Preparation: This course will require the use of intermediate algebra and basic geometry. We will also use scientific notation, unit conversions, and proportions.

Lecture meeting times and location:
Schedule 27090 (Section 03): MWF 12-12:50 p.m., East Engineering 191.

Holidays: February 19 (Presidents Day), March 30 (Caesar Chavez Day)

Required Course Texts:
(1) The Cosmic Perspective, by Jeffrey O. Bennett, Nicholas Schneider, Megan Donahue, and Mark Voit (1998),

Required Course Equipment: (1) Clear plastic ruler; (2) Flashlight (preferably with a red filter, for night vision); (3) Scientific calculator (that has scientific notation, and can calculate logarithmic and exponential functions)

Course web page: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/ps21.html

The web page for the textbook is at:

Course grades will be assigned for the following final percentages:

These percentages will be computed with the following weights:

Two Mid-term Exams (50 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes), the lower of which will be dropped, tentatively scheduled for Friday, March 9 and Friday, April 20:	20%
Laboratory, for which the student must register for a section, separately from this lecture section:	20%
Homework, including: [1] The number line of the Cosmic Calendar, due Friday, February 16, [2] The Paper Titles and 100-to-250-word Summaries, two copies of which are due Friday, April 27 (see instructions below).	10% (5% for each)
Paper, at least 1200 words long with a reference list, two copies of which are due Wednesday, May 16, the last day of instruction for this class (see instructions below):	20%
Final Exam (100 multiple choice questions in 115 minutes), which will be comprehensive (covering all material in the entire course), on Wednesday, May 23, 1:15-3:15 p.m. in the regular classroom:	30%

TENTATIVE Class Schedule (updated 2001 May 10). Always do the readings before class:

Please note:

• Lab Section: All P Sci 21 students must register for one of the following lab sections, separately from this lecture section:

  Schedule #	Instructor	Day	Time	Place
  27101	Harrison	Monday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 258
  27112	Locke	Monday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 264
  27123	Harrison	Monday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 258
  27134	Locke	Monday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 264
  27145	Harrison	Tuesday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 258
  27156	Locke	Tuesday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 264
  27160	Harrison	Tuesday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 258
  27171	Locke	Tuesday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 264
  27182	Ringwald	Wednesday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 258

  A flashlight will be required for map reading at observing sessions. Flashlights with red filters are recommended, being superior for night vision. A scientific calculator and a clear plastic ruler will be required as well. In addition to the activities in the lab manual, students will become familiar with the constellations, asterisms, and bright stars. We will also learn how to use a telescope to view the Moon, the planets, star clusters, gaseous nebulae, and galaxies. I expect that, by the end of the course, you will be able to locate even faint, hard-to-find objects, using the telescopes while working from your maps.

  Up to three times this semester, we will be observing off-campus, at a dark-sky site a half-hour drive from campus called the Range. For these lab sessions, we start at 7:00 p.m., so plan your schedule accordingly!

  The dates of the field trips can be found on the lab schedule handed out in class (as part of the Course Syllabus). The dates of the field trips are subject to change due to bad weather. Please check with Dr. Ringwald's web page (http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/ps21.html) or voicemail (278-8426) after 4:00 p.m. on the days of the labs, for any last-minute changes due to bad weather.

  We do not cancel labs for bad weather. If the weather is bad, we will meet in the regular classroom (McLane 258) at the regular time (5:30 p.m.).

  If you miss a lab, then you will receive a zero for that lab. There will be no make-up labs without an excused absence for a compelling reason (e.g. job interview, illness documented by a doctor's note). Any student with three or more unexcused absences from lab will receive an F in the course. Astronomy labs start on Monday, January 29.

  TENTATIVE Lab Schedule (updated 2001 April 29). Always read the lab description (in the blue PSci 21 Laboratory Manual) before lab. There will usually be a quiz.
  

