Course Syllabus
29:52 Characteristics and Origins of the Solar System
Fall Semester 2001

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

Characteristics and Origins of the Solar System is an introductory course in the astronomy of the solar system, intended for students who are majoring in fields other than the natural sciences. The astronomy of the solar system is one of the most exciting fields in all science nowadays, ranking with molecular biology and genetics. New results from spacecraft are coming in daily, and may be seen on the front page of the New York Times. It is highly likely that major discoveries in solar system astronomy will be made during the lifetimes of current college students, discoveries which might profoundly affect the world view of humanity. This course will prepare students to better comprehend the nature and significance of those discoveries. General Course Information

1. Lectures are from 10:30 to 11:20 AM Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in Room 70 of Van Allen Hall.
2. The required textbook for the course is Voyages to the Planets by A. Fraknoi, D. Morrison, and S. Wolff.
3. Office hours for Professor Spangler are 2:30 - 3:30 Tuesday and Thursday afternoon, or by appointment if these times are inconvenient.
4. One hour exams will be held in the regular class period on October 8 and November 16.
5. The final exam will be held on Friday, December 21 at 4:30 PM in Room 70.
6. Homework will be assigned, collected and graded. Homework exercises will consist of computational exercises and thought problems. The purpose of these exercises is to get you to actively think about what is presented in class. Students are encouraged to work in groups of 2 to 3 on these.
7. Students are encouraged to visit the observatory on the roof of Van Allen Hall to see the objects discussed in this class. A laboratory instructor will be on duty on clear nights, Monday through Thursday, at 9:00 PM. The roof of Van Allen Hall may be reached from a stairway at the east end of the 7th floor. The roof is kept dark during observing sessions, so be careful where you step and be alert for changes in elevation. In addition, I plan to organize a number of observing sessions at the observatory of the Cedar Amateur Astronomers.
8. There is a World Wide Web homepage associated with the course, http://www-astro.physics.uiowa.edu/ srs/. Go to the link for 29:52. The website contains lecture notes and homework assignments. It also serves as a gateway to other astronomical links such as the Mars Pathfinder and Hubble Space Telescope homepages.
9. I would like to hear from anyone who has a disability which may require some modification of seating, testing, or other class requirements so that appropriate arrangements may be made. Please see me after class or during office hours.
10. As a physical science, astronomy has progressed through the application of mathematics to natural phenomena. Arguably the greatest discovery ever made about nature was that the universe obeys relatively simple mathematical laws. This discovery permitted the development of science and its attendant technologies. Use of mathematics is necessary, even in an introductory course, to convey a sense of how the physical sciences proceed to describe the universe. However, the mathematics employed will be intentionally easy and non-threatening. If you can fill out an income tax return, you can do the calculations in this course.

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