Yale University Department of Astronomy Astronomy 110: Planets and Stars Course Information 2012 Fall Term

1. Instructor: Dr. Louise Edwards, JW Gibbs Laboratory 256, louise.edwards@yale.edu Teaching Assistants: Ana and Arthur 2. Office Hours: Drop by, or email for appointment. Don't be shy! I'm more than happy to meet. 3. Course Outline: This course provides an introduction to stars and planetary systems. Topics include the solar system and extrasolar planets, planet and star formation, and the evolution of stars from birth to death. Lecture Periods: Monday and Wednesday 1:00 to 2:15PM. These will be a mix of formal lectures, discussions, demonstrations, and some small group activities. There is no formal lab for this class. However, all students will need to be present at at least one (1) night time observing period at the university observatory. These happen at the Leitner Family Observatory and you will sign up on Classes v2. Note that cloudy weather occurs frequently. Yet, this project must be completed and counts towards participation credits. Therefore, students are strongly encouraged to go out as early on in the semester as possible, so as not to be caught by weather issues. Discussion Sections: There will be discussion sections scheduled during the week (time and location TBA after enrollment has settled). You will be able to sign up online for a particular discussion section, but you can attend any and/or all scheduled sections that are convenient for you. These discussion sections are optional, but you are very strongly encouraged to attend a discussion section each week to discuss the readings, lecture material, and problem sets. Graded problem sets will be returned in discussion sections. At least one of the discussion sections will be scheduled as a QR section in which we will discuss the quantitative aspects of the course in more detail.

4. Resources: The required text is Universe, 9th edition, by Freedman, Geller, and Kaufmann, ISBN-10: 1-4292-3153-X. You can purchase this textbook online ($105.07 on Amazon). An alternative, is to purchase a one year subscription to the cheaper ($59.00) online e-book CUSTOM VERSION (Note: Number 9869300) of the text here: http://ebooks.bfwpub.com/universe9e.php We will cover: The Night Sky, Gravity, Light, and Telescopes, The Origin and Nature of Light, The formation and composition of our Solar System, as well as other star systems, the formation and evolution of Stars (i.e. selections from Chapters 1-22). If time permits, we will also discuss Ch. 28, astrobiology. Clickers: You will be using electronic clickers during class to enable you to fully participate. These are available for sign out at the library. Please see the following link of general help on how to use these. http://itg.yale.edu/services/clickers You MUST sign into Classes v2 and register your clicker there. Your responses to clicker questions will start counting towards participation credits on Sept 5th (Wednesday), so make sure your clickers are in hand and registered on Classes v2 by then. Note, you will never be graded on your answers to the clicker questions, ONLY your participation counts. Classes v2: You will need access to the Classes v2 website. Go to https://classesv2.yale.edu/portal/ Check here regularly for important announcements including homework assignments and quizzes. Textbook website: There is a companion website for your textbook. It also has many additional study resources you might find helpful. Address: http://bcs.whfreeman.com/universe9e. Library resources: Practice problems and supplementary reading can be found in many of the Astronomy books housed in the Yale Libraries. http://www.library.yale.edu/ Desktop planetarium software: Consider downloading software such as the freely available Stellarium. http://www.stellarium.org/ 5. Course Requirements: Please turn off cell phones ring tones and log off social media before you enter the classroom. Also, once shopping period ends, please do not leave class early unless you have talked to the instructors in advance. These requests are both for issues of safety as well as consideration for your fellow students.

Attendance at all classes is REQUIRED. Your attendance and full participation at each class period will be an essential component of your success in the course as material from the textbook will be supplemented by information and activities from the lecture periods. Participation credits will be assigned in part through in class participation. Carefully studying the text is REQUIRED. The course lectures are designed to focus on the really difficult aspects of astronomy, to provide structure for your out-of-class study, and to provide supplemental information beyond what is in the text. You are accountable for all material, concepts, and interrelationships presented in the lectures, in the text, from the assignments, and from the outdoor observing experience. Reading assignments should be completed before attending class. Otherwise, the lectures, and in class activities will be less useful in helping you develop a deep understanding of the course topics. It may be useful (but is in no way required) to bring your text with you each day to class so that you can make notes in the margins and highlight the relevant passages, especially if you have purchased the e-textbook. It is important to remember that exams will cover material from the text readings that may or may not be discussed in class. 6. Evaluation: a. Short, weekly quizzes will take place online via Classes v2. These quizzes will test your understanding of the material covered in class and assigned readings. Online quizzes will not be available after the posted deadline. Your best 20 will count towards your final 'quiz' mark. Attempted the quizzes will count toward your participation credits. There will be four assignments. These will be a mix of short and long answer questions and it is in these assignments you will particularly get to practice the conceptual reasoning and quantitative skills you build in class. Homework assignments are due AT THE BEGINNING of class. You may turn in your homework up to 1 day late for a 20% penalty. Late papers must be brought to my office in GibbsI do not accept assignments by e-mail. Please staple pages together. You are strongly encouraged to discuss the problem sets with fellow students, TAs, and me, but you must turn in your own work. A practical interpretation of this rule is that it is OK to discuss problems and their solutions with instructors and with other students, but you should never copy the written work of anyone else. Apparent

b.

