PSci 21 Elementary Astronomy

PSci 21 grades for 2005 Fall semester will be available at my.csufresno.edu on December 23.

Thanks for taking PSci 21!

PSci 21 Elementary Astronomy - 2005 Fall

Course syllabus: please read carefully.

Instructor: Dr. Ringwald
E-mail: ringwald[at]csufresno.edu and replace [at] with @

Phone: 278-8426

Also: 278-2371

Office hours (between August 22 and December 9):
MWF 1-2, TuTh 3:30-4:30, and at other times too, but please make an appointment first.

Office: McLane Hall, Room 11, in the new Building J (or "J-wing").
This is across the outdoor "hall" from McLane 149, 151, and 161 (near the Women's Room).

You don't need an appointment to come to office hours. This is time set aside for you, when I'll be in.

Please feel free to contact me, if you have any problems whatsoever in this course, or if you're doing well and just want to talk about the wonders of the Universe. It's in my interest, and I care, that you do well!

Course Description

2005-2006 General Catalog):

Class objectives:
(1) To serve that most essential purpose of a good education: to show you what lies beyond the horizon, in space and in time.

"The purpose of education is to free the student from the tyranny of the present." - Cicero

Lecture meeting times and location: Schedule 74688 (Section 03), MWF 12-12:50 p.m., McLane 162. All students must also register separately for labs: see below. Astronomy labs start on the fourth week of class, on September 12 or 13.

Holidays: September 5 (Labor day), November 23-25 (Thanksgiving).

Recommended Course Text (required, if you want an A):
(1) Discovering the Essential Universe (2nd edition), by Neil F. Comins (2003), which I'll refer to as Comins.

Required Course Texts:
(2) PSci 21 Class Notes, by F. A. Ringwald.
(3) The Science Class You Wish You Had, by David E. Brody and Arnold R. Brody, which I'll refer to as Brody.
(4) The Stars, A New Way to See Them, by H. A. Rey.
(5) The blue PSci 21 Lab Manual, by F. A. Ringwald and S. White.
(6) The Elements of Style, by W. Strunk Jr. and E. B. White.
All should be available at the campus Bookstore, in the University Student Union building.

If you can't afford books: You may borrow copies of any of the texts from the Circulation Desk at Madden Library (278-4024), for two hours at a time. Making copies, especially from the Lab Manual or the Class Notes, can be useful for homework assignments.

Required Course Equipment:
(1) a looseleaf binder, for your Class Notes (which may already be packaged in one);
(2) a clear plastic ruler;
(3) a flashlight (preferably with a red filter for night vision, although the lab instructors should have red plastic for this);
(4) a scientific calculator (that can display scientific notation, and can calculate logarithms and exponents).

Course web page: http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/psci21.html. Better bookmark this one!

Course grades will be awarded for the following final percentages:
85.0-100% = A; 70.0-84.9% = B; 55.0-69.9% = C; 40.0-54.9% = D; 0-39.9% = F.
These percentages will be computed with the following weights:

2% 1% 2% 3% 2% 1% 4%	Homework, including: [1] The Math Exercise, due Friday, September 9. [2] The Timekeeping, Angles, and Classical Astronomy Exercise, due Friday, September 16. [3] The Constellation Study Sheet, due Friday, September 30. [4] The Moon Phases and Eclipses exercise, due Friday, October 28. [5] The Exercise on Why the Sky is Blue, due Friday, November 11. [6] The Paper Titles and 150-to-250-word Summaries (see the Writing Guide), two copies of which are due Monday, November 21. [7] The Cosmic Calendar on Three Number Lines, due Friday, December 2.
10%	Two Mid-term Exams (50 multiple choice questions in 45 minutes), the lower of which will be dropped, tentatively scheduled for Friday, September 23 and Friday, November 4.
10%	Laboratory, for which every student must register for a section, separately from this lecture section.
20%	Paper, over 1000 words long and with a reference list (see the Writing Guide), two copies of which are due Wednesday, December 7, the last day of instruction.
45%	Final Exam (100 multiple choice questions in 115 minutes), which will be comprehensive (covering all material in the entire course), on Wednesday, December 14, from 1:15 to 3:15 p.m. in the regular classroom (McLane 162).

