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Abstract/Syllabus |
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Courseware/Lectures
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1
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Outline
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2
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September 1, 2005 Slide
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3
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September 6, 2005 Slide
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4
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September 8, 2005 Slide
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5
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September 13, 2005 Slid
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6
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September 15, 2005 Slid
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7
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September 20, 2005 Slid
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8
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September 22, 2005 Slid
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9
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September 27, 2005 Slid
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10
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September 29, 2005 Slid
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11
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September 1, 2005 Note
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12
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September 6, 2005 Note
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13
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September 8, 2005 Note
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14
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September 13, 2005 Note
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15
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September 15, 2005 Note
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September 20, 2005 Note
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September 22, 2005 Note
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18
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September 27, 2005 Note
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19
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September 29, 2005 Note
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Test/Tutorials
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Further Reading |
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Webliography |
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Abstract/Syllabus:
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Astronomy 102
Fall 2005
Course Information
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Instructor:
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Professor F. L. H. Wolfs
Department of Physics and Astronomy, B&L 203A
Telephone: (585) 275 - 4937
Email: wolfs@pas.rochester.edu
URL: http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/
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Teaching Assistants:
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Brian Anderson (ba001m@mail.rochester.edu)
Amanda LaPage (al007m@mail.rochester.edu)
Grant Tremblay (gt001m@mail.rochester.edu)
Joseph Yesselman (jyesselm@mail.rochester.edu)
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Text:
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Kip S. Thorne, Black holes and time warps (1994).
See reading list for other recommended textbooks that are useful references.
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PRS:
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PRS transmitters are required to be able to participate in the Q&A during lectures. These transmitters can be rented from the bookstore.
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Course Homepage:
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http://teacher.pas.rochester.edu/Ast102/Ast102HomePage.htm
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Lectures:
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Tuesdays and Thursdays: 2.00 pm - 3.15 pm (Hutch 141)
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Recitations:
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Tuesdays: 3.25 pm - 4.40 pm (B&L 269)
Wednesdays: 3.25 pm - 4.40 pm (B&L 315)
Thursdays: 4.50 pm - 6.05 pm (B&L 270)
Thursdays: 6.15 pm - 7.30 pm (B&L 269)
Electronic signup for recitations will be available on Monday September 5. Recitations will start on Monday September 12.
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Office Hours:
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Wolfs:
Starting September 7, 2005, on Wednesdays between 11 am and 1 pm (B&L 203A), and by appointment.
Teaching Assistants:
Brian Anderson: Wednesdays 11 am - 1 pm, POA Library
Amanda LaPage: Tuesdays 9 am - 11 am, B&L 405.
Grant Tremblay: Thursdays 6 pm - 8 pm, B&L 405.
Joseph Yesslman: Tuesdays 7 pm - 9 pm, Gavett 244.
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Homework:
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Homework will be assigned each Friday. The homework is due the following Friday at 8.30 am. All homework assignments are distributed electronically, using WebWork.
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Final Grade:
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The final grade will be the weighted average of:
1. Midterm exams and final exam (25% each, 75% total)
2. Homework (25%)
Note 1: Class participation may improve your final grade.
Note 2: Grades will not be curved.
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Midterm exams:
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Tuesday, October 11, 2.00 pm - 3.15 pm (Hutch 141)
Thursday, November 17, 2.00 pm - 3.15 pm (Hutch 141)
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Final exam:
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Tuesday, December 20, 4.00 pm - 7.00 pm (Hutch 141)
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Note:
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You may use only a writing instrument and a calculator while taking the exams. You may not consult any computers, books, notes – neither on paper nor stored in a calculator – nor each other. Important equations, numbers and conversion factors, used in the problems, are attached to the exams, in the form of the Useful Equations sheet and the How Big Is That sheet.
Time Table
Class Meeting Date(s)
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Lecture subject
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Required/recommended reading
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September 1 and 6
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How big is that? An introduction to the sizes, masses, distances, ages and speeds commonly encountered in astronomy.
Visit the on-line How Big Is That sheet.
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Seeds, pp. 1-8.
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September 8 and 13
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Prologue in outer space: what it’s like to be in the neighborhood of some typical black holes.
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Thorne, pp. 23-59.
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September 15, 20, 22, and 27
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Einstein’s theories: special relativity; the warping of space and time; the Lorentz transformation and velocity-addition formulas; general relativity; experimental verifications of relativity.
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Thorne, pp. 59-120. Seeds, 78-99.
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September 29
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General relativity predicts the existence of black holes; can quantum mechanics keep black holes from forming?
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Thorne, pp. 121-163. Hawking, pp. 57-104.
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October 4 and 6
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Degenerate stars. White dwarf stars and the Chandrasekhar maximum mass; neutron stars and the Oppenheimer maximum mass; supernovae; the inevitable formation of black holes.
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Thorne, pp. 164-257. Seeds, pp. 259 - 280.
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October 11
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Exam #1, covering all subjects discussed to date.
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October 13
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Properties of real black holes.
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Thorne, pp. 258-299.
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October 18
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Energetics of black holes, and the discovery of quasars.
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Thorne, pp. 300-321.
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October 20, 25, November 1, 3
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Black holes unveiled. Astronomical objects thought, or known, to involve black holes: X-ray binary stars, active galaxy nuclei, the center of the Milky Way, and gamma-ray bursters.
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Thorne, pp. 322-356. Seeds, pp. 281-306 and 357-378; Silk, pp. 247-271.
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November 8
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Ripples of curvature: the nature and potential for detection of gravitational radiation, general relativity’s analogue of light.
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Thorne, pp. 357-396.
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November 10
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Black holes aren’t quite black: quantum fluctuations near the horizon, and black-hole evaporation.
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Thorne, pp. 412-448. Hawking, pp. 105-120.
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November 15
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Inside black holes: physics beyond the black-hole horizon.
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Thorne, pp. 397-411, 449-482.
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November 17
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Exam #2, emphasizing subjects introduced since Exam #1
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November 22
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Wormholes: How (potentially) to use black holes for space and time travel.
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Thorne, pp. 483-522.
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November 29
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The expansion of the Universe and its large-scale structure: black hole formation in reverse.
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Hawking, pp. 1-36; Silk, pp. 109-149.
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December 1, 6, and 8
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The Big Bang, its observation, and Big Bang cosmology: the present expansion and large-scale structure of the universe, and possibilities for its fate.
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Seeds, pp. 379-404; Hawking, pp. 37-84 and 121-150; Silk, pp. 31-107 and 151-184.
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December 20
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Exam #3, emphasizing subjects introduced since Exam #2
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Grade Policy
The final grade you earn is the weighted average of:
- Mid-term exams and final exam (25% each, 75% total)
- Homework (25%)
There will be no grading on a scale. The grade calculated in this manner is the minimum grade you have earned. Students who show a significant improvement in performance during the course (doing poor initially but improving during the semester) might earn a higher grade. Class participation may also improve your final grade.
Grade Assignments:
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score < 30% :
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F
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55% <= score < 60% :
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C+
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30% <= score < 35% :
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D-
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60% <= score < 65% :
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B-
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35% <= score < 40% :
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D
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65% <= score < 70% :
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B
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40% <= score < 45% :
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D+
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70% <= score < 75% :
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B+
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45% <= score < 50% :
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C-
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75% <= score < 80% :
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A-
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50% <= score < 55% :
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C
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80% <= score :
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A
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