NATS 1311-From the Cosmos to Earth Dr. Phillip Anderson.

NATS 1311-From the Cosmos to Earth

Dr. Phillip Anderson

NATS 1311-From the Cosmos to Earth

Fall 2008– INSTRUCTOR:

– Dr. Phillip C. Anderson 972-883-2875 — Room ECSN2.926 (and WSTC 2.716) email: [email protected]

– TEACHING ASSISTANTS:

– Lecture: Yuan-Jung (Michael) Chang 469-222-0045 — Room ESCN2.808 email: [email protected]

– Labs: Hengji Zhang – Room ESCN2.804

– OFFICE HOURS:– Dr. Anderson: Tuesday/Thursday 10:00 AM – 11:00 PM and by appointment

– TAs - TBD

mailto:[email protected]

mailto:[email protected]

NATS 1311 - From the Cosmos to Earth

Fall 2008TEXT:

– The Cosmic Perspective: Bennett, Donahue, Schneider, Voit, 4th Edition

– Slides will be available on web at www.utdallas.edu/~pca015000

GRADING:

– Exams (3) 2 Exams(Sep 23, Oct 30) @ 25% each = 50%

Final Exam (Dec 16 @ 8am) = 30%

– Quizzes = 10%

Short quizzes may be given during any class period

– Homework = 10%

– ATTENDANCE WILL BE MANDATORY.

A seating chart will be made on the second day of class and attendance will be taken from this chart. It will be used to decide whether to raise or lower grades on the cusp.

– There will be no extra credit work available. Your grade will depend on the above evaluations.


Please take your seat in one of the first eight rows.This will be your assigned seat where you will sit throughout the semester. Role will be taken based on this seating.

Follow the links to each class’s notes(at www.utdallas.edu/~pca015000)They will be available at least the day before the class.

Any movies in the notes will be separated out and put in a separate directory. They can be played with Quicktime.


For the benefit of your fellow students and your instructors, please practice common courtesy with regard to all class interactions.

– Please be sure your cell phone is OFF.

– Be on time for class.

– Do not leave class early. Attendance may be checked at any time.

– If you must miss a class inform Dr. Anderson in advance by phone or e-mail.

– Please do not use your laptops and the wireless network to play games, attend chat rooms, etc… It is important to pay attention in class. We will move quickly and each new topic will build on concepts previously covered. If you fall behind at any time, you will find it difficult to catch up. Quizzes may by given at any time and may cover topics from the current or a previous class.


Exams and Quizzes

The exams will be held on September 23rd and October 30th.

The final will be on December 16 @ 8:00 AM.

We will have 1 or 2 optional review sessions before each exam.

There will be ~10 quizzes. I will drop the worst three.

The exams and quizzes will deal only with subjects covered in class.

However, you should read the relevant portions of the text before and/or after class as they will provide you with more detailed descriptions of the covered subjects. A slightly different description may also give you a better understanding of the subject matter.


This course can be a fun and rewarding experience. Few topics have inspired humans throughout the ages so much as the mysteries of the heavens. You will be provided with the opportunity to explore these mysteries in depth and learn about many important concepts from physics and astronomy using some simple mathematics. We will be occasionally performing laboratory experiments in class demonstrating relevant principles of physics.

However, it is also a demanding course. We will move quickly and each new topic will build on concepts previously covered. If you fall behind at any time, you will find it difficult to catch up. You are expected to pay attention in class and study for every class. We may have quizzes at any time.


FALL 2008 - HOMEWORK PROJECT

Select an atticle from a newspaper or a news magazine dealing with science and its relationship with society, that is, with the environment, weather, global warming, space exploration, health, dna, genetic engineering, etc. Articles dealing with purely social issues will not be accepted.

Write a report on the article. The report must contain:1. Title of the article.

2. Name of publication (Dallas Morning News, New York Times, Time, Newsweek. Reports from the internet are acceptable.

3. Date of publication.

4. A paragraph of two or three sentences on the main theme of the article and how it relates to a current science issue.

5. Your name and assigned seat number in the upper right hand corner.


FALL 2008 — HOMEWORK PROJECT

Attach a copy of the article to the report. Please staple the article to the report before coming to class. We do not have a stapler in class.

Reports are due every Thursday starting on August 28 with the last one due on December 4.

Late reports will not be accepted. A report is considered late if not handed in by the end of class (10:45 am) on the date due.


