Room 207 (top floor) of Hutcheson Hall.
Here is
a
map.
How can I get extra credit for this course?
There are two ways to get extra credit in this class. There are 12 scheduled
evening labs during the semester, but only 10 are required for full credit--
the 11th and 12th are extra credit (or make-ups, if you missed a lab).
In addition, you can earn up to 3 percent extra credit by
class participation, which includes helping with class demonstrations,
speaking up in class, or good attendance.
How can I find the web
pages of various observatories?
Here are some useful
links,
which will connect you to the web pages for various observatories and other
relevant places.
What is the format
of the quizzes?
How many questions will they have?
The quizzes will consist of 20
multiple choice questions.
Be sure to study the
practice quiz problems
before each quiz.
Do you have any suggestions for how to prepare for the quizzes?
a) Take notes during lectures.
b) Keep up with the reading assignments; do the reading right after class
each day. Take notes as you read the textbook.
c) After doing the reading assignment, review your class notes. Take
note of anything in the book that was not covered in class, or vice versa.
If anything is unclear to you after reading the book, send me an email at
smithbj@etsu.edu, or ask me after the next class meeting.
d) Be sure to try the review questions at the back of each chapter in the book.
e) Use the study guide as a checklist, to be sure you have reviewed
all of the material that will be covered on the quiz.
On a piece of paper, write down the definitions of the
each of the terms listed on the study guide.
f) After you have finished all the above, then try the practice
quiz problems. Check your answers. Let me know if anything is still
unclear.
I was sick and
missed a quiz. Can I take
a makeup?
Do not worry about missing a single quiz.
The lowest two quiz grades
OR
your grade on the final will be dropped. There will
be NO
individual makeups for the quizzes
or homeworks. Instead, the final is, in a sense,
a general `makeup' for
everyone in the class. If you are sick
and missed a quiz or homework, take it easy
and get healthy, and don't worry about it.
Missing one quiz
will not hurt your grade.
I urge you, however, to take every quiz unless there
is an extreme emergency, in case other unforeseen problems
arise later on in the semester.
When is the
final for this course?
The final will be given Thursday December 12
at 1:20 PM.
MARK THIS DATE AND TIME ON YOUR CALENDAR.
Can I take the final earlier than the
scheduled time? (or later?)
The final must be taken at the regularly scheduled time.
There will be NO make-ups
or early exams.
Remember, the lowest of either
the lowest
two quiz grades
OR
the
grade on the final will be dropped,
so if you take all of the quizzes, you do not need to take
the final.
I suggest, however,
that you take the final even
if you have
taken all of the quizzes unless you have an A average.
There is always the possibility that by taking the final
you will improve your
grade.
Do
you have any suggestions that may help me study
for the final?
One hint
is that the final will cover the same material that was covered in
the quizzes (plus the additional material covered in class after
the last quiz).
In studying for the final, make sure you understand the
answers to the quiz problems, and review
the six study guides
again. Go over
the problems that you got wrong on the quiz, and make sure you
understand the correct answers. If you are uncertain about the
answers to any
quiz problem, get in touch with me.
The final is worth two quiz grades, that is, it will replace the
lowest two quiz grades if one does well. What if the final
exam score is only higher than ONE of the quiz grades?
(What if all the quiz grades save one are higher than the final exam score?)
If the final grade is higher than the sum
of the two lowest quiz grades, then it will
replace both of them. Otherwise, the two
grades will stand. For example, if your
lowest quiz grades are 5 and 16, and you get a
20 (out of 40 problems) on the final, then the final won't replace
them. But if you get a 22 on the final, it
will replace them.
Is the final cumulative?
Yes, it may contain questions on anything we covered during
the entire semester.
Because of an emergency,
I missed my lab (or will have to miss my lab).
Can I go to lab
on a different night?
Students are *NOT* permitted to attend
a different lab section. If you miss a lab, you can make it up
by
attending the 11th or 12th meeting of your regularly-scheduled lab period.
Since only 10 labs are required for full credit, the 11th and 12th labs can be
used as make-ups or as extra credit.
Students will get NO CREDIT if they attend another lab section
instead of their own.
Will you tell us our grades in the course before the final?
I would like to know if I need to take the final or not.
Before the final exam, I will post "pre-final grades" on the
http://elearn.etsu.edu
web site for everyone
who has taken all six quizzes.
The "pre-final grade" will be the grade you
will get in the course
IF YOU DO NOT TAKE THE FINAL.
Note that if you have missed a quiz,
you will not get a pre-final grade, since you need to take the
final to make up the missed quiz.
Remember that the final exam is worth two quizzes. The grade on
the final can be used to replace your two lowest quiz grades,
or can be used as a make-up if you have missed 1 or 2 quizzes.
If you have taken all 6 quizzes, you do not have to take the
final unless you want to improve your grade. If you do not
have an A in the course before the final, I strongly advise you
to take the final. Taking the final cannot hurt your grade;
it can just help. If you have a pre-final grade of a C and do worse on
the final than your two lowest quizzes, your course grade will be a C.
Will the questions on the quiz be the same as those on the practice
quiz?
No. The questions on the quiz will be similar to those on the practice
quiz, but not identical. To prepare for the quiz, in addition to
trying the practice quiz be sure to review the
Study Guides and do the required reading in the book.
