Bennet et al., The Cosmic Perspective, Fourth Edition,
Addison Wesley Publishing, is the recommended text. An abbreviated
version, Stars, Galaxies & Cosmology covers all of the material
relevant to Physics 5.
Other books which may be useful references include:
- Shu, The Physical Universe, University Science Books -- a very
physical treatment of basic astronomy; an excellent reference for students
with a stronger math background.
- Abell, Morrison, Wolff, The Exploration of the Universe, Saunders
-- updated version of a classic text; somewhat encyclopedic.
These are on reserve in the Undergraduate Library. There are shelves full
of other texts or semi-popular books on various aspects of astronomy at the
Undergraduate Library. Astronomy has been in the forefront in the use of
the internet for research and education and there are a wealth of WebSites
which can answer your questions, stimulate your interest in other areas of
astronomy, or provide you with pretty pictures. In addition, several
magazines including Scientific American, Science,
Discover, Astronomy, Sky and Telescope, and Mercury
regularly carry articles relevant to the course material. If you have a
particular question or problem, your TA or I will be happy to suggest
suitable references. In addition, bibliographies of articles and
references in various publications have been published from time to time in
Mercury magazine.
GRADING
The course grade will be determined by reading quizzes, homework,
a midterm, and a final exam.
- Homework: Each week through mastering astronomy, which comes with your textbook.
Register with class: PHYS5S07
- Quizzes: Each week on Mondays at the beginning of lecture there
will be a quiz, covering the
material covered in class for the previous week.
Quiz scores will be based on the best 7/8 Quiz Scores.
- Exams: will be mostly multiple choice or short answer, but
there may be one or more questions requiring significant discussion.
All exams will be closed book.
Grades will be calculated as follows:
| Homework |
15% |
| Quiz Scores |
15% |
| Midterm |
25% |
| Final Exam
| 45% |
| Total |
100% |
Based on past experience you may expect the mean grade in Physics 5 to be a B-,
with the rest of the grades curved appropriately.
HOW TO DO WELL IN PHYSICS 5
I suggest the following strategy:
- Reading: Read the assigned Web pages and if possible the
appropriate chapters in the book, before the relevant lecture. Review the
reading before you attempt the discussion
questions. Use the Checklist and Review Questions to check your
understanding of the material.
- Lecture: Attend Lectures and pay attention to the
key principles. If you do not understand something ask
questions. Please do not feel intimidated or self-conscious; if
something in lecture is not clear to you it is probably unclear to many
other students as well. It is far better to clarify ideas when they are
presented than to attempt reconstruction later. Concentrate more on the
material than on taking notes; my personal lecture notes will be available
from Soft Reserves. Pay attention to the slides and visual materials;
tempting as an afternoon nap may be, the slides illustrate important
physical data.
- Homework: MasteringAstronomy is a special tutoring homework
system which is different than stndard printed problems. The homework
includes visual aides, illustrations, and built-in animations to help your
understanding. Spend some time on these assignments to understand the
concepts as we are always looking to see if you "understand".
- Discussion Sections: These are your principal means for
outside help/contact. The general format will be to review the answers to
the quizes and homeworks through an interactive approach,
but it is intended that you bring questions about
the lectures, reading, etc. to the discussion section as well. Experience
shows that students who organize their questions ahead of time and
participate in the discussion obtain the greatest benefit.
- Surf the Web: We've put alot of work into the Web Pages for
Physics 5. In addition to reading the lecture web pages, follow the links to
be certain that you understand, and, dare we suggest, have a little fun too.
If you need additional help, see Prof. Smith or the TA during
office hours or make an appointment to see Prof. Smith if you cannot make
those hours.
ACADEMIC DISHONESTY
Please read the ``UCSD Policy on
Integrity of Scholarship'' in the General Catalog.
The rules covering academic honesty will be rigorously enforced. For
the purposes of this class cheating includes, but is not limited to,
submitting another person's work as your own for
grade consideration, copying from another student on assignments or exams,
and use of any unauthorized materials in an exam. Any confirmed case of
cheating will result in an ``F'' grade in Physics 5 and referral to the
appropriate dean for disciplinary action.
Ph 5 Home
Gene Smith
Last
modified: Tues., 23 March 2007