SYLLABUS - Fall 2008Chapter

1. Introduction - • Overview of the mysteries of the Universe 1• Exploration of Nature, Science –

A Way of Knowing• Fundamental quantities• Measurement units• Scales of distances

2. The Sky and the Calendar 2/3• Coordinate Systems – Celestial Sphere• Motions of earth – Rotation, Revolution, Precession• Eclipses• Time – Day, Year, Calendar• Seasons



3. The Universe – A sense of time. 3• Early Models of the Universe

— Greek Astronomers - Ptolemaic Model — Heliocentric Model - Copernicus, Tyco Brahe,

• The Origin of Modern Astronomy— Galileo, Kepler— Kepler’s Laws of Planetary Motion

4. The Material World 4• Particles of Matter – Atoms, Atomic Structure• Atomic Spectra – Hydrogen Atom• What is Inside the Atom?• The Nucleus – Geochronology, Stability, • Radioactivity, Fission, Fusion


SYLLABUS - Fall 2008

Chapter

5. Order in the Universe – Newton 5• Motion - Velocity, Acceleration• Force, Work, Energy, Power• Newton’s Laws of Motion• Gravity, Tides

6. Exploring the Universe 6,75. Waves and wave motion6. Electromagnetic radiation, Spectrum7. Light8. Radiation – Black Body, Planck’s Law9. Wien and Stefan-Boltzmann Law10. Telescopes and Observatories



7. The Solar System • Overview 8 • Planetary Geology - Terrestrial Planets –

Mercury, Venus, Mars 10• Planetary atmospheres 11• Jovian Planets – Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus,

Neptune, Pluto 12• Comets, Meteorites, Asteroids 13• Life in the Universe 14

8. The Sun 15Properties of the sunEnergy production


SYLLABUS - Fall 2008

Chapter

9. The Stars 16,17• Magnitudes, Color temperature• Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram• Birth, Youth and Middle age of Stars• Death of Stars 18• White Dwarfs, Neutron Stars, Black Holes

11. Cosmology, Big Bang Theory, Missing Mass 23


NATS 1111 - From the Cosmos to Earth LabSyllabus - FALL 2008

The NATS 1111 lab is to be taken concurrently with NATS 1311 – From the Cosmos to the Earth. It consists of seven laboratory experiments and one project to be performed throughout the semester off campus. These experiments are fun, thought provoking, and demonstrate many important concepts from physics and astronomy. Grading will be based on attendance and lab reports. We will have labs every other week with a project to be performed at home. There will also be two opportunities to make up missed labs. Labs will not be accepted late without prior arrangements

NATS 1311 - From the Cosmos to Earth Experiments

1. Cubes – Learn about deductive reasoning.

2. Measurement and Prediction - Explore the necessity for accurate and reliable data from measurements in order to make predictions. Measure the density of several objects.

3. Conservation of Energy/Momentum - Study laws of conservation of momentum and energy. Determine speed of a ball by 2 different methods. Find percentage difference between the two values of speed.

4. Spectral Lines - Observe and record spectra from several light sources. Become familiar with Kirchhoff’s Laws

5. Lenses/Telescope - Study the characteristics of lenses and mirrors. Combine lenses to make a telescope.

6. Pressure of the Atmosphere - Determine the relationship, i.e., the formula, between the pressure and volume of a confined sample of air.

7. Star charts – Learn how to use constellation charts.


Project (choose one):

8a. Sunrise/sunset – Plot the location and time of the sun at sunrise or sunset (once per week).

8b. Moon location/phases - Plot the location and phase of moon over complete synodic month, i. e., from new moon to new moon (every other day).


Lab Project 8a

1. Find a location from where you can observe either the sunrise or sunset. Note some landmarks, such as trees or light poles, etc. Make a sketch of the location and on the sketch plot the position on the horizon that the sun either rises or sets (morning or evening). Record the date and the time when you first see the sun rise or last see it set. Do this about once per week consistent with weather conditions. You MUST have at least 3 months of observations.

2. Write a three to four page paper on:

A. How and where you made your observations.B. How did the sunrise or sunset position change with time?C. How fast did it change? Was the change uniform over the three month period?D. Why did the sunrise or sunset position move as you observed it.E. What problems did you encounter in doing this project and how did you solve those problems?

3. The project is to be turned in at the final on December 16.


Lab Project 8b

1. Plot the location and phase of moon over a complete synodic month, e.g., from new moon to new moon on an all-sky diagram as shown below. In an all-sky diagram, zenith is at the center and the edge of the circle is the horizon with the compass points indicated as in the figure. Estimate the compass direction of the moon (use a compass or the north star) and the angle of the moon above the horizon. Plot its location on the diagram using:

(distance from edge of the circle to moon location)/radius = (angle above the horizon)/90

location around circle = cardinal direction (N,S,E,W)

NATS 1311 - From the Cosmos to Earth In the example in the diagram, the moon is in the southeast, 30 degrees

above the horizon.