  Week	Dates	Moon	Lab
  1	1/22-24	New 24	No Lab
  2	1/29-31	FQ 1	Intro; Star Names, Maps, Constellations (p. 1); planetarium (but meet first in the regular classrooms)
  3	2/5-7	Full 8	Introduction to Telescopes (p. 9): use the Moon as a target
  4	2/12-14	LQ 15	The Mystery Constellations (p. 17)
  5	2/19-21	New 23	No lab: Presidents day holiday
  6	2/26-28	FQ 3	Estimation and star wheels (NOT the Range, as previously scheduled)
  7	3/5-7	Full 9	Planetarium show, "Search for New Worlds" (but meet first in the regular classrooms)
  8	3/12-14	LQ 16	The Basics of Optics and Telescopes (p. 29)
  9	3/19-21	New 25	Range
  10	3/26-28	New 25	Kathleen's sections: Spectroscopy: Fingerprinting the Elements (p. 43) Chris's sections: Micrometeorites (to be handed out) Dr. Ringwald's section: Spectroscopy: Fingerprinting the Elements (p. 43)
  11	4/2-4	FQ 1	Kathleen's sections: Micrometeorites (to be handed out) Chris's sections: Spectroscopy: Fingerprinting the Elements (p. 43) Dr. Ringwald's sections: Micrometeorites (to be handed out)
  -	4/9-11	Full 8	No lab: Spring Break
  12	4/16-18	LQ 15	Range
  13	4/23-25	New 23	Monday and Tuesday: Variable Stars (p. 66). Wednesday: Range.
  14	4/30,5/1-2	FQ 30	The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (p. 45)
  15	5/7-9	Full 7	Galaxy Classification (to be handed out)
  16	5/14-16	LQ 15	Lab Final and planetarium show (but meet first in the regular classrooms)

• These lab sessions necessarily take place after dark, since the object of study is the night sky. If safety becomes a concern, the Campus Police provide an escort program. Radio-equipped, uniformed, trained escort officers will accompany persons to their destinations on campus during hours of darkness. Call 278-2132, or pick up an emergency phone to request an escort officer. Be sure to check their badges, before going anywhere with them. The Campus Police also provide car battery assistance and other services, and can be reached in an emergency by calling 911.

  
  

• Attendance:
  All students are required to attend all class sessions. All students are also expected to arrive for class on time, and to attend to the end of all class sessions. Doing otherwise is disruptive, in large classes like these. If you must miss a lecture for a compelling reason (e.g. job interview or illness documented by a doctor's note), it is your responsibility to get the notes from another student. It is also your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent. To do this, check the class notes: I may or may not remember everything offhand.

• Always do the reading assignments before class. Class time is valuable: it is much better spent in informed, active discussion among all of us than in just me talking. It always amazes me: the students who get "A"s are almost always the ones who keep up with the reading. The ones who don't, almost always are the ones who don't.

• If you want to do well in this course, it will require 2-3 hours of studying for every hour of class lectures. It says this on pages xviii-xix of the text, The Cosmic Perspective (CP). Read these two pages, titled "How to Succeed in Your Astronomy Course," it's definitely worthwhile.

• Don't be shy about asking questions in class, or during office hours. Remember that the only "dumb" question is the one you didn't ask, that fouled you up later because you didn't ask it! This is especially so in this class: there are some mighty strange things out there in the Universe.

• Note taking: Everything I write during class, on the chalkboard or on overhead transparencies, is of primary importance for exams. I suggest you copy it into your own notes. Students who get "A" grades often re-copy and re-organize their notes, after class. This makes learning active, and more thorough.

• All students are required to turn off all beepers, pagers, and portable phones while class lectures are in session.

• I often use e-mail to communicate with students, and please feel free to send e-mail to me. However, all assignments must be handed in as paper copies, including homework, lab assignments, paper titles and summaries, and papers.

• NO late assignments can be accepted. Sorry, but it's just not possible, for classes this size.

• All students are required to hang on to all class materials for the duration of the class. Hang onto all copies of all work you have done in all your classes, ever. Hang on to your textbooks, too: even the real stinkers can serve as bad examples.

• The Department of Physics cooperates with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD) to make reasonable accommodations for qualified students with physical, perceptual, or learning disabilities (cf. Americans with Disabilities Act and Section of 504, Rehabilitation Act). Students with disabilities should present their written accommodation request to Dr. Ringwald within the first two weeks of class.

• Exams: There will be two mid-term exams and a comprehensive final exam. The lower mid-term grade will be dropped. The material for these exams will come from the lectures and assigned reading, and identification of constellations and stars from maps. The mid-term exams will include 50 multiple choice questions and will last 45 minutes, and will be on Friday, March 9 and Friday, April 20. The final exam will include 100 multiple choice questions and will last 115 minutes, and will be on Wednesday, May 23 at 1:15-3:15 p.m., in the regular classroom. All exams will be closed book and as such you may not use any notes or books during the exam. Calculators may be used for the exams.

