Astronomy 311:

Exploring the Universe II –

Stars and Galaxies
Mon, Wed, Fri 12 pm
Hebb Theatre

Instructors:
Prof. Ingrid Stairs (Physics and Astronomy)
stairs@phas.ubc.ca

Dr. Peter Newbury (Carl Wieman Science

Education Initiative)
newbury@phas.ubc.ca

Classroom TA: Tessa Vernstrom

Tutorial and generally helpful TAs:
Tessa Vernstrom, Ryan Goldsbury and Cindy Tam

Sept. 8, 2010 1
 ASTR311 or ASTR310?
ASTR 311: Stars, Galaxies and
the Universe
MWF 12-1 PM, Hebb Theatre

ASTR 310: Solar System

MWF 9-10 AM, Hennings 200,
Dr. McDonald

The courses have about the same difficulty…

but the instruction styles will be different!
Sept. 8, 2010 2
 What you’ll need: all at the bookstore

Astronomy Today Lecture-Tutorials i-clicker

6th edition for Intro Astronomy

Bring these to class every time!

Sept. 8, 2010 3
 Vista

Many course-related materials will be placed on Vista

(www.elearning.ubc.ca):
• Announcements
• Course outline
• Homework assignments
• Lecture notes
• Marks
• Chat board

Go to Vista ASAP to register your i-clicker!

Sept. 8, 2010 4
 Office Hours
Ingrid Stairs: Office hours Tuesdays 2-3 pm, Henning 332.
If you can't make that time and need to see me, please send
email to stairs@phas.ubc.ca

TAs: Office hours in the reading room in Hennings 312.

Wednesdays 2-3 pm: Cindy Tam (ctam@phas.ubc.ca)
Thursdays 11 am-12 pm: Tessa Vernstrom
(tvern@phas.ubc.ca)
Thursdays 3-4 pm: Ryan Goldsbury (rgoldsb@phas.ubc.ca)

Please try to bring your questions to office hours!

Emailed questions will get answered, but
not necessarily on an “urgent” basis!
Sept. 8, 2010 5
 Marking Scheme

Final Exam (December) 45%

Midterm (Friday, Oct. 15th in-class) 2 0 %
Tutorials (6) 18%
Homework assignments (6) 10% +2% bonus
Class Participation (clickers) 7%
Lecture-tutorials: done in class, not marked (but important!)

Clicker questions: 1 point for answering, 2 points for correct answer.

Average taken over each day used toward 7% mark.
You’re allowed to miss 4 days without penalty. Today doesn’t count at all!

Exams will contain questions similar to lecture-tutorial and clicker

questions!
Sept. 8, 2010 6
 Tutorials
Tutorials are held every OTHER week starting Sept. 13th
in Hennings room 312.
18% of your grade is from tutorial work.

TAs
Tessa Vernstrom T1A Monday 11:00-12:00 Ryan & Tessa
(tvern@phas.ubc.ca) T1B Wednesday 10:00-11:00 Ryan & Cindy
Ryan T1E Friday 13:00-14:00 Tessa & Cindy
Goldsbury(rgoldsb@phas. T1F Friday 11:00-12:00 Cindy & Ryan
ubc.ca) T1G Wednesday 13:00-14:00 Cindy & Ryan
Cindy Tam
(ctam@phas.ubc.ca)

Sept. 8, 2010 7
 Homework Assignments

Short assignments will be posted every second

Friday (end of tutorial weeks), to be handed in
by 5 pm the next Friday in the ASTR 311 box outside
Hennings 312. You are responsible for downloading
the assignments; copies will not be given out in class.
First homework will be assigned Sept. 17th.

Marks: 2: (nearly) all correct

1: good effort
0.5: something handed in!
Sept. 8, 2010 8
 Policy on Missed Coursework
Clicker questions – you are allowed to miss 4 days without
penalty.

Homework – NO make up opportunities given. Late

homework not accepted.

Tutorials – At discretion of individual TA. Attend the section

in which you are registered!

Midterm – final exam to be weighted to be 65% ONLY WITH

doctor's note or other valid paperwork.
Sept. 8, 2010 9
 Academic Integrity
The UBC Academic Calendar, Part V (Academic Regulations), states, in part:
•Academic honesty is essential to the continued functioning of the University of British Columbia as an
institution of higher learning and research. All UBC students are expected to behave as honest and
responsible members of an academic community. Breach of those expectations or failure to follow the
appropriate policies, principles, rules, and guidelines of the University with respect to academic honesty
may result in disciplinary action. It is the student’s obligation to inform himself or herself of the applicable
standards for academic honesty. Students are responsible for informing themselves of the guidelines of
acceptable and non-acceptable conduct for graded assignments established by their instructors for
specific courses and of the examples of academic misconduct set out below. Academic misconduct that is
subject to disciplinary measures includes, but is not limited to, engaging in, attempting to engage in, or
assisting others to engage, in any of the actions described below. (See calendar for full description.)
•Plagiarism occurs where an individual submits or presents the oral or written work of another person as
his or her own.
Cheating includes, but is not limited to: falsification of any material subject to academic evaluation,
including research data; use of or participation in unauthorized collaborative work; use or possession in
an examination of any materials (including devices) other than those permitted by the examiner;
use, possession, or facilitation of unauthorized means to complete an examination (e.g., receiving
unauthorized assistance from another person, or providing that assistance); and dishonest practices that
breach rules governing examinations or submissions for academic evaluation.

Instructors will report under procedures established by the Dean's Office. The Dean's Office may refer
the matter to the President's Committee for possible disciplinary measures by the President.
Sept. 8, 2010 10
 What does this mean for ASTR311?
Homework and tutorials: you may talk to each other
about the problems to help each other learn, but
all answers must be written up on your own,
in your own words.

Exams: absolutely on your own.

Lecture-Tutorials are collaborative.

Clicker questions are alone and in pairs.

Students suspected of copying or cheating

will be subject to academic penalties.
Sept. 8, 2010 11
 What will you learn?
Stars, galaxies, black holes, the Universe… but there are some
overall learning goals, too. You’ll be able to:

• Provide examples of good scientific theories and explain why they are
good.

• Recognize the central role of gravity in the Universe and how it has
affected the progress of astronomy.

• Be curious enough to look up at the night sky (or use the telescope at
the Space Centre Friday or Saturday nights) and know that there’s a lot
up there beyond stars, planets and the Moon.

• Be able to deconstruct astronomical phenomena to a small number of

fundamental concepts and relate them to everyday life.

• Recognize the huge range of distances and times involved in

astronomy.
Sept. 8, 2010 12
 How many stars are there in the
Solar System?

A) 0
B) 1
C) 8
D) 9
E) 100 billion

Sept. 8, 2010 13
Lecture-Tutorial: Sun Size
(page 105)

Sept. 8, 2010 14
 Suppose you're making a model of the
Solar System using a 2-cm cherry for the
Moon. What is the diameter of the ball
you need for the Sun?

A) 4 cm
B) 30 cm
C) 220 cm
D) 440 cm
E) 880 cm

Sept. 8, 2010 15