Introduction to Astronomy: I

[Physics 64-190]

Dr Tim Reddish

Office: Room 289-1 Essex HallLab: B90/83 Essex Hall

Time and Place

Tuesdays and Thursdays

5:30 – 6:20pm

Chrysler Hall North G133

Class Notes Web Site

• Access via University links to ‘Class Notes’

• Password protected!

ID & Password Your normal U of Windsor Account

Course Outline, PowerPoint presentations, Useful Links & Movies are all available there.

• “Open Door” Policy.

• No regular times are scheduled in order to accommodate students’ diverse timetables.

• I will generally be in either Essex 289-1 or B90 / B83 (Basement) and can be found most days.

• If, for some reason, your queries cannot be addressed at that time, we can schedule a further meeting.

Office Hours

Course Text Bookfor 64-190 & 191

“Astronomy Today” Chaisson and McMillan

(Part 1: The Solar System) Prentice Hall (2007)

Alternatives:

Astronomy: from the Earth to the Universe Pasachoff

Universe: The Solar System Freedman and Kaufmann

One Mid-Term

Weight = 30%

Dates: Thursday 29th October 2009

Place: Ambassador Auditorium

Time: 17:30 – 18:45

Class Quizzes

Announced within 48 hours of the Quiz

(i.e. in class and on web site)

Weight = 20%

Final Examination

Weight : 50%

Provisional Date:

Thursday, 17th December 200915:30hrs

The Final Exam is ‘Cumulative’!

Style of Exams

Multiple Choice (mainly)

‘Fill-in the blanks’

• All Assessments are compulsory.

• There will be no ‘make-up’ examinations for scheduled tests and examinations without acceptable and verifiable medical (or equivalent compassionate) reasons.

• Any ‘medical notes’ must be submitted prior to the relevant midterms or final exam.

Important Notice!

MATH?!

GOOD NEWS!

1. There is a minimal amount of math!

2. No calculations will be expected!

BAD NEWS!

There are a few equations to be understood: i.e. know what they mean!

Example!

What does

“E = mc2 ” mean?

Newton has a similarly famous equation for gravity…

Syllabus

Parts 1 & 2 in “Astronomy Today”

More Specifically:

1) Charting the Heavens: Foundations of Astronomy

2) The Copernican Revolution

8) The Moon and Mercury

Syllabus Continued 9) Venus: the Earth’s sister planet10) Mars11) Jupiter and its Moons12) Saturn and its Rings13) Uranus, Neptune and Pluto14 &15) The Formation of the Solar System.7) The Earth4 & 5) Learning from Light (Bonus lecture –

time permitting)

Important Note:• Ultimately: the syllabus is defined by

the lecture material, not the contents of the book.

• The purpose of the book is a resource for more information detailed explanations.

• Good Advice: Do the ‘self-tests’ after we have covered each Chapter!

Ask Questions!

Special Needs Students…

Please identify yourself to me after this class.

Please make use of the web material…

Any Questions ??