ASTR 330: The Solar System Lecture 1: Introduction to Course Dates and Times Curriculum Rules Grading Discussion Dr Conor Nixon Fall 2006

ASTR 330: The Solar System

Lecture 1:

Introduction to CourseDates and Times

CurriculumRules

GradingDiscussion

Dr Conor Nixon Fall 2006


About Me


• Class Instructor: Dr Conor Nixon

• Office: CSS 0225 (Old Building)• Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays 2-3 pm• Phone: (UMD) 301-405-1521 (NASA) 301-286-6757• E-mail: [email protected]

• I am a planetary scientist in the Astronomy Department of the University of Maryland.

• I work at NASA Goddard Space Flight Center on the Cassini mission to Saturn, conducting research into planetary atmospheres.

mailto:[email protected]



More Introductions…


• Class Teaching Assistant: KwangHo Park

• Office: CSS 0224 (Old Building)• Hours: TBD• Phone: (UMD) 301-405-1551• E-mail: [email protected]

• KwangHo is a graduate student in the Department of Astronomy.

• His research is based around numerical modelling of cosmological properties.



About you…


• Who are you:

- Computer Scientists?

- Humanities?

- Social Scientists?

- Other?

• Please fill out the yellow forms about yourselves and return by start of next class.


The Course


• This is a fun course!

• In this class, you will learn more about the most exciting aspects of planetary and space sciences, in a mostly non-mathematical framework!

• Pre-requisites: ASTR 100 or ASTR 101 and CORE Distributive Studies Requirement in Mathematics and Sciences.

• The course is designed for juniors and seniors who are not majoring in the physical sciences.


Learning Objectives


• During this semester, we will try to answer fundamental questions about the Solar System, including

1. How did the solar system form?2. What types of objects are in the Solar System?3. How have the planets evolved since formation?4. What causes the planets to differ from one another

and the Earth?5. Is ours the only Solar System, or are there other

planetary systems around other stars?


Fields of Study


• Our inquiry will include many different disciplines:

• Astronomy – measuring the positions, movements, sizes and distances to planets, moons, stars etc.• Physics – including heat and light (radiation), gravity and orbits.• Chemistry – reaction processes which occur in planetary atmospheres and rocks.• Geology – types of Moon rocks and meteorites; and surfaces terrains of planets and moons, including erosion, weathering, and cratering.• History – who discovered what when, and how has our view evolved over time?• and more: meteorology, biology …


We will encounter strange places…


• Diverse new worlds with:

Fiery volcanos

Colliding sheets of ice

Massive storm systems

Huge craters


We will encounter famous people…


• Great figures from history:

Archimedes

Galileo

Newton

Einstein


Information sources


• Class text: The Planetary System (3rd Edition) by Morrison and Owen

• Class web-site: http://www.astro.umd.edu/~nixon/ASTR330fall06


Work Expectations


• Lectures – you should attend all lectures!

• The lectures will contain important additional information not found in the book.• Lectures will also disseminate homeworks, updates on date changes (if any) and hints for exam subjects!

• Textbook – read the textbook before and after class!

• The book contains additional information not found in the lectures.• Read before class to gain an appreciation of the forthcoming material.• Read after each class to reinforce learning.• Let me know ASAP about supply problems.


Work Strategies


• Use the internet as a valuable learning resource, but never copy directly from a web site, and add a reference to ones you source facts from.

• The class textbook is your primary text, but you should also read around the subject matter: in other textbooks, popular science books, and astronomy magazines. Always reference these sources.

• Studying together and discussing class material, ideas and assignments with classmates is good practice. However, when you come to actually write the assignment, it should be 100% your own work.

• You should aim to keep up with the class pace. If you find yourself falling behind the schedule, come and discuss your problems with me earlier rather than later.


Dates and Classes


Week Date Subject Book Ref Date Subject Book Ref(Tuesdays) (Thursdays)

1 31-Aug Introduction2 5-Sep Historical Perspective 1 7-Sep The Sun 23 12-Sep Properties of the Planets 3 14-Sep Planetary Astronomy 34 19-Sep Solar Sytem Formation 4 21-Sep Meteorites I 45 26-Sep Meteorites II 4 28-Sep Asteroids 56 3-Oct Comets 6 5-Oct EXAM 1 1 to 67 10-Oct The Moon 7 12-Oct The Moon and Mercury 88 17-Oct Venus 9 19-Oct Earth 109 24-Oct Mars I 11 26-Oct Mars II 11

10 31-Oct Jupiter and Saturn 13 2-Nov Neptune, Uranus and Pluto 1411 7-Nov EXAM 2 7-11, 13-14 9-Nov Large Satellites I 1512 14-Nov Large Satellites II 15 16-Nov Small Satellites 1613 21-Nov Rings 16 23-Nov THANKSGIVING14 28-Nov Extrasolar Planets 18 30-Nov Planetary System Formation 1715 5-Dec Life and Astrobiology 12 & 18 7-Dec Planetary Missions16 12-Dec Planetary Mission Game17 19-Dec FINAL EXAM 1:30-3:30


Homework Assignments


• There will be six homework assignments:

• HW1: distributed September 5th, collected September 12th.• HW2: distributed September 19th, collected September 26th.• HW3: distributed October 10th, collected October 17th. • HW4: distributed October 24th, collected October 31st.• HW5: distributed November 14th, collected November 21st.• HW6: distributed November 28th, collected December 5th.

