Northern Kentucky University



|ASTRONOMY 115 - STARS, GALAXIES AND COSMOLOGY |

|SECTION 32 |

|SUMMER 2004 |

Instructor : Dr. Chari Ramkumar

Office : SC 114

Phone : 572-5405

E-mail : ramkumarc@nku.edu

Web Site :

Office Hours : MTWR 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm or by appointment

Lecture Schedule:

| Day Time Class |

|Room |

|MTWRF 8:00 – 9:40 pm SC302 |

Lab Schedule:

| Section Time |

|Location |

| 32 TR 9:50 am –12:20 pm SC406 |

Lecture Text : "UNIVERSE: STARS AND GALAXIES" by Roger A. Freedman and William J. Kaufmann III, © 2002. Publisher: W. H. Freeman and Co. Text is required.

If you plan to take both AST 115 and AST 110 (offered in Fall semester), it is better to buy the extended volume of “UNIVERSE” by Roger A. Freedman and

William J. Kaufmann III, Sixth Edition.

Lab Manual : "Astronomy 115: Laboratory Activities" for Summer Semester 2004.

Lab Manual is required.

Handouts : Handouts supplementing the lecture text and/or lab manual will be provided during the

semester. Availability and method of distribution will be announced in the class.

Equipment : A clear plastic metric ruler, allowing measurements to the nearest tenth

of a millimeter, is required. A basic scientific calculator (one with

logarithms, powers, trigonometric functions, and scientific notation is

strongly recommended.

Course : This course is designed to survey our current knowledge of the universe

Objective outside the solar system and the individual objects that are found to be a

part of the universe. Also included will be a discussion of light,

telescopes, and observational techniques. Emphasis will be placed

not only on the information currently available, but also on the manner in

which this information has been obtained. When appropriate, an

understanding of underlying principles, processes, and/or logic will be

required as well as knowledge of the facts or conclusions that they support.

General : As a general education course in natural science, AST 115 is designed to promote

Education student achievement of specific outcomes. The first paragraph below addresses general Objectives outcomes, outcomes that might be achieved in any general education course. The remaining paragraphs in this section address the natural science outcomes as they apply to the content of this specific course.

Students will obtain fundamental knowledge of the subject through readings from the lecture text, laboratory write-ups, and other supplemental course materials. Students will develop critical thinking and problem solving skills through interactions with the instructor and other students, and through completion of laboratory activities and writing assignments. Students will develop writing skills and experience independent, creative, and interactive learning through completion of writing assignments and laboratory activities. Students will discuss course topics and material in classroom discussions, laboratory team discussions, and one-to-one discussions with the instructor in person, by telephone, or by email. Students will work collaboratively with others in laboratory teams of two or three persons. Students will employ computers in the completion of selected laboratory activities and the accessing of on-line resources.

Students will describe, identify, explain, and apply scientific theories or principles to stars, galaxies, or cosmology. For example, they will apply basic principles and theories of physics to the properties, structure, dynamics, and evolution of stars and to the structure and evolution of the universe.

Students will examine the credibility of certain scientific arguments as a means of illustrating the scientific method. For example, they will consider and evaluate the structure and ultimate fate of the universe in light of the relevant observational evidence.

Students will relate the study of stars, galaxies, and cosmology to the advancement of technology, our environment on Earth, and the historical growth of human thought. Examples include the development of telescopes and detectors, the relevance of stellar characteristics and evolution to the nature and composition of the Earth, and the relationship of scientific cosmology to philosophy and religion.

In the astronomy laboratory, students will execute appropriate methods of measurement and analysis to either test hypotheses or apply them to specific situations to draw logical conclusions.

In the astronomy laboratory, students will prepare and/or complete documents that analyze and present the scientific results of their laboratory activities, including opportunities to analyze possibilities and/or state conclusions in their own words.

Students will read, discuss, and practice principles of measurement uncertainty and error as key elements of the first laboratory activity. Students will apply and demonstrate correct techniques throughout the course. Students will discuss significant examples of the effects of uncertainty and error, such as the effect of precision on the determination of the properties (for instance distance and age) of astronomical objects.

Readings, lectures, discussions, writing assignments, and laboratory activities are the means by which these student outcomes will be achieved. Writing assignments, laboratory activities, and tests are the methods by which achievement of these student outcomes will be assessed.

Homework : Homework will normally be given in completed chapters of the course material and it will contain review questions and define questions. When you submit the homework, you need to submit answers to review questions only. However, you must know answer for the define questions, since the review questions and define questions in the exams will be mostly from the pool of review and define questions in the homework. Your work will be collected and a representative sample of your work will be evaluated as one factor in the determination of your final grade. You, however, are primarily responsible for obtaining feedback for work evaluated by the instructor and are encouraged to ask questions and discuss material with the instructor either in or outside of class. Type written assignments are preferred.