TENTATIVE Course Schedule (updated 2005 July 20). Always do the readings before class:

Week	M	W	F	Read by Monday of next week
1	8/22: Introduction and Course Syllabus	8/24: Powers of Ten, Scientific Notation, Metric System (Comins 1)	8/26: Units Conversions, The Light-Year, Look-Back Time (Comins 1)	Comins 1; Class Notes pages 1-80; and this entire syllabus.
2	8/29: Proportions; A Brief Tour of Space and Time (Comins 1)	8/31: The Cosmic Calendar (Comins 1)	9/02: Classical Astronomy and Seasons (Comins 1, Rey)	Rey, pages 9-35, 66-72, 108-121, and 127-135; Class Notes pages 81-100.
3	9/05: Holiday	9/07: Classical Astronomy (continued)	9/09: Scientific Method (Comins 1); Homework 1 due (The Math Exercise: see Class Notes, pages A3-A4)	Comins 2; Brody Introduction and Chapters 1, 2, and 3; Class Notes pages 101-110.
4	9/12: Scientific Method (Brody Introduction)	9/14: Motion, from Copernicus to Galileo (Comins 2; Brody 1 and 2)	9/16: Motion, from Galileo to Newton (Comins 2; Brody 3); Homework 2 due (Timekeeping, Angles, and Classical Astronomy: see Class Notes, pages A5-A6)	Re-read the Class Notes pages 1-110; Lab 1; Rey's book; Brody Introduction and Chapters 1-3; and Comins Chapters 1-2.
5	9/19: Newton's laws of motion (Comins 2; Brody 3)	9/21: More on Motion and Physics (Comins 2)	9/23: Mid-Term Exam 1, covering the Class Notes pages 1-110; Lab 1; Rey's book; Brody Chapters 1-3; Comins, Chapters 1-2.	Comins 3; Brody 4 and 5; Class Notes pages 111-121
6	9/26: Atoms, Light, and Spectra (Comins 3; Brody 4 and 5)	9/28: The E/M Spectrum (Comins 3)	9/30: Blackbody radiation (Comins 3); The Doppler Effect (Comins 3-23); Homework 3 due (The Constellation Study Sheet: see Class Notes, page A7)	Comins 3; Brody 4 and 5; the Orion catalog (pages 4, 31 [right], 43 [right], 56 [left], 59, 70 [left], 86, and 99 [right)]). Class Notes pages 122-134.
7	10/03: Telescopes (Refractors vs. Reflectors)(Comins 3)	10/05: Telescopes (Aperture, Resolution, and Magnification)(Comins 3)	10/07: CCDs, Eyes, and Cameras; Small Telescopes (Comins 3 and the Orion catalog)	Comins 2-10, 2-11, 2-12, 4; Brody 15; Class Notes, 135-149.
8	10/10: The Solar System (Comins 2-10, 2-11)	10/12: The Solar System (continued); Extrasolar Planets (Comins 2-12)	10/14: Planet Earth (Comins 4 and Brody 15)	Comins 1-12, 1-13, 1-14, and 1-15; Rey, pages 136-138; Class Notes, 150-167.
9	10/17: Moon Phases and Eclipses (Comins 1-12 to 1-15, and Rey, pages 136-138)	10/19: The Earth's Moon (Comins 4)	10/21: The Earth's Moon (continued) (Comins 4); Drawing Exercise due (see Class Notes, pages A9-A10).	Comins 5 and 6; Class Notes pages 168-180.
10	10/24: Mars (Comins 5)	10/26: Small Bodies (Comins 6)	10/28: Mercury, Venus, Atmospheres (Comins 5); Homework 4 due (The Moon Phases and Eclipses exercise: see Class Notes, pages A11-A12)	Comins 7; Brody 6; Class Notes pages 181-184; also re-read Comins Chapters 3-6, Brody Chapters 4-5 and 15, Rey pages 136-138, the Orion catalog (pages 4, 31 [right], 43 [right], 56 [left], 59, 70 [left], 86, and 99 [right]), and pages 111 to 180 of the Class Notes.
11	10/31: The Outer Solar System (Comins 5)	11/02: The Sun and Nuclear Physics (Comins 7; Brody 6)	11/04: Mid-term Exam 2, covering Comins Chapters 3-7, Brody Chapters 4-6 and 15, Rey pages 136-138, the Orion catalog (pages 4, 31 [right], 43 [right], 56 [left], 59, 70 [left], 86, and 99 [right]), and pages 111-184 of the Class Notes.	Comins 8 and 9; Class Notes pages 185-196.
12	11/07: Stars (Comins 8)	11/09: Stars (continued) (Comins 8)	11/11: Interstellar Matter and Star Formation (Comins 9); Homework 5 due (Why the sky is blue: see Class Notes, page A13)	Comins 10; Brody 7 and 8; Class Notes pages 197-213.
13	11/14: White Dwarfs and Neutron Stars (Comins 10)	11/16: Black Holes and Relativity (Brody 7 and 8)	11/18: Black Holes and Relativity (continued)	Comins 11; Class Notes pages 214-215.
14	11/21: The Milky Way; Galaxies and Hubble's Law (Comins 11); Paper titles and summaries due (see the Writing Guide, on pages 8-14 of the Class Notes)	11/23: Holiday	11/25: Holiday	Comins 12; Brody 9, 10, and 11; Class Notes pages 216-227.
15	11/28: Cosmology (Comins 12; Brody 9, 10, and 11)	11/30: Cosmology (continued)	12/02: Life in the Universe (Comins 13); Homework 7 due (The Number Line of the Cosmic Calendar: see Class Notes, pages A15-A16)	Comins 13; Brody Epilogue; Class Notes pages 228-236; start re-reading the Class Notes, Comins, Rey, and Brody.
16	12/05: Life in the Universe (continued) (Comins 13)	12/07: The Most Influential Scientific Findings of All Time (Brody Epilogue); Paper due (see the Writing Guide, on pages 8-14 of the Class Notes)	-	Re-read the Class Notes (pages 1-236), Comins (Chapters 1-13), Brody (Chapters 1-11 and 15), all assigned parts of Rey's book and the Orion catalog, and all labs, especially The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram (Lab 9).

