Welcome to Astronomy “ It would seem that you have no useful skill or talent whatsoever, he said. Have you thought of going into teaching?” Mort, by Terry Pratchett

Is this what comes to mind?

Science involves NOT taking what you hear or read at face value, but TESTING it

Astronomy 113 ➲ Lecturer: Dr. Mike Reed Office: 103L Kemper Hall Phone: ➲ Clicker- you need one. Get it registered. ➲ Textbook: On-line and free! Linked in to the course web page.

➲ The internet will be used extensively in this class. Lecture notes will be posted after class. Grades will be posted there, NOT Blackboard. Please let me know if you need help accessing the web, or if the web pages are not working.

Grading ➲ Test- 400 points There will be 3 tests (the final is vaguely comprehensive). Tests will be part multiple choice, part short answer. Make-up tests are all short answer! ➲ Homework- 200 points 8 Homework assignments. These will be using the clickers.... and on paper. ➲ Quizzes- 200 points There will be 22 quizzes given throughout the semester. The 2 lowest quiz scores will be dropped at the end of the semester. You must use your clickers for these (allowed 2 exceptions). ➲ Activities- 100 points Based on answers, not effort.

Grading Based on answers, not effort. 900 points total. Only 400 from tests. Attendance is important.

Group Activities There will be two group activities (50 points each). You will work in groups to complete the activity and turn in one set of written answers with your names on it.

Spelling and Grammar ➲ Spelling and grammar will be graded any time you do writing. It will be worth points.

Any questions on grading or work?

My responsibilities: ➲ Be on time. ➲ Have lectures prepared. ➲ Encourage questions. ➲ Have tests and homeworks promptly graded so you can review them while they are still fresh in your mind. ➲ Grade fairly with clear criteria.

Your responsibilities ➲ Be responsible adults. ➲ Don't talk while others are (including me). ➲ You don't need to tell me about coming late, leaving early, or not coming to class (unless you will have an extended absence). There are no excused absences.

Your responsibilities ➲ Bring your clicker to class everyday. You will be allowed two non-clicker quizzes. (I keep track.) ➲ Please leave your cell phone on silent and put away. This is University policy. ➲ No computers or tablets in class. If you need yours for taking notes, talk to me.

This is a University ➲ There is no extra credit work. ➲ You are responsible for your own progress in this class. I am not going to be sympathetic if you come to me the last week of class because you're failing and tell me you need a B to stay in your fraternity/sorority. ➲ If you miss work because you choose not to come to class (or show up late or leave early), you cannot make it up. ➲ It is your responsibility to make sure your work is legible and in the correct format. Not mine.

Get help if you need it. ➲ You're paying my salary. You're quite welcome to come by my office and get help- even outside of office hours. ➲ You can also try the Bear Paw.

Math ➲ Like French is the language of love, Math is the language of science. Though we will treat phenomena descriptively, there are some things that need a mathematical explanation. ➲ There is a math review on the web page.

Textbook reading ➲ We are using a free on-line textbook this semester. ➲ This week- read Chapter 1, except the first (Life on Mars) and last (Errors and Statistics) sections.

Let's start with some simple concepts.

What shape is the Earth?

Prove it!

What is science?

Google says, “the intellectual and practical activity encompassing the systematic study of the structure and behavior of the physical and natural world through observation and experiment.” more concise (by me): understanding the world around us using observation, experiment, and deductive reasoning.

The easy questions How big is the Earth?

The easy questions How big is the Earth? The Earth is about 6.4 million meters in radius.