ASTRONOMY 101 CLASS NEWS AND INFORMATION

May 11:
- Revised, final version of the Final Exam Study Guide, V2.0
** FINAL EXAM: Friday May 16, 8:00 am. Don't be late! **
- As we head into the finals, the stress levels can be high. If you, or a friend, are feeling way over-stressed, maybe talking with a counselor can help: SDSU Counseling Services

- Some of you may be interested in the following course, taught next fall: Astr 310: Astrobiology and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life (Note: the dates and times are no longer correct on this poster). This course builds upon what you've learned in Astronomy 101 and satisfies upper division GE science requirements. For details about this course, check out the course WWWeb page and look under "syllabus": Astronomy 310.


May 9:
** FINAL EXAM: Friday May 16 in the usual classroom. Exam starts at 8 am. Don't be late! **
- PLEASE fill out your scantron form carefully! Don't throw away valuable points on the final exam!
Final course grades will be available via the SDSU WebPortal/Webline. You will need your Red ID and fill out an on-line course evaluation.
Final Exam Study Guide.
Homework: The homework is worth 20% of the final course grade, as much as the final exam. For example, not doing 1 homework assignment is like skipping 13 questions on the final exam!
The answers to Homework #5 are on the web, so you can see your score for the last homework: 5 or 6 correct = Full Credit (CR); 4 correct = 1/2 Cr; 3 correct = 1/4 credit.
The extra credit is worth 1 point if you did "show all work in full detail; explain every step", meaning you derived the formula to use starting from Kepler's law, just like in the solution set posted on the web. If you just plugged numbers into a formula, you earned no credit since you didn't really learn how to solve the problem.
To determine your course HW grade, do the following. A full credit "CR" is worth 2 points, half credit "1/2 CR" is worth 1 point; "1/4 Cr" worth 0.5 points, and "no credit" is worth 1/4 point (so its better than not doing the homework). Add up all your scores. There are 10 points total for the whole semester.
A = 9-10
B = 8-9
C = 7-8
D = 6-7
If you earned 5 or below, this will very significantly drop your grade. Of course, the lower the grade, the more affect it will have.

May 7:
Solution to Written HW #5.
To help you focus on the most important material in the last few chapters, here are some notes: ... ...
- Lecture notes on galaxies.
- Lecture notes on cosmology.
These notes are incomplete and are not a substitute for attending class.
- PRELIMINARY final exam study guide. This is from a previous semester, but it will be similar to the final version that will be posted later. You can use it to get a head start.

May 5:
- For the final exam, you must sign and return your copy of the exam. You can write on the exam as much as you wish, but you must not keep the exam. If a student does not return their exam, they earn no credit on the final exam. There are several different versions of the final exam. You can use a calculator.
- For the final exam, you can use a standard 3x5 inch index card to write notes on.

May 2:
- Exam #4 average grade: 29.6/50
- Score-to-grade conversion for Exam #4: A=40-50 B=35-39 C=28-34 D=21-27

Apr 28:
- Reminder: Fill out your ParScore scantron form BEFORE Friday!
- Don't forget to bring a calculator for the exam on Friday.
- To convert your 4 homework grades to a letter grade, do the following. Full CR =2 points; half CR =1 point; quarter credit =0.5 points; and No Credit =0.25 points (better than nothing!). Add your points up and compare with the following:
. A = 7 points or more
. B = 6 points
. C = 5 points
. D = 4 points
- Helpful hints for Exam #4, beta version 0.9

Apr 26:
- Exam #4 on Friday May 2.
- You will be allowed to use a simple calculator for Exam #4. Please bring a calculator for the exam or else you'll be at a slight disadvantage on a few questions.

April 14:
- Score-to-grade conversion for Exam 3: A=44-50 B=40-43 C=32-39 D=24-31
The +/- subdivisions are given in class, but you can estimate them easily. For example, if you earned a 44, that is a A-; if you earned a 43, that is a B+; a 40 is a B-, 32 is a C-, etc..

April 9:
Exam #3 will be on Friday Apr 11th. Exam #3 will focus on Chapters 5-9, and covers all lecture material and all homework assignments (including web page reading assignments) since the last exam. The exam will be 50 multiple choice questions, like the previous exams. Do not use a crumpled/folded/wrinkled scantron form! Get a crisp ParScore Enrollment form, and fill it out before the exam. If your scantron form is folded/bent and can't be read by the ParScore machine, you might get a zero on the exam!!
Helpful hints for Exam #3.

