Astro 103 Lectures

The Evolving Universe: Stars, Galaxies, and Cosmology
Professor Matthew Bershady
Lec-2 1:20-2:10 PM
MW STERLING 1310


Part I:   An Astronomical Framework
Week # Date LectureReading & Quizzes
1 1 Wed, Sep 5 Introduction & Tour of the Cosmos
Text: Ch.1 (all) scientific notation;
Ch.1.4-1.6 optional
2 2 Mon, Sep 10 History: From heresy to gravity
Text: Ch. 2 (all), Ch.16 MP*16-1
Web: Assignment #1
3 Wed, Sep 12 Particles, waves, blackbodies, and lines   [alt]
Text: Ch. 3 (all)
3 4 Mon, Sep 17 Cosmic chemistry   [alt]
Text: Ch. 4 (all)
Quiz #1 in Discussion
5 Wed, Sep 19 Light buckets   [alt]
Text: Ch. 5 (all)
Quiz #1 in Discussion
4 6 Mon, Sep 24 Sol
Text: Ch. 16 (all)
Web: Assignment #2
7 Wed, Sep 26 Stellar Types
Text: Ch. 17 (all), Ch. 1.6, MP*1-1,1-2
5 8 Mon, Oct 1 The Physical Properties of Stars
Text: Chs. 17 (all)
Quiz #2 in Discussion
9 Wed, Oct 3 Review
Quiz #2 in Discussion
6 Mon, Oct 8 First Exam : Lectures 1-9
Web: Assignment #3


Part II:   From Stars to Quasars

Week # Date Lecture Reading & Quizzes
6 10 Wed, Oct 10 Star: Environs and Formation
Text: Chs. 18 and 19 (all)
Web: Assignment #3
7 11 Mon, Oct 15 Stellar guts
Text: Chs. 16.1-16.3, 20.1-20.3, MP*16-1,16-2
Quiz #3 in Discussion
12 Wed, Oct 17 Aging gracefully
Text: Ch. 20 (all), Ch. 21.1
Quiz #3 in Discussion
8 13 Mon, Oct 22 End game I: Explosion
Text: Ch. 21 (all)
Web: Assignment #4
14 Wed, Oct 24 End game II: Collapse
Text: Ch. 22 (all)
9 15 Mon, Oct 29 The Milky Way
Text: Ch. 23.1-23.4, 23.7
Web: Assignment #5
Quiz #4 in Discussion
16 Wed, Oct 31 Spatial Structure and Stellar Populations
Text: Ch. 23 (all)
Quiz #4 in Discussion
10 10 Mon, Nov 5 The galaxy manifold
Text: Ch. 24.1
Quiz #5 in Discussion
18 Wed, Nov 7 Giant black holes
Text: Chs. 22.5-22.8, 24.4-24.5
Quiz #5 in Discussion
11 19 Mon, Nov 12 Quasars: Evolution or revelation?
Text: Ch. 25.3-25.4
Wed, Nov 14 Second Exam: Lectures 10-19 review


Part III:   Cosmology
Week # Date Lecture Reading & Quizzes
12 22 Mon, Nov 19 Rotation, mass and interaction
Text: Chs. 23.3, 23.6, 24 (all), 25.1-25.2
Web: Assignment #6
23 Wed, Nov 21 Formation & evolution
Text: Ch. 23.4, 25.3-25.4
13 24 Mon, Nov 26 Hubble's bubble and cosmic spikes
Text: Ch. 24.2-24.3, MP*24-1, 25 (all), 26.1-26.2
Quiz #6 in Discussion
25 Wed, Nov 28 Is the expansion real?
Text: Ch. 26 (all)
Quiz #6 in Discussion
14 26 Mon, Dec 3 Big Bang or Steady State?
Text: Ch. 26 (all)
Web: Assignment #7
27 Wed, Dec 5 Open, closed, or critical?
Text: Ch. 26 (all)
15 28 Mon, Dec 10 The early universe
Text: Ch. 27 (all)
Quiz #7 in Discussion
29 Wed, Dec 12 The meta-universe
Text: Ch. 27 (all)
Quiz #7 in Discussion
Fri, Dec 21, 2012 Final Exam - Lecture 2 5:05 PM - 7:05 PM
Bascom 165

* MP = More Precisely
Last updated: 12 Dec 2012   Matthew Bershady