.
"Wisdom is not a product of schooling but of the life-long attempt to acquire it." — Albert Einstein
Astronomy (4°) 1st Quarter 2005-06
Most recent update October 17, 2005 11:40 AM
Schedule
- Friday, August
26th: Introduction to Course
- Day 1
- Introductions, Slide Show (this and all Power Point documents will be presented on the web as Macromedia Flash Paper (.swf) files. For more information about Flash, visit OpenSWF.
- Be sure to keep the Scientific American "Once and Future Cosmos" pamphlet that came with your textbook. We will be using this in the 4th quarter.
- Homework (HW): Read Universe Ch. 1-1 (pp. 2-3) and review Box 1-3 (p. 13); do Ch 1 #s 35, 36, and 37 (answer with about a paragraph each; prefer typed) // the trick to reading these chapters is to concentrate on the FIGURES more than the text (HW Packet A)
- Computer HW: Ch 1 #s 45 & 46 -- you do not need to write up the answers, just follow the instructions and answer the questions to your own satisfaction (HW Packet A)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, August 29th: Units and Size Scales
- Day 1
- Finish introduction slide show from first day
- Begin discussion of angular size (moon is 1/2 degree, for instance)
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 1-2 to 1-4 (pp. 2-6); read Box 1-1 on pp. 8-9; do Ch 1 #s 11 & 48 (HW Packet A)
- Internet HW: visit the Powers of Ten website and navigate from the smallest to the largest scales in our universe. (HW Packet A)
- Computer HW: play around with and learn how to use the Deep Space Explorer (HW Packet A)
- Day 2
- Earth/Moon game
- Lecture: Rules of thumb / simple geometry
- In-class worksheet: Size and motion scales
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 1-5; do Ch 1 #s 6 & 7; finish size and motion scales handout (above) (HW Packet A)
- Internet HW: see last problem of handout (above); remember to install the Starry Night CD that came with your book on your home computer (if you have one) (HW Packet A)
- Students: please bring ART SUPPLIES (colored pens, glue, construction paper, etc.) for tomorrow
- Day 3
- Art project: We are going to be making "You Are Here" posters for the classroom. These can relate to our position on EARTH, in the SOLAR SYSTEM, in the MILKY WAY GALAXY, in the LOCAL GROUP, or in the UNIVERSE. The message of these posters is in how they represent the scales and distances involved. You will be working in groups of no more than three people.
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 1-6 & 1-7; do Ch 1 #s 12, 13 & 14 (due Day 2 of next week) (HW Packet A)
- Internet HW: visit the Astronomy Picture of the Day and navigate to the search tool. Search on a term describing a common, every day object or animal, such as 'cat', 'dog', 'tree', 'swan' etc., and see what kinds of images appear. (HW Packet A)
- Day 4
- Q&A for Quiz
- HW & Reading Quiz on above material; closed-note and closed-book; an equation sheet will be provided; examples of quizzes from last year can be found here; the difference this year is that the equations will not be included on the quiz
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 1-8 & Sandy Faber's article on pp. 18 & 19; do Ch 1 #s 21, 27 (due Day 2 of next week) (HW Packet A)
- Internet HW: visit the Astronomy Picture of the Day and navigate to the calendar tool; find out what image was displayed on your birthday last year and the year before; read the descriptions (we are learning vocabulary this way, so pay attention!) (HW Packet A)
- Optional Internet HW: visit the Powers of Ten website (this is a working link now!) (HW Packet A)
- Students: please bring your STAR WHEELS to class all next week!
- Day 1
- Week of Tuesday, September 6th: The Sky (note that Monday is a holiday and Friday we have mass)
- Day 1
(Activity schedule Tue)
- Lecture: definitions of altitude, azimuth, horizon and zenith
- Lecture/presentation: Using Starry Night to demonstrate the motion of the night sky.
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 2-1 through 2-3; do Ch 1 #s 32 & 33 (you will need to read Box 1-1 to complete these) (due Day 2 of next week) (HW Packet B)
- Internet HW: visit and read the Observing the Sky lesson created by the Office of Naval Research; remember to install the Starry Night CD that came with your book on your home computer (if you have one)
- Day 2
(Activity schedule Wed)
- HW Packet A due
- Lecture/presentation: How to use a Star Wheel
- In-class worksheet: Using a Star Wheel
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 2-4; finish worksheet (above) (HW Packet B)
- Internet HW: Read about Daylight Saving Time and about forensic astronomy and ansel adams
- Day 3 (Activity schedule Thu)
- Art project should be finished & hung on the wall by today
-
Lecture/presentation: diurnal and annual motion of the sky; Starry Night; working problems in-class
- Begin Constellation Study I: these constellations will be on your midterm exam (end of 1st quarter)
-
HW: Read Universe Ch. 2-5; do Ch 2 #s 24, 25, 26, 27 and 28 (HW Packet B)
- Computer HW: Ch 2 # 59 (HW Packet B)
- Day 1
(Activity schedule Tue)
- Week of Monday, September 12th: The Sky continued...
