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Astrobiology: A Planetary Prospective
PTYS 214Space Sciences 308
Tuesday-Thursday
11:00 - 12:15 a.m.
Teaching Team
Instructor: Dr. Elisabetta (Betty) Pierazzo Office: Space Sciences 423A Phone: 626-8596 before class (otherwise 547-
3951)Email: [email protected] Hours: T 9:30-10:30a; Th 12:30-1:30p
or by appointment
TAs: Lissa Ong & Devin SchraderOffice: Space Science 330 (Lab Room)Phone: 621-1479Email: [email protected] [email protected]. hrs: Mon 3:30-4:30p Wed 2:00-3:00p
or by appointment
Class Web Site
www.lpl.arizona.edu/undergrad/classes/spring2011/Pierazzo_214
Check for:– Announcements– Syllabus and Schedule– Teaching team contact information– Lecture notes– Homework assignments– Review sheets for exams– Other information
PTYS 214-2 on D2L
You will find PTYS 214-2 listed on D2L
Mainly it provides the link to the main web page listed before
I’ll load grades on the D2L page for your convenience
No official textbook – useful websites will be provided for each class
All lecture slides will be posted on the web
You are expected to take notes
Midterm exams 20%
Final exam: 30%
Quizzes: about 10 20%
Homeworks: 9 to 10 30%
Extra credit: Student presentations up to 10%
Grading
Final grades will be determined based on the overall performance of the class
Reference grade scale:A: 87.5%B: 75 – 87.5%C: 62.5 - 75%D: 50 – 62.5%E: < 50%
Grade Scale
Exams
Midterm: in-class, 1-hour exam Tuesday, Mar. 8
Final: 2-hour exam Tuesday, May 10, 10:30 am – 12:30 pm
Exams are multiple choice and short essays (some essays will have math)
Makeup exams – Instructor must be notified in advance
Makeup exams will be all short essays
Make-up exams are available if you are absent for:
1) A University approved activity
2) Official religious holidays
3) A medical emergency for which you can provide a doctor’s note (email/call instructor as soon as possible)
4) Jury duty
Other situations will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis
No makeup Final!
Make-up Midterms
Homeworks
Homework is due in class on the date listed
Homework is graded on a 10 point scale
50% off if turned in by the next class (exceptions same as makeup exams)
The lowest score will be dropped from the final grade estimate
Homework can not be e-mailed – hard copies only
Each student is required to write up his or her answers independently - No cut-and-paste!
Quizzes
Generally given towards the end of class
Cover current and previous 1-2 lectures
Graded on a 4 point scale
The lowest score will be dropped from the final grade estimate
You can ask for a make-up quiz if you are absent for:a) A University approved activityb) Official religious holidayc) Medical emergencyd) Juror duty
Extra Credit: Student Presentation(Increase your grade by up to 10%)
Review and present in front of the class one article about an Astrobiology topic
Acceptable Articles are from scientific journals Nature, Science, Astrobiology Journal, International Journal of Astrobiology, and Scientific American Journal
All articles MUST be approved by the instructor
Teams of two-three students are allowed
Presentations length: no more than 10 minutes
Deadline for requesting Extra Credit: Thursday, Mar 3(must have a date and an article)
Examples of student presentations from previous semesters
The KEPLER mission Relevance of the iron-sulfur world The habitability of Titan Biosignatures in ancient rocks Biological terraforming of Mars Distribution of stars most-likely to harbor life Discovery of methane on an extrasolar planet Ancient hot springs on Mars
DON’T WAIT UNTIL THE LAST MINUTE!
WE MAY RUN OUT OF CLASS TIME AND YOU WON’T BE ABLE TO DO THE EC!
Cheating
You will be given “0 pt” for cheating on assignments (quiz or homework)
Cheating on exams will result in immediate failure in the class
In all cases a letter will be sent to the Dean of Students describing the incident
Classroom Behavior
Check out the University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity and podcast:
http://deanofstudents.arizona.edu(click on “Academic Integrity” on the left)
Classroom Behavior
No Food or Drink permitted in the classroom. Bottled water is fine
Pagers/cell phones should be off
Late arrival/Early departure are exceptions, not the rule
Disruptive behavior will be reported – loud talking, leaving in the middle of a lecture without prior notice to instructor
Please help keeping Room 308 in good shape!
Class Participation
You are strongly encouraged to: Ask questions during lectures Participate to class discussions Be active in class activities
What Is Your Reward?
Well-posed, insightful, discussion-promoting questions will be worth extra-credit points
added to the overall homework grade
Let Us Know About You…
Your Name
Your Email address (UofA preferred)
Your Major
Your Science background (i.e., high school, college algebra, etc.)
