem Sets: 10-20 problems assigned each week, neither collected nor graded. However, you should feel free to come and discuss these problems with me if they give you trouble or if you want to discuss them further. Your incentive for doing the problems is that many similar problems will show up on the exams. Solutions will be posted on the web page.

Lab Component: The laboratory component of this course is SEPARATE and will not follow what we do in class. The lab sections (ASTR1010L or ASTR1020L) are run by me and my TA’s and often take place outdoors using telescopes and other equipment. If you want to have a look at the night sky and the wonders it contains, then you should sign up for either of the lab sections described above. But remember: The lab is separate from this course and is graded separately. You can take this course and never take the lab, or take the lab component in a different semester. Obviously, if you never take the lab component of this course, then this course counts only as a non-laboratory science in fulfilling any core requirements you might have.

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Please make a reasonable attempt to arrive on time. If you must leave earlier than the scheduled end of class, please use the upper exits at the top of the lecture hall. Class disruptions or distracting behavior will not be tolerated.

You are responsible for all topics discussed in class, as well as class announcements. Although attendance is not mandatory, it is in your best interest to attend every class and absence from class does not excuse you from the above responsibility.

You are encouraged strongly to read ahead of time the assigned material in the textbook (see the tentative reading schedule below).

You are responsible for the material covered for homework even though it will not be collected or graded. I cannot emphasize enough the importance of doing the homework. Your quantitative skills will improve only by practicing conscientiously and consistently. I will be happy to discuss any homework problem with you during office hours (or at a mutually arranged time).

Ask for clarification on anything you find unclear, ambiguous, or unspecified. This includes both course policies and astronomical topics.

Know the rules concerning withdrawals and incompletes, published in the UGA Undergraduate Bulletin. Note that I will NOT withdraw you from the course for excessive absences. Note also that after the midpoint of the semester, a withdrawal is assigned a grade of WF, except in those cases in which the student is doing satisfactory work and the withdrawal is recommended by the Office of Student Affairs because of emergency or health reasons.

LIST OF TOPICS AND READINGS (Tentative)

Week of: Topics/Readings

August 13 – Class begins on Thursday; Introduction – Read Chapter 1

August 20 – Patterns of Motion – Read Chapter 2

August 27 – Ancient Astronomy; The Copernican Revolution – Read Chapter 3

September 3 – Newtonian Motion – Read Chapter 4

EXAM 1

September 10 – Electromagnetic Radiation – Read Chapter 5

September 18 – Relativity – Material will be available on line

September 25 – Our Planetary System– Read Chapter 7

October 2 – The Formation of the Solar System – Read Chapter 8

EXAM 2

October 9 – Planetary Geology – Read Chapter 9

Midpoint Withdrawal Deadline: October 9

October 16 – Planetary Atmospheres – Read Chapter 10

October 23 – The Jovian Planets – Read Chapter 11 – Fall Break (no class on Thu.)

October 30 – The Jovian Planets; The Kuiper Belt – Read Chapter 12

November 6 – The Kuiper Belt – Read Chapter 12

EXAM 3

November 13 – Extrasolar planets – Read Chapter 13

November 20 – The Sun – Read Chapter 14 – Thanksgiving (no class on Thu.)

November 27 – The Sun – Read Chapter 14

December 4 – Life in the Universe – Read Chapter 24

Final Exam: Thursday, Dec. 12, 2006