- Lecture Notes on: Organic Molecules: The Molecules of Life
- Extra Credit for Special Offer #7 due on Wed Mar 13.
- Final Version of Studyguide Hints for the first midterm. There have been no changes since the earlier version.
- Here are the instructions for the Exam:
INSTRUCTIONS:
Completely fill out the ParSCORE Enrollment scantron form. Be sure to include your Red ID on the back as well as the front, and don't add a leading zero to your Red ID -- leave the 10th block blank. Leave the phone number and `code' part blank. On the back, fill in `Test Form A' and Exam # 001. You will lose 1 point for each error on the form!
Use a #2 pencil only. Darken completely, and erase thoroughly if you change your answer. Be careful not to darken two answers.
There are 50 questions. Choose the best answer --- the questions are not designed to be tricky. You may leave anytime you are finished, but please be considerate and be quiet if you finish early. If you are confused by any question on the exam, please raise your hand to get help. It is too late to ask for clarification after you hand in your scantron. ** You may keep your exams to help you study for the final. **
But if you don't want your exam, drop it off and I will recycle it.
- REMINDER: 50 multiple choice questions; you need a ParSCORE Student Enrollment scantron form (the big pink one), #2 pencils, eraser. No iPads, cell phones, netbooks, etc., allowed. (Calculators and slide rules are allowed.)
- Be sure to fill out your ParSCORE form correctly! You will lose points on your exam for not filling out the information properly (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 blank)
. + filling in wrong digits on your Red ID.
. + not filling in TEST FORM A
. + not filling in EXAM # 001
*** Please fill in your scantron information BEFORE the exam. ***
- If everyone fills in the scantron info correctly, I will award the class an extra credit point on the exam!
- Calculators are allowed for the exam.
- Additional Teach Yourself material.
March 7
- Corrected Solutions to the multiple choice and problem questions from the textbook in Written Homework #1. Note that the answer to Chapter 2 #36 is choice "C", not "B".
March 5
- Happy birthday to the Kepler Mission, launched 3 years ago!
- Lecture notes on: Venus
+ Special Offer #7: Extra Credit Opportunity Go to the SDSU Student Research Symposium on Fri-Sat March 8-9 and write up a brief summary of the presentations you saw. Length should be about 1-2 pages, and you should discuss at least 4 presentations. The better the write-up, the more extra credit you can earn, up to 4 exam points.
- Exam Information: 50 multiple choice questions; you need a ParSCORE Student Enrollment scantron form (the big pink one), #2 pencils, eraser. Calculators and slide rules are allowed.
- Be sure to fill out your ParSCORE form correctly! If you have mistakes, you may 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 blank)
. + filling in wrong digits on your Red ID.
. + filling in two answers bubbles because of sloppiness
. + not erasing an answer fully
Fill out your scantron form BEFORE the exam.
Feb 23
* Today is the last day to participate in Special Offer #6 and earn extra credit.
- Lecture notes on: Star & Planet Formation; The Solar System
- A bare helium nucleus moving at high speed is often called an "alpha particle", and it is a dangerous form of particle radiation that arises from radioactivity. Radioactivity come from nuclear fission which is the breaking apart of a nucleus - it is the opposite of fusion. Now that you know what an "alpha particle" is, why is the creation of carbon called the "triple-alpha process"? (teach yourself hints)
Feb 24
- NOTE:
Exam #1 will be postponed a few classes. Details discussed in class.
- Lecture Notes on Stellar Evolution
- A recent homework assignment is to "Examine the NASA/JPL PlanetQuest website". This means fully explore the site, check out the links, and read many of the pages. Ask questions if there is anything that you don't understand. You should definitely expect exam questions to come from any website that is assigned for homework. Make sure you look at the "Planet Makeover" and "Alien Safari" sections.
- UPDATED: Here are the solutions to the multiple choice and problem questions from the textbook in Written Homework #1.
Feb 22:
- Reminder: Exam #1, coming soon....
- If you are presenting your research at the SDSU Student Research Symposium and it conflicts with our class, please let me know ASAP.
