Astronomy 1a
Fall, 2003
Introduction:
Text: "Foundation of Astronomy" (7th Ed) by Michael A. Seeds
This course should be a fun cultural course, but the student will, as always, benefit from the efforts which he puts into the course.
An overview of the course material may be obtained by reading the Contents and the author's "A Note to the Student", pages xv-xvii. We shall be covering Chapters 1-9, 19-25, and perhaps others including 11-13 as time permits.
One attendance at the planetarium at RCC-Riverside may be done for extra credit, as will be discussed in class. Also, we shall try to schedule a night to use the telescopes on hand here at the Moreno Valley Campus.
The course is designed to be non-mathematical/ technical, but will teach expect the use of arithmetic and calculations based on proportions, scientific notation, logarithms, angles, etc. as taught in the course itself.
Grading:
Grading will be based on a curve (College policy), with 1,000 points being the total obtainable. The weighted values of points obtainable are:
|
Attendance |
200 (one absence will be thrown out for grading) |
|
3 Tests |
400 |
|
Homework |
200 (one homework will be eliminated for grading, no homework will be due for the first and last classes) |
|
Final Exam |
200 |
|
Total |
1000 |
Schedule: proposed schedule is:
|
Chapter |
Date |
Exams |
||
|
1,2 |
September |
4 |
(no homework due) |
|
|
3,4 |
11 |
|||
|
5,6 |
18 |
|||
|
7 |
|
25 |
Test 1 (through 5) |
|
|
8,9 |
October |
2 |
||
|
19 |
9 |
|||
|
20 |
16 |
|||
|
21 |
23 |
Test 2 (through 20) |
||
|
22 |
30 |
|||
|
23 |
November |
6 |
||
|
24 |
13 |
|||
|
25,10 |
20 |
|||
|
11 |
December |
4 |
Test 3 (through 11) |
|
|
12 |
11 |
Review for Final |
||
|
18 |
FINAL |
The homework is for the student. It will be checked to see if important concepts are properly used, and for correct answers. The correct answers can always be supplied at the time the homework is gone over, hence attendance is doubly important. Also, homework not handed in at time of assignment will not be accepted later. If an absence is expected, hand in the homework prior to the absence! Tests are expected to be taken when scheduled.