John P. Oliver    oliver@astro.ufl.edu    http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~oliver/   (352) 392-2052
Office Hours: T R 3rd period or by appointment in 11 BRT (across from the “Hub”)

Texts: The Essential Cosmic Perspective by Bennett et al. 4th edition

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Date

Topic

Major Topics

1

23-Aug-07

Introduction, Expectations, Study Suggestions; C1

scale; rotation/revolution

 

28-Aug-07

C1: Our Place in the Universe (cont)

 

2

30-Aug-07

C2: Discovering the Universe for Yourself

seasons; motions in sky; moon phases; eclipses;

 

4-Sep-07

C2: Discovering the Universe for Yourself (cont)

retrograde; parallax

3

6-Sep-07

C3: The Science of Astronomy

ancient obs; Greeks; Islam; Copernicus; Tycho;

 

11-Sep-07

C4: Making Sense of the Universe

motion; Newton's Laws; conservation; energy;

4

13-Sep-07

C4: Making Sense of the Universe (cont)

gravity; orbits; tides

 

18-Sep-07

Exam 1 (Intro-C4)

 

5

20-Sep-07

C5: Light: The Cosmic Messenger

light; matter; spectra; doppler effect; telescopes

 

25-Sep-07

C5: Light: The Cosmic Messenger (cont)

 

6

27-Sep-07

C6: Our Solar System and its Origin

brief tour; clues to formation; formation;

 

2-Oct-07

C6: Our Solar System and its Origin (cont)

other planetary systems

7

4-Oct-07

C7: Earth and the Terrestrial Worlds

Earth's surface; atmosphere; Mercury & Moon;

 

9-Oct-07

C8: Jovian Planet Systems

composition; interiors; weather; moons;  rings

8

11-Oct-07

C9: Asteroids, Comets, and Dwarf Planets

asteroids; comets; Pluto; impacts

 

16-Oct-07

Exam 2 (C5-C9)

 

9

18-Oct-07

C10: Our Star

equilibria; structure; fusion; energy transport;

 

23-Oct-07

C10: Our Star

neutrinos; solar activity; sunspot cycle

 

25-Oct-07

C11: Surveying the Stars

luminosity; temperatures & spectral types;

 

30-Oct-07

C11: Surveying the Stars

masses; H-R diagram; clusters

10

1-Nov-07

C12: Star Stuff

formation; life: low mass; high mass; summary

 

6-Nov-07

C12: Star Stuff (cont)

 

11

8-Nov-07

C13: The Bizarre Stellar Graveyard

white dwarf; Ia SN; neutron stars; black holes

 

13-Nov-07

Exam 3 (C10-C13)

 

12

15-Nov-07

C14: Our Galaxy

Our galaxy; where are the stars; history

 

20-Nov-07

C15: A Universe of Galaxies

galaxies; history; distances; quasars

13

22-Nov-07

Thanksgiving

 

 

27-Nov-07

C16: Dark Matter

dark stuff; structures; expansion

14

29-Nov-07

C17: The Beginning of Time

expansion; big bang; inflation

 

4-Dec-07

C17: The Beginning of Time (cont)

 

15

6-Dec-07

Exam 4 (C14-C17)

 

 

13-Dec-07

Final Exam C1-17

 

There will be four hour exams and a comprehensive final exam during the semester.  Your grade will be based on the best four of these exams (80%) and on a set of classroom and homework exercises (20%).  There is small amount of extra credit available (about 3% maximum). Do not miss an exam. No makeup exams will be given except under extraordinary circumstances with advance notice. Each test will consist of 40 multiple choice questions. Please bring several pencils and a photo ID. A curve may be set for each exam but the typical grading scale is:

E   0-22; D  23-24; D+ 25-26; C  27-28; C+ 29-30; B  31-32; B+ 33-34; A  35-40

The class web site is at http://www.astro.ufl.edu/~oliver/ast1002/ .  All sorts of good stuff are posted here including grades, syllabus, etc.

Note packs are available at University Copy & More, 1620 W. University Ave.