- Day 1
- HW Questions
- Lecture/presentation: seasons; altitude angle of the sun; ecliptic, solstices & equinoxes
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 2-6; do Ch 2 #s 29, 30, 32, 34, 35, 36 (HW Packet C)
- Computer HW: Ch 2 # 60
- Day 2
- HW Packet B due (not including homework from last night)
- HW Questions
- Lecture/presentation: R.A. and Declination; coordinate systems for the astronomical sky
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 2-7; do Ch 2 #s 37, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44 (HW Packet C)
- Day 3
- HW Questions
- Lecture/presentation: review questions for quiz
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 2-8 & Box 2-2; do Ch 2 #s 38, 48, 50, 51; prepare for quiz (HW Packet C)
- Remember that all the quizzes from last year are online
- Day 4
- HW & Reading Quiz on above material; bring your star wheel; closed-note and closed-book; equations will be given
- HW: Read James Randi's article at the end of Ch 2; Read Ch 3-1 (and continue studying Constellations) (HW Packet C)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, September 19th: Phases and Eclipses of the Moon
- Day 1
- Lecture/presentation: phases of the moon
- Demonstration of the phases of the moon with light bulb and globe
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 3-2; begin moon worksheet; begin East vs. West worksheet (this prints better in .doc format than in .pdf format); do Ch 3 #s 1, 3, 22, 23 (HW Packet D)
- Day 2
- HW Packet C due (not including homework from last night)
- Lecture/presentation: a map of the moon
- Lecture/presentation: moon phase presentation using Starry Night
- In-class practice problems for phases of the moon
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 3-3, 3-4, and 3-5; finish moon worksheet; work on East vs. West worksheet; do Ch 3 #s 25, 26, 27, 52 (computer HW -- please write up your observations) (HW Packet D)
- Day 3
- HW Questions
- Lecture/presentation: eclipses of the moon / synodic & sidereal months
- Demonstrations with Starry Night of historical eclipses
- Predicting eclipses using the line of nodes and the synodic, sidereal, and eclipse months
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 3-6; do Ch 3 #s 10, 17, 38, 54; finish East vs. West worksheet (HW Packet D)
- Day 4
- HW Questions
- HW & Reading Quiz on above material
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 4-1 and 4-2 ; do Ch 4 #s 1, 2, 5, 55, 56, and 57 (the last three are computer HW -- you will need to write up your observations) (HW Packet D)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, September 26th: Motion of the Planets / Kepler's Laws / Newtonian Gravity
- Day 1
- ASTRONOMY OBSERVING PARTY cancelled (sorry - I'm sick and its gonna rain)
- Watch a COSMOS DVD by Carl Sagan: Episode III, the Harmony of the Worlds
- HW: Read Universe Ch. 4-3; do Ch 4 #s 8 & 29 (HW Packet E)
- Day 2
- HW Packet D due
- Opposition/conjunction/greatest elongation
- Lecture/presentation: Direct and retrograde motion of the planets using Starry Night
- Lecture/presentation: Explanation of direct and retrograde motion
- HW: Read Universe Ch 4-4 (including Box 4-2 and Table 4-3) ; copy the first three columns of Table 4-3 into your notebook (HW Packet E)
- Day 3
- HW Questions
- Outdoor activity: motion of the planets (using index cards created last year)
- HW: Read Universe Ch 4-5; begin work on Kepler's 3rd Law worksheet (HW Packet E)
- Day 4
- HW Questions
- Mini-lecture on eccentricity
- Begin work on Orbit of Planets worksheet (HW Packet E)
- HW: Read Universe Ch 4-7 and Ch 4-8 including Box 4-4; continue work on worksheets from class (HW Packet E)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, October 3rd : Motion of the Planets continued
- Day 1
- Continue work in-class on planets worksheets
- HW: None (finish work on material for HW Packet E)
- Optional HW: Check out this description (en espanol) of the recent annular solar eclipse
- Day 2
- HW Packet E due
- EXAM: Motion of the Sky, Moon and Planets
- HW: Read Ch 5-1 and 5-2; Ch 5 #s 5, 6 & 7 (HW Packet F)
- Day 3
- Starry Night Project
- HW: continue work on Starry Night Lab (due with HW Packet F)
- Day 4
- Starry Night Project
- HW: Read Ch 6-1 & 6-2; do Ch 6 #s 3, 4, 7, 8 (HW Packet F)
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, October 10th: Use of Telescopes / How Telescopes Work
(first quarter moon)
- Day 1
- Outdoor activity: observing the sun with a telescope and solar filter
- Lecture/presentation: ray diagrams and magnification
- HW: Read Ch 6-3 & 6-4 (no problems tonight -- my mistake)
- Day 2
- HW Packet F due (.ppt presentations from the Starry Night Lab are due by e-mail to me by 5 PM Tuesday)
- Lecture/presentation: Light as an electromagnetic wave -- wavelengths for which the air is transparent
- Lecture/presentation: Telescopes
- HW: Read Ch 6-6 & 6-7; do Ch 6 #s 28, 32, 34, 35; here's a practice quiz you can use to review for tomorrow (HW Packet G)
- Day 3
THURSDAY EVENING: ASTRONOMY STAR PARTY ... MEET AT FLAGPOLE 8:00 PM
- Quiz cancelled
- Instead: we'll watch a COSMOS DVD by Carl Sagan: Episode VII, the Backbone of Night
- HW: begin midterm exam study including checking out other student's Starry Night Projects. Note that if your project is not on here it means I didn't receive it -- please resend. Also, if your videos aren't listed, please send them separately to me as .mov files.
- Day 1
- Week of Monday, October 17th: Midterm Week (Full moon)
- Day 1
- In-class: work on review packet for last year's Midterm Exam (here are solutions)
- HW: study for midterm exam; remember to do your constellation study: these constellations will be on your midterm exam
- Day 2
- HW Packet G due
- Continue work on review packet in class
- HW: study for midterm exam; remember to do your constellation study: these constellations will be on your midterm exam
- Midterm Exam
- Day 1
Coming up next quarter: why the Sun shines, how to tell which stars are supergiants and which are dwarfs, how stars are responsible for chemistry, why certain stars blow up, why stars become black holes, and why all four forces of nature (gravity, electromagnetic, strong nuclear, and weak nuclear) are needed to explain the lives of stars