SPS 1020: Intro to Space Sciences

Syllabus: Summer 2008

Instructor: Dr. Matt A. Wood

Office Hours: MWF 11-12, or by appt.

Place: PS 405

Time: MWF 2:00-3:35 p.m.

Text: Universe: The Solar System (3rd Ed.) by R. Freedman and W. Kaufmann III

 

Topics

• Week 1: Astronomy and the Universe, and Knowing the Heavens
• Week 2: Eclipses and the Motion of the Moon, and Gravitation and Planetary Motions
• Week 3: The Nature of Light, Optics and Telescopes
• Week 4: Comparative Planetology
• Week 5: The Living Earth and Our Barren Moon
• Week 6: Mercury, Venus, and Mars
• Week 7: The Gas Giants and Kuiper Belt Objects
• Week 8: The Sun and the Search for Extraterrestrial Life
• Week 9: Final Exam

Weights contributing to course grade:

Homework	25%
Quizzes	20%
Midterm	25%
Final	30%

Note #2: Homework is due by the beginning of class on due date or it's late!

 

Homework penalty schedule:

 

1 day late	-10%
2 days late	-20%
3 days late	-40%
4 days late	-60%
5+ days late	-80%

Exams:

Midterm: Tentatively Friday, June 6, 2008
Final Exam: Tentatively Wednesday July 9, 2008

Quiz Dates

Expect a 10-minute quiz every Friday that class meets over material covered since the previous quiz or exam.

 

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