Draw a picture of the moon at the location as it appears, in other words its phase. Do it at the same time every night. Obviously there will be times when the weather does not cooperate but there should be at least 15 nights in which you perform the observation.


2. Write a three to four page paper on:

A. How and where you made your observations.

B. How did the moon’s position and appearance change with time?

C. How fast did they change? Was the change uniform over the observation period?

D. Why did the moon’s position and appearance move as you observed it?

E. What problems did you encounter in doing this project and how did you solve those problems?

3. The project is to be turned in at the final on December 16.


MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS

ENGLISH Developed in England – Used in the United States

METRIC Developed after the French Revolution (1791)

INTERNATIONAL (SI - Systéme International d'Unités)

The modern version of the metric system - formally established in 1960 by the International Conference on Weights and Measures


FUNDAMENTAL QUANTITIES

QUANTITY UNIT DEFINITION

Length MeterLength of the path traveled by light in a vacuum during 1/299,792,458 second

MassKilogra

m

Kilogram =1000 grams1 gram = mass of 1 cubic centimeter of water at 4C.

Time SecondTime for a cesium atom to make 9,192,631,770 vibrations

Force NewtonForce to accelerate 1 kilogram by 1 meter per second per second

Energy JouleAmount of work done by a force of 1 Newton acting over a distance of 1 meter

Temperature Kelvin 1/273 of temperature of freezing point of water

NATS 1311 - From the Cosmos to Earth SCALES OF DISTANCE

Astronomical Unit

AU Average distance between the Earth and the Sun

Light Year LY Distance light travels in one Year1 LY = 186,000 Miles/Second x 31,500,000 Seconds = 5.8 x 1012 Miles

Parsec PC Distance of an object that would have a stellar parallax of 1 Second of Arc1 PC = 3.26 LY = 206,000 AU

Angstrom A A distance of 1x10-8 cmVisible Light has wavelengths from 4000 to 7000 A

Nanometer nm A distance of 10-9 meter or 10-7 cmVisible light has wavelengths from 400 to 700 nm

Note that from henceforth, we will use metric units:1 mile = 1.61 km1 foot = 0.305 m1 inch = 2.54 cm


EXPONENTIAL NOTATION

1,000,000,000 109 giga G

1,000,000 106 mega M

1,000 103 kilo k

100 102 hecto h

10 101 deka da

1 100 - -

0.1 10-1 deci d

0.01 10-2 centi c

0.001 10-3 milli m

0.000001 10-6 micro

0.000000001 10-9 nano n


Our Place in the Cosmos


From Earth to the Moon our natural satellite 1.25 secondsFrom Earth to the Sun the centre of our Solar System 8.3 minFrom the Sun to Jupiter the largest planet 41 minFrom the Sun to Saturn the furthest naked eye planet 85 min

From the Sun to Plutothe furthest of the Sun's planets

5.5 hr

From the Sun to Alpha Centauri the nearest star to us 4.3 yrFrom the Sun to Sirius the brightest star in our sky 8.6 yrDistance where the Sun would no longer be visible to naked eye 60 yrFrom the Sun to Polaris the north pole star 650 yrFrom the Sun to the Galactic centre

the centre of our Galaxy 31,000 yr

Galactic diameter the diameter of our Galaxy 81,500 yrTo the Andromeda Galaxy the nearest large galaxy 2,200,000 yr

Extinction of the dinosaurs 65,000,000 yr

To Q0134+329 typical quasar 4,500,000,000 yrFormation of the Earth and Sun 4,700,000,000 yrTo remotest quasars discovered in 1998 14,000,000,000 yrEdge of Universe limit of observable Universe 15,000,000,000 yr

Light Travel Time


1.25 s


The Solar System

8.3 min

41 min

85 min

5.5 hr


Alpha Centauri - closest star - 4.3 LY

Our Milky Way Galaxy


The Milky Way


Spiral Galaxies Similar to the Milky Way

View from above

Edge view


The Milky Way

The Sun is located on the Orion spiral arm

about 30,000 LY from the galactic center

It takes about 230 million years for the sun to

complete one orbit around the galactic center

NATS 1311 - From the Cosmos to Earth Other Galaxies in

Our Local Group

The Andromeda Galaxy 2.3 million LY away

A Ring Galaxy


Deep field view - about 10 billion LY away


In our galaxy there are about 200 billion stars

In our universe there are over 100 billion galaxies

There are more stars in the universe than there are grains of sand on the Earth


If the Universe was one year old (instead of 15 billion years)

The Cosmic Calendar (Carl Sagan)

NATS 1311-From the Cosmos to Earth Dr. Phillip Anderson.

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