ASTR 3740 Spring 2017 Homepage
ASTR 3740 Relativity & Cosmology Spring 2017: Syllabus
Content
This is an upper division course intended to introduce science students
to special and general relativity,
to black holes, and to cosmology.
We will spend 5 weeks on Special Relativity,
5 weeks on General Relativity and Black Holes,
and 5 weeks on Cosmology.
For more details, see the
Timetable.
This course is an elective for the APS major,
and for the APS minor.
The pre/coequisites are:
PHYS 2130 General Physics 3 or PHYS 2170 Foundations of Modern Physics, and MATH 2400 Calculus 3 or APPM 2350 Calculus 3.
The course will combine visualization, physical understanding, and mathematics.
I will assume that you are comfortable
with matrices
(necessary for understanding Lorentz transformations)
and with calculus
(necessary for understanding metrics).
The mathematics will not be fearsome
(we will not be doing tensors or anything like that),
but I will assume that you are the kind of person for whom
mathematics helps rather than hinders understanding.
If you do not fall into this category,
you should consider taking one of the lower division courses
ASTR 2030 Black Holes
or
ASTR 2010 Modern Cosmology,
both of which are being taught this semester, Spring 2017.
Exams
There will be two midterms and one final,
at the dates and times given in the
Timetable.
The exams will cover material discussed in class,
and will consist largely of short answer or short essay questions.
The two midterms will cover material covered in the previous 5 weeks,
The final will cover all material covered cumulatively during the semester,
with an emphasis on material covered since the Spring Break.
There will be summary sessions prior to each exam.
In class group Projects
There will be three in class group
Projects,
as scheduled on the
Timetable.
The projects are intended to engender thought and discussion,
and to exercise your powers of logic.
They are not designed to be chug-and-plug exercises.
Each project will take place during a full class period.
For the project, you will assemble into groups of 3 or 4.
You should immediately assign one of your group to be the "Scribe".
The group should discuss and solve the project together.
It is the Scribe's responsibility to write up the results
obtained by the group, and to submit them at the end of class.
I will accept only one submission from each group.
The write-up must include the name of the Scribe,
and the names of all the other members of the group.
To simplify the logistics,
the groups will be informal, probably consisting of your nearest neighbors.
You do not have to stay in the same group,
and indeed I encourage you to rotate into other groups.
If possible, you should rotate the role of Scribe.
Make a goal that you personally should be Scribe
for at least one group project during the semester.
Only the best 2 of 3 projects will count to your project grade.
This is so that you can be out of town or otherwise unavailable
for any one project without penalty.
There are no project make-ups, since the whole idea of projects
is to work in teams.
Problem sets
There will be several (eight are planned) problem sets,
which will be handed out in class,
and which will also be downloadable from
Problems.
You are welcome, indeed encouraged,
to collaborate with each other on problem sets,
but what you submit for grade must be your own work.
There will be a tendency for problem sets
to be more mathematical than exams or group projects.
Grading
Grading will be weighted as follows:
| Item | Date | Weight |
|---|
| Midterm | Fri 17 Feb | 1/7 |
| Midterm | Wed 22 Mar | 1/7 |
| Final | Mon 8 May 1:30-4pm | 2/7 |
| Projects | | 1/7 |
| Problem Sets | | 3/7 |
If you add that up, it comes to 8/7.
To make it add to 100%, I will delete the worst 1/7 of your score.
That means you can do badly on two problem sets,
or on the projects,
or on one of the midterms,
or your final will count only half.
Fiske Planetarium
CU's Fiske Planetarium has been reserved
at the usual class time as listed in the
Timetable.
You should go directly to Fiske
(Campus map)
on the listed days.
Students with Disabilities
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability,
please submit to me a letter from Disability Services in a timely manner
(for exam accommodations provide your letter at least one week prior to the exam)
so that your needs can be addressed. Disability Services determines accommodations based on documented disabilities.
Contact Disability Services at 303-492-8671 or by e-mail at
dsinfo@colorado.edu.
If you have a temporary medical condition or injury, see
Temporary Injuries
guidelines under the Quick Links at the
Disability Services website
and discuss your needs with me.
Religious Holidays
Campus policy regarding religious observances requires that faculty
make every effort to deal reasonably and fairly with all students who,
because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams,
assignments or required attendance.
See the
campus policy regarding religious observances
for full details.
Classroom Behavior
Students and faculty each have responsibility for maintaining an appropriate learning environment.
Those who fail to adhere to such behavioral standards may be subject to discipline.
Professional courtesy and sensitivity are especially important with respect to individuals
and topics dealing with differences of
race, color, culture, religion, creed, politics, veteran's status, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity and gender expression, age, disability, and nationalities.
Class rosters are provided to the instructor with the student's legal name.
I will gladly honor your request to address you by an alternate name or gender pronoun.
Please advise me of this preference early in the semester so that I may make appropriate changes to my records.
For more information, see the policies on
classroom behavior
and
the student code.
Appropriate use of electronic devices in class
Part of appropriate classroom behavior is appropriate use of electronic devices.
Inappropriate use is disrespectful, distracts other students, and bad for you.
Sexual Misconduct, Discrimination, Harassment and/or Related Retaliation
The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder) is committed to maintaining a positive learning, working, and living environment. CU Boulder will not tolerate acts of sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment or related retaliation against or by any employee or student. CU's Sexual Misconduct Policy prohibits sexual assault, sexual exploitation, sexual harassment, intimate partner abuse (dating or domestic violence), stalking or related retaliation. CU Boulder's Discrimination and Harassment Policy prohibits discrimination, harassment or related retaliation