On selected nights during the quarter, there will be a planetarium show in Smith Laboratory, followed by an opportunity to view the sky through a 12-inch aperture telescope. Attandance at the planetarium show and the roof night will earn you extra credit (each visit correspondes to 1% of the final score, up to 5% total).

useful links

Course Objectives

Astronomy 161 is a General Education Curriculum (GEC) Physical Science course in the Natural Science category, with an emphasis on the solar system. We will begin with an exploration of the historical development of astronomy to trace the path by which we have come to our present understanding of the Universe, building up along the way the basic toolkit of physical concepts that we will need for our later discussions. The second half of the course will be devoted to an overview of modern solar system astronomy, with particular attention paid to the constituents of the solar system, comparative planetology (structure, surfaces, & atmospheres) and the history and evolution of the solar system, as well as the detection of extra-terrestial planets, i.e. planets around other stars.

The goals for this course include:

- understanding the theories and methods of modern astrophysics,

- investigating the relationship between science and technology,

- exploring the effects of science and technology on the environment.

Learning Objectives:

- To investigate the basic facts, principles, theories and methods of modern science as practiced in astrophysics.

- To learn important events in the history of astrophysics, particularly the discovery of the size and age of the Universe and our place within it.

- To explain the role of modern technology in the investigation of astrophysical phenomena.

- To consider human impacts on planet Earth, including topics such as energy balance and effects of human activity.

In-Class Exams

In-Class Exam 1: Friday, October 9

Test01 results (ascii-file)

In-Class Exam 2: Friday, October 23

Test02 results (ascii-file)

In-Class Exam 3: Friday, November 13

Test03 results (ascii-file)

In-Class Exam 4: Friday, December 4

Test04results (ascii-file)

The exams will be held at the normal class time, 10:30 am - 11:48 am. On Thursday before each in-class test a Review Session will be offered. The time and location will be announced in class.

All of the in-class exams and the final exam will be closed-book, closed-notes multiple-choice tests. These computer-generated tests provide each student with a unique test (you are asked the same questions and answers as everyone else, but the order of questions and answers is randomized).

The in-class exams will cover the material in the lectures and readings since the previous exam, whereas the final exam will be comprehensive, covering the entire quarter. Each test consists of 60 multiple-choice questions. The general emphasis is on the important "core" facts of covered material, plus some questions that require putting ideas together and drawing correct conclusions. I will also ask a small number of quantitative questions, but the constraints of the multiple-choice format restrict the kinds of such questions I can ask on a 60-question test.

Makeup Exam Policy

Makeup in-class exams are only offered by advance arrangement with the lecturer. Exceptions are made for legitimate, documentable emergencies which require no advance notice. If you will be away on an official University-sponsored activity (e.g., sports teams, band, etc.), please provide a letter from your coach, director, etc. in advance of the exam. In-class exams must be made up before Tuesday after the exam that you missed, otherwise that exam becomes the one that I will drop in computing your final grade.

Final Exam

The Final Exam for this course is scheduled for Wednesday, December 9, 2009, from 9:30 am until 11:18 am in Evans Lab 1008.

Attendance at the Final Exam is mandatory.

The final will be comprehensive, covering all lectures and assigned readings, and of the same format as the in-class exams. It is worth 40% of your final course grade.

Persons who miss the final exam will be given an incomplete (I) with an alternative grade equal to getting a zero on the final, and have to make it up during Winter 2010 to avoid the alternative grade (which at 40% of the total course grade, will be guaranteed to be much lower than you will like).

In keeping with official University policy, early finals will not be available for those persons who wish to depart early for Spring break. Please plan ahead and make your travel plans accordingly, as I will make no exceptions.

