Course Syllabus

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PHYS1303 Spring 2022 Syllabus.docx 

Course Description:

This course covers topics in modern planetary and stellar astronomy, such as dwarf, jovian, terrestrial, and extrasolar planets and the life cycle of stars, black holes, and supernovae. It also includes topics on cosmology and galactic astronomy, such as dark matter, dark energy, the Big Bang, and the expansion of the Universe.

Student Learning Outcomes:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

  • evaluate early models of the solar system using the scientific method and outline the historical events that led to our current model.
  • apply theories and models from classical physics and modern physics to explain astronomical observations, such as the motion of objects in the sky, the formation of planets, and the life cycle of stars.
  • classify the planets as terrestrial or jovian and list the characteristics of each category.
  • discuss the discovery of new Kuiper belt objects and how their existence changed our definition of what a planet is.
  • describe how extrasolar planets are detected and discuss their properties.
  • describe the structure of the Sun and its source of energy.
  • explain how astronomers collect light from distant stars and discuss what can be learned from analyzing that light.
  • classify different types of stars and galaxies, and discuss the stellar life cycle in the context of stellar evolution.
  • describe the astronomical evidence for dark matter and dark energy, and discuss their implications.
  • describe the scientific evidence and models regarding the nature and origin of the Universe, including its evolution from the Big Bang up to today.

Course Content:

  • Naked eye astronomy: the motion of the Sun, Moon, and stars as seen from the Earth; seasonal changes; phases of the Moon and eclipses.
  • Scientific method and history of astronomy: geocentric and heliocentric models, Copernican Revolution, and Kepler's laws.
  • Physics: gravity, temperature, pressure, energy, and conservation laws.
  • Light: the nature of light, the electromagnetic spectrum, the atom and spectroscopy, telescopes on Earth and in space, and the Doppler effect.
  • Formation and evolution of the solar system.
  • The role plate tectonics, volcanism, and magnetic fields play in shaping the surfaces, habitability, and other properties of different planetary bodies.
  • Earth: internal structure, surface and atmosphere, magnetosphere, and ability to support life.
  • Terrestrial planets: characteristics of the Moon, Mercury, Venus, and Mars, in comparison to Earth.
  • Jovian planets: characteristics and properties of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.
  • Comets, asteroids, and meteorites.
  • The discovery of new Kuiper belt objects and how their existence changed our definition of what a planet is. From Pluto to Eris and other dwarf planets. The Oort cloud.
  • Extrasolar planets: how to detect them. Abundance of Hot Jupiters and the habitable zone. Comparison with the solar system.
  • Einstein's relativity and particle physics fundamentals: speed of light, time dilation, quarks, and leptons. Fundamental forces of nature.
  • Sun: internal structure, nuclear fusion, solar activity, heliosphere, and the limits of the solar system.
  • Stars: classification of stars, Hertzsprung-Russell (HR) diagrams, main sequence, luminosity, and apparent and absolute brightness.
  • Stellar evolution: birth, life and death of stars. Stellar death: white dwarfs, neutron stars, supernovae, and black holes.
  • The Milky Way and large scale structure of our galaxy. Evolution of galaxies: galaxy formation and galaxy collisions. Spirals, Elliptical, and Irregular galaxies.
  • Gamma-ray bursts (GRBs), quasars and other active galactic nuclei, and supermassive black holes - the most energetic and farthest away objects in the Universe.
  • The astronomical evidence for dark matter and dark energy, including their implications.
  • Cosmology: large-scale structure, Cosmic Background Microwave Radiation (CMBR), cosmic evolution, the expanding Universe, the geometry of the Universe, and the fate of the Universe.
  • Astrobiology - life in the Universe, where to look, life requirements, extremophiles, and SETI.

 

Textbook:

Great news: your textbook for this class is available for free online!
Astronomy from OpenStax, ISBN 1-947172-01-8

You have several options to obtain this book:

You can use whichever formats you want. Web view is recommended -- the responsive design works seamlessly on any device.

Important Notes:

All first week assignments need to be completed and submitted by the due date to avoid possibly being dropped from the class.

Disability/Accessibility Services
In accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and the ADA Amendments Act (ADAAA) the University of Texas at Tyler offers accommodations to students with learning, physical and/or psychological disabilities. If you have a disability, including a non-visible diagnosis such as a learning disorder, chronic illness, TBI, PTSD, ADHD, or you have a history of modifications or accommodations in a previous educational environment, you are encouraged to visit https://hood.accessiblelearning.com/UTTyler and fill out the New Student application. The Student Accessibility and Resources(SAR) office will contact you when your application has been submitted and an appointment with Cynthia Lowery, Assistant Director of Student Services/ADA Coordinator. For more information, including filling out an application for services, please visit the SAR
webpage at http://www.uttyler.edu/disabilityservices, the SAR office located in the University Center, # 3150 or call 903.566.7079.

Student Standards of Academic Conduct
Disciplinary proceedings may be initiated against any student who engages in scholastic dishonesty, including, but not limited to, cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.
i. “Cheating” includes, but is not limited to:

  • copying from another student’s test paper;
  • using, during a test, materials not authorized by the person giving the test;
  • failure to comply with instructions given by the person administering the test;
  • possession during a test of materials which are not authorized by the person giving the test, such as class
  • notes or specifically designed “crib notes”. The presence of textbooks constitutes a violation if they have been specifically
  • prohibited by the person administering the test;
  • using, buying, stealing, transporting, or soliciting in whole or part the contents of an unadministered test, test key, homework solution, or computer program;
  • collaborating with or seeking aid from another student during a test or other assignment without authority;
  • discussing the contents of an examination with another student who will take the examination;
  • divulging the contents of an examination, for the purpose of preserving questions for use by another, when
  • the instructors has designated that the examination is not to be removed from the examination room or not to be returned or to be kept by the student;
  • substituting for another person, or permitting another person to substitute for oneself to take a course, a test, or any course-related assignment;
  • paying or offering money or other valuable thing to, or coercing another person to obtain an unadministered test, test key, homework solution, or computer program or information about an unadministered test, test key, home solution or computer program;
  • falsifying research data, laboratory reports, and/or other academic work offered for credit;
    taking, keeping, misplacing, or damaging the property of The University of Texas at Tyler, or of another, if the student knows or reasonably should know that an unfair academic advantage would be gained by such conduct; and
  • misrepresenting facts, including providing false grades or resumes, for the purpose of obtaining an academic or financial benefit or injuring another student academically or financially.

ii. “Plagiarism” includes, but is not limited to, the appropriation, buying, receiving as a gift, or obtaining by any means another’s work and the submission of it as one’s own academic work offered for credit.
iii. “Collusion” includes, but is not limited to, the unauthorized collaboration with another person in preparing academic assignments offered for credit or collaboration with another person to commit a violation of any section of the rules on
scholastic dishonesty.
iv. All written work that is submitted will be subject to review by plagiarism software.

UT Tyler Resources for Students

  • UT Tyler Writing Center (903.565.5995), writingcenter@uttyler.edu
  • UT Tyler Tutoring Center (903.565.5964), tutoring@uttyler.edu
  • The Mathematics Learning Center, RBN 4021, this is the open access computer lab for math students, with tutors on duty to assist students who are enrolled in early-career courses.
  • UT Tyler Counseling Center (903.566.7254)

 

Course Summary:

Course Summary
Date Details Due