Homework and deadline will be posted on the course web site

(Hard copies of the homework will be available on request)

Plagiarism (the duplication and presentation of another person’s work as your

own) is expressly forbidden.

The homework should reflect YOUR OWN work -- it should be

written in your own words. If your homework shows ANY evidence of

being copied it will be returned to you with a grade of ZERO.

NO LATE HOMWORK WILL BE ACCEPTED

Lecture Topics : We will attempt to cover 14 chapters from the lecture text in 5 weeks of classes.

The chapters and their order of presentation are:

|Chapter 1 Astronomy and the Universe |

|Chapter 6 Optics and Telescopes |

|Chapter 5 The Nature of Light |

|Chapter 18 Our Star, the Sun |

|Chapter 19 The Nature of the Stars |

|Chapter 20 The Birth of Stars |

|Chapter 21 Stellar Evolution: After the Main Sequence |

|Chapter 22 Stellar Evolution: The Deaths of Stars |

|Chapter 23 Neutron Stars |

|Chapter 24 Black Holes |

|Chapter 25 Our Galaxy |

|Chapter 26 Galaxies |

|Chapter 27 Quasars, Active Galaxies and Gamma-Ray Bursters |

|Chapter 28 Cosmology: Creation and Fate of the Universe |

Attendance : Your attendance at lectures will be used as a factor in determining your final

grade. More than 10% absence will reduce your grade by a letter. You are expected to attend lectures regularly and are responsible for all material, assignments, and deadlines presented in class. You should come to classes and be attentive during lectures. You are responsible for all material, homework, and deadline presented in the class. IF I CAN COME AT 8 AM, SO CAN YOU.

Examinations : You are required to take the three exams and comprehensive final exam on the dates

and times listed in the syllabus, unless otherwise announced in class.

The exams will be in the format of multiple choice,. The exams will test your knowledge of vocabulary, facts, concepts, principles, processes, relationships, and conclusions covered in lecture AND lab. Mathematical calculations will not generally be required to answer the exam questions, but some questions will require you to draw

logical conclusions from the state numerical information.

Examinations : The first three exams will be held in class during regular lecture hours, and the final

Dates exam will be held on August 11, 2004. Make-up exams are strongly discouraged.

In rare instances students may be permitted to take an exam the day before it is

scheduled.

The date scheduled and syllabus for any of the three exams below may be changed if deemed necessary by the instructor. Such a change will be announced in lecture and website as soon as possible prior to the originally scheduled date.

| TEST | DATE |CHAPTERS COVERED |

|Exam #1 | July 23, Friday | 1, 6, 5 |

|Exam #2 | July 30, Friday | 18, 19, 20, 21 |

|Exam #3 | August 06, Friday | 22, 23, 24. 25 |

| Final |August 11 @ 8:30 – 10:30 am | Comprehensive |

Grading : Your final grade will be based on the following weighted categories.

|CATEGORY |PATH--A |PATH--B |

|Laboratory |25% |25% |

|Home Work and Class Participation, |15% |15% |

|Quiz | | |

|First three exams |35% |25% |

|Comprehensive Final Exam |25% |35% |

|Total |100% |100% |

Final Grade :

Assignment

|TOTAL POINTS |LETTER GRADE |

|90% or more |A |

|78%-89.9% |B |

|65%-77.9% |C |

|54%-64.9% |D |

|Below 54% |F |

This syllabus may be modified by the instructor at any time during the semester. Request further explanation if any part of this syllabus or any course procedure or requirement in unclear.

Other Important Information:

• When you are studying for this course, you are expected to spend at least 2 hours outside class for every hour spent inside class.

• Please come to class on time.

• My lecture slides will be available on the website a day before the beginning of a new chapter. You are welcome to print them out.

• Please keep in mind that these lecture slides are only a sketch of the lecture topics and do not contain all the information discussed in class.

• Reading these slides is not a substitute to reading the text.

• The best strategy is to prepare for the exam is to read the text before and after lecture, use my lecture slides as a guide, submit the homework and lab report on time, ask questions in class, and come see me during the office hours or any other time if you need help. Please make an appointment if you cannot make it during regular office hours

• NO late homework or lab report will be accepted.

• You can email the homework to me or submit a hard copy by 5:00 pm on the due date.

• The contents of this syllabus should be viewed as a working plan for the semester. Unforeseen circumstances may necessitate some changes during the semester. Any such changes will be announced in the class and it is your responsibility to take note of them.

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