- *DRAFT* Beta Version 0.1 Studyguide Hints for the first midterm exam. This is NOT the final version, but just a guide to get you started. The information in here is from last year, and it needs to be updated. The updated final version will be posted later.
- Use the Teach Yourself web pages to help you learn the material and prepare for the exam.
+ Special Offer #5: Extra Credit Opportunity If you read the article in the Skeptical Inquirer about Jane Doe by Dr. Loftus, turn in a brief summary of the article and your thoughts on what you read. The whole thing should be no more than 1 side of a page - keep it short and to the point. (Suggestion: Write 3 paragraphs total, 2 on the article and 1 on your opinion.) Since this is supposed to be a quick and easy extra credit, the offer expires on Wed Feb 27.
Feb 21:
- "More than ever, we'll need to constantly keep in mind that memory, like liberty, is a fragile thing." - Dr. Elizabeth Loftus, as quoted in New Scientist Magazine's story "Elizabeth Loftus forecasts the future" (18 November 2006). For more on the profound work of Dr. Loftus see the ``Critical Thinking, etc.'' section of our class web pages for links to (i) the Scientific American article (that unfortunately was poorly reproduced in the Class Reader); and (ii) a really fascinating, and even anger-generating article titled, "Who Abused Jane Doe? The Hazards of the Single Case History" printed in the Skeptical Inquirer. You can also visit Dr. Loftus' wwwebsite at: http://www.seweb.uci.edu/faculty/loftus/
- Special Offers #1,2,3, and 4 are closed.
- To prepare for the exams, try to answer all the multiple choice questions at the end of the chapters. If you have any doubts about what the correct answer is, please do ask. Also, at least read all the other questions and see if you can answer them. If you are confused or lost, please just ask for assistance - that's why I'm here. Finally, keep in mind that about 20% of the questions on the exam will be based on the Course Reader material - read each article carefully and ask questions if you are unsure about anything.
Feb 20:
- Special Offer #4 ("actors needed for extra credit") is closed. Thanks to all those who volunteered.
Feb 19:
- Special Offer #4 - Extra Credit: For those of you who are theater majors, or actors, or wannabe actors, or who just like like to talk, I have a job for you. I need two students to act out a very short dialog between two friends. This 1-2 minute dialog will be in presented in class. I will provide the "script" ahead of time and all you have to do is slowly read it. The first two students who respond to this Special Offer will be asked to perform the dialog and will earn extra credit worth 1 exam point. No acting skill is necessary. (I used to have TA's help me with this, and boy, they definitely could NOT act!) Send email to the class email account if you are interested and I will send you the dialog.
- (For completeness: The lecture notes on AGN, though we won't cover this topic this year.)
- Lecture Notes on The Scientific Method and Critical Thinking
- Here's my cosmological thought of the day:
"Don't think of empty space as nothing;
Think of it as something with nothing in it."
For example, consider time. You can certainly measure it. And you have an intuition of what it is. But try to define it. One thing is for sure: it is something; it is not nothing. Well, that's about as good an explanation that I can offer. The notion of space stretching is not a trivial concept, so don't fret if it doesn't make sense immediately. For some, it will never make sense, and for those people I offer the following thought. Here is a very rough adaptation of a relevant section from Lao Tsu's Tao Te Ching, Book 11 (this not at all an exact translation, but I think it gets the point across):
"Consider the teacup:
It is not the sides of the cup that give its usefulness,
But rather the empty space they create."
- Teach Yourself (#3): This problem will help you understand the relation between Hubble's law and the age of the Universe:
Suppose the Hubble constant H0 = 750 km/s per Mpc. How old would the Universe be? Do you think this is ok? (Here are hints for the problem.)
Feb 17:
- Here is a short video on how astronomers discover extrasolar planets. In particular, the bit about the Doppler effect is quite good:
NBC Learn Science Behind the News: Extrasolar Planets
- (BUG FIX) A very good TED video on A needle in countless haystacks: Finding habitable worlds.
Feb 14:
- Lecture notes on: Cosmology & the big bang.
