Stars, Galaxies and the Universe
Dr. H. M. Bryce, Fall 2009

MWF 1:30; Lecture Room One, Van Allen Hall

Instructor: Helen M. Bryce
402 Van Allen Hall
335-3506
Office Hours 10:00 to 11:00 Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays or by appointment
402 Van Allen Hall

Course Details

  • Dr Helen Bryce 402 Van Allen Hall, Dept of Physics and Astronomy
  • Email hmbryce at gmail dot com
  • Website http://www.physics.uiowa.edu/~hbryce/stars/index
  • DEO Department of Physics and Astronomy Main Office 203 Van Allen Hall, Chair Prof. Mary Hall Reno
  • Please find lab information here
  • Please find observing trip information here
  • Practice exam answers: 1B 2A 3C 4B 5B 6C 7C 8D 9C 10A 11B 12A 13C 14C 15D 16D 17D 18B 19B 20D 21D 22C 23C 24A 25A
  • Exam 1 answers: 1D 2B 3C 4C 5B 6C 7D 8D 9A 10C 11A 12B 13D 14D 15C 16D 17D 18C 19B 20C 21A 22C 23D 24D 25B
  • Exam 1 letter grade bands: Scores of 17 and higher A, scores of 13 and higher B, scores of 10 or higher C, scores of 8 or 9 D, scores 7 and lower F.
  • Practice exam 2 answers: 1A, 2C, 3B, 4D, 5D, 6B, 7D, 8C, 9D, 10D, 11B, 12C, 13C, 14C, 14B
  • Exam 2 letter grade bands: score of 20 or higher A, scores of 17 or higher B, scores of 13 or higher C, scores of 10 or higher D and 9 or lower F
  • Practice exam 3 answers: 1A, 2C, 3D, 4D, 5D, 6B, 7c, 8B, 9B
  • Exam 3 form A: 1C, 2D, 3A, 4B, 5D, 6C, 7C, 8B, 9d, 10C, 11A, 12D, 13B, 14D, 15B, 16C, 17A, 18C, 19C, 20B, 21C, 22A, 23B, 24B, 25B
  • Exam 3 form B: 1B, 2D, 3C, 4A, 5D, 6C, 7A, 8D, 9B, 10B, 11B, 12C, 13B, 14B, 15C, 16D, 17A, 18D, 19B, 20C, 21A, 22C, 23C, 24B, 25c
  • Exam 3 form C: 1C, 2A, 3D, 4B, 5B, 6B, 7B, 8c, 9D, 10A, 11D, 12B, 13C, 14C, 15B, 16C, 17D, 18C, 19A, 20D, 21B, 22c, 23A, 24B, 25C
  • Exam 3 letter band grades: 19 and higher A, 15 and higher B, 11 and higher C, 8 or higher D and 7 or lower F
  • Final exam form A: 1C 2D 3A 4D 5C 6D 7C 8A 9C 10B 11c 12A 13D 14B 15B 16B 17D 18A 19D 20C 21D 22B 23D 24C 25A 26D 27A 28C 29B 30D
  • Final exam form B: 1C 2C 3D 4A 5D 6B 7C 8A 9D 10C 11D 12A 13C 14D 15B 16B 17B 18D 19A 20D 21C 22D 23C 24A 25B 26D 27A 28C 29B 30D

    Letter grade bands have been calculated as follows:

  • For 3 semsester hour students; overall score greater than 88% A+, 84% A, 80% A-, 76% B+, 72% B, 68% B-, 64% C+, 60% C, 56% C-, 54%D+, 52% D, 50% D-
  • For 4 semester hour students: overall score greater than 90% A+, 86% A, 82% A-, 78% B+, 74% B, 70% B-, 66% C+, 62% C, 58% C-, 56% D+, 53% D, 50% D-

    Drop/Add slips, please visit the Physics General Office at 203 VAN

    Departmental policy states that the instructor cannot sign drop/add slips for courses with a course number less than 100.

