Aim of the course

This is a required course in all of the Astronomy & Astrophysics programs.  In this course, students will learn to apply basic physical concepts and simple mathematical tools to develop an understanding of planets and stars. Issues covered include bodies in our Solar system, planet formation, internal structure of planets and stars, star formation and stellar evolution.

Exclusion: AST 101H1, AST 201H1

Grading

. Problem sets (50%)

. Oral Presentation (15%)

. Term Test (10%)

. Final examination (25%)

There will be 8 problem sets due Fridays. You can either bring them to the Friday lecture, or slip them under my office door (MP 1210) by 5PM.  Late penalty is 15% reduction per day. You are strongly encouraged to collaborate on the problem sets but are not allowed to copy each other. The University has strict guidelines and grave punishments for academic misconduct.

We will run student presentation at the second half of the term. This will be a 10 minutes presentation (5 minutes talk + 5 minutes of discussions/questions) by each group of two students, on a topic which is approved by me. Suggested topics are posted online, and you can start forming your own team and inform me of your topic choice, no earlier than Oct. 17th (8AM), and no later than Oct. 19th (11:59pm). The mid-term grades will be posted by Friday Oct. 29th, so if you drop the course, please be kind and inform your partner in-time. Moreover, TAs are happy to provide guidance/help on your talk, during the normal TA office hours.

The mid-term (Oct. 19th, usual hour/room) will be an in-class, open-booked exam of 1 hour duration; the final exam will be a closed-book exam of 3 hours duration (calculator allowed, no cheat-sheet) during the exam period.

A student who is unable to write the  term test because of illness will be allowed to take a make-up test provided she/he notifies Prof. Wu within one week after the test was written. In addition, the University of Toronto Student Medical Certificate or a note from the registrar must be presented within one  week after the missed test. The UofT Medical certificate is available at Health Services, the Office of the Faculty Registrar, College Registrar's Offices, in the Registration Handbook and Timetable and from the web (http://www.utoronto.ca/health/medcert.htm)

Textbook

Introduction to Modern Astrophysics, Carroll & Ostlie, 2nd edition, 2006

Contact: who, when, where

Instructor: Prof. Yanqin Wu;  

Lectures: M/W/F 12-1pm, AB107

Email: wu_at_astro.utoronto.ca

Office hours:  Wed. 2-3pm, MP1210

Teaching Assistants: both graduate students from the Department of Astronomy & Astrophysics.

Alysa Obertas (obertas_at_astro.utoronto.ca); Ryan Cloutier (cloutier_at_astro.utoronto.ca)

Help sessions: group work, Wed. 4-5pm, MP134

Office hours:  individual drop-in, Wed. 5-6pm, MP134

Friday tutorials: an important part of the course. They are another form of lecture, not just help sessions. During these hours, we will discuss specific issues that are related to the lectures, but are typically not covered by the lectures. The issues discussed are flexible (I am open to suggestions), and the format is intended to be as interactive as possible.

Weekly Help sessions: these will be led by a TA. During the session, you could sit together with a small group of friends and collaborate on the problem set. TA will be in the room to explain the concepts, and to provide diagnostics. If a common problem emerge, the TA will hold a short tutorial during the help session. These help sessions are the best way to interact with the TAs and your fellow students.

Office hours: If you wish to talk to me or the TA individually, please visit us during the office hours; failing that, you can try to arrange an appointment with us by email. Do not expect detailed answers to course-related questions by e-mail.