- Happy Valentines Day from Mars! Click on the image to get to the Mars Global Surveyor website.
Feb 8:
- Teach Yourself (#2): Try working out this problem - it will help you understand the Doppler effect:
The observed wavelength of the H-alpha line in a star is 653.450 nm. The true wavelength of the H-alpha line (measured at rest in the lab) is 656.255 nm. What is the radial velocity of the star? (Here are hints on how to do the Teach Yourself problems.)
- And now, for a detailed view of the Doppler effect....
- Special Offer #3: Here is a opportunity for a student with sufficient time to devote to this project to earn a significant amount of extra credit. Partial credit can be earned for effort. "Successful" means your proposal is submitted to NASA/JPL and you share the motivation and results in class. See the article called Pick a Pixel on Mars (2010 Jan 29) in Astrobiology Magzine. The idea is for you to actually determine what part of Mars will be photographed and examined with the high-resolution imaging camera called "HiRISE". HiRISE is part of the MRO mission, a NASA satellite currently in orbit around Mars. Of course, be sure to read the chapter on Mars in the texbook first. See me for details once you get started on this.
Feb 6:
- Who was this guy Bruno that's quoted on the class web page? Read the Giordano Bruno biography from the Galileo Project.
- Something exciting will happen next Friday: "The small near-Earth asteroid 2012 DA14 will pass very close to Earth on February 15, so close that it will pass inside the ring of geosynchronous weather and communications satellites." (credit: NASA/JPL)
- A very good TED video on A needle in countless haystacks: Finding habitable worlds.
Feb 4:
- Study Chapter 3 - many questions on Exam 1 will come from this chapter. I recommend you read it at least twice; 3 times is better. Also try answering all the multiple choice questions. This will help you learn the material and help you do well on the exams. Suggestion: Read the questions at the end of the chapter, then go back and re-read the chapter. This technique helps you learn faster and focus on the most important parts of the chapter. If you have any trouble, just ask for help.
Feb 1:
- To help clarify the written homework:
(i) You must answer all questions. The length of the homework should be about 2-3 typed pages. I do not care about the font size or spacing. It takes some time to write concisely, so don't rush (or leave this to the last minute). Suggestion: write out your answers in full, then go back and edit your answers to shorten them if they exceed 3 pages.
(ii) For the multiple choice questions, you can just write down the answer if you wish. Or you can write out the entire question - it is up to you.
(iii) For the problems that require some math, work it out first, then type up the answer when you are finished. For full credit, explain every step that is not just trivial arithmetic.
(iv) There are two articles in the Reader written by Carl Sagan. For the homework, the chapter called "Hallucinations" is the correct one. What is the main point the author is trying to make? What evidence or ideas does the author offer to support his point? Be sure to use proper college-level English. Use a spelling checker.
(v) For the Astrobiology Magazine questions, make sure you give the title and date of the article.
Jan 30:
- Notes on atomic structure & spectroscopy. Remember, all class notes are copyrighted.
- Special Offer #2: Need help with some astronomy concepts? Confused by solar system vs. galaxy? Is a light year a distance or a time? "Parallax" vs. "parsec"? Hubble trouble? The first two replies to this "special offer" will be loaned an introductory astronomy textbook for the semester. (This is *not* the astrobio course textbook!) Send e-mail with your name and the words "Textbook" to the class e-mail account: astr310@rohan.sdsu.edu I only have a few spare astro 101 textbooks - sorry I can't loan out more.
Jan 28:
- Here is an article from Astrobiology Magazine that you might find interesting...
- Lecture notes on: Electromagnetic Radiation.
- If you find an error in the textbook, reader, notes, lectures, or web pages, please notify me and you may earn extra credit. The more important/significant the error, the more likely you are to earn extra credit. Please review the extra credit policy on our class Information and Policy webpage (and repeated below). In general, I don't award extra credit for spelling errors or typos and definitely not for updates/revisions to the Lecture Notes. But any major errors, like an incorrect date for an exam on the syllabus, would certainly earn you extra credit. Also, excellent questions (especially ones that help other students and show that you are really thinking) may earn extra credit.
