| Astronomy 150 | University of Illinois | Spring 2012 |
|---|
| Professor: | Brian Fields |
| Office: | Astronomy Building Room 216 |
| Phone: | 333-5529 |
| EMail: | bdfields@uiuc.edu |
| Office Hours: | Wednesday 2:00-3:00pm in Wohlers 174, or by appointment |
The Universe is huge! And we on the "Pale Blue Dot" that we call Earth are sitting ducks for many astronomical disasters, such as the large impacting meteor that killed off the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. This is only one example of many dangerous astronomical deaths awaiting our scientific exploration.
In this class, we will explore the most dangerous topics in the Universe, such as meteors, supernova, gamma ray bursts, magnetars, rogue black holes, colliding galaxies, quasars, and the end of the Universe, to name but a few.
You have chosen a great time to take this course. We are truly in a "Golden Age" of astronomy, with an explosion of new images and data about the Solar System, the Galaxy, and indeed the whole Universe coming from many new ground-based and space-based telescopes. Our scientific view of the big picture, the nature of the physical universe, underwent a revolution in the 20th century, setting the stage for deeper questions that will be answered in the 21st century. In this course, we will focus on those discoveries that are dangerous to us now or someday in the far future. We will address these topics with scientific methods, but also perhaps with some philosophy and science fiction thrown in too.
My goals for a graduate of this course are that they will understand our current scientific view of how dangerous, and wondrous, the Universe is today, conceptualize that the risk of danger to ourselves is actually quite low, propose what the future may hold for astronomy, make informed decisions about science policies, and hold any new scientific "discovery", or pseudo-science, claims to a personal scientific standard of proof.
Nonetheless, this class is designed to be fun. It will endeavor to teach the student about the possibilities of danger in the Universe, but it will also combine various astronomical topics. Take part in the journey, and let's enjoy the ride!
This course gives 3 hours credit. This course satisfies the General Education Criteria for a Physical Sciences (Natural Sciences and Technology) course.
| Requirement | Percentage of Grade | Points | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 Hour Exams | 3 x 20% each | 60% | 600 |
| Observing/Planetarium Reports | 2 x 2.5% each | 5% | 50 |
| Homework (best 10 of 11) | 10 x 2% each | 20% | 200 |
| Computer Lab Exercises | 2 x 5% each | 10% | 100 |
| Participation: iClicker Questions | 5% | 50 | |
| Total | 100% | 1000 | |
Recommended:
Phil Plait, Death from the Skies!.
This book gives an entertaining overview of many
(but not all) of the topics we will cover.
It is not a course text in the usual sense in that
it does not follow our discussion except by accident, and does
not have as much detail as the lectures. It is useful
as inspiration, rather than a detailed study guide.
Recommended: Online supplemental readings.
Additional readings will be posted on
Compass.
These will help with more difficult material in the course
by giving additional information and discussions from
other perspectives.
I do not make it a practice to follow the readings closely in structuring the course or the lectures. Rather, I will present material in the manner that I find most pedagogical and, I hope, entertaining; the readings will serve to offer an excellent alternative discussion for those times when you find my own to be unclear and/or incomplete.
The following table shows the approximate grading scale in this course.
| Grade | Approximate Range |
|---|---|
| A | 90-100% |
| B | 80-90% |
| C | 70-80% | D | 60-70% |
| F | <60% |
Final course grades will follow these guidelines. The ranges are approximate in that I may have to adjust them if, for example, I give an exam that is a little too hard. In any case, I will not increase the minimum cutoffs for each letter grade. In other words, you should expect that grade or higher. Plusses and minuses will be used.
There will be three in-class hour exams. Exam dates and information posted here.
There will be 11 homework assignments given throughout the course. These are meant to sharpen your thinking on the material covered in lecture, to develop your intuition and quantitative skills, and to help prepare you for the exams. Homework consists of questions posted on Compass, and assignments are due by classtime on Fridays. Compass will not allow late homework. Thus, no late homework will be accepted, with no exceptions.
