The three tests are curved (up, not down), final grades are not. You will earn an 'A' if your course average is between 90 and 100, 'B' if your average is between 80 and 89, etc. 'F' is for averages below 60.
There are no make up dates for missed exams. Medical excuses only.
Attendance Policy
You are permitted three absences from class. For the 4th and 5th unexcused absence, your grade is lowered five points each. For the 6th absence, you will have earned an F for the course. Medical excuses must be signed by a physician.
On days at which quizzes are given, your attendance is registered by the turning in of a quiz. Thus, even if you are not certain of the answer, you should
turn in a sheet of paper with your name on it.
There are no make-up dates for missed exams. A zero will be recorded unless you have seen the instructor before time or unless you have a medical excuse.
Exams
General
Form peer study groups. It is much harder to master material in college by yourself than it is with a group of fellow students. Ask the persons sitting next to you for their names, phone or room numbers so that you can get in touch for help on an observation, to study for a test, etc. It is really OK to do that at a university, and is not a sign of social insecurity. The best learning environment is one in which you the students form a sense of community and interest in learning. Otherwise you may end up wasting your money and your time. The honor code is, of course, in effect for exams.
Tests 1 & 2
Sample tests from previous years will be on file in the closed reserve room at Jackson Library.
Test 1 and
Test 2 are also available on these Web pages.
You are urged to go there 5-10 days prior to the test to become acquainted with the type of questions I tend to ask. I will test you on your understanding of basic concepts rather than on calculational facility. Since the text this year is different than in past years, there may not be an exact correspondence between material covered for Tests this semester and in years past.
In addition to or in place of the tests on closed reserve, a preliminary test
will be distributed one or two class periods prior to the test, with questions
similar to those to be administered on the actual test. An answer key will
also be distributed.
Final Exam
Shortly after the middle of the semester, you will have 60% of the Final Exam in your hands. This means that I will hand out a sheet of paper with 6-8 questions of a general and thought provoking nature dealing with some aspects of astronomy which we will cover this semester. On the last day of class, I will ask you to hand in typed or word-processed answers to 3 or 4 of those questions. Different members of the class may hand in answers to different questions. These questions will constitute Part II and will account for 60% of the final; the remaining 40% will be multiple choice and short answer questions, administered on the scheduled day for the Final Exam.
C. ASTRONOMY OBSERVATIONS
You must hand in the observations on forms which will be provided. Where written, descriptive answers are asked for, you are to use a typewriter or word processor. Working in groups with your classmates is allowed and even encouraged ! You may hand in one written observation report for up to four students in a group. I reserve the right to question any member of the group concerning the understanding of the material of that observation. Any lack of understanding will be shared by the whole group; it is thus to everyones advantage to prep all group members about all aspects of the observation.
Observation: The Night Sky
Group star gazing sessions for the purpose of getting acquainted with the night sky will be held on Blumenthal Road, off Pleasant Garden Road, about 10 minutes south of Greensboro. Car pool or otherwise get yourself there with the help of a map which will be made available in class. If your work schedule does not permit this, you can copy an audio tape made for the purpose of getting to know the night sky for each season of the year. You can then take a tape player to a dark area, put in the tape, lie back and learn about the sky at your leisure! You may copy the tape at the Learning Resource Center.
The Sky Test will be on the date indicated on the syllabus, with practice sessions as noted. The test will consist of my asking you to point out or name 10 major objects in the sky. If you work at night, ask for time off . If there is a problem with this, see me now. The group star gazing sessions will help you get ready for the Sky Test and will also help to show you how to get started on the Planetary Observation.
For a detailed write up of this observation, click here.
Observation: Planets: Observation of Venus or Saturn.
Venus dominates the evening sky in August and September. On 24 August, Venus reaches greatest eastern elongation with a magnitude of -4.4 , making it by far the brightest object in the night sky (with the exception of the moon). At the end of the month, it is nearly coincident with 1st magnitude star Spica of the constellation Virgo. On September 8 the thin, waxing crescent moon will be nearly coincident with Venus in the early evening, with Jupiter nearby. On 6,7 October, these three objects will again be very close together - a pretty sight after twilight. By this time, Venus is nearly in line with the sun, so Jupiter guides your eye. By the middle of October, Venus disappears into the glare of the sun, to be seen again as a 'morning star' in late November.
Saturn is in Aquarius, and rises in the southeast during evening twilight and is visible all night during the fall, reaching opposition (it'll be on the meridian at midnight) in September . It is the brightest object in Aquarius and is to the east of and above the bright star Fomalhaut of the constellation Piscis Austrinus. Because of the changing tilt of Saturn as seen from Earth, its rings are nearly impossible to see this fall without a large telescope.
Jupiter is about one-tenth as bright as Venus and is the second brightest stellar-like object in the evening sky at magnitude -2.0. Look for it above and to the left of Venus in the constellation Virgo. It goes behind the Sun in mid-November, but is low in the western sky for much of the fall.
You are to plot the position of one of these planets with respect to the stars on the star map which I will provide. These are naked eye observations, although you will need to avoid our light-polluted urban environment in order to see the background stars. Venus is brighter and moves quickly through the stars, but is close to the horizon. Jupiter is visible for most of the fall, but is low in the sky. Saturn is most convenient to view of these three planets.
For a detailed write up of this observation, click here.
Observation: Spectroscopy
The elegant method used by physicists and astronomers to gather information about objects hundreds or even billions of light years away. Work will be done at night on your own as well as in one of the rooms of the Physics Bld., using a spectrometer you will construct from materials available in the book store for a few dollars.
For a detailed write up of this observation, click here.
Observation: Diurnal Motion of the Sun
It's the only star we have, so we should know its path in the sky. This can be a challenging observation, although the measurements are very easy. You need an entire day of sunshine, so plan accordingly, and don't wait until the week before this observation is due - we can easily have a week of clouds and/or rain.
For a detailed write up of this observation, click here.
Extra Credit: Doppler Effect Obs or Science Fiction analysis (10 pts)
& TCO (5 pts)