Download PHYSICS DEPARTMENT Syllabus: Phys 200 (3 cr

PHYSICS DEPARTMENT
Syllabus: Phys 200 (3 cr.) – Understanding the Universe
Textbook: Universe (Roger Freedman)
1.
Introduction
Astronomy and the Universe: a general introduction.
2.
Knowing the Heavens
Celestial sphere, Constellations, Seasons. Time keeping and calendars. Solar and lunar eclipses.
3.
The Copernicus Revolution
Geocentric model of the Universe. Heliocentric model of the Universe. The Kepler’s laws.
Newton laws of motion.
4.
Nature of Light
Speed of light. Blackbody radiation. Radiation laws. Particle nature of light. Simple atomic
structures. Spectral line. Doppler effect of light
5.
Telescopes
Refracting telescopes. Reflecting telescopes. Angular resolution. Various types of elescopes.
6.
Our Solar System
Terrestrial and Jovian planets. General characteristics of planets. Asteroids, comets, meteorites.
7.
Our Living Earth
Structure of the Earth’s atmosphere (greenhouse effect, ozone layers). Earth’s magnetosphere.
Structure of the Earth’s interior.
8.
Our Star: The Sun
Fusion reactor in the sun’s interior. Physical model of the sun. External layers of the sun:
Photosphere, Chromosphere, Corona and Solar Wind.
9.
Nature of the Stars
Measuring distances to the stars. Luminosities and magnitudes. Color of the stars and their
surface temperature. Spectral classes and the “Hertzsprung-Russell” diagram. Binary stars.
10.
Stellar Evolution and the Death of Stars
Birth of stars. Evolution from the main-sequence to Red Giants. Testing stellar evolution using
observed star clusters. Evolution to white Dwarfs, Neutron Stars or Black Holes.
11.
The Milky Way Galaxy (if time available)
Discovering the size of the Milky Way. The shape of the Milky Way. Spiral structure and rotation
curve. Dark matter in the Milky Way.