Dr. Kevin H. Knuth
PH 211
Department of Physics
University at Albany
Albany NY 12222
USA
Phone: +1-518-442-4653
FAX: +1-518-442-5260
Email: kknuth@albany.edu
A PHY 112
Fall 2009
Tuesdays and Thursdays 10:15 – 11:35
Physics Building Room 224
Instructor: Dr. Kevin Knuth
Contact: kknuth@albany.edu PH 211, 442 - 4653
Office Hours: Tuesday 2:45pm – 3:30pm, Wednesday 3:00pm – 4:00pm, PH 211
Teaching Assistant: Nabin Malakar, PH 228
MasteringAstronomy Course Code: MAKNUTHF09
SLIDES showing how to register for MasteringAstrononomy are here.
The observatory is in the EARTH SCIENCE building.
I will try to keep the EAST door open... look for the OBSERVATORY sign.
If for some reason you cant get in, try going in through the tunnel and basement.
The stairs to the Observatory are on the 3rd floor between rooms 316 and 317.
Go up the stairs and follow the signs.
We are fortunate to be able to use these facilities after hours, so please act accordingly.
Course Description: We will explore our world and our lives in the context of the solar system to which we belong. We will compare our world to the other rocky worlds of the inner solar system, and explore the gas giants and frozen worlds of the outer solar system. We will come to understand our sun as a star, and will learn about the other stars in our galaxy and what we know about those star systems.
Week
|
Dates
|
Reading
|
Lecture
|
| 1 | Tues Sep 1 | Ch 1: Overview | Lecture 1 Video Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thur Sep 3 | Ch 2: Motions of the Heavens | Lecture 2 | |
| 2 | Tues Sep 8 | Ch 3: Classical History | Lecture 3 |
| Thur Sep 10 | Ch 3: Rise of Modern Science | Lecture 4 | |
| 3 | Tues Sep 15 | Cosmos #3: Harmony of the Worlds | Video Link |
| Thur Sep 17 | Cosmos #6: Traveler’s Tales | Video Link | |
| 4 | Tues Sep 22 | Ch 4: Gravity and Orbits | Lecture 5 |
| Thur Sep 24 | Ch 5: Light / Telescopes and Spectra | Lecture 6 | |
| 5 | Tues Sep 29 | Science and Science Fiction | Lecture 7 |
| Thur Oct 1 | Ch 6: Travels to the Moon | Lecture 8 | |
| 6 | Tues Oct 6 | Ch 7: Moon | Lecture 9 |
| Thur Oct 8 | Ch 7: Earth (Land, Sea, and Air) | Lecture 10 | |
| 7 | Tues Oct 13 | Ch 7: Earth | Lecture 10 |
| Thur Oct 15 | Ch 7: Mercury | Lecture 11 | |
| 8 | Tues Oct 20 | Cosmos #9: The Lives of the Stars | Video Link |
| Thur Oct 22 | MIDTERM | ||
| 9 | Tues Oct 27 | Ch 7: Venus | Lecture 12 |
| Thur Oct 29 | Cosmos #5: Blues for a Red Planet | Video Link | |
| 10 | Tues Nov 3 | Ch 7: Mars | Lecture 13 |
| Thur Nov 5 | Ch 7: Mars | Lecture 13 | |
| 11 | Tues Nov 10 | Ch 8: Jupiter and its Moons | Lecture 14 |
| Thur Nov 12 | Ch 8: Saturn and its Moons | Lecture 15 | |
| 12 | Tues Nov 17 | Ch 8 + 9: Outer Worlds and Debris | |
| Thur Nov 19 | Ch 10: Sun | Lecture 18 | |
| 13 | Tues Nov 24 | Ch 11, 12: Stars | Lecture 19 |
| Thur Nov 26 | Thanksgiving | ||
| 14 | Tues Dec 1 | ExtraSolar Planets | Lecture 20 |
| Thur Dec 3 | Ch 18: Astrobiology | Lecture 21 | |
| 15 | |||
| Fri Dec 11 | FINAL EXAM PHY 224 10:30-12:30pm |
Website:
This course has a website that you can check for updates to the schedule or for special announcements.
http://knuthlab.rit.albany.edu/courses/F09/StarSystems/
Homework:
Homework will be assigned weekly. It is due on the due date specified on the assignment, and there are penalties for finishing it late.
Homework will be administered through the MasteringAstronomy website: http://www.masteringastronomy.com
If you have an earlier edition of the text (4 th and earlier) you may need to purchase access to MasteringAstronomy from the bookstore.
Exams: There will be a midterm as well as a comprehensive final exam.
Grading (A-E):
Homework 50%
MidTerm 25%
Final Exam 25%
Internet Requirement: We will rely on the internet to use MasteringAstronomy, as well as to obtain information about NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) Missions, and access to Interactive Sky Maps to assist you in locating objects in the night sky.
Telescope Observing : Our class has access to the University’s 12-inch telescope, and we will be going out several nights this semester (times to be announced in class) to observe the moon, planets and stars. Since the observing times will not be during scheduled class time, I cannot make this activity mandatory. However, I will give extra credit by raising your overall grade 3% for one night attended and an additional 1% for every additional night attended (up to a maximum of 5%).
The observatory is in the EARTH SCIENCE building.
I will try to keep the EAST door open... look for the OBSERVATORY sign.
If for some reason you can’t get in, try getting into the tunnel and come in through the basement.
The stairs to the Observatory are on the 3rd floor between rooms 316 and 317.
Go up the stairs and follow the signs.
We are fortunate to be able to use these facilities after hours, so please act accordingly.