Astronomy 130L: Astronomy II LAB
Section 4, Spring 2014
Lab Day: Thursday
Location: Rita Liddy Hollings Science Center, Room 125
Time:
7:00-10:00 PM (section 4)
Lab Instructor: Dr. George Chartas
Office: 129 RHSC
Office
hours: TR 10:00am-11:15 am
Phone: (843)
953-3609
Email: chartasg@cofc.edu
A
preliminary outline of the course can be found at the SCHEDULE website. Some of
this material is subject to change and this site will be constantly up-dated so
please check it before each class.
Syllabus
Required
materials:
You will need :
a) The College
of Charleston Astronomy Lab manual (you may purchase it from SAS-E Ink located
on 219 Calhoun Str., Charleston),
a)
A
scientific calculator capable of computing exponential functions.
Course
Objectives:
One of the goals of this class in combination
with the associated lecture is to reveal to you some of the wonders of our
cosmos. You will learn how the
scientific method is used to explain the underlying causes behind astrophysical
phenomena. The lab activities will provide a hands-on approach to better
understand the material taught in the astronomy 130 lectures.
Specifically, in Astronomy 130 Lab, students
will learn about black body curves, find out how emission spectra are created,
confirm the law of reflection, learn about and operate telescopes, use parallax
to compute the distance to an object, observe the different colors of stars,
learn about spectral classification, learn about the Sun, use magnitudes to
compute the distance to objects, learn to use the Hertzsprung-Russell
diagram, learn about eclipsing and spectroscopic binary stars, identify the
morphology of galaxies and verify the expansion of our Universe.
Astronomy 130 will also improve several general
skills that will be useful for students. In particular, the lab will enhance
studentŐs teamwork skills, students will learn the basics of collecting,
analyzing and presenting scientific data, use simple statistics to analyze
data, learn how to interpret data, improve on computer skills and learn about
telescope calibration.
I recommend that you review the material before
it is presented in class. This will help you to better understand the concepts
and enjoy the class.
General Education Student Learning
Outcomes:
1. Students
apply physical/natural principles to analyze and solve problems.
2. Students
develop an understanding of the impact that science has on society.
A more detailed description
of the learning outcomes and objectives of this course are included in Learning Outcomes.
Attendance:
It is important that you attend every lab since
there are only 13 labs per semester and each one therefore carries a
significant fraction of your grade. Also missing a lab will make it difficult
for you to understand and carry out upcoming labs. In case of a documented
emergency you can miss up to one lab. Any additional missed labs will count
against your grade.
Grades:
Grades
will be curved to account for the varying difficulty level of labs and quizzes.
You will be graded for each lab. Labs reports will be completed and
handed in before you leave. I will indicate which lab reports you may
collaborate on and for which ones I expect you to complete individually.
Collaboration is not allowed on quizzes. Your number grade will be converted
into a letter grade as follows.
>85% |
A |
80-84% |
A- |
76-80% |
B+ |
72-76% |
B |
68-72% |
B- |
64-68% |
C+ |
60-64% |
C |
56-60% |
C- |
52-56% |
D+ |
48-52% |
D |
44-48% |
D- |
<44% |
F |
Special Needs:
If you have any special needs or disabilities that
might require special arrangements to be made for any aspect of this course,
please let me know at the beginning of the semester or as soon as you become
aware of them.
Class Policies:
Cellular
technology: Please respect your
classmates and keep your cellular devices off or in vibrate mode.
Cheating:
Violations
of the College of Charleston Honor Code (including cheating or attempted
cheating) will be referred to the Office of Student Affairs for adjudication.
Examples of cheating include copying quiz answers and using cellular technology
to communicate information during a quiz.