  Sorry, but I cannot give make-ups for mid-term exams. Nor can I give exams in advance. These classes are far too large for that. Even with smaller classes, I can never be sure that a makeup was really fair, since it must be different from the regular exam. If you must miss a mid-term exam for a compelling reason (e.g. job interview or illness documented by a doctor's note), I will void the part of the course grade that mid-term would have counted and count the rest of the grade as 100%.

  If for any reason a student leaves the classroom while an exam is being given, the student may not re-enter the classroom as long as that exam is still taking place. The student's leaving the exam will be taken to signify that the student has finished that exam. This includes trips to the bathroom, so plan ahead.

• Research Papers: Writing is a key skill for everyone. No scientific investigation is complete until it becomes known to the world. Scientists do this by writing papers and publishing them. Too many important scientific discoveries have been ignored for years because the scientists did not do a good job of writing up the results, in ways that other people could understand.

  I will therefore assign a paper at least 1200 words long, due on the last day of instruction. Since I take this so seriously, I personally read and grade every one, so make them good!

  Twelve hundred words isn't much. I want these papers to be well-thought-out, polished, beautiful little gems, not big loads of ore. It will help to focus on a specific topic. A 1200-word paper titled "Stars" can't be very good; stars are complex, and whole books have been written about them. A 1200-word paper on star formation would be a little better, but still, star formation is a vast topic in itself. More like it would be a 1200-word paper on the youngest protostars (also called Class 0).

  As another example, a 1200-word paper on "Black Holes" is unlikely to be anything but superficial: whole books have been published on black holes. Pick one black hole, such as the one in V404 Cygni or M87; or pick some aspect of black holes, such as why we think they exist, or how they can evaporate, or how they might be gateways to other Universes.

  As yet another example, a 1200-word paper on the Sun would not do our magnificent star justice. A 1200-word paper on the solar neutrino problem probably wouldn't work, either. What might work would be a 1200-word paper on the recent discovery of neutrino mass with the Super-Kamiokande detector, and its implications for the solar neutrino problem, or on just one of the many amazing observational results from the SOHO spacecraft, such as the discoveries of the mechanism for coronal heating, flare-induced Sun-quakes, or rivers or tornados on the Sun: no kidding!

  For ideas, see the text, including chapters we haven't yet read, as well as current and back issues of reputable popular magazines such as Sky & Telescope, Astronomy, Mercury, Scientific American, and New Scientist. Articles in these magazines are what your papers should be like.

  Feel free to use the World Wide Web for research, too, but be careful of what you use, since there's a great deal of rubbish on the web. When using the web for research, be sure as always to reference your sources, by listing their web addresses, also known as URLs. Because everything on the web is subject to change without notice, it is also essential to list the date that appears on the page to indicate when it was last updated, as in the above example. If no such date appears on the page, list the version number appearing on the page. If there is no version number, then list the date you consulted the page.

  Having something to say in your paper is essential. How you write it is also important: good content is so much better if it's written in a way that's clear and easy to understand. For hints on writing, see The Elements of Style, by W. B. Strunk and E. B. White. This little book should be available in the campus bookstore for $6.95. There is also now an online version. Read it from cover to cover twice a year, and understand it clearly, for the rest of your life!

  These papers may be on any topic in contemporary or historical astronomy or space exploration. A typed (or computer printed) paper title and short summary (between 100 and 250 words) is due on Friday, April 27. You're allowed to change your topic after this if you discover something better: this is something I like particularly about science. A list of example paper topics should be attached to the printed copies of this syllabus. It is available online at http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/psci21.paper.topics

  Papers must be typed (or computer printed), on standard 8.5-inch x 11-inch paper with standard, one-inch margins. Use a readable 12-point serif font such as Times or Computer Modern Roman---not Chicago, Helvetica, Monaco, or Geneva, which are sans serif and hard to read in large doses.

  These papers must provide a list of references, or works cited. Not doing so can turn an "A" paper into a "B" paper. There must be at least five references. No more than two of these five can web addresses. You may use more references than this required minimum: indeed, if you want an A, you should have substantially more.

