Mar 11
- Fill out your Parscore Enrollment form information.
- Study for Exam #2.
Mar 9
- Study for Exam #2. See Class News for more information.
- Finish reading Chapter 5. But note that Ch 5 will NOT be on Exam #2.
Mar 6
- Exam #2 due next Friday. Same format as Exam #1.
Calculators are allowed. See the study guide posted in the Class News website
- Finish reading Chapter 4.
- Begin reading Chapter 5.
- So that there's no distraction of your preparation for Exam #2, the
MasteringAstronomy HW#5 due date has been changed to Thor'sday (Mar 19)
at midnight.
Mar 4
- Read Chapter 4
- Review Chapter 2
- MasteringAstronomy HW#4 due tonight midnight.
- MasteringAstronomy HW#5 due next Thursday at noon.
- Exam #2 due next Friday.
Mar 2
- Review Chapter 2
- MasteringAstronomy HW#4 due Wed at midnight.
- MasteringAstronomy HW#5 due next Thursday at noon.
- Begin studying for Exam #2 next week.
Feb 29
- MasteringAstronomy HW#4 due at midnight on Wednesday.
- Begin reading Chapter 4.
- Begin preparing for Exam #2 next week.
Feb 26
- MasteringAstronomy HW#4 due date moved back so we can cover the topic
of telescopes in class before the homework is due.
- Continue to observe the sky, especially the constellation Orion, Venus,
and the phases of the Moon.
Feb 19
- MasteringAstronomy HW#4 due on Friday Feb 28.
Feb 17
- Review your exam and bring questions to class for the "post mortem" on
Wednesday.
- Review Chapter 2.
- MasteringAstronomy HW#4 due on Friday Feb 28 (before class).
- Don't forget to take a look at the constellation Orion with its bright stars,
particularly Betelgeuse and Rigel. Also notice the nearby star Sirius,
the brightest star in the sky, and Aldebaran in Taurus.
Feb 12
- For Exam 1, you will need a pink ParSCORE Enrollment form
(the big 6"x11" version), pencils and eraser. See information below and on
the class news part of the course website.
Feb 10
- Review Ch 1,3, 4.1 (Earth and Moon), 4.2 (synchronous rotation)
and 9.1 (parallax)
- Study for exam #1
- To give you a bit more time to do the homework, the MasteringAstronomy
HW #3 due date has been changed to midnight on Thursday (Thor's day).
Feb 5
- Finish reading Chapter 2.
- MasteringAstronomy homework #3 will be due before class on the 12th
(Woden's day).
Feb 3
- MasteringAstronomy homework set #2 due on Friday (Feb 7).
- Read Chapter 2.
Jan 31
- MasteringAstronomy homework set #2 due on Friday (Feb 7).
- Finish reading Chapter 3 and begin reading Chapter 2.
- Think about why we have seasons, phases of the moon, and eclipses.
It is very hard to learn these by just reading - you need to pause
and think and visualize what is going on.
- Don't forget to make use of the Astronomy Help Room and planetarium.
Jan 29
- Continue reading Chapter 3.
- Once you finish the first HW assigment, you can get a head start and begin
the second MasteringAstronomy assignment, due on Friday Feb 7.
Jan 27
- The first homework set on MasteringAstronomy is due on Friday, 1pm.
- Begin reading Chapter 3. We are not skipping Chapter 2, we are just swapping
the order with Chapter 3.
- Please plan on attending a planetarium show.
Jan 24
- The first homework assignment on MasteringAstronomy is due on Friday Jan
31 (before class starts). The next homework will be due soon after
and you can start working on it before the first homework is due.
- Finish reading Chapter 1 and begin reading Chapter 2.
- Attend a planetarium show if possible. Be sure to reserve a spot ahead of
time and sign in. See Class News and Info web page for details.
Please note: The planetarium is not ADA compliant - our deepest
regrets! Contact me if you need assistance, and I'll do my best to
help.
+ Try to find the constellation Orion in the sky. Orion is easily
visible right after sunset, overhead and somewhat towards the south.
In particular, notice the colors of the stars in Orion.
Use the star charts in the textbook to help you. The star Sirius (in the
constellation Canis Major - the big dog) can help you find Orion. Sirius
should be easy to find because it is the brightest star visible from
Earth (besides the Sun!). Try to locate the stars Betelgeuse and Rigel
in Orion and notice their colors.
Jan 22
+ Get registered with MasteringAstronomy.com
+ Review the syllabus.
+ Read Chapter 1 in the textbook.
+ Examine all of the textbook to know what's in there and what we'll be
covering this semester. Be sure to look at the appendicies.
+ Observe the sky throughout the semester. Notice the position of the
Moon, planets, and stars.
The new Moon is on Friday Jan 24. Notice the lunar phases and where
the moon is in the sky at a give time of night over the course of the
semester.
Good star charts can be found on-line, such as this one:
Evening Sky Map.
Or use an app on your smartphone/tablet. Some work well, and some are awful.
A lot depends
on how good the GPS and magnetic sensors in your device are working.
Written Homework Policy:
To be accepted for credit, the following rules apply for homework
that is handed in (i.e., not via the on-line MasteringAstronomy
website):
- Homework must be typed though numerical problems can be
hand-written if near. Sloppy homework will not be accepted.
- Multiple pages must be stapled together.
- Homework must be turned in - emailed homework will not be accepted.
- Homework is due at the *start* of class. If you come in late, put it on
the table quietly. Do not interrupt/disrupt the lecture!
- All material submitted for a grade must be written in proper English, at a
level appropriate for a college course. Write complete and full sentences
for all questions that are not purely mathematical in nature.
- Show all work when doing calculations. Just writing down the answer is
insufficient and will earn no credit. Showing your work allows me to give
partial credit if the numerical values are incorrect, and it is the only way
to see if you know how to do the problem (i.e. the method, not the answer).
- All homework must be done independently. You can work together in a team
(and I encourage that), but you cannot turn in identical (or almost
identical) answers.
Written homework assignments are graded on the following scale:
A = excellent work; full and thorough answers; no incorrect answers and no
English errors
B = good work, only very minor errors; very few English errors
C = acceptable work, but more than one incorrect answer or error
D = poor work; several incorrect answers; needs much improvement
F = major problems or not submitted
Problem and observational questions are worth much more than multiple choice
questions.
For each class day late, a letter grade is deducted from the homework.
Sometimes we will go over the answers of the homework in class on the
day it is due. Any homework question that is discussed or answered in
class will not earn any credit if turned in late.
Remember that the homework counts as 20% of your course grade, as much as
the exams and the final exam! Be sure to earn that 20%; it is not hard and
it greatly helps you learn the material. Inadequate effort on the
homework is the number one reason for poor grades in this course.
When a written homework assignment is required (not the MasteringAstronomy), it is
very important that the work be done on your own.
Reminder: Committing plagiarism is a VERY serious offense, e.g.,
"... an appropriate penalty, even severance from the University and in some
cases revocation of an advanced degree..."
(see SDSU's General Catalog).
Plagiarism and cheating are at the top of the list of reasons for
expulsion, suspension and probation of students.
NEVER copy directly out of the textbook, or any other source.
Take a look at the
SDSU Academic Dishonesty Incident Form (in .pdf format)
if you want to see what comes next when plagiarism occurs.
Plagiarism is theft. If you copy more than 4 words in a row from
any source (including the textbook) and do not reference that source,
you may be committing plagiarism.
Simple Rule: If in doubt, quote the source.