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Course Criteria
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3.00 Credits
Asian Studies senior thesis.
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3.00 Credits
Asian Studies independent study.
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3.00 Credits
Asian Studies independent study.
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3.00 Credits
What makes a star shine? For how long will the Sun keep shining? What are black holes and how can they form? Astronomy 101, a non-major, general introduction to the part of contemporary astronomy that includes how stars form and how they end their existence, will provide answers to these questions and more. The course gives special attention to the exciting discoveries of the past few years. Topics include modern astronomical instruments such as the Hubble Space Telescope, the Chandra X-ray Observatory, the Herschel Space Observatory, the Kepler mission to discover extrasolar planets, the new generation of 8- and 10-meter mountaintop telescopes, and results from them; how astronomers interpret the light received from distant celestial objects; the Sun as a typical star (and how its future will affect ours); and our modern understanding of how stars work and how they change with time. We will also discuss how pulsars and black holes result from the evolution of normal, massive stars and how giant black holes are at the center of galaxies and quasars. We will discuss the discovery of planets around stars other than the Sun. We regularly discuss the latest news briefs and developments in astronomy and relate them to the topics covered in the course. This course is independent of and on the same level as Astronomy 102 and 104, and students who have taken those courses are welcome. Observing sessions will include use of the 24-inch telescope and other telescopes for observations of stars, star clusters, planets and their moons, nebulae, and galaxies, as well as daytime observations of the Sun.
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3.00 Credits
It has been less than a century since the Sun was discovered not to be at the center of the Milky Way Galaxy, and the Milky Way Galaxy was determined to be only one of countless "island universes" in space. A host of technological advances is enabling us to understand even more clearly our place in the universe and how the universe began. For example, the Hubble Space Telescope, the Herschel Space Observatory, and the Chandra X-ray Observatory bring clearer images and cover a wider range of the spectrum than has ever been obtainable before; they are speeding up progress on determining the past and future of the Universe. They are confirming and enlarging our understanding of the Big Bang. In addition, the Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe and Planck spacecraft's study of the early Universe and large-scale mapping programs such as the Sloan Digital Sky Survey are giving clues into how the Universe's currently observed structure arose. Astronomy 104, a non-major, general introduction to part of contemporary astronomy comprising the study of galaxies and the Universe, explores the answers to questions like: What is the Milky Way?; Why are quasars so luminous?; Is the Universe made largely of "dark matter" and "dark energy"?; What determines the ultimate fate of the Universe? How have studies of Cepheid variables and distant supernovae with the Hubble Space Telescope determine that the Universe is 13.7 billion years old and indicated that the Universe's expansion is accelerating. We regularly discuss the latest news briefs and developments in astronomy and relate them to the topics covered in the course. This course is independent of, and on the same level as Astronomy 101 and 102, and students who have taken those courses are welcome. Observing sessions will include use of the 24-inch telescope and other telescopes for observations of stars, star clusters, planets and their moons, nebulae, and galaxies, as well as daytime observations of the Sun. Observing sessions will include use of the 24-inch telescope and other telescopes for observations of stars, star clusters, planets and their moons, nebulae, and galaxies, as well as daytime observations of the Sun.
Prerequisite:
Not open to students who have taken or are taking ASTR 330
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3.00 Credits
How do stars work? This course is a survey of some of the main ideas in modern astrophysics, with an emphasis on the observed properties and evolution of stars; this course is the first in the Astrophysics and Astronomy major sequences. It is also appropriate for students planning to major in one of the other sciences or mathematics, and for others who would like a quantitative introduction that emphasizes the relationship of contemporary physics to astronomy. Topics include radiation laws and stellar spectra, astronomical instrumentation, physical characteristics of the Sun and other stars, star formation and evolution, nucleosynthesis, white dwarfs and planetary nebulae, pulsars and neutron stars, supernovae, relativity, and black holes. Observing sessions include use of the 24-inch and other telescopes for observations of stars, nebulae, planets and galaxies, as well as daytime observations of the Sun.
Prerequisite:
A year of high school Physics, or concurrent college Physics, or permission of instructor, and Mathematics 104 or equivalent
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3.00 Credits
A focused investigation of the possibility of life arising elsewhere in our Galaxy, and the chances of our detecting it. In this course, pairs of students will explore the astronomical and biochemical requirements for the development of Earth-like life. We will consider the conditions on other planets within our solar system as well as on newly-discovered planets circling other stars. We will also analyze the famous "Drake Equation," which calculates the expected number of extraterrestrial civilizations, and attempt to evaluate its components. Finally, we will examine current efforts to detect signals from intelligent alien civilizations and contemplate humanity's reactions to a positive detection.
Prerequisite:
Astronomy 111 or Biology 101-102, Chemistry 101-102, or Geosciences 101 or equivalent science preparation.; instructor's permission required
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3.00 Credits
A famous dichotomy between the sciences and the humanities, and public understanding of them, was laid down by C. P. Snow and has been widely discussed, with ignorance of the second law of thermodynamics compared with ignorance of Shakespeare. In this seminar, we will consider several aspects of science and scientific culture, including how scientific thinking challenges the claims of pseudoscience. We will consider C. P. Snow and his critics as well as the ideas about the Copernican Revolution and other paradigms invented by Thomas Kuhn. We will discuss the recent "Science Wars" over the validity of scientific ideas. We will consider the fundamental originators of modern science, including Tycho, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton, viewing their original works in the Chapin Library of rare books and comparing their interests in science with what we now call pseudoscience, like alchemy. We will review the history and psychology of astrology and other pseudosciences. Building on the work of Martin Gardner in Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science, and using the current journal The Scientific Review of Alternative Medicine, we consider from a scientific point of view what is now called complementary or alternative medicine, including both older versions such as chiropractic and newer nonscientific practices. We will discuss the current global-cliamte-change deniers and their effects on policy. We consider such topics as GM (genetically modified) foods, the safety and regulation of dietary supplements, and the validity of government and other recommendations relevant to the roles of dietary salt and fat in health. We consider the search for extraterrestrial intelligence (SETI) and reports of UFO's and aliens. We consider the possible effects that superstitious beliefs have on the general public's cooperation in vaccination programs and other consequences of superstition. We also consider the recently increased range of dramas that are based on scientific themes, such as Tom Stoppard's Arcadia and Michael Frayn's Copenhagen.
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3.00 Credits
The matter between the stars--the interstellar medium--manifests itself in many interesting and unexpected ways, and, as the detritus of stars, its properties and behavior hold clues to the history and future evolution of both stars and the galaxies that contain them. Stars are accompanied by diffuse matter all through their lifetimes, from their birthplaces in dense molecular clouds, to the stellar winds they eject with varying ferocity as they evolve, to their final fates as they shed their outer layers, whether as planetary nebulae or dazzling supernovae. As these processes go on, they enrich the interstellar medium with the products of the stars' nuclear fusion. The existence of life on Earth is eloquent evidence of this chemical enrichment. In this course we will study the interstellar medium in its various forms. We will discuss many of the physical mechanisms that produce the radiation we observe from diffuse matter, including radiative ionization and recombination, collisional excitation of "forbidden" lines, collisional ionization, and synchrotron radiation. This course is observing-intensive. Throughout the semester students will work in small groups to design, carry out, analyze, and critique their own observations of the interstellar medium using the equipment on our observing deck.
Prerequisite:
Physics 201
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3.00 Credits
No course description available.
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