AST 221: Stars & the Solar System
Fall 2008, Marten van Kerkwijk
Lectures
Time: MWF12 (MW lectures and F tutorial, typically)
Place: Cody Hall (AB 107; AB is the Astronomy Building)
In this course, tutorials form an important part, being
not just help sessions, but another form of lecture. During these
hours, we will discuss specific issues that are related to the
lectures, but are typically not covered by the lectures and the text
book. The issues discussed are flexible (I am open to suggestions), and
the format is intended to be as interactive as possible.
Lecturer
Prof. Marten van Kerkwijk
Office: MP 1203B
Office hour: M1, W1, or by appointment.
Email: mhvk@astro (add .utoronto.ca). [Answers can be expected by the
next class, i.e., within one or two working days; hence, do not e-mail
about problem sets the day before they are due!]
TA
Office hour: W4:30 to 5:30 (if possible, please e-mail the TA to tell you
are coming by).
Kaitlin Kratter (problem sets 1 to 4, miterm), MP 1203A, kratter@astro (add .utoronto.ca)
Erin Mentuch (problem set 5, final), AB 230, mentuch@astro (add .utoronto.ca)
Course Description
This is a required course in
all Astronomy & Astrophysics programs. In it, physical
concepts and mathematical tools developed in first-year courses (see
prerequisites) are used to gain an understanding
of planets and stars. Issues covered include bodies in our Solar
system, planet formation, internal structure of planets and stars,
star formation, stellar evolution, and stellar corpses.
Course Textbook
An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, 2nd edition, by B. W.
Carroll & D. A. Ostlie (Addison-Wesley, 2006)
This book is rather expensive. However, it will be used as a
textbook for
this course and for AST222 (partly), as well as for AST320.
Course Website
http://www.astro.utoronto.ca/~mhvk/AST221
Lecture notes, reading assignments and problem sets will be posted
there.
Evaluation
Problem sets (35%)
Oral Presentation (10%)
Term Test (20%)
Final examination (35%)
There will be five problem sets due at the start of class on Fridays
as specified in the
Calendar (pdf will be posted there too).
Grades for sets handed in late by will be reduced by one third per
working day. You are encouraged to discuss the problem sets
with each other but are not allowed to copy each other.
There will be student presentations in the second half of the
term. These will be 10-15 minutes long (5 minutes talk + 5-10 minutes
of discussions/questions) by each group of two students, on an
approved topic. Suggested topics are
posted online, and you can
start forming your own team and inform me of your choice of topic
starting from Oct. 8th, but no later than Oct. 20th. If you decide
to drop the course (the mid-term grades will be posted Nov. 1st),
please inform your partner in time.
The mid-term will be an in-class, open-book exam of 1 hour duration
and the final exam will be a closed-book exam of 3 hours duration
(only calculator allowed).
A student who is unable to write the term test because of illness,
will be allowed to take a make-up test (likely as an oral exam)
provided s/he notifies me within one week after the
test was written. See Faculty of Arts & Science Calendar, rules
& regulations, for the procedure and required documentation.
Prerequisites: PHY 138Y1/140Y1, MAT 135Y1/137Y1
Exclusions: AST 101H1, AST 201H1