    Textbook

  • Discovering the Essential Universe, Neil F Comins (published by W H Freeman)
  • Clickers/PRS devices will NOT be used in this class
  • Copies of the textbook are available in the physics library on the third floor of Van Allen Hall.
  • The textbook website is available to all students, you don't need to register to view the content. The weblinks on the textbook website provide and excellent resoure. Also reccommended are the animations, for example animation 1.4 is useful illustration of the phases of the Moon. http://bcs.whfreeman.com/deu4e

    Course Description

    Survey of Stars, Galaxies and the Universe: life cycle of stars, including black holes and pulsars: diversity of Galaxies including the Milky Way and distant quasars: cosmology - the history, structure and fate of the universe; current results from recent astronomical observations; night sky observations.
    Week BeginningTitle Textbook reading Notes
    August 24 Basic Observations and Vocabulary Chapter 1 No labs in the first week
    August 31 A Historical Perspective n/a
  • Labs begin this week for 4 semester hour students
    • September 7 Introducing Newton Chapter 2
  • No class on Monday Sept 7 due to Labor day holiday
    • September 14 Light and Telescopes Chapter 3
  • Homework 1 due on Friday
    • Septmeber 21 Review
  • Exam 1 Wednesday, September 23
  • Office hours will be a little late to begin on Wednesday. I should be there at around 10:15
  • Practice exam: Scroll up to read answers (course details)
    		•
    September 28 The Sun -- Our Star Chapter 7
    October 5 Properties of stars Chapter 8
  • Homework 2 due on Friday
    		•
    October 12 Stellar birth and life Chapter 9
  • study guide for exam 2
    		•
    October 19 Review
  • Exam 2 Wednesday October 21
    • October 26 Stellar Remnants Chapter 10 Homework 3 due on Friday
    November 2 The Milky Way Chapter 11
    November 9 Galaxies Chapter 11
  • Homework 4 due on Friday
    		•
    November 16 Review
  • Exam 3 Wednesday November 18
  • Study guide for exam 3
    • November 23 No classes due to Thanksgiving Break
    November 30 Active Galaxies Chapter 11
  • Homework 5 due on Friday
  • Extra office hours Friday 2:30 to 4pm
    		•
    December 7 iCosmology Chapter 12
    December 14
  • Final exam Tuesday December 15th 9:45am
  • Final exam info
    		•

    Homework

  • There will be five homework assignments due throughout the semester.
  • Each assignment will be worth a total of 20 marks; therefore the homework component of the class with be worth 100 marks (please see the grading section of the syllabus below).
  • The assignments will be made available through the course website on the Friday one week before they are due.
  • Students will find a link to each assignment in the "course content" table. Students should print a copy of the assignment and submit that hard copy to the instructor.
  • Each assignment will contain three one-mark attendance questions. These questions will be given in class on the Monday, Wednesday and Friday of the week that the assignment is due.
  • Two of the assignment marks will be awarded for timely submission. Students will gain both marks if the assignment is submitted at the end of class on the Friday it is due. Students will recive only one mark if the assignment is submitted on the following Monday. Late assignments will be accepted until the Friday following the deadline, students will not receive the any timely submission marks submissions after the first Monday.
  • For example; the first homework assignment is due on September 18. The assignment will become available on September 11. The attendance questions will be presented in class on Monday September 14, Wednesday September 16 and Friday September 18. Students will see that there are questions worth a total of 15 marks, 3 attendance marks and 2 submission marks A student who completes all questions correctly including the 3 attendance questions and submits their assignment on Friday September 18 will receive all 20 marks. A second student who completes the questions on the assignment only will recieve 17 marks if submitted on Friday, 16 marks if submitted on Monday September 21 and 15 marks if submitted by Friday September 25.
  • ICON will be used for password protected viewing of homework scores.

    Exams

  • There will be three 50 minute in-class exams
  • The final will be a a two hour exam.
  • In Class Exams will be take place on Wednesday September 23, Wednesday October 21 and Wednesday November 18. Should you anticipate a problem with any of these dates please inform the instructor, as soon as possible.
  • The final will take place on Tuesday December 15 at 9:45 AM
  • These dates are subject to change.
  • The in-class exams will consist of 25 multiple choice questions. For the in-class exams, students will be examined solely on material in the 3 or 4 weeks of lectures prior to the exam.
  • The final exam will consist of 30 multiple choice questions, 15 of these will be cumulative (covering material from the entire course) and 15 will be based on the two weeks of lectures prior to the final exam
  • Make up exams will only be administered for the in-class exams in the most extreme, serious and documented cases. If possible students will need to make alternative arrangements with the instructor before the exam.
  • ICON will be used for password protected viewing of exam scores.

