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Cococubed.com
AST 111
Solar Systems Astronomy
Fall 2009




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Contact us:
J.D. Maldonado
F.X.Timmes, my vitae
Here is the class syllabus in pdf format.

Coordinates MWF 9:40 am to 10:30 am between 24Aug and 07Dec in PSF-173
Instructor: Professor Frank Timmes      ftimmes@asu.edu      (480) 965-4274      PSF-242
Teaching Assistant: Mark Richardson      Mark.L.Richardson@asu.edu      (480) 318-4449      PSF-274

Text: You should chose one the following two options:
All Electronic: Cosmic Perspective ebook 5/e with MasteringAstronomy Access ISBN-10:0321636589
or
Hardcopy + Web: Cosmic Perspective textbook 5/e with MasteringAstronomy Access ISBN-10:0321551389

Web: Three websites are relevant, with the first being the most important:
  1. MasteringAstronomy.com hosts all the homeworks and exams (and reading for the all electronic option). See the section Getting Online below for the mechanics, access codes and other tips.
  2. cococubed.asu.edu/class_pages/class_planet.shtml will host the course lectures.
  3. Myasucourses.asu.edu for the blackbard discussion areas.
Office Hours:
Prof. Timmes is avaliable during normal class times, Wednesdays and Fridays between 9:40am and 10:30am, by email (ftimmes@asu.edu), skype (chatterbox4444), ichat (fxt44@mac.com), telephone (480-965-4274), or the blackboard discussion area. Appointments to meet in person must be arranged beforehand.
TA Mark Richardson is avaliable Mondays 11:00am - 12:00pm and Thursdays 12:15pm - 1:15pm via skype, (username m.la.richardson), blackboard discussion area, or face-to-face in room PSF-274.

Hybrid Course: This is an introductory course about solar systems. Live, traditional lectures will, in general, be given on Mondays. It is your responsibility to complete the reading (hardcopy or ebook), online homework, and online exams on the days when we do not meet in person. It is assumed you have suitable computer hardware, software, internet connectivity, and know how to administer your machine. I will not be the administrator of your computer.

My goals for this course are to communicate the excitement of modern solar systems astronomy. Some simple algebra will be used in this course because obtaining quantitative results is an essential part of science. However, it is more important for you to be able to give clear verbal descriptions of physical phenomena. If you learn the material, this class could be one of your most rewarding courses. We will cover Chapters 1-5 and 7-13 of the textbook, the Cosmic Perspective, 5th edition by Bennet et al.

We will move quickly and each new topic will build upon concepts covered previously. If you fall behind, you will find it difficult to catch up. Attend lectures, complete the reading, do the online homeworks, and stay ahead of the game.

Online Homework: You will complete 12 homework assignments online; roughly one per week. Each homework has 100 points and will take about 40 minutes. You may collaborate on homework assignments in groups up to 4 people, but no larger. Except for verified medical reasons, online homework access will not be reopened after it closes. In other words, late homework will not be accepted. Homework assignments count 50% towards your final grade, that is, each homework is 4.17% of your grade.

Online Exams: You will complete 3 exams online. Each exam is open book, but must be completed by yourself (see section Cheating below). Each exam will be open for a period of 24 hours, so you may start the exam when it is convenient for you. However, once you start, you'll have 90 minutes to fiish the exam. The exams are the same style and same content level as the homeworks. Exam #1 is on September 21, Exam #2 is on October 23, and Exam #3 is on December 04. These 3 exams count 50% toward your final grade, that is, each exam is 16.67% of your grade. Make-up exams will be allowed only for verified medical reasons or school-sponsored activities. In exchange for this draconian policy, there will be no final exam.

Cheating: Just don't. Evidence of cheating on the online exams (e.g., sacrficial lambs, drones, dummy accounts, statistical/internet evidence of collaboration) will result in you failing not just the exam but the entire course, as well as being referred to the appropriate Dean. Don't cheat.

Extra Credit: There are no extra credit or honors projects for this course.

Getting Online at MasteringAstronomy.com:
  1. Purchase the MasteringAstronomy access kit from the bookstore. ASU's bookstore decided to sell the textbook and access kit as separate items instead of as a single item as I requested. The dvd attached to the book is *not* the access kit.
  2. Goto MasteringAstronomy.com and click on the "new student" button. Enter the registration number you find in the access kit you purchased.
  3. Once your new account is created you should be able to log out and login again without problem.
  4. Once you login, the course access code is MATIMMES04536.
Seeing your ebook:
  1. Make sure you have actually purchased the ebook. This is not the same as the access kit.
  2. You cannot use Windows Vista and Internet Explorer. Use Mozilla's Firefox or Google's Chrome instead. Download and install as needed.
  3. Make sure the "don't allow pop-up windows" is unchecked. In other words, make sure pop-up windows are allowed.
    4. Still not seeing your ebook? Use another computer, such as the machines in the library. If it now works, there is an issue with the configuration of your machine.