  Here are some useful ways to list references:
  

  For a journal article:
  

  Ringwald, F. A., & Naylor, T. 1998, The Astronomical Journal, volume 115, pp. 286-295,
  "High-Speed Spectroscopy of a Cataclysmic Variable Wind: BZ Camelopardalis"
  

  For a magazine article:
  

  Ringwald, F. 2000, Astronomy, vol. 28, No. 6, p. 48 (June issue),
  "The Sky Down Under"
  

  For a book chapter:
  

  Ringwald, F. A. 1998, in the Third Conference on Faint Blue Stars, edited by A. G. Davis Philip, J. W. Liebert, R. A. Saffer, and D. S. Hayes (Schenectady, New York: L. Davis Press), p. 425,
  "PG 1002+506: a Be Star at Z = +16 kpc"
  

  For a book:
  

  Warner, B. 1995, Cataclysmic Variable Stars (Cambridge: Cambridge Univ. Press), p. 221
  

  (Don't forget to include a reference to the specific page that contains the information you used. It's too much to expect your reader to wade through the entire book to find what you mean.)

  For a web page:
  

  Ringwald, F. A., 1998, http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/comp2.3lis
  "Composite-Spectrum and Related Stars That Are Candidate Detached Post-Common-Envelope Binaries, v. 2.3" (March 29)
  

  Knowing how the references were used is also important. You should therefore cite references in the text, especially when making statements of fact that aren't well-known or immediately obvious. Give the author's name and the year of publication, so your reader can easily match up the statements with the references. Here are three different examples of how to cite references in the text:
  

  "Although doubt had been expressed in the past about whether this approach was feasible (e.g., Smith 1993), the problem was solved by Horne (1994), and described in detail by Warner (1995, p. 221)."

  Here, Smith (1993) and Horne (1994) were journal articles, but Warner (1995) was a book. Note that with the case of Horne (1994), one can put the author's name into the sentence, useful for emphasizing that Horne did this work.

  You need not use this exact format for citing references, but do use a format precise enough so that I can look the references up myself. I get frustrated whenever a student writes something interesting, but gives a reference that's so imprecise, I can't find out more about it!

  Here are some other tips on writing:

  • Don't write about feelings. Some high school teachers encourage students to do this, but college students should be past that. Write with facts, they speak more convincingly than feelings.

  • Avoid gratuitous opinion. If you can substantiate an opinion logically, fine, that's what it's all about. If you can't, you really should, since even the most ignorant people have opinions. Back up your claims with evidence!

    I will admit that, to enliven my lectures, I sometimes do inject opinions and value judgements---such as my opinion that total solar eclipses are amazing phenomena that everyone should see, at least once. Until you become a Jedi master, avoid imitating this when you write: stick to the facts.

  • Do not confuse the following:
    
    "It's" is the contraction of "it is."
    
    "Its" is the possessive of "it," as with "hers" or "his."
    

    This error may be common, but it drives me wild, and can be bad for your grade.

    Use the word "unique" sparingly. Unique specifically means one-of-a-kind. It's therefore never necessary to write "very unique."

    Avoid hype, it makes me vomit. Seriously: science is about truth, remember?

    Avoid cliches like the plague, they're old hat and hard to swallow. (See how trite they sound?)

    Avoid putting a numeral at the beginning of a sentence, since it makes the sentence confusing. For example, don't write this: "94% of the students who took this course in Fall 2000 passed." Instead, write this: "Ninety-four percent of the students who took this course in Fall 2000 passed." Another way is: "Of the students who took this course in 2000 Fall, 94% passed" (This is a true statement, by the way.)

    Words loaded with value judgements, such as "amazing" or "wonderful," should be used sparingly. If you must use them, remember that "amazing" specifically means able to amaze. "Wonderful" specifically means able to inspire wonder, as in the saying: "Nothing is too wonderful to be true."

    Use the word "interesting" sparingly, it smacks of opinion. Anything can be interesting to a nerd.

    Don't write "very important," unless what you're describing is worthy of a Nobel Prize. Use "important" sparingly. Don't use "very." (Mark Twain wrote that instead of "very," you should write "damn." The editor will remove every instance of this, and your writing will become as it should be.)