Which Astrobiology topics are of interest to you and what would you like to learn in this class
Information Sheet back to us at your earliest convenience
What is Astrobiology?
Science that studies the origin, evolution, distribution and future of life in the universe
- It is a mix of other sciences: Biology, Chemistry, Planetary Science, Climate, Astronomy, Geology
Basic Scientific Questions:– How does life begin and evolve? – Does life exist elsewhere in the Universe? – What is the future of life on Earth and beyond?
What is Science?
Tool to understand how the natural world works
Search of repeatable patterns that can tell us something about the workings of various phenomena in the Universe
The best way to describe patterns is with equations that provide specific, quantifiable predictions
Science is:The Scientific Method
Observations
Identifying Patterns &formulate Hypothesis
Prediction
Testing Hypothesis (more observations
and/or experiments)
Formulate Theory
Basic assumption: Physical events are predictable and quantifiable
Science is NOT: Capable of finding absolute truths (but you may prove
that something is false!)
Required to be unbiased (but it requires the ability to move beyond belief and carry out tests)
Capable of addressing every question
Required to start at a particular point in the scientific method
Remember: A THEORY IS ONLY AS GOOD AS THE LAST TEST IT DID NOT FAIL
Examples of non-sciences? Astrology, Creationism, Belief in UFO’s, Psychic Phenomena, The X Files
vs.
Science Religion
Testability required Testability not required
1) How does life begin and evolve? 2) Does life exist elsewhere in the Universe? 3) What is the future of life on Earth and beyond?
• Although multicellular life is unlikely elsewhere in our Solar System, we are learning that microbial life is very tenacious
• Although we always new the universe was full of stars, we have only very recently discovereddiscovered it is full of planets
• We are finally gaining the technological capability to scientifically study the extremes of life, and Solar System and extrasolar planets
After thousands of years of speculation, YOURS is the generation with the capability to detect extraterrestrial life!
Why Astrobiology now?
Challenges of Astrobiology
Humans cannot make life out of the abiotic materials (so far)
Only one example of biosphere (so far) – Earth But we have not ruled out Mars yet!
Humankind is not good at space travel
Course Outline
Introduction: What is Life? Follow the Carbon Follow the Energy Follow the (liquid) Water Life on Earth Life on Mars Life on outer Solar System Moons Life beyond the Solar System
Math in PTYS-2141. PTYS-214 is not a Math class, but…
… Math is the language of Science, we cannot avoid using it
3. Math is useful! You can survive without it…
…but if you know it you will use it!
5. It is ok to feel lost, it is not ok to give up. We are here to help you!
4. Math used in this course: Mainly Algebra Conversion of Units Applications of
equations
Units of Science: SI* The International System of Units
(also Metric System, or MKS System)
Distance: Meter (m)1m = 3.28 ft 1 km = 1000 m = 0.62 mi 1 AU = 1.5×108 km
Mass: Kilogram (kg)1 kg = 2.21 pounds 1 ounce = 28.35 grams
Mass of Earth = 6×1024 kg
Time: Second (s)1 min = 60 s 1 yr = 3.1536×107 s1 hr = 3600 s
Temperature: Kelvin (K)1 K = 1°C = 1.8°F 32°F = 273 K = 0°C
212°F = 373 K = 100°C
*from the French Le Système International d'Unités
Conversion of Units:Use Fractions
Treat units of measurements like a fraction:
- Write fractions that are equal to 1 and multiply by them
1 km = 1000 m
- If you see the same unit in the numerator and denominator, you can cancel it
Hint: keep the unit you are moving to in the numerator
Scientific Notation
Shorter way to write very large/small numbersBased on powers of 10
- Example: Light travels at a speed of 300,000,000 m/s
Too Long!!!! Starting from the left, put the decimal point after the first non-
zero digit (i.e., to its right), and count the digits to the end
300,000,000 m/s = 3.0 108 m/s
- Same concept for small numbers: Move the decimal point after the first non-zero digit, count the steps you moved and add a minus sign to the exponent
0.0012 m = 1.2 10-3 m
Example: multiply two numbers expressed in scientific notation
2104 4105
1. Multiply the coefficients: 2 4 = 8
2. Add the exponents: (104) (105) = 104+5 = 109
2104 4105 = (24)10(4+5)=8109
It is all about practice!
- Multiplication: (2104) (4105) = (24)10(4+5)
1. Multiply the coefficients: 2 4 = 8 2. Add the exponents: (104) (105) = 104+5 = 109
- Division: (7108) : (2103) = (7:2)10(8-3)
1. Divide the coefficients: 7 : 2 = 3.5 2. Subtract the exponents: (108) : (103) = 108-3 = 105
- Addition/Subtraction: extract maximum common exponent
(2104) + (4105) = (2)104 + (410)104
= (2+40)104 = 42104 = 4.2105