The weather forecast is for snow. Will class be held today?
Will lab be held tonight?
Check the ALERT link
from the main ETSU web page
for information about whether or not classes are cancelled.
If ETSU
has not issued a formal cancellation of classes, the astronomy class/lab
will be meeting as scheduled.
I do not have a ride to the Observatory for lab. What do I do?
If you don't know anyone in your lab section that you can get
a ride from,
call me (423-439-8418) or send me an email (smithbj@etsu.edu). I can
arrange for a ride to the Observatory for you with a student worker.
Don't skip lab simply because you don't
have a ride, since that will hurt your grade significantly.
What is the official street address of the ETSU Observatory?
I would like to use my navigator to find it for lab.
The official address for the ETSU Observatory is 1101 Narrow Lane.
What would happen to an unprotected human being in the
vacuum of space? Would they explode?
See the answer on the
NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
`Imagine the Universe!' web page.
Do I need a doctor's note if I miss a lab because I am sick?
No doctor's notes are needed.
Students do not need to provide written excuses for missed labs,
whether they are missed for sickness, family emergency,
musical performances,
or other activities.
Just be sure to attend one of the extra
labs at the end of the semester to make-up the missed lab. Remember
there are no individual make-ups for labs; the 11th and 12th evening
labs are general make-ups for the whole class.
I emphasize that students should not skip labs except in an emergency,
since a true emergency may occur later in the semester.
If you need a ride from campus
to the observatory for a lab, call me at 423-439-8418
or send me an email at smithbj@etsu.edu. I can arrange a ride to the
observatory for you with a student worker.
Don't skip lab simply because you do not have a ride to the Observatory.
I am interested in doing a minor in Astronomy. Do you have any suggestions?
Astronomy II is one of the required courses for an Astronomy minor.
You will also need to take either General Physics I and II, or Technical
Physics I and II, as well as some upper level Astronomy classes.
For the upper level classes, you will need a good background in math.
For more information, see the
Physics and Astronomy Dept
Web Page or contact me.
I registered late for this class, so missed the first lab. What should I do?
Don't worry about missing one lab. Remember that the last two labs of
the semester are extra-credit or make-up labs. Just go to one of those labs to
make up the missed lab.
It is the day before the final exam, and I am worried about my grade in this class.
Is there anything I can do for extra credit?
No.
I am a graduating senior, and I need this course to graduate. Any advice?
If you are asking this question at the beginning of the semester, here are some suggestions:
1) come to every lab, unless it is an emergency. Do not miss any labs. 2) come to every class,
unless it is an emergency. Especially do not miss any quizzes if possible.
3) see the above advice on how to prepare for quizzes.
I received an Incomplete (I) for my "early semester grade" in
this course. What does that mean?
Students who have missed a quiz or a lab will be given "Incompletes" for their
early semester grades.
(NOTE: early semester grades will be posted by October 7 for the Fall 2019 semester).
If you have missed a quiz, be sure to come to the final exam to make up
the missed score.
Remember that the final exam is a general
make-up for the class for the quizzes. There are no individual make-ups
for the quizzes. See the General Information
Sheet for the course.
I was sick and missed class for a week.
On the first class I attended after my absence,
there was a quiz. I hadn't realized that a quiz was scheduled on that day.
Do I need to take the quiz?
You don't `need' to take the quiz, but it is in your best interest to take it.
Remember that the final is, in a sense, a general make-up for the class.
There are no individual make-ups. So if you miss a quiz due to illness or
another reason, then you can make-up the quiz by coming to the final exam.
That means that if you feel very unprepared for a particular quiz
you don't `need' to take the quiz;
you can instead plan on doing the final instead as a make-up.
However, if you do go ahead and take the quiz under these circumstances, and
do poorly on it, you can potentially replace that poor grade with your grade from
the final if you do better on the final. So, in a sense, it is a `free try'.
That means that, if you are physically in the classroom when the quiz is being
given (as in the above scenario), it is worth trying the quiz.
If you do poorly, then you can potentially replace the grade.
On the other hand, if you do well on the quiz, then you have a good quiz score on your record.
And if you do in-between (not really bad but not really good) it is still worth having the grade in your record, in case
you do worse on a later quiz. In general, it is in your best interest to take
the quiz on the day it is scheduled if at all possible, even if you are unprepared.
Be sure to record the dates of future quizzes on your calendar, so you will know in advance
when the quizzes are scheduled. That way, even if you miss the two classes before the quiz and don't
hear the reminders in class about the upcoming quiz,
you will know when it will be given. Remember that the reading assignments, outlines of the lectures,
study guides, and practice quiz problems are all posted on the course web site, so you can prepare
for the quiz even if you have missed some classes.
Are the questions for the final going to be pulled from the practice problems or from the quizzes?
No. The questions on the final will be new questions.
It says on D2L that my pre-final grade is a B. Does that include the two lowest quizzes being dropped?
No. The pre-final grade is calculated using all six quizzes. The two lowest quiz scores only get dropped if
you take both the final and all six quizzes, and you do better on the final than the sum of the two lowest quizzes.
In that case, the grade on the final will replace the sum of the grades of the two lowest quizzes.
Last updated 12/8/2019
