Course Syllabus

Welcome to  Physics 110: Astronomy and Cosmology - Section 1

Spring 2024

Instructor: Hao Wang (e-mail: haowang@rutgers.edu)

Course meetings: Mon and Wed 2:00 pm-3:20 pm, AB-4225 on CAC

Office hours: 30 min following each class and by appointment

Communications:  Please send questions about the course using e-mail from RU account.  Questions will be answered within two business days.

Course description:

This introductory course covers the fundamentals of modern astronomy including gravity, light, the structure and life cycle of stars, galaxies, and the evolution of the universe. In addition to a survey of many fascinating facts, we will also learn how the scientific methods are applied to these topics to achieve our current understanding of the universe.

There are no college-level prerequisites for this course, but typical high school algebra and science preparation are assumed. The companion course, Physics 109, focuses on our solar system and the celestial bodies within. The two courses are complementary and independent; you can take one or both, and in either order.  This course meets SAS core curriculum natural science requirements. 

Textbook:

The textbook used in this course is Astronomy from Openstax Access, which is free to download and contains links to many useful websites. I will also post my lecture slides on Canvas after class.

Technology Requirements:

A digital device (laptop or tablet) is required to access Canvas while in the classroom as homework assignments, quizzes and exams will be administered on Canvas. Occasionally Zoom meetings will also be held in class.

SAS Core Curriculum Learning Goals for the Natural Sciences:

• NS-1.
  Students will be able to understand and apply basic principles and concepts in the physical sciences.
• NS-2.  

Students will be able to explain and be able to assess the relationship among assumptions, method, evidence, arguments, and theory in scientific analysis.

 

Physics & Astronomy Departmental Learning Goals:

• Students who complete our introductory sequence of Physics courses demonstrate an understanding of Physics principles at a basic level.

 

Course-Level Learning Goals:

1. Astronomy basics: students will be able to explain the general structure of the universe, the celestial sphere and how stars and constellations are represented on it, the origin of seasons, the lunar phases and eclipses. Students are also expected to be familiar with scientific notation and various distance units used in astronomy.
2. Orbits and gravity: students will be able to explain Kepler’s three laws of planetary motion and Newton’s laws of motion and gravity, and to apply these laws to solve problems regarding the relationship between the orbit size and period of a celestial body.
3. Light and telescopes: students will be able to explain the relationship between light wavelength and frequency, the laws of black body radiation and their applications in astronomy, and how to measure the speed of a star (or galaxy) by the Doppler effect. Students will also be able to explain the basic working mechanisms of various telescopes.
4. Stars and stellar evolution: students will be able to describe the structure and basic properties of a typical star (our sun) and its energy generation mechanism, to characterize a star by its spectral type, and to explain the life journey of a star with the aid of the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Students are also expected to understand the basics of Einstein’s theory of relativity and its relevance to curved spacetime and formation of black holes.
5. The interstellar medium and galaxies: students will be able to explain various types of interstellar matter, the structure and basic properties of different types of galaxies, the evidence for the existence of dark matter, formation of quasars and supermassive black holes, and Hubble’s law and its implications.
6. Evolution of the universe: students will be able to explain the basics of the Big Bang theory, the origin and the properties of the comical microwave background, and the composition of the universe including dark matter and dark energy.

Schedule:

The following course schedule is subject to change as the semester progresses.