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

Schedule # Day Time Lab Classroom Instructor
74689 Monday 5:30-7:20 p.m. McLane 258 Mr. Bellis
74690 Monday 5:30-7:20 p.m. McLane 264 Mr. Locke
74693 Tuesday 5:30-7:20 p.m. McLane 258 Mr. Lake
74694 Tuesday 5:30-7:20 p.m. McLane 264 Mr. Locke
74691 Monday 7:30-9:20 p.m. McLane 258 Mr. Bellis
74692 Monday 7:30-9:20 p.m. McLane 264 Mr. Locke
74695 Tuesday 7:30-9:20 p.m. McLane 258 Mr. Locke
74696 Tuesday 7:30-9:20 p.m. McLane 264 Mr. Locke

Schedule #	Day	Time	Lab Classroom	Instructor
74689	Monday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 258	Mr. Bellis
74690	Monday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 264	Mr. Locke
74693	Tuesday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 258	Mr. Lake
74694	Tuesday	5:30-7:20 p.m.	McLane 264	Mr. Locke
74691	Monday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 258	Mr. Bellis
74692	Monday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 264	Mr. Locke
74695	Tuesday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 258	Mr. Locke
74696	Tuesday	7:30-9:20 p.m.	McLane 264	Mr. Locke

Lab Safety: PSci 21 lab sessions necessarily take place after dark, because 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. They can be reached in an emergency by calling 911.

Lab requirements: A flashlight is required for map reading at observing sessions. Flashlights with red filters are recommended, for night vision. A scientific calculator and a clear plastic ruler are required as well. Always being your blue lab manuals, and read the lab beforehand, of course.

Field trips: Three times this semester, we will be observing the sky at a dark site a half-hour drive from campus called the CSUFresno San Joaquin Experimental Range. There are directions to the Range on the last page of the blue PSci 21 Lab Manual, and in the Class Notes for Dr. Ringwald's lecture section. All Range labs this semester will start at 7:30 p.m. Plan to stay for two hours. It is therefore essential for you to plan your schedule accordingly, at the beginning of the semester. Evenings this semester to set aside for Range labs are: September 26 or 27 (or October 3 or 4, in case of bad weather), October 10 or 11 (or October 17 or 18, in case of bad weather), and October 24 or 25 (or October 31 or November 1, in case of bad weather). All students are responsible for their own transportation to these field trips: the university cannot guarantee it can provide transportation to Range Labs.