- Please review the Safety Policies for this Class, and the SDSU Emergency Preparedness website: SDSU Emergency Preparedness.
- The Astronomy Department is providing planetarium shows for SDSU students taking ASTR classes. Sign-up sheets are posted on the planetarium door. 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. 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; entrance near the windows). Do NOT attempt to enter the planetarium if the door is closed! It would ruin the show and everyone's night vision adaptation.
Tuesday, January 29 : 1:00 -- 2:00 PM
Wednesday, January 30 : 2:00 -- 3:00 PM
Thursday, January 31 : [none]
Friday, February 1 : 1:00 -- 2:00 PM
Monday, February 4 : 11:00 AM -- 12:00 PM
Tuesday, February 5 : 5:30 -- 6:30 PM
Wednesday, February 6 : 2:00 -- 3:00 PM
Thursday, February 7 : 5:30 -- 6:30 PM
Friday, February 8 : 2:30 -- 3:30 PM
Remember to sign up before you go, and don't be late.
Jan 23:
- Special Offer #1: is now closed. I'm glad so many students were able to borrow a copy of the Reader for the semester. Please return the Course Reader to me on the day of the final exam.
- For those who may need a review of some mathematics, please read Appendix C of the textbook.
- Lecture notes: Parallax, Galaxies, & Large Scale Structure of the Universe.
- Teach Yourself (#1): Try working out this problem - it will help you understand the size and scale of the solar system: What is the minimum amount of time it would take to send a command to a robotic spacecraft on the surface of Europa? (Here are hints and more "Teach Yourself" problems.)
Jan 18:
- Lecture notes: You should be able to read the PDF files with almost any OS platform (linux/unix, Microsoft Windows,Apple/Mac, etc.). Here are the notes on the metric SI system and reference temperatures, lengths, and velocities.
- Lecture notes: What is astrobiology?
- Lecture notes: Stars, Vastness of Space, Clusters and Nebulae
- Special Offer #1: I have a few spare Course Readers that I can loan out for the semester. These were donated by good-citizen previous Astr 310 students. The first few students to send e-mail to our class e-mail account can borrow a Reader. Please put the words "Astrobio Reader" in the subject line of your message.
** All class notes are copyrighted. **
On-line Class Notes Policy:
The on-line class notes are available to augment classroom learning - their sole purpose is to prevent frantic writing of notes and allow students to spend time listening, thinking and comprehending the lecture. They are not intended to be, nor do they function as, a substitute for attending the lectures. For maximum value, you should: (i) read the homework assignments first (especially the textbook & web page reading assignments which cover material well before we discuss the topic in class); and (ii) bring the notes to the lecture so you can add comments, sketches of figures, and material not in the notes.
Treating the on-line notes as a substitute for attending class is inappropriate at best and detrimental at worst.
The on-line notes will NOT be available all semester - they are posted several days before the lecture, then removed a few days after the lecture - no exceptions. This is for the students' benefit. So please keep up with the class.
Reminder: The lecture notes, along with all other class material, are copyrighted.
Please don't confuse the terms "hypothesis" and "theory". As used in science, a theory is a very strong term and only a handful of ideas in all of science qualify as a theory. A hypothesis is an educated guess or explanation, and implies insufficient evidence or comprehension for a more concrete understanding. A theory is a well-tested, well-established hypothesis, able to make far-ranging predictions and connections with other theories, and usually with an elegant mathematical or physical mechanism for its operation. A theory is much stronger than a hypothesis. It has been rigorously tested by many independent people. When speaking in technical terms, don't use the word "theory" when you simply mean speculation or conjecture or idea or educated guess (all of which are synonymous with hypothesis). In science-speak, we don't come up with theories, we come up with hypotheses. But that's not the way the word "theory" is used in common conversation. Keep this in mind so you don't get confused when you hear someone say, "It's only a theory." That theory may encompass the sum total of all of human experience and knowledge! A better way to think of the word theory is to equate it with the word "law". That is closer to the meaning that scientists intend when they call something a theory.
Last major update on 2013 Jan 16. Updates occur frequently.