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Astronomy 100
Tuesday, Thursday 2:30 -3:45 pm Hasbrouk 20
Instructor: Thomas Burbine, Lederle Graduate Research Tower (LGRT) 528
Email: tburbine@mtholyoke.edu
Course Website: http://www.xanga.com/astronomy100
Textbook: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology, The Cosmic Perspective, 3rd Edition by
Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, and Voit
InterWrite PRS: You need to have an InterWrite PRS transmitter. They are sold at the
Textbook Annex.
Teaching Assistants: Hui Dong and Guilin Liu
Hui Dong is located in LGRT 517H - phone 545-0731 - hdong@astro.umass.edu
Guilin Liu is located in LGRT 815D - phone 545-4261 - gliu@astro.umass.edu
Course Overview:
I have two principal goals for this course, these are:
Get you interested in Astronomy
Have you learn important fundamental concepts in Astronomy
The course is organized into four sections:
The Night Sky
Gravity, Light, and Spacetime
The Nature of Stars
Galaxies and the Universe
Course Philosophy:
My goal in lectures is to emphasize what I believe are important fundamental concepts in
astronomy. I will try to promote discussions and show demonstrations in class, so
lectures will be an interactive experience. Therefore, both attending class and doing the
readings are essential for success in this course.
Course Theme:
The underlying theme of this course will be the question “Is there life elsewhere in the
Universe?” and “Can we find it if it does exist?” We will use Astronomy to try to answer
these questions.
Course Requirements:
Attendance will not be taken, however InterWrite PRS will be used during class and
scores from using PRS will be 10% of your grade.
Reading assignments will be given in class and will be posted on the class website. You
will have a reading assignment for each lecture. Reading the assigned materials before
each class is important to get the most out of lectures.
Internet access will be required to complete the homework assignments. The homework
will primarily be available on the OWL website. Instructions for logging on will be
provided on the course website. Each homework assignment will have a due date and no
credit will be given for late homework (except for assignments assigned before the add-
drop date).
There will be four in-class exams and a final exam. Only the top four exam scores will be
part of your grade. The lowest exam score will be dropped. The final exam will be
comprehensive. Exam questions will be drawn from both class lectures and the reading
assignments. Be sure to bring your ID and a #2 pencil to all exams, since we will be
using machine-graded forms.
You must notify me in writing of any conflicts between exams and other university-
sponsored activities or religious observances at least a week in advance of the one-hour
exams and at least two weeks prior to the final exam. Makeup exams for a missed exam
will be given only for documented medical or family emergencies or by prior
arrangement. Cheating on an exam will result in a grade of zero for that exam and a
report to your academic dean.
General courtesy is also expected of all students. Please turn off cell phones, arrive on
time, and do not chatter during class. Blatant and rude disruptions of class will result in
expulsion from class.
Grades:
The highest four scores from the results of the five exams (four in-class exams and the
final) will each count 20% of the grade. The homework will be 10% of the grade. In-
class results from using PRS will be 10% of the grade.
Grades
20% Highest exam score
20% 2nd highest exam score
20% 3rd highest exam score
20% 4th highest exam score
10% Homework
10% PRS
To get a perfect homework score, you need to obtain 20 homework points out of a ~30
possible points. The homework score will be computed by dividing your number of
points by 20 with a highest possible score of 100%.
To get a perfect PRS score, you need to obtain 20 correct answers out of a ~30 possible
points. The PRS score will be computed by dividing your number of points by 20 with a
highest possible score of 100%.
Where to go for help:
Come to my office hours: LGRT 528 Tu,Th 1:00-2:00 pm
or make an appointment: tburbine@mtholyoke.edu
538-2263 (Mount Holyoke Number) or
545-3556 (UMASS number)
Go to the Astronomy Help Desk (staffed by Astronomy majors)
Hasbrouck 205 M,Tu,W,Th 7-9 pm
Check our the Textbook website
http://www.astronomyplace.com
Class Schedule
Any changes will be announced in class and on the website
Meeting Date Topic Chapter
The Night Sky
1 Jan. 29 Thu Course Overview & Scale of the Universe 1
2 Feb 1 Tue Patterns in the Sky 2
3 Feb 3 Thu Contributions of the Greeks 3
4 Feb 8 Tue Copernican Revolution 3
5 Feb 10 Thu Timekeeping and Calendars S1
6 Feb 15 Tue Exam 1
Gravity, Light, and Spacetime
7 Feb 17 Thu Matter and Energy 4
8 Feb 22 Tue Newton's Laws of Motion and Gravity 5
9 Feb 24 Thu Light 6
10 Mar 1 Tue Telescopes 7
11 Mar 3 Thu Einstein Revolution S2
12 Mar 8 Tue Spacetime and Gravity S3
13 Mar 10 Thu Exam 2
No class Mar 15 Tue
No class Mar 17 Thu
The Nature of Stars
14 Mar 22 Tue The Sun’s Energy Source 15
15 Mar 24 Thu Stellar Properties 16
16 Mar 29 Tue Evolution of Stars 17
17 Mar 31 Thu Synthesis of the Elements 17
18 Apr 5 Tue Stellar Remnants 18
19 Apr 7 Thu Exam 3
Galaxies and the Universe
20 Apr 12 Tue The Milky Way 19
21 Apr 14 Thu Galaxies 20
No class Apr 19 Tue
22 Apr 21 Thu Life of a Galaxy 21
23 Apr 26 Tue Dark Matter 22
24 Apr 28 Thu Cosmology and the Big Bang 23
25 May 3 Tue Is there life elsewhere in the Solar System? 24
26 May 5 Thu Is there life elsewhere in the Universe? 24
27 May 10 Tue Exam 4
28 May 12 Thu Review
May 14-20 Final Exam (Comprehensive)
Astronomy 100 – Thomas Burbine
Spring 2005
Student Contract
1. I will carefully read the course syllabus, which was handed out in class and available on
the course website.
2. I understand that there will be FOUR in-class exams on Feb. 15, Mar. 10, Apr. 7, and May
10 and a cumulative final exam. The final exam may be scheduled as late as May 20.
3. I will bring a #2 pencil and student ID to all exams.
4. A makeup exam will be given for a missed exam for DOCUMENTED reasons beyond my
control.
5. I will arrange to notify the instructor, in writing, of any conflicts between exams and other
university-sponsored activities or religious observances at least a week in advance of the one-
hour exams and at least two weeks prior to the final exam.
6. I understand that, although attendance will not be taken, I will be responsible for all
material covered in class. Note that attending class is important since materials covered in
class will be emphasized on the exams and may not be adequately covered in the text.
7. I understand that an important part of the course grade will be web-based OWL homework
assignments, thus internet access is required for this course. I understand that no extension
will be granted for OWL assignments barring exceptional circumstances (which must be
documented in writing). In the event of technical problems with the course web site, I will
contact the instructor by email or by phone with a thorough description of the problem.
8. I will not represent anyone else’s work as my own or assist anyone else in submitting work
that is not their own unless the instructor has indicated that cooperative work is acceptable. I
understand that failure to observe the rules of academic honesty is likely to result in a failing
grade for the course.
9. Exam grades will be posted on the OWL website, accessible by your login and password.
10. I understand that my in-class activity grade is based in large part on using a functional
InterWrite PRS transmitter and I will bring my PRS transmitter to each class.
11. No extra credit will be available in this course.
If I do not agree to these terms, I must see the instructor and explain in writing
my objections in order to remain enrolled in this course.
Print Name Clearly __________________________________
My ID Number _____________________________________
My Signature _______________________________________
Date___________________
