Description:
An introduction to stars and stellar evolution, the structure and evolution of the Milky Way Galaxy and other galaxies; quasars, active galactic nuclei, and supermassive black holes; cosmology and the expanding universe. Students who are interested in exploring these topics at greater length and with more extensive quantitative analysis may wish to consider ASTR 210 and ASTR 220.
Pace of Quantitative Training:
This course includes a significant amount of quantitative reasoning (QR). The students’ QR abilities are developed through the problem sets, the weekly discussion sections and by using specific QR materials made available on the course website. Sections will provide the opportunity for students to develop skills through regular practice in quantitative problem solving. During the course, the students develop problem solving methodologies that can be applied to their homework, class work, exams and ultimately to real world problems outside of the course.
Expected Quantitative Preparation:
No preparation beyond high school algebra and geometry is expected. Students should be able to rearrange formulae, express large numbers in scientific notation and convert quantities from one unit to another (e.g. km/hr to m/s). Most of the class material employs these types of mathematical techniques. Below are problems that students should be able to solve before beginning this course. If you have any concerns about your preparation for this course, please contact the instructor to discuss this or to obtain review materials.