    Avoid writing in the first person ("I," "me," "mine") or the second person ("you," "yours"). If you must refer to yourself, do so in the third person (i.e., "the author," not "I," which sounds so egotistical). Academic writing is more formal than the average e-mail message. This doesn't mean that your writing must be stuffy or boring, though. Write in a way that seems natural to you, but avoid slang, colloquialisms, or cliches.

    The names of Earth and other planets, such as Mars or Venus, should be capitalized, since they're places. Some older references do not capitalize "Earth": they should be informed that we're living in the Space Age. "The Solar System" should be capitalized, since it is a proper name, but "solar systems" (more properly, stellar systems, or extrasolar planetary systems) and "solar energy" are not. "The Sun" should be capitalized, but "sunlight" and "sunrise" should not. "The Moon" should be capitalized only when referring to the Earth's Moon, not any of the many other moons of the planets (which more properly, should be called planetary satellites). Again, "moonlight" and "moonrise" are not capitalized. Italicize the names of spacecraft, such as Hubble Space Telescope.

    The plural of "phenomenon" is "phenomena." This also holds with other Latin words, such as nova (novae) and spectrum (spectra).

    Stonehenge is a topic on which a great deal of unreliable information has been published. Beware in particular of the book Stonehenge Decoded, by Gerald Hawkins. It over-interprets the data with its claim that Stonehenge was used to predict eclipses. The Monument was used for astronomy, but it was never that accurate.

    Always run a spelling check! Not doing so makes you look sloppy. Proofread carefully, to spot missing words, jumbled sentences, or other ill effects of writing with a computer.

  Here is a short guide to how I grade papers:

  • F = This paper was handed in late, and will not be counted. Plagiarized papers will earn an F for the entire course (see below).

  • D = It hurt to read this paper, lots. The paper was full of composition and factual errors, and was skimpily and begrudgingly researched, with little or no genuine thought having gone into it.

  • C = This paper was either well written, showing few errors in spelling, grammar, or style (as descibed by The Elements of Style, by W. Strunk and E. B. White), or it was well researched, showing a thorough gathering and reading of sources, but it wasn't both well written and well researched, at the same time.

  • B = This paper was both well researched and well written, but was not particularly thoughtful or original.

  • A = In addition to being well written and well researched, this paper was innovative, and original, and was a real pleasure to read. Papers like this are almost never written the night before they are due: they are the result of a great deal of careful thought and preparation.

• I will allow students to collaborate with each other on homework and lab assignments, provided everyone lists their "co-investigators" on their papers. Scientists often do this, and the ability to collaborate well and work as part of a team is a good skill to have, in science and in other professions.

  However, if you do collaborate, it must be genuine collaboration: not one person doing all the work, and the others blindly copying. That's cheating! Therefore, while you may work together, write up the results separately, in your own words. A dead giveaway is when I get two papers that are exactly the same. Do people think I don't notice it?

• Plagiarism: I like even less when students take papers from the Internet, and turn them in as their own work. This is now easy for professors to detect, with www.plagiarism.org. If I find a paper or web page anywhere that closely resembles yours, that web page had better have your name on it. If it doesn't, your turning it in with your name on it will be interpreted as an attempt to misrepresent someone else's work as your own, which constitutes plagiarism. Remember, always: you are responsible for anything with your name on it.

  Modifying someone else's paper slightly, or changing the words around, or stringing someone else's paragraphs together, even if they're cited, is no better: these dubious practices still don't make it your paper. For information on the University's policy regarding cheating and plagiarism, refer to the Schedule of Courses (Legal Notices on Cheating and Plagiarism) or the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations).

  To prevent plagiarism, two copies of both the paper titles and summaries and the papers themselves are due, on the appropriate dates (April 27 for the titles and summaries, and May 16 for the papers). I must have two copies, or the paper (or summary) gets an F. I will keep one of the copies of these papers and summaries on file, for life. If I find a plagiarized paper, the student will receive an F for the entire course. I may also send the plagiarized paper to the Dean and other university authorities (e.g. coaches) and recommend the student be expelled from the University - or the degree be revoked, if I don't find it until 10 years from now. Do NOT plagiarize!

• This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, such as poor weather. If you are absent from class, it is your responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent.

Go to Dr. Ringwald's home page

Last updated 2001 June 27. Web page by Dr. Ringwald (ringwald[at]csufresno.edu and replace [at] with @)
Department of Physics, California State University, Fresno