Phys 105: Stars & Cosmology
Welcome to Physics 105 - Stars & Cosmology. As per the course title, there are two main themes associated with this course. We will concentrate on the basics of stellar astronomy, and then move out through the universe to discuss galaxies, the large scale structure of the universe, and the origins/fate of our universe. The textbook - Universe: Stars and Cosmology is required. This course will make extensive use of the Blackboard system (blackboard.boisestate.edu). Among other things, this is the place to find updates to the syllabus, lab assignments, homework assignments and solutions, utilities for signing up for observing sessions, and grade information. Lecture notes, labs and other relevant handouts will be posted on blackboard. Some of the posted lecture notes may have blanks where relevant material is omitted. Students can fill in the blanks by attending lecture or by getting the information from the textbook. Text reading beyond the notes will be required. The relevant sections and a list of topics associated with these readings will be provided in the lecture notes. It is imperative that you do the required reading. Lecture and exam material will assume that you have. Lab write-ups will usually be posted the weekend before the week they are performed. Any homework assignments will have explicit due dates, and have a half-life of 1 day. Hand it in the next day and it is worth ½ of its original value. The second day it is ¼, third 1/8, etc.. Labs should be done the week they were scheduled. There are several night-labs. If you need to miss one of these, or an exam, because of other commitments it is vital that you inform me ahead of time. The possibility of a make-up is much higher if you do. How to study for this course: Before the each lecture, make certain you are up to date on the assigned reading. Sometime before each lecture, a file for the lecture will be made available through the web site. Most files will cover a large portion of the text (chapter-size or greater). During lecture, take notes on all written out material and ask questions about uncertain things. We recommend you print out the lecture notes and bring them to class, marking these notes with additional comments and filling in the blanks. Use the same lecture notes to fill in questions about the assigned reading. After lecture, use your class notes, the text, and the results of related lab exercises to review the material. Write down any questions you have so you can ask them in the next class or during office hours. Form a study group with other students. Before an exam, make certain you use the exam study guide and can successfully answer the questions and understand the concepts on the guide. Do your labs, any homework, and bulk up on activity points! A substantial portion of the grade comes from homework and labs. The labs, especially, are effort points in that if you show up and try, you will be rewarded. Doing all the labs, the homework, and some extra credit can go a long way towards making up for less than stellar exam scores! Grading Your grade in Physics 105 is based upon the following percentage thresholds:
Your grade is based on the following components:
Course Schedule for Fall 2009 Deviations from the following course plan will undoubtedly occur over the semester. In particular, we may substitute for some of the labs and may take longer to cover certain topics than estimated. Check blackboard for updates to this schedule.
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