April 7:
- Preliminary hints for Exam #3
- Please examine/explore the following websites:
NASA/JPL's NEO FAQs
NASA's Mars Program

April 4:
- Exam #3 will be on Friday Apr 11th.
- Written Homework #3 will be returned on Monday. To convert your homework grades to a letter grade, do the following. Each homwork is worth the following points: full Credit (CR) =2 points; 1/2 CR =1 point; 1/4 Cr =0.5 points; No Credit =0.25 points (so even a "no Cr" is worth more than not doing the homework).
Add your points up and compare with the following:
A > 5.5 points
B > 5.0 points
C > 3.5 points
D > 2.5 points
Remember: The homework is worth as much as an exam. Please be careful! If you have any trouble doing the homework, go to the Astronomy Help Room or see me or the TA during office hours.

Mar 18:
I will not be able to make office hours on Wed March 19th at 2pm. If you would like to see me, we can schedule a meeting at some other time this week.

March 17:
Exam #2 class average: 33.1/50.
Numerical score-to-grade conversion for Exam 2: A=43-50; B=38-42; C=30-38; D=23-29
Five students incorrectly filled out their scantron forms.

March 15:
Studyguide for Exam #2.

March 14:
Solutions to selected Doppler effect problems.

March 12:
- For homework, fill out your ParSCORE form.
- EXAM #2 on Monday March 17 You will need the big pink "ParSCORE Enrollment" form for the multiple choice exam. Be sure to fill out your ParSCORE form correctly! If you have mistakes, you will lose points on your exam (1 point per error). Common errors include:
. + putting an extra zero in front of your Red ID
. + putting a blank in front of your Red ID (leave the last column empty)
. + filling in wrong digits on your Red ID.
. + filling in two answers bubbles because of sloppiness
. + not erasing an answer fully
Here is an early version of the preliminary hints for Exam #2.

Mar 9:
- Dr. Welsh no longer has extra office hours at the Maya STAR Center.
- Homework Reminders:
-- Homework is due at the start of class. Do not hand in homework once the lecture begins. Wait until the lecture is over.
-- You must show all work. Just writing the answer is worth no credit.
-- Homework must be typed, except for the equations, which should be very neat and legible if handwritten. If the work is excessively sloppy, no credit will be given.

Mar 6:
Exam #2 will be moved to Monday March 17.

Mar 4:
As mentioned in class, I'd like to move the 2nd exam from Friday March 14 to Monday March 17. If enough students object, I will keep the exam on the 14th.

Feb 23:
- Exam 1 average grade = 31.2 / 50. The numerical score-to-grade conversion for Exam #1:
A=43-50 B=37-42 C=28-36 D=22-27
- Reminder: You may earn an extra point or two if you report any major error in the class web pages or the textbook. (Speling misteaks doent kount)


Feb 20:
Studyguide for Exam #1.

Feb 17:
- Fill out your ParScore scantron form carefully. In the past, some students have lost up to 8 points out of 50!!
- For the students who start studying early for Friday's exam, here is a *draft* version of the studyguide. This is from a different semester and is NOT the final version for this exam, but it is pretty close: preliminary hints for Exam #1.

Feb 15:
- EXAM #1 on Friday Feb 22 You will need the big pink "ParSCORE Enrollment" form for the multiple choice exam. Be sure to fill out your ParSCORE form correctly! If you have mistakes, you will lose points on your exam (1 point per error). Common errors include:
. + putting an extra zero in front of your Red ID
. + putting a blank in front of your Red ID (leave the last column empty)
. + filling in wrong digits on your Red ID.
. + filling in two answers bubbles because of sloppiness
. + not erasing an answer fully
- For homework, fill out your ParSCORE form.

Feb 11:
- Please put enough effort into the homework - it counts as much as the final exam! You should spend a minimum of several hours on the homework (3-5 hours). There are only 5 assignments all semester - please don't lose any chances of getting an A or B grade in the course by not putting enough time into doing the homework. Remember that good English is important.
- Homework scoring: The homework is graded on a credit - 1/2 credit - no credit scale. A "Cr" (full credit) grade is like an "A or B" grade; a "1/2 Cr" is like a "C or D" grade, and a "no Credit" is a "D or F" grade. Note that even a "No Credit" grade is better than not turning in the homework at all - that is a very low "F" grade.