copying on any assignment for the course will result in a zero grade on the assignment and will be considered a violation of the academic integrity policy and will be submitted to the College Executive Committee for possible disciplinary action. c. There will be two Midterms and one Final Exam.

LATE ASSIGNMENTS: If you have a good reason for getting an extension on a homework assignment (ex. Medical emergency), see me before the due date, or bring me a deans excuse afterward. Evaluation: Participation Credits - 5% Online quizzes (best 20) - 10% Observing Experience (1) - 5% Assignments - 25% Midterm 1- 15% Midterm 2- 15% Final - 25% -- Scheduled for 12/18/2012 at 9:00am Description of Grades: A AB+ B BC+ C CD+ D DF 90-100% 85-89% 80-84% 75-79% 70-74% 67-69% 63-66% 60-62% 55-59% 51-54% 50% 0-49%

7. Due Dates: Please note the following important dates. Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Assignment 3 Assignment 4 DUE DUE DUE DUE Mon, Mon, Mon, Mon, Sep 24th Oct 22nd Nov 12th Dec 3rd

Midterm 1 (in class) - Wed, Oct 3th tentative Midterm 2 (in class) - Wed, Nov 14th tentative Final Dec 18th 2012, a Tuesday, at 9am Definite

8. Academic Dishonesty: This includes plagiarism and cheating, and it is an extremely serious academic offense, carrying penalties that range from failure in an assignment or examination to debarment from the University. Definitions of, and procedures and penalties relating to academic dishonesty are set out on Universitys website. 9. Special Needs? If you have special needs please do not hesitate to contact us to make arrangements for you.

Instructional Philosophy of the Course The overarching goals of this course are for you to understand the nature of science through the eyes of astronomy; to understand the big ideas in astronomy; and to develop a lifelong interest in astronomy and current events surrounding astronomy. To meet these three goals, I have constructed the lectures, assignments, and assessments in an integrated fashion using a variety of learning techniques (e.g. reading, writing, in-class discussions). To make the most of this, please actively engage with group activities in the lectures. Studies have shown that students can only learn a limited amount of information from lecture alone, no matter how clear or entertaining. Below, I have chosen some Learning Outcomes that this course will help you develop: This is a QR course. As such, students will: Solve problems using basic computational skills Apply basic mathematical skills to perform tasks such as interest unit conversion, or rough estimation Use technology thoughtfully and appropriately both to enhance their understanding of subject content and to support their written or oral presentation of academic work Convert units from one system of representation to another (e.g., from numbers to words) Question their own and others assumptions and theories and recognize and differentiate among facts, assumptions, and commonly-held misconceptions Provide logical, convincing, and respectful arguments in defense of their conclusions Content-specific Learning Outcomes:

I fully support the American Society of College Science Teachers Position Statement on Introductory college-level Science courses. I have included some of their Student Outcomes below: Use the language and concepts of science appropriately and effectively in written and oral communication Make scientifically based decisions and solve problems drawing on concepts and experiences from relevant areas Evaluate critically: evidence, interpretations, results and solutions related to the course content Explain scientifically related knowledge claims as produces of a scientific inquiry process that while diverse in scope, conforms to the principles of logical reasoning. Demonstrate research skills necessary to access needed data to support scientific inquiry. As meaningful questions about real world scientific issues and conundrums. Students should gain: A cosmic perspective, a broad understanding of the nature, scope, and evolution of the Universe, and where the Earth and Solar System fit in Identify a limited number of crucial astronomical quantities, and be able to apply appropriate physical laws to astronomical systems An ability to argue that the world is knowable, that we are coming to know it through observations, experiments and theory (the nature of progress in science) The ability to implement the appropriate physical tools (ex. Laws) to understand and explain the evolution of physical systems An acquaintance with the history of astronomy and the evolution of scientific ideas (science as a cultural process) Familiarity of the night sky and how its appearance changes with time and position on Earth. Comments, suggestions? I welcome your input and advice at any time!