• Each assignment will contribute 5% of the total grade.

• Homeworks must be handed in on or before the collection date, or will not be considered for credit, unless you have documented evidence of serious and prolonged illness.


Homework Protocol


• Please type (preferred) or write your homeworks neatly, and hand to me in class. Add sketch diagrams where appropriate.

• I strongly prefer hard-copies (paper), with the date and signature of the student. I will also accept e-mailed assignments (plain text only) only if the deadline is imminent and you cannot make the next class.

• Use your own words. Copying verbatim from a book, copying from a friend, or allowing others to copy from you is academic dishonesty and will be referred to the University authorities.

• If you use any sources other than the course textbook, including web sites, add an acknowledgement in your writing. Short quotes from historical figures may be surrounded in double quotes, but these should be used sparingly.


Exams


• There will be 2 mid-term exams and 1 final exam.

• Mid-term exams (75 mins): each will contribute 20% of the total course grade. The first mid-term will examine all material from the beginning of the course to date, and the second mid-term will examine material learned after the first exam. Consisting of mostly essay questions and some short-answer questions.

• Final exam (120 mins): is 30% of the total course grade. Will examine all material from the whole course. The final exam will include problem-solving questions as well as essays.

Exams will cover material from BOTH lectures AND textbook.


Exam details


• Dates, times and places:

• Mid-term 1: Thursday October 5th, 12:30-1:45 pm, Room CSS 2428• Mid-term 2: Tuesday November 7th, 12:30-1:45 pm, Room CSS 2428.• Final exam: Tuesday December 19th, 1:30-3:30 pm, Room CSS 2428.

• Make-up exams:

Make-ups will only be permitted in extreme circumstances, such as serious illness or death in the family. You should contact me (phone message or e-mail) before the exam is missed giving your reason, and then submit a written excuse with documentation immediately upon your return to normal classes.

• Inform me ASAP if religious observance conflicts with exam dates.


Exam conduct


• Closed-book, no notes or calculators allowed.

• Bring your own pens and pencils and ruler. Don’t use correction fluid.

• No talking or other communicating between students once the papers are distributed until they are collected.

• Cheating will be not be tolerated. If you are seen/heard to be cheating you may be asked to leave the exam room, and the case immediately referred to the Head of Classes in the Astronomy Department. You will lose all credit for the exam and your case may be referred to the University level.


Get Creative!


• You are encouraged to write a semester paper on any topic relating to the class syllabus, for extra credit of 0-5%. Your overall grade cannot exceed 100%!

• The topic should be chosen, and approved by me by November 14th, and the finished paper submitted by December 5th. Non-approved or late submissions will not be considered.

• The paper should conform to: less than 1000 words or 4 text pages, but up to 2 additional pages for figures and diagrams is allowed. You are unlikely to gain any credit for figures or diagrams which you did not draw yourself.


Scoring The Extra-Credit Paper


• The paper will be scored 0-50, with 50 points corresponding to 5 additional percent added to your final grade, subject to the 100% limit.

• The scoring is as follows:

• 0-10 for choice of subject matter, including originality, • 0-30 for content, and• 0-10 for style, including language and presentation;

for a total possible 50.


Credit Summary


300 = 30% Homeworks200 = 20% Mid-term Exam 1200 = 20% Mid-term Exam 2

300 = 30% Final Exam----------

1000 =100% Total

(50 = 5% Optional Extra Credit Paper)


Grading


• I will use a standard system of assigning letter grades:

GRADE PERCENTAGEA 90-100%B 80-89%C 68-79%D 55-67%F 0-54%

• Everyone can do well: if everyone scores over 80% in the course, then everyone gets a B or A.

• I may make some adjustment to the % needed to attain a particular grade based on class averages, but only to make it easier to attain a particular grade, not harder.


Academic Honesty


• Academic dishonesty includes:

CHEATING – “intentionally using or attempting to use unauthorized materials, information or study aids in any academic exercise”.

FABRICATION – “intentional and unauthorized falsification or invention of any information or citation in an academic exercise”.

FACILITATING – “intentionally or knowingly helping or attempting to help another to violate any provision of this Code”.

PLAGIARISM – “intentionally or knowingly representing the words or ideas of another as one’s own in any academic exercise”.

• Anedotes


Honor Pledge


• The Honor Pledge is a statement undergraduate and graduate students are asked to write by hand and sign on examinations, papers, and other academic assignments not specifically exempted by the instructor.

• The Pledge reads:

“I pledge on my honor that I have not given or received any unauthorized assistance on this assignment/examination.”


Introductory discussion


• Form groups of 3-4 with your neighbors and consider the following questions (5 minutes):

• How many planets are there in the solar system?

• Which was the last to be discovered, by whom and when?




• Did you say:

• Pluto? (Clyde Tombaugh, 1930)

• Neptune? (Adams/Le Verrier, 1846)

• UB 313 “Xena”? (Brown/Trujillo/Rabinowitz, 2003)




• Is the number of planets, or the definition of a planet, an important question, or a semantic distraction from real science?

Documents

ASTR 330: The Solar System Lecture 1: Introduction to Course Dates and Times Curriculum Rules Grading Discussion Dr Conor Nixon Fall 2006