Grades will be based on the four tests, which will have equal weight. Your lowest score on Tests 1-3 will be dropped, and your other three scores (including the Final Exam) will be averaged. No make-ups will be given for Tests 1-3 except in extraordinary circumstances.
Short quizzes, which may or may not be announced in advance, will be given several times during the quarter. These will be intended primarily for practice but will also provide some extra credit (we will keep track of your number of correct quiz answers and will convert it into a number of extra points on the Final Exam, according to a formula to be announced).
An early Final Exam will be given to graduating seniors during the last week of classes.
Course Outline | ||||
| Class Days | Chapters | Main Topics | Tests | Handouts |
| Jan. 8, 10 | 5, 6 | Light, atoms; modern telescopes (review) | course syllabus | |
| Jan. 15, 17 | 18 | The Sun; nuclear reactions | p-p cycle | |
| Jan. 22, 24 | 19 | Stars: distance, temperature, luminosity, mass | magnitude scale; sample set 1 |
|
| Jan. 29, 31 | 20 | Star formation; interstellar medium | Test 1 -- Tues. Jan. 29 Ch. 5, 6, 18, 19 |
star birth |
| Feb. 5, 7 | 21, 22 | Stellar evolution: red giants, white dwarfs | stages of evolution | |
| Feb. 12, 14 | 23, 24 | Supernovae; neutron stars; pulsars; black holes | star death; sample set 2 |
|
| Feb. 19, 21 | 25 | Our Galaxy | Test 2 -- Tues. Feb. 19 Ch. 20-24 + review |
|
| Feb. 26, 28 | 26 | Normal galaxies; the Hubble Law | sample set 3 | |
| Mar. 5, 7 | 27 | Active galaxies & quasars | Test 3 -- Thurs. Mar. 7 Ch. 25-27 + review |
|
| Mar. 12, 14 | 28, 30 | Cosmological models; background radiation; life in the Universe | cosmology; sample set 4 |
|
| FINAL EXAM: Tues. Mar. 19, 5:30 - 7:18 pm (comprehensive) | ||||