    Grading

  • Students with a final mark lower than 50% or who fail the lab section will fail the course overall.
  • The final mark will be calculated as follows; For three semester hour students (no lab component) 25% each for the 3 in-class exams (with the lowest in-class exam score being dropped), homework and 25% for the final. For four semester hour students (with lab) 25% lab 18.75% each for the 3 in-class exams (with the lowest in-class exam score being dropped) and homework and 18.75% for the final.
  • Letter grades will not be issued for the in-class exams, as they are not particularly representative of the overall grade you may achieve, this is due to the fact that a large portion of your grade is determined by homework and that your lowest in-class exam score is dropped.
  • Exam scores will be released through ICON
  • Final grades will be given using the plus/minus letter scheme
  • Following the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences letter grades will be awarded according to the standard grade distribution chart for an elementary course.
  • 15% A, 34% B, 40% C, 8% D, 3% F with an average of 2.50
  • Furthermore the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences recommends a very judicious use of the A+ grade, asking that it be used only in extraordinary situations.

    Office hours

    Please take advantage of office hours, you don't need to make an appointment and you can come alone, in a pair or a larger group. If the posted hours don't suit you schedule please make an appointment. It is in most cases much easier to deal with your questions in person than by email or phone. Please check the course website before making plans to attend as the hours may change.

    Etiquette

    Students are expected to behave respectfully towards one another and the instuctor. Behaviour that has an adverse affect on other students will not be tolerated and such students will be removed from the classroom/examroom.

    Email

    If you need to email me please include 29:50 in the subject line. Please also remember to include your name (if it is not apparent from your email address). Students should use normal rules of grammar and spelling in any email communication. Be aware that I do not regularly check my email account over the weekend.

    Laboratory

    Labs do not meet during the first week of the semester. Eating and drinking are not appropriate in the lab sessions. Please be prompt and prepared for lab sessions.

    Tutorials

    There are drop in tutorials. You can use this as an opportunity to discuss homework problems, general questions about the course material and anything within the scope of the course that interests you. See www.physics.uiowa.edu/atutorial.html. Students can also visit the writing center for assistance, see www.uiowa.edu/~writingc for more information.

    Expectations

    Students are reminded that the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences guidelines suggest 2 hours of out of class study time each week for every semester hour that is alloted to a class. So for a three credit hour lecture course it is expected that the standard out of class preparation time is 6 hours.

    Method of Presentation

    The lecture presentations will be available on the course website. Students should be aware that there will be one presentation per week (each power point presentation will be around 90 slides in length). It is recommended that students print out the slides (at 4 or 6 a page) and bring their print outs to class.

    Academic Fraud

    Plagiarism and any other activities when students present work that is not their own are academic fraud. Academic fraud is reported to the departmental DEO and to the Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Services who enforces the appropriate consequences. See here

    Making a Suggestion or a Complaint

    Students with a suggestion or complaint should first visit the instructor, then the course supervisor and the departmental DEO. Complaints must be made within six months of the incident. See here

    Accommodations for Disabilities

    A student seeking academic accommodations should register with Student Disability Services and meet privately with the course instructor to make particular arrangements. For more information, visit here for more information

    Understanding Sexual Harassment

    Sexual harassment subverts the mission of the University and threatens the well-being of students, faculty, and staff. Visit here for definitions, assistance, and the full University policy.

    Reacting Safely to Severe Weather

    In severe weather, the class members should seek shelter in the innermost part of the building, if possible at the lowest level, staying clear of windows and free-standing expanses. The class will continue if possible when the event is over.

    Student Procedures, Rights, and Responsibilities

    This course is given by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS). This means that class policies on matters such as requirements, grading, and sanctions for academic dishonesty are governed by CLAS. Students wishing to add or drop this course after the official deadline must receive the approval of the Dean of the CLAS. Details of the University policy of cross enrollments may be found at: http://www.uiowa.edu/~provost/deos/crossenroll.doc All students in CLAS courses have specific rights and responsibilities. You have the right to adjudication of any complaints you have about classroom activities or instructor actions. Information on these procedures is available in the CLAS Student Academic Handbook. You also have the right to expect a classroom environment that enables you to learn, including modifications if you have a disability. Your responsibilities to this class, and to your education as a whole, include attendance and participation. You are also expected to be honest and honorable in your fulfillment of assignments and in test-taking situations. You have a responsibility to the rest of the class and to the instructor to help create a classroom environment where all may learn.