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Astronomy 162:
Introduction to Stars, Galaxies, & the Universe
Prof. Richard Pogge, MTWThF 9:30
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Homework Assignments
There will be 4 homework assignments, as follows:
- Note: I've decided to cancel Homework #5, since I forgot to hand
it out with sufficient time to do it before the end of the quarter.
Each homework assignment consists of a short set of five (5)
multiple-choice questions. The questions are open-book, open-notes,
open-discussion. The answers must be returned on the bubble sheets
provided in class on the due date.
Collectively the homework will count for 15% of the final grade,
the equivalent of one in-class exam.
These are not practice exams. Instead, they are an opportunity for me
to ask somewhat more challenging questions than I can ask on the exams.
These questions are designed to get you thinking about and discussing
the course topics in an active way. I strongly encourage you to form
study groups to discuss the questions among yourselves, but in the end
you must decide on the final answers yourself (beware the perils of
group-think, which can lead down the wrong path as often as not!).
We will hand the answers to your homework back to you on Wednesday
following the due date (and post the answers on the web).
No Late Homework will be accepted.
"Late" means after class on the due date. Exceptions will only be made
for legitimate, documentable emergencies.
Homework Assignments and Answers
The PDF files below require that you use the free Acrobat
Reader.
- Homework 1
- Assignment Worksheet (24k PDF)
- Due Wednesday, Jan 18, in class
- Homework 2
- Assignment Worksheet (27k PDF)
- Due Monday, Jan 30, in class
- Homework 3
- Assignment Worksheet (25k PDF)
- Due Monday, Feb 13, in class
- Homework 4
- Assignment Worksheet (114k PDF)
- Due Monday, Feb 27, in class
Please note that homework assignment worksheets will only become
available the same day as they are handed out in class.
Homework Grades
Unlike the exams, the 4 homework assignments are graded
cumulatively: I added together the scores for the 4 assignments
and then create a grade curve for the homework.
- Statistics [Raw Score]:
- Mean: 13.44 (67.2%)
- Median: 15 (75%)
- Spread: 4.51 (22.6%)
- Grade Cutoffs [Raw Score]
- A: 17-20
- B: 12-16
- C: 7-11
- D: 3-6
- E: 0-2
- Grade Curve Plot (29k)
- The red arrow indicates the median score and the green
arrow indicates the arithmetic mean. Note that each question is
worth 5% (1/20th of 100%).
Legal Statement
The Family
Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) prohibits me from
posting any individual's results to the web. Instead, you will need to
pick up your homework results in-person after class during the week
following the due date up until the next in-class exam, and then
thereafter they will only be available from the TA during his regularly
scheduled office hours. FERPA rules prohibit us from allowing others to
pick up results for you.
Return to: Astronomy 162 Homepage
Updated: 2006 March 14
Copyright © Richard W. Pogge, All
Rights Reserved.