Schedule
This following schedule is a guide, not a legal document, and subject to changes that depend in part on the class' progress.

Date What
24Aug Walk Syllabus, Ask the Astronomer Session, Chapter 1 - Our Place in the Universe
26Aug Wednesday Online, Chapter 1 - Our Place in the Universe
28Aug Friday Online, Chapter 2 - Discovering the Universe for Yourself
Homework 01 on Chapter 01 Due

31Aug Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 2 - Discovering the Universe for Yourself
02Sep Wednesday Online, Chapter 2 - Discovering the Universe for Yourself
04Sep Friday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 3 - The Science of Astronomy
Homework 02 on Chapter 02 Due

07Sep Labor Day, Monday, No Class
09Sep Wednesday Online, Chapter 3 - The Science of Astronomy
11Sep Friday Online, Chapter 3 - The Science of Astronomy
Homework 03 on Chapter 03 Due

14Sep Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 4 - Understanding Motion, Energy & Gravity
16Sep Wednesday Online, Chapter 4 - Understanding Motion, Energy & Gravity
18Sep Friday Online, Chapter 4 - Understanding Motion, Energy & Gravity
Homework 04 on Chapter 04 Due

21Sep Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 5 - Light and Matter
Exam 01 Due
23Sep Wednesday Online, Chapter 5 - Light and Matter
25Sep Friday Online, Chapter 5 - Light and Matter
Homework 05 on Chapter 05 Due

28Sep Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 7 - Our Planetary System
30Sep Wednesday Online, Chapter 7 - Our Planetary System
02Oct Friday Online, Chapter 7 - Our Planetary System
05Oct Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 7 - Our Planetary System
Homework 06 on Chapter 07 Due

07Oct Wednesday Online, Chapter 8 - Formation of our Solar System
09Oct Friday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 8 - Formation of our Solar System
12Oct Monday Online, Chapter 8 - Formation of our Solar System
14Oct Wednesday Online, Chapter 8 - Formation of our Solar System
Homework 07 on Chapter 08 Due

16Oct Friday Online, Chapter 9 - Terrestrial Geology
19Oct Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 9 - Terrestrial Geology
21Oct Wednesday Online, Chapter 9 - Terrestrial Geology
23Oct Friday Online, Chapter 9 - Terrestrial Geology
Homework 08 on Chapter 09 Due
Exam 02 Due

26Oct Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 10 - Terrestrial Atmospheres
28Oct Wednesday Online, Chapter 10 - Terrestrial Atmospheres
30Oct Friday Online, Chapter 10 - Terrestrial Atmospheres
02Nov Monday Movie - "Mercury and Venus" from The Universe from PBS.
Homework 09 on Chapter 10 Due

04Nov Wednesday Online, Chapter 11 - Jovian Planetary Systems
06Nov Friday Online, Chapter 11 - Jovian Planetary Systems
09Nov Monday Lecture (html) (pdf) , Chapter 11 - Jovian Planetary Systems
11Nov Veterans Day, Wednesday No Class
13Nov Friday Online, Chapter 11 - Jovian Planetary Systems
Homework 10 on Chapter 11 Due

16Nov Monday Monday Movie - "Saturn: Lord of the Rings" from The Universe from PBS.
18Nov Wednesday Online, Chapter 12 - Asteroids, Comets & Dwarf Planets
20Nov Friday Online, Chapter 12 - Asteroids, Comets & Dwarf Planets
23Nov Monday Lecture, Chapter 12 - Asteroids, Comets & Dwarf Planets
Homework 11 on Chapter 12 Due

25Nov Wednesday Online, Chapter 13 - Exosolar Planetary Systems
27Nov Thanksgiving, Friday, No Class
30Nov Monday Lecture, Chapter 13 - Exosolar Planetary Systems
02Dec Wednesday Online, Chapter 13 - Exosolar Planetary Systems
04Dec Friday Online, Chapter 13 - Exosolar Planetary Systems
Homework 12 on Chapter 13 Due
Exam 03 Due

07Dec Class Evaluations & Contingency Day
 



Instructors: send an email to me if you are intersted in obtaining these powerpoint/keynote teaching materials.