Feb 7:
- Change of plans: Dr. Welsh will be here next week.

Feb 5:
- The last planetarium shows are on Thurs Feb 7th.

Feb 3:
- Dr. Welsh will not have office hours during the week of Feb 11-15.
Reminders:
- When you sign in for the planetarium show, be sure your name is legible and also state that you are in Dr. Welsh's Astr 101 section. (This way I can assign extra credit if you attend the planetarium show, should I decide to do so.)
- If you are having any difficulty with the observational homework questions, or if you just want more information, please make use of the links under the "What's Visible in the Heavens tonight?" section of the main class web page. You'll find up-to-date material and much better quality star charts than what is given in the textbook. Even better, use the planetarium software that comes with the textbook.

Jan 25:
- For those interested in Astronomy 109: there is a new open section on Mondays at 2pm.
- There will be a total lunar eclipse on Wed Feb 20th. Totality starts at 7:01pm and ends at 7:51 pm.
- The planetarium software that comes with the textbook can be a very useful resource. Give it a try.
- If you are having trouble finding the constellations and/or stars, then maybe this guide from Sky & Telescope magazine will help. It is a 10-page guide to getting started in observing the heavens, in .pdf format. It includes a Moon map and star charts for different times of the year, as seen from the Northern hemisphere. Sky & Telescope: Getting Started (.pdf); See the web page Getting Started in Astronomy PDFs for more info. Copyright 2003 Sky Publishing Corp.
- When using star charts, remember that they are only valid for certain dates and times. Don't just assume the Sept chart is best for observing in September - that's only true if the time is close to midnight. For earlier in the evening, the Aug or July or even June charts might be better. For late in the evening, the October or November charts are better.
- Planetarium Shows
To help Astr 101 students with celestial sphere concepts, the Astronomy department is offering a series of 45-minute planetarium shows:
Thu Jan. 31 - 12:30 and 2:00
Tue Feb. 05 - 9:30, 12:30 and 2:00
Wed Feb. 06 - 12:00 and 1:00
Thu Feb. 07 - 9:30 and 11:00
Because there is a strict limit to the number of students that can fit into the planetarium, you must sign up for the show ahead of time and reserve a seat. A role call will be taken to confirm attendance. The sign-up sheet will be posted outside the planetarium.
The planetarium is in the Physics and Astronomy building, room PA-209 (second floor, at the rounded corner at the south-west end of the building).
Do NOT attempt to enter the planetarium if the door is closed! It would ruin the show and everyone's night vision adaptation. Do not be late.

Jan 23:
- Here's an easy way to determine which direction is approximately south. Notice where the Sun sets. Then extend your right arm out from your side toward the direction where the Sun set. You'll then be facing southward, roughly. Your right side will be oriented towards the west, and your left side towards the east; behind you will be north.
- When trying to observe Orion, here's a check to be sure you're looking at the right stars: Using Orion's belt as a guide, follow the 3 stars toward the southeast (to the left if you're facing south) to the very bright star Sirius. Sirius (the "dog star" in the constellation Canis Major) is the brightest star in the sky. Orion should be close to the meridian around 9 pm.

- Here are notes on the metric (SI) system and some reference temperatures, lengths, and velocities (in .pdf format).

Hints for the homework:
(i) Be sure to answer the right questions!
(ii) Read the question: it says show all work. You earn no credit if you just write down the answer.
(iii) You don't learn anything by looking up the answer in the back of the book (or on the web).
(iv) Don't forget to go the Astronomy Help room if you need assistance.
The purpose of the homework is to help you learn the material. If you cheat (for example, by just copying the answer out of the book), you defeat the purpose, and you cheat yourself out of an education.
Finally, don't forget that the homework counts as a substantial part of your final grade. Please put effort into earning a good score on the homework.


Astronomy Help Room Hours for Spring 2008
The Astronomy Help Room is located in the Physics & Astronomy Bldg, Room PA-215.
It is best if you can make it to the TA Help Room when the TA for this section of Astr 101 - Mr. Raj Pandya - is working in the Help Room.

This page was last updated on 2008 Jan 19