Course Syllabus
29:62 General Astronomy
Winter and Spring Semester 1999

Steven R. Spangler
705 Van Allen Hall
335-1948
http://www-astro.physics.uiowa.edu/ srs/

General Astronomy is an introductory course in astronomy primarily intended for majors in astronomy, other physical sciences, computer science, mathematics and engineering. However, there is no reason why any student with a good High School education could not successfully take this course. This is an exciting time to be studying astronomy, with new results from many instruments coming in daily, and the availability of computer networks aiding the distribution of such information. Lectures will be regularly supplemented with such information.
General Course Information

• The class meets from 1:30 to 2:20, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday in Room 70 Van Allen Hall.
• Office hours for Professor Spangler are 2:30 - 3:30 PM on Tuesdays and by appointment.
• One hour exams will be held in the regular class period on February 10, March 3, and April 14.
• The final exam will be held in Room 70 on Thursday, May 13 at High Noon (``A man's gotta do, what a man's gotta do'').
• Homework problems are absolutely crucial for understanding the concepts in physics and astronomy. Homework will be assigned every week and collected after class on Wednesdays. Students are encouraged to work together on homework assignments. Student collaboration helps in understanding and makes the whole process more enjoyable. However, the consortia should consist of no more than 2 to 3 individuals, and you must clearly indicate on your homework papers those individuals with whom you worked.
• Participation in a laboratory is a required part of the course. Laboratory sections meet on Monday, Tuesday, or Thursday night from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. The astronomical laboratory at the University of Iowa is extremely well equipped compared to most other colleges and universities, and permits students to make and analyse their own astronomical observations.
• The grade in the course will be determined on the basis of the following algorithm.
  (a) Each of the three one hour examinations will count towards 15 percent of the course grade.
  (b) The final examination will count for 15 percent of the course grade.
  (c) The aggregate score of the homework assignments will constitute 15 percent of the course grade.
  (d) The laboratory grade, based mainly on the scores of submitted laboratory reports, will constitute 25 percent of the course grade.
  
• The required textbook for the course is Astronomy: Journey to the Cosmic Frontier by John D. Fix. The laboratory manual is Imaging the Universe: An Introductory Astronomy Laboratory Manual by Robert L. Mutel and Stacy E. Palen. Both books will be available for purchase at Iowa Book and Supply.
• The book by Professor Fix is an excellent survey of the subject matter of astronomy, but does not fully employ mathematics at the level which is appropriate for this course. Supplemental mathematical discussions will be presented in class, and written formula sheets with explanations will be made available.
• I have a homepage on the WWW which will be used for posting problem sets, mathematical formula sheets, sample exams, etc. The URL is: http://www-astro.physics.uiowa.edu/ srs/.

Schedule of Topics

A tentative schedule for the lectures is presented below.
January 20-22 - The Sun, its basic character, properties of blackbody radiation and the solar atmosphere. Reading Assignment: Chapter 17, from Section 17.3 to end.
January 25 - 29 - Basic properties of stars: stellar distances, the magnitude system, stellar spectra, and the Hertzsprung-Russell diagram. Reading Assignment: Chapter 16.
February 1 - 3 - Physical processes in stellar spectra: excitation, ionization, photodissociation.
February 5 - 8 - The energy source of the Sun and stars. Properties of nuclear reactions. Reading Assignment: Chapter 17, Sections 17.1 and 17.2.
February 10 - FIRST HOUR EXAMINATION
February 12 - Nuclear reactions and the energy source of stars (continued); solar neutrino experiments.
February 15 - The mass-luminosity relation and stellar evolution.
February 17 - February 22 - Post-Main Sequence stellar evolution: the distinction between high and low mass stellar evolution. Reading Assignment: Chapter 19
February 24 - Supernovae and the idea of neutron stars. Reading Assignment: Chapter 20
February 26, March 1 - Radio Astronomy
March 3 - SECOND HOUR EXAM
March 5 - 8 - The discovery and understanding of pulsars. Reading Assignment: Chapter 20
March 10 - 12 - Black Holes.
March 22 - April 2 - The interstellar medium, material between the stars. Reading Assignment: Chapter 22, Section 22.1
April 5 - 7 - Molecules in the Interstellar Medium
April 9 - 12 - The structure of the Milky Way galaxy; distance to the galactic center and the phenomenon of spiral patterns. Reading Assignment: Chapter 22, Sections 22.2 to 22.6
April 14 - THIRD HOUR EXAM
April 16 - 21 - The mass and composition of the Milky Way and similar galaxies; rotation curves, massive halos, and the ``Dark Matter''. Reading Assignment: Chapters 22 and 23.
April 23 - 26 - Properties of galaxies Reading Assignment: Chapters 23, 25
April 28 - 30 - Extragalactic radio sources and Active Galactic Nuclei: quasars and radio galaxies. Reading Assignment: Chapter 24.
May 3 - May 7 - Cosmology: the origin and ultimate fate of the universe. Reading Assignment: Chapter 26.
May 13, High Noon - FINAL EXAMINATION

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