Class	Date	Topic	Reading (Chapter #)	Homework and Quiz
1	Jan 17, Wed	course introduction
2	Jan 22, Mon	astronomy basics	1; appx A-E
3	Jan 24, Wed	observing the sky	2.1-2.2
4	Jan 29, Mon	orbits and gravity	2.4, 3.1-3.3
5	Jan 31, Wed	seasons, lunar phases, and eclipses	4	HW1 due
6	Feb 05, Mon	light and spectroscopy	5
7	Feb 07, Wed	light and spectroscopy	5	Quiz1,HW2 due
8	Feb 12, Mon	telescopes	6.1-6.3
9	Feb 14, Wed	the sun	15	HW3 due
10	Feb 19, Mon	the sun	16
11	Feb 21, Wed	starlight	17	HW4 due
12	Feb 26, Mon	a census of stars	18	Quiz2
13	Feb 28, Wed	the cosmic distance ladder	19	HW5 due
14	Mar 04, Mon	interstellar gas and dust	20.1-20.3
15	Mar 06, Wed	midterm review		HW6 due
Spring break	Mar 09-17
16	Mar 18, Mon	star formation and exoplanets	21.1-21.5
17	Mar 20, Wed	midterm exam
18	Mar 25, Mon	stellar evolution	22
19	Mar 27, Wed	star death	23.1-23.5
20	Apr 01, Mon	general relativity; black holes	24
21	Apr 03, Wed	the Milky Way galaxy	25.1, 25.3-25.4	HW7 due
	Apr 08, Mon	class canceled for the solar eclipse
22	Apr 10, Wed	galaxies	26.1-26.2, 26.4-26.5	HW8 due
23	Apr 15, Mon	quasars and supermassive black holes	27	Quiz3
24	Apr 17, Wed	distant galaxies, dark matter and galaxy formation	28	HW9 due
25	Apr 22, Mon	the big bang	29
26	Apr 24, Wed	final review		HW10 due
27	Apr 29, Mon	special office hours (online)
28	May 03, Fri 4pm-6pm AB 4225 on CAC	(cumulative) final exam

 

Grading policy:

Your final course scores are based on the following four parts.

• Homework (20%)
• Quizzes (20%)
• Midterm exam (25%)
• Final exam (35%)

Course scores will translate to letter grades as follows:

• 85% to 100%:              A
• 80% to 84.99%:           B+
• 70% to 79.99%:           B
• 65% to 69.99%:           C+
• 50% to 64.99%:           C
• 40% to 49.99%:           D
• Below 40%:                  F

Academic integrity:

Academic integrity violations are taken seriously in this course. Please familiarize yourself with the Rutgers University Academic Integrity Policy by visiting https://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu.  As per the policy, all suspected violations will be reported to the Office of Student Conduct. Academic dishonesty includes (but is not limited to):

• Cheating
• Plagiarism
• Aiding others in committing a violation or allowing others to use your work
• Failure to cite sources correctly
• Fabrication
• Using another person’s ideas or words without attribution
• Sabotaging another student’s work

If in doubt, please contact the course instructor.

Student Wellness Services:

The university provides a number of resources to support your physical and mental well-being. Several valuable resources and listed here and you are encouraged to contact the course instructor for more guidance about university resources.

• Student Success Essentials: https://success.rutgers.edu

• Student Support Services: https://www.rutgers.edu/academics/student-support  
• The Learning Centers: https://rlc.rutgers.edu/
• Rutgers Libraries: https://www.libraries.rutgers.edu/
• Bias Incident Reporting: https://studentaffairs.rutgers.edu/bias-incident-reporting
• Dean of Students – Student Support Office: https://success.rutgers.edu/resource/dean-students-student-support-office
• Office of Veteran and Military Programs and Services: https://veterans.rutgers.edu
• Student Health Services: http://health.rutgers.edu/
• Counseling, Alcohol and Other Drug Assistance Program & Psychiatric Services (CAPS): http://health.rutgers.edu/medical-counseling-services/counseling/
• UWill: free immediate access to teletherapy; you can choose a therapist based on your preferences including issue, gender, language, ethnicity. http://health.rutgers.edu/uwill/
• Office for Violence Prevention and Victim Assistance: vpva.rutgers.edu/
• Office of Disability Services: https://ods.rutgers.edu/
• Basic Needs Assistance (food, housing, and other essentials): https://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/basic-needs
• Rutgers Student Food Pantry: https://ruoffcampus.rutgers.edu/food-pantry