Your best 10 homework scores will be kept; that is, the lowest score will be dropped. However, you are responsible for all of the material covered on all 11 homework assignments. Thus, it is to your advantage to do all 11 of the assignments, and submit them on time.
Ther will be two computer-based labs. We will learn how asteroid detection is done, and how from observations of the asteroid we can estimate its orbit. We will also track the rotation of the Sun and watch sunspots be born and die. There is some math, but it's your chance to work with real observations, and the assignments are together worth 10% of your grade!
There are three observing activities for this course:
You are required to complete worksheets for at least two of the three activities. It is to your advantage to do all the activities, however, since (a) if you do all three, only the best two scores will be counted, and (b) most students find that the observing sessions are fun.
Note: Every semester large numbers of students put these activities off until the last minute, then find the planetarium's been sold out, or the weather's cloudy on the last day. GO EARLY. If you are unavailable for any of the observing activities, see the instructor immediately.
You are expected to attend lectures. I will cover material in class that will not always be in the text, and the lecture material will be included on the exam. Class time is the most valuable for you if you come prepared, and are ready to actively engage the material. To encourage your engagement, the lectures will often be punctuated by opportunities for your feedback, in the form of asking questions, voting on the possible outcomes of observations or demonstrations, or brainstorming answers to open-ended questions. To reward your participation in these activities, you will often be asked to respond via the iClicker. Either the old iClicker or the new iClicker2 will work.
Make sure to register your iClicker here by Jan 31st.
These participation surveys are not "quizzes" in the usual sense, in that you are not required to get all answers right. Rather, you will always get substantial credit simply by offering a scientifically reasonable response even if it is wrong (and in some cases the questions have no single correct answer, in which case all responses receive full credit). The point of this is that the survey is always an opportunity to gain points as long as you are actively engaged, even if you are still a little confused. Indeed, the most difficult and potentially confusing subjects are precisely those that most require you participation!
For each iClicker poll, 1.5 participation points will be available: the full 1.5 points will be awarded to correct response(s), while 1 point will be given for any other scientifically reasonable responses. Your total participation points will accumulate until they reach a maximum of 50 total participation points; if you faithfully attend class and answer correctly most of the time, you can reach this maximum a few weeks before the end of the semester. There are thus ample opportunities to attain this maximum score, even if several classes are missed due to situations such as late class registration, family emergencies, job interviews, and malfunctioning iClickers; therefore no additional participation opportunities will be available beyond those in each class.
For the benefit of your fellow students and your instructor, you are expected to follow these basic rules of decorum.
Students considering late registration, particularly after Jan. 25, are welcome but strongly encouraged to speak with the instructor prior to joining the course.
Out of fairness, the same grading standards will be used for all students in the course, and all students will be responsible for all assignments and all lecture material. Those students who register late are welcome, but join the course with the understanding that they are responsible for the material covered before they joined the course. The policy of dropping the lowest two assignments allows late registering students to avoid penalty on any assignments missed before joining the course, as long as the remaining assignments are completed.
Academic honesty is essential to this course and the University. Any instance of academic dishonesty (including but not limited to cheating, plagiarism, falsification of data, and alteration of grade) will be documented in the student's academic file. In addition, the particular exam, homework, or report will be given a zero.
Guidelines for collaborative work: Discussing course material with your classmates is in general not only allowed but in fact a good idea. However, each student is expected to do his or her own work. On homework, you may discuss the questions and issues behind them, but you are responsible for your own answers. In writing observing and planetarium reports, you may discuss with classmates during the activity, but again, you are expected to give your own individual answers in your own words. Finally, on exams your work and your answers must of course be entirely your own.
To insure that disability-related concerns are properly addressed from the beginning, students with disabilities who require reasonable accommodations to participate in this class are asked to see the instructor as soon as possible.