ASTRONOMY 100   SYLLABUS  Jan 03
(any revisions will be announced in class & appear at the website) 
Dr. Weitenbeck OFFICE: A13 (& A30) x229 HOURS: 3-4 MT & by appointment 
office phone x229  home phone (608)833-4318    aweitenb@uwc.edu
Web address: http://baraboo-sauk.uwc.edu/Academics/ClassResources/Astronomy

I. Textbook: Jay Pasachoff, Astronomy: from the Earth to the Universe 6th ed. 

II.a.There will be two exams plus a final examination which will total to 275 points. 
     Test 1 will have about 60 points, the other two will each have about 110 points. 
   b.Tests will consist of multiple choice questions, matching and short answer 
     questions.  In general there will be no essay questions.
   c.The schedule and reading assignments will be announced in lecture & will appear 
     at the course website. Test curves and answers will be posted on the website.
   d.The first two tests will be handed back to the students, who are responsible for 
     retention. Tests should be examined for grading errors; errors must be reported 
     within one week after the first day the test was handed back in class.
   e.Students will make a presentation during the last days of class, worth 25 points. 
     Instructions for this are on a separate sheet & at the website.

IIIa.Class attendance is essential for doing well. Missing class is not an excuse for
     not knowing the material. Immediately after short absences most of the material
     covered can be reconstructed by discussion with the instructor and examination of
     the notes on the website.  After extended absences, detailed reconstruction may 
     be impossible.  Much of the course material is discussed using AV equipment such 
     as videotapes and slides; most such presentations cannot be repeated. 
   b.Makeups for the first test will be taken on the same time as the second test;       
     makeups for the second test will taken at the time of the final. Missing the
     final without a valid reason will result in a score of zero for the final. The 
     format of makeup tests will be somewhat different (and so, more difficult) 
     than the original, but graded on the same curve. 
   c.Working with other students (except when taking exams), that is, studying 
     together, is allowable and encouraged. 
   d.The mathematics requirements are high school algebra and geometry; this should be 
     sufficient for understanding the material; i.e., students can expect to be 
     required to solve simple problems involving algebra, geometry, and arithmetic, 
     and use scientific notation. 

IV.Students may design their own project as a substitute for or in addition to part of 
   the coursework, but the project must be approved in advance by the instructor. 
   Projects should be planned and started early in the term. Projects involving major
   deviations from the procedures followed by the other students in the class must be
   approved within three weeks after the start of the course. 
 
List of topics and chapters: (Parentheses means it will not be completely covered):
   GENERAL TOPICS: will be covered as needed, may appear on later tests after assigned:
1. Scale of the Universe . . . . . . . . . . . . Ch 1
2. Light, Electromagnetic Radiation, & observing . . . Ch4.1, 4.6-.8
3. Atoms & Radiation  . . . . . . . . . . . .  . . . . Ch 24.2-.4
   For TEST 1   History & Solar System Motions
4. Sky Appearance, calendars. . . . . . . . . . Ch6.1, 6.6, 6.7, 7.2, 25.1
5. History of Solar System models . . . . . . . Ch2.1-.3,2.5,2.6, Box 2.6
6. Galileo, Kepler & Newton . . . . . . . . . . Ch 3
   For TEST 2    Planets & Moons & Minor Bodies
7. Origin & General Data . . . . . . . . . . .Ch(7.1), 7.4, 7.5, 18-6
8. Terrestrial Planets & The Moon. . . . . . .Ch 9-12
9. Outer Planets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ch 13-17, Figs 8-20, 8-17 
10. Minor Bodies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Ch 19, 20
    For TEST 3   Stars & Galaxies
11. Properties of Stars . . . . Ch 24, 25, 26.1-.3, 26.5ab, (27), 28.1-.4, 28.6, 
    (29.1-.6), (30), Fig 22-5
12. Milky Way . . . . . . . . . Ch 26.4bc, 26.5, 32.1-.2, 33
13. Other Galaxies  . . . . . . Ch (34) 
14. Cosmology . . . . . . . . . Ch 35, (37), (38)