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Grading Policy

• I will drop the lowest score of the 4 in-class exams, and use the scores on the 3 remaining exams to compute your grade. Together, these in-class exams count for 60% of your grade.
• The final exam will be cumulative, covering all material from the class. It accounts for 40% of your grade, and must be taken by all students.
• The grading will be done in the sense that

  score more than 90% - A

  85% < score < 90% - A-

  80% < score < 85% - B+

  75% < score < 80% - B

  70% < score < 75% - B-

  65% < score < 70% - C+

  60% < score < 65% - C

  55% < score < 60% - C-

  50% < score < 55% - D+

  40% < score < 50% - D

  score less than 40% - E

  incomplete - I

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Lectures & Readings

Lectures will be given   Monday, Wednesday, Friday, 10:30 - 11:48 am, EL 1008, Evans Lab

The lectures are your primary resource for this course. The textbook, 21st Century Astronomy, will be used as a secondary reference from which I will suggest related readings. We will not (and cannot) cover all of the topics in the first half of the book during a 10-week course. In between these two resources I will make lecture notes available on the web. While you will very likely find these notes to be useful aids for studying and following along in lecture, they are not substitutes for regular attendance. Most students find that the best strategy is to print out the notes, bring them with to class, and then add their own notes in the margins. Remember, these are only outlines of what I cover each day in class, not comprehensive transcripts.

Reading the web notes alone instead of going to the lectures is like reading the script of a movie on the web instead of going to see it for yourself - you get (most) all of the words, but important nuances, visuals, and connections between ideas will be lost. Astronomy is a very visual science, working with often striking images, and you'll get little or none of this from the notes.

In general, students who do not attend class regularly score one whole grade below those who attend class (i.e., a D instead of a C).

Related Readings in 21st Century Astronomy

Because introductory astronomy textbooks designed for non-majors are rarely organized exactly the same as our courses, we will not strictly follow the order of topics in the book. You can expect to jump around some as the course progresses. As such, instead of specific reading assignments, each section of the course has related reading suggestions from the text. Not all topics in this course are covered by the book, and similarly not all topics covered in the book will be discussed in class. You are only responsible for the contents of my lectures.

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Students with Disabilities

Any student who feels that he or she may need an accommodation based on the impact of a disability should contact Dr. Dietrich to discuss their specific needs. We will rely on the Office of Disability Services to verify the need for accommodation and to help develop the appropriate strategies. Students with disabilities who have not previously contacted ODS are encouraged to do so, by visiting the ODS website and requesting an appointment.

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Academic Misconduct

All OSU professors are required to report suspected cases of academic misconduct to the Committee on Academic Misconduct. See the University's Code of Student Conduct for details. The most common forms of misconduct in classes like are copying from another student's exam. All cases will be investigated following University guidelines.

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Classroom Etiquette

To help establish and maintain a courteous, distraction-free learning environment in our classroom, I ask that all students please observe the following basic rules of behavior during lectures and exams:

Use of cell phones and pagers is prohibited.

This includes using cell phones for instant messaging, email, web, pictures, etc. When in class, all cell phones and pagers must be turned off (i.e., do not simply put into a standby or "silent ring" mode).

Use of Wireless Laptops or other networked devices is prohibited.

Surfing the web, instant messaging, reading email or typing on a keyboard during class are all very distracting to those around you. When in class, all laptop computers and other networked devices (e.g., especially devices like PDAs, Blackberries, etc. that can be used for 2-way communications, email, IM, etc.) must be turned off and put away.

Please do not start packing up until class is completely over.

Nothing is more rude or distracting than the noise of notebooks closing and jackets and backpacks rustling while the lecturer is trying to finish up. I'll be very clear when we're done, and work very hard to stay on time, so please wait until I get to the end.

If you come late or have to leave early, please sit near the back of the room.

This will make your late arrival or early departure less disruptive for your fellow students.

No conversing during lectures.

A curious feature of most lecture halls is that the sounds of a conversation at the back of the room get reflected around and are audible to the lecturer and most of the front row. Please respect the wishes of your fellow students to listen to the lecture, and do not carry on conversations during class.

A little courtesy and common sense can go a long way. Thank you for your cooperation.

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Go to: Instructor's homepage | Department of Astronomy | College of Mathematical and Physical Sciences | The Ohio State University

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Copyright © 2009, M.Dietrich  All rights reserved.

Last modified: September 02, 2009