Astronomy 101: Principles of Astronomy
Spring 2012, Schedule # 20251, Section 1, MW 2:00-3:15, Room HH-130 Instructor: Prof. William Welsh
Text: The Essential Cosmic Perspective 6th Ed., Bennett, Donahue, Schneider & Voit
Web: http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/faculty/wfw/CLASSES/ASTR101/astr101.html
Office: Physics Building, room P-235
Office Hours: Mon and Wed 3:30-4:30; Tues 10:30-11:30 am or by appointment
E-mail: astr101@rohan.sdsu.edu
Office Phone: (619) 594-2288 (for emergencies only; please speak clearly)

Course Description and Goals:
The goal of this course to help students understand and appreciate the wonders of the Universe. Students will be able to answers such questions as: Why are there phases of the Moon? What makes the Sun shine? Why do stars twinkle? How do telescopes work? What makes Mars such an interesting planet? What is a planet and what is a galaxy? What is a black hole? How old is the Universe? Students will not only learn the answers to these questions, but will also learn how we know the answers. Thus students will learn about telescopes, atoms, nuclear fusion, electromagnetic radiation, spectroscopy, gravity, and other relevant physical processes and laws. Astronomy is an observational science, so there will be a component of the course that requires students to actually look at the sky and describe what they see. As a science class, emphasis will be placed on the importance of data and the testing of hypotheses, as opposed to belief and/or doctrine.

Tentative Exam Dates: Except for the final exam, exam dates are subject to change.
Exam #1 - Wed Feb 22
Exam #2 - Wed Mar 21
Final Exam - Monday, May 14, 1:00-3:00 pm

Grading Policy:
Several homework sets will be assigned throughout the semester. Homework must be typed and use proper English at the college level. Pages must be stapled together. Students are encouraged to study together, but homework must done individually (identical answers not allowed). Copying verbatim out of the textbook or any other form of plagiarism will not be tolerated and may result in automatic failure in the course and/or additional disciplinary action by the University. Homework must be printed and turned in: e-mailed homework will not be accepted. See the class web page for more details regarding the homework policy.

There will be two exams and a final exam. Exams will consist of multiple-choice questions and are graded on a curve. You will need ParScore Enrollment scantron forms. The final exam is mandatory and comprehensive. No extra credit projects will be accepted.^* No make-up exams will be allowed unless there is a serious, legitimate reason (e.g. medical emergency) and full documentation. If a make-up exam is deemed appropriate, an oral or essay exam may be administered instead of, or in combination with, multiple-choice questions.


Weighting of components:
Homework = 20%
Exams = 40% (2 exams; 20% each)
Final Exam = 40%
It is expected that you will attend all the lectures, read all the material assigned for homework, and participate in class (e.g. ask questions, contribute to discussions, etc.).
Required Mathematical Skills:
We will be working with the following:
- the metric system
- converting units (like nanometers into meters, light years into parsecs)
- scientific notation (exponential notation) like M = 2 x 10³³
- simple algebraic relations like F = -GMm / r²
The mathematics will be kept to a minimum, but for some concepts a quantitative understanding is as important as a qualitative understanding.

Course Website: http://mintaka.sdsu.edu/faculty/wfw/CLASSES/ASTR101/astr101.html
The class website is specifically designed to help you with topics in this course and to provide up-to-date material and class news. Be sure to use the class web page as a reference, as you would the textbook.

Classroom Etiquette:
To maintain a professional atmosphere and to respect your fellow classmates, the following is prohibited in the classroom:
- cell phones - please turn off the ringers!
- using a laptop for anything other than class-related work
- doing homework for this or any other class
- using a cell phone for texting
- reading newspapers, magazines, etc.
- eating or talking above a whisper
- loud snoring...
- and please do not interrupt the lecture to hand in homework!

General Philosophy:
Astronomy is one of the most "gee-whiz" sciences and I hope the fascination that inspired you to take this course grows throughout the semester. There are a lot of facts and technical bits you may struggle with for a while, but once you master them, you should have an even greater appreciation of the wonders of the Universe. This class will help give you deeper insight into the reality of what's out there (hint: it's not really like Star Trek!). This class can be fun and rewarding, but it's not an "easy" class. You are mature enough to be given a lot of responsibility: I will not take attendance, I will not assign many homework problems, I will not give quizzes. What you get out of this class is directly proportional to the effort you put in. I do not assign grades to students; rather, students earn their grades. I would be absolutely delighted if everyone earned an excellent grade - but that's entirely up to you...
Class lectures and all material contained therein are copyrighted - no material can be reused or reproduced in any fashion without my written permission.