Section #: 647141
Class Time: TR 5:00PM -- 6:40PM
Room: 7/272
Instructor: Douglas H. Laurence
Office: 7/135
Office Hours: Here
For this course, you will be required to have the following materials:
- Textbook: Astronomy: A Beginner's Guide to the Universe, 8th edition, by Chaisson & McMillan, ISBN: 9780134243108.
- MasteringAstronomy: The homework for this class will be assigned through online software known as MasteringAstronomy. You can buy an access code for MasteringAstronomy alone or you can buy it as a package with the textbook from the bookstore. Either way, you need a copy of the text and an access code for the homework. Read the "Homework" section below for information on MasteringAstronomy.
- Scantrons: You will need 2 Scantron sheets for the two exams.
During the semester, we will cover the following topics. Note that these topics are subject to change with notification by the professor.
- The Copernican Revolution
- Light, Matter, and Telescopes
- The Planets and our Solar System
- Our Sun and other Stars
- Stellar Evolution
- The Milky Way and other Galaxies
- Cosmology
The exams will be multiple choice, containing about 30 problems each. For each exam, you will need a Scantron sheet to fill in your answers; this means you need a total of 2 Scantron sheets for the class. The material covered on each exam is (tentatively) shown in the course schedule below. Note that exam 2 is not cumulative; it only covers the material since exam 1.
Make-up exams will not be offered in this course. Instead, if you have a legitimate emergency and cannot make it to the exam, I will replace your missed exam with the average of your other two exams. If you know ahead of time that you will have to miss an exam, please let me know in advance. Legitimate reasons to miss an exam are outlined in the Student Handbook for Broward College; any other reason is up to the discretion of the professor.
Homework will be assigned through MasteringAstronomy (course code laurence48312), with roughly one assignment due each week, though it depends on how long a particular topic takes us to cover in class; you will be able to see the homework schedule through the MasteringAstronomy website. To access MasteringAstronomy, you must go to the following website: http://pearsonmylabandmastering.com. This website, speficically, offers a 2 week free trial for MasteringAstronomy in case you need time to purchase your access code.
While each homework assignment will vary in the number of questions asked, each assignment will be worth the same number of points, i.e. each homework assignment will be equally weighted. Some homework assignments which have a lot of subject matter to cover will have extra credit questions assigned. Each homework assignment will also be available for you to turn in late up to one-week after the due date, so even if you're running a bit late, make sure to turn it in! If, for any legitimate reason, you absolutely need an extension for your homework, please let me know before the due date of the homework, and I'll be happy to provide you a reasonable extension.
Tentative Course Schedule:
| WEEK | TUESDAY | THURSDAY |
|---|---|---|
| January 27 | Ch 1: The Copernican Revolution | Ch 1: The Copernican Revolution |
| February 3 | Ch 2: Light & Matter | Ch 2: Light & Matter / Ch 3: Telescopes |
| February 10 | Ch 4: The Solar System | Ch 5: The Earth & Its Moon |
| February 17 | Ch 6: Terrestrial Planets / Ch 7: Jovian Planets | Ch 9: The Sun |
| February 24 | Ch 9: The Sun | Ch 9: The Sun |
| March 2 | Spring Break | Spring Break |
| March 9 | Exam 1 (Ch 1 - 9) | Ch 10: Measuring the Stars |
| March 16 | Ch 12: Stellar Evolution | Ch 12: Stellar Evolution |
| March 23 | Ch 12: Stellar Evolution | Ch 13: Neutron Stars & Black Holes |
| March 30 | Ch 13: Neutron Stars & Black Holes | Ch 14: The Milky Way Galaxy |
| April 6 | Ch 15: Normal & Active Galaxies | Ch 15: Normal & Active Galaxies |
| April 13 | Ch 16: Galaxies & Dark Matter | Ch 17: Cosmology |
| April 20 | Ch 17: Cosmology | Exam 2 (Ch 10, 12 -- 17) |
*Blue days are days off, red days are exam dates
Grading Scheme:
| Homework | 25 points |
| Quizzes | 25 points |
| Exam 1 | 25 points |
| Exam 2 | 25 points |
| Total | 100 points |
|---|
Grading Sale:
| Letter Grade | Points Earned |
|---|---|
| A | 90.0 - 100.0 |
| B | 80.0 - 89.9 |
| C | 70.0 - 79.9 |
| D | 60.0 - 69.9 |
| F | < 60.0 |