These dates are subject to change due to poor weather. After 4:00 p.m. on the days of the labs, before going out to the Range, check the weather report on Dr. Ringwald's voicemail (278-8426) or the PSci 21 web page (http://zimmer.csufresno.edu/~fringwal/psci21.html) in case there have been any such last-minute changes.

We do not cancel labs for bad weather. If the weather is bad, we will meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 or 264) at the regular times (5:30 p.m. or 7:30 p.m.).

Lab Attendance: Attendance at all labs is mandatory. You must attend the labs in the lab section in which you are registered: exceptions will be made only by written consent in advance of the instructor of the lab section in which you are registered, and even then, only for a compelling reason (e.g. a job interview or an illness documented by a physician's note). If you must miss a lab for a compelling reason, the part of the lab grade that lab would have counted will be voided, and the rest of the lab grade will be counted as 100%. If you miss a lab without a compelling reason, or without written consent in advance from the instructor, or if you attend a lab other than the one in which you were registered without prior written consent of the instructor of the lab section in which you are registered, you will receive a zero for the lab. Any student with three or more unexcused absences from lab will receive an F for the entire PSci 21 course, which includes the lecture section. Astronomy labs start on the fourth week of class, on September 12 or 13.

TENTATIVE Lab Schedule (updated 2005 July 20). Always read the lab description (in the blue Lab Manual) before lab and be ready for a quiz.

Week Dates Moon Lab
1 August 22-23 Full
(Aug 19) No Lab
2 August 29-30 Last Quarter
(Aug 26) No Lab
3 September 5-6 New
(Sep 3) No Lab: Labor Day holiday
4 September 12-13 First Quarter
(Sep 11) Lab 1, Star Names, Maps, and Constellations.
Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 and 264). Bring flashlights!
5 September 19-20 Full
(Sep 18) Lab 2, The Mystery Constellations: Meet in the lab classrooms
6 September 26-27 Last Quarter
(Sep 25) Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m.
and do: Lab 3, Dark-Sky Observing Lab A.
In case of poor weather:
Meet in the lab classrooms, and do:
Lab 4, Spectroscopy.
7 October 3-4 New
(Oct 3) Lab 4, Spectroscopy: Meet in the lab classrooms
(or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 4, Dark-Sky Observing Lab A).
8 October 10-11 First Quarter
(Oct 10) Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m.
and do: Lab 5, Introduction to Telescopes.
In case of poor weather:
Meet in the lab classrooms, and do:
Lab 6, The Revoluton of the Moons of Jupiter: Meet in the lab classrooms.
9 October 17-18 Full
(Oct 17) Lab 6, The Revolution of the Moons of Jupiter: Meet in the lab classrooms.
(or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 5, Introduction to Telescopes).
10 October 24-25 Last Quarter
(Oct 25) Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m.
and do: Lab 7, Dark-Sky Observing Lab B.
In case of poor weather:
Meet in the lab classrooms, and do:
Lab 8, The Hunt for Micrometeorites: Meet in the lab classrooms.
11 October 31 - November 1 New
(Nov 2) Lab 8, The Hunt for Micrometeorites: Meet in the lab classrooms.
(or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 7, Dark-Sky Observing Lab B).

12 November 7-8 First Quarter
(Nov 9) Lab 9, The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram: Meet in the lab classrooms.

[NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: Please grade all labs, record the grades, and return the labs to all students during the November 14 and 15 labs.]
13 November 14-15 Full
(Nov 16) Lab 10, Life in the Universe: Meet in the lab classrooms.
After briefing in the lab classrooms, we will see
Search for New Worlds at the Downing Planetarium.

[NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: brief your classes first,
then bring them to the planetarium
at 6:15 p.m. (for the 5:30 labs)
and at 8:15 p.m. (for the 7:30 labs).]
14 November 21-22 Last Quarter
(Nov 23) No lab: Thanksgiving holiday
15 November 28-29 New
(Dec 1) Lab Final Quiz (covering all labs, except for Lab 11) and
Lab 11, Classification of Galaxies assigned: Meet in the lab classrooms.
16 December 5-6 First Quarter
(Dec 8) Lab 11, Classification of Galaxies due;
Return and discuss the Lab Final Quiz: Meet in the lab classrooms.

Week	Dates	Moon	Lab
1	August 22-23	Full (Aug 19)	No Lab
2	August 29-30	Last Quarter (Aug 26)	No Lab
3	September 5-6	New (Sep 3)	No Lab: Labor Day holiday
4	September 12-13	First Quarter (Sep 11)	Lab 1, Star Names, Maps, and Constellations. Meet in the lab classrooms (McLane 258 and 264). Bring flashlights!
5	September 19-20	Full (Sep 18)	Lab 2, The Mystery Constellations: Meet in the lab classrooms
6	September 26-27	Last Quarter (Sep 25)	Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m. and do: Lab 3, Dark-Sky Observing Lab A. In case of poor weather: Meet in the lab classrooms, and do: Lab 4, Spectroscopy.
7	October 3-4	New (Oct 3)	Lab 4, Spectroscopy: Meet in the lab classrooms (or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 4, Dark-Sky Observing Lab A).
8	October 10-11	First Quarter (Oct 10)	Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m. and do: Lab 5, Introduction to Telescopes. In case of poor weather: Meet in the lab classrooms, and do: Lab 6, The Revoluton of the Moons of Jupiter: Meet in the lab classrooms.
9	October 17-18	Full (Oct 17)	Lab 6, The Revolution of the Moons of Jupiter: Meet in the lab classrooms. (or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 5, Introduction to Telescopes).
10	October 24-25	Last Quarter (Oct 25)	Meet at the Range at 7:30 p.m. and do: Lab 7, Dark-Sky Observing Lab B. In case of poor weather: Meet in the lab classrooms, and do: Lab 8, The Hunt for Micrometeorites: Meet in the lab classrooms.
11	October 31 - November 1	New (Nov 2)	Lab 8, The Hunt for Micrometeorites: Meet in the lab classrooms. (or Range, if cancelled last week: do Lab 7, Dark-Sky Observing Lab B).
12	November 7-8	First Quarter (Nov 9)	Lab 9, The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram: Meet in the lab classrooms. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: Please grade all labs, record the grades, and return the labs to all students during the November 14 and 15 labs.]
13	November 14-15	Full (Nov 16)	Lab 10, Life in the Universe: Meet in the lab classrooms. After briefing in the lab classrooms, we will see Search for New Worlds at the Downing Planetarium. [NOTE TO LAB INSTRUCTORS: brief your classes first, then bring them to the planetarium at 6:15 p.m. (for the 5:30 labs) and at 8:15 p.m. (for the 7:30 labs).]
14	November 21-22	Last Quarter (Nov 23)	No lab: Thanksgiving holiday
15	November 28-29	New (Dec 1)	Lab Final Quiz (covering all labs, except for Lab 11) and Lab 11, Classification of Galaxies assigned: Meet in the lab classrooms.
16	December 5-6	First Quarter (Dec 8)	Lab 11, Classification of Galaxies due; Return and discuss the Lab Final Quiz: Meet in the lab classrooms.

Please note:

Class 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 this. Please check your schedule and work out problems at the beginning of the semester. If a student must miss a class for a compelling reason (e.g. a job interview or an illness documented by a physician's note), it is the student's responsibility to get the notes from another student. It is also that student's responsibility to check on announcements made while you were absent. To do this, check the notes taken by another student: Dr. Ringwald may not remember everything offhand.
Don't miss class. Listening to lectures and participating in discussions are much more effective than reading someone else's class notes. Active participation is even better: it will help you retain what you are learning.
Always do the reading assignments before class. Class time is valuable: it is much better spent in informed, active discussion among us all than in just Dr. Ringwald talking. It always amazes Dr. Ringwald: 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 a student wishes to withdraw from PSci 21, the Dean of the College of Science and Math will require written substantiation of the serious and compelling reasons for a withdrawal.
If you want to do well in this course, it will require 2-3 hours of studying for every hour of class lectures. Attached to the class syllabus is a page on "How to Succeed in Your College Astronomy Course." Read it, 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 Dr. Ringwald writes during class, on the chalkboard or on overhead transparencies, is of primary importance for exams. All students should copy it into their own notes, which they may put between pages in the loose-leaf folder that contains the Class Notes. Students who get grades of "A" 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 classes are in session.
Dr. Ringwald often uses e-mail to communicate with students, and please feel free to send e-mail to Dr. Ringwald. However, all assignments must be handed in as paper copies during class, 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. Assignments are due at the beginning of the class period specified by the due date, and will not be accepted at any time after the end of class. Dr. Ringwald can't allow assignments slipped under his office door, or delivered to McLane 173 (the physics department office), or e-mailed, or faxed, because they get lost so easily.
Always show all work in all course assignments, especially in homework involving mathematical calculations, including the units. Not showing all work, and the correct units, will be cause for points to be taken off.
All students are required to keep all course materials for the duration of the course. Retain 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 must present their written accommodation request to Dr. Ringwald within the first two weeks of class.
Dr. Ringwald will be using the World Wide Web in this course. All PSci 21 students are required to know how to use an Internet browser and how to use e-mail. Most students will already know this, but if any students don't, they shouldn't be embarrassed. Please let Dr. Ringwald know: he would be glad to give individual lessons during his office hours. Although it would be a big advantage for students' schoolwork, all students need not own computers, since students may use the computers in many labs around campus.
If Web access is still a problem, students should come to office Dr. Ringwald's hours or make an appointment, and Dr. Ringwald will let you use his machine. Dr. Ringwald therefore won't accept excuses such as "I couldn't use the Internet" or "My browser wasn't Java enabled."
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 have 50 multiple choice questions and will last 45 minutes. The final exam will have 100 multiple choice questions and will last 115 minutes. 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 Dr. Ringwald cannot give make-ups for mid-term exams, nor can Dr. Ringwald give mid-term or final exams in advance, not even for students who have legitimate reasons for being absent (e.g. job interviews, illness documented by a physician's note, deaths in the immediate family that can be documented), or for students who are participating in University-sponsored activities, such as athletics or theatre. If any student must miss a mid-term exam, the part of the course grade for which that mid-term exam would have counted will be voided, and the rest of the grade will be counted as 100%.
This is really the only possible solution, since it takes about eight hours of Dr. Ringwald's time to prepare one of his cheat-proof exams, each of which must be different for every student who wants a make-up exam or an exam in advance (since in the past students who were allowed to take make-up and advance exams did attempt to abuse the privilege by attempting use the situation to cheat). It is therefore quite impossible for Dr. Ringwald to give make-up exams or exams in advance without very substantial additional cost in his time. Scheduling make-up exams or exams in advance, in classes as large as PSci 21, is also not humanly possible: during Dr. Ringwald's first semesters at Fresno State he did allow make-up and advance exams, and quickly found it impossible to accomodate every student who wanted them, because there simply aren't enough hours in the week for it: this left no choice but to end the practice altogether of giving make-up exams and exams in advance.
If any student must miss the final exam for a very compelling reason (e.g., an illness documented by a physician's note), that student will receive a grade of I (incomplete) for PSci 21 for the semester. It will then be that student's responsibility to contact the university administration in a timely fashion, and make the necessary arrangements to remove the I grade. See the California State University, Fresno General Catalog for regulations concerning the I grade. Only students who can document very compelling reasons to miss final exams (e.g. with a physician's note) will be eligible for incompletes: other students missing the final exam will get a 0% on the Final Exam.
The above paragraph means that if any student's parents or anyone else buys that student a plane ticket or otherwise arranges for that student to leave the Fresno area at the end of the term, the party who bought the ticket or made these arrangements is responsible for knowing when the Final Exam for this course is (listed above), and that students are not allowed to miss the Final Exam for this course for any reason other than an illness documented by a physician's note, or else that student will get a 0% on the Final Exam.
If for any reason any student leaves the classroom while an exam is being given, that 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.
Since during exams Dr. Ringwald needs to supervise the exam, he will not be able to discuss students' grades or assignment deadlines or to accept assignments, until the exam is over. Dr. Ringwald will be happy to answer any questions about the content of the exam in progress, however.
When taking exams, every student is required to sit in the assigned seat listed in the seating chart given on the front cover of the exam. Not doing so, without the explicit permission of the instructor, will earn a 0% for the exam.
All students are required to remove hats with brims and sunglasses during all exams, because they have in the past been used to aid cheating. Students may not use calculators, pagers, cell phones, or any other devices that can communicate outside the classroom during exams. This constitutes cheating, and any students caught cheating, in this or any other way, will receive an F for the entire course.
A favorite pastime is to try and determine a ``running'' grade (i.e. trying to figure out a grade based on a single exam or some subset thereof). Since there are many contributors to the final grade, this isn't very useful. The above grading scale will not be moved: how any student's grade is determined doesn't depend on any other student's grade. If there is a dispute in the grading of the exams, the Final Exam, or the final grade, then a student can present their case to Dr. Ringwald one time during his Office Hours, or at some other time that can arranged mutually between the student and Dr. Ringwald. If after this the student still feels that their exam, Final Exam, or overall grade deserves another look the student can write down their reasons for Dr. Ringwald to reconsider his grading. This written request must be typed and must be a minimum of 1/2 page single space for exam or Final Exam questions, and a minimum of 1 page single spaced for the overall grade. Dr. Ringwald expects that most of these rules will never be used, since the single face to face meeting is usually enough to figure out whether the grade should be changed or not.
Plagiarism: Dr. Ringwald likes 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 Dr. Ringwald finds a paper or web page anywhere that closely resembles that of any student, that web page had better have that student's name on it. If it doesn't, that student turning it in for course credit will be interpreted as an attempt to misrepresent someone else's work as the student's 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: none of these dubious practices 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) and the University Catalog (Policies and Regulations).
To prevent plagiarism, Dr. Ringwald will copy both the paper titles and summaries and the papers themselves, and will keep these copies on file, for life. If Dr. Ringwald finds a plagiarized paper, the student will receive an F for the entire course. Dr. Ringwald 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 Dr. Ringwald doesn't find it until 25 years from now. Do NOT plagiarize!
Dr. Ringwald will be photographing this class several times, to get to know the class, and during exams, to prevent various forms of cheating.
As with a university education in general, extra credit is a privilege, not an entitlement. Dr. Ringwald therefore reserves the right to abrogate any or all extra credit, without warning and for any reason, including disruptive classroom behavior, arriving late or leaving early during class or at extra credit activities, carrying out the extra credit assignments incorrectly or getting incorrect answers, turning in a class paper at the beginning of class and then walking out, asking Dr. Ringwald to excuse deadlines because of family emergencies and then refusing to provide documentation, etc. Extra credit points will be worth the same amount as percentages on the Mid-Term Exams.
The Central Valley Astronomers are Fresno's amateur astronomy group. They have monthly star parties and meetings on campus, which will be announced in class. See also their web page, at: www.cvafresno.org.
Other astronomy courses at Fresno State include:
- Phys 150 Astrophysics (offered during spring semester). Prerequisite: Phys 4C.
- Phys 175T Observational Astronomy (offered during fall semester). Prerequisite: Phys 4C and either PSci 21 or Phys 150 or permission of instructor.
This syllabus and schedule are subject to change in the event of extenuating circumstances, such as poor weather. If any student is absent from class, it is that student's responsibility to check on announcements made while that student was absent. A student's being registered in, and not dropping, this PSci 21 lecture section for which Dr. Ringwald is the instructor means that that student accepts all the above terms on this syllabus, and on the accompanying Writing Guide for Research Papers.

Click here for the Writing Guide for Research Papers

Go to Dr. Ringwald's PSci 21 (Elementary Astronomy) home page,

for News, including whether we'll be observing at the Range.

Go to Dr. Ringwald's home page

Last updated 2005 December 15. Web page by Dr. Ringwald (ringwald[at]csufresno.edu and replace [at] with @)
Department of Physics, California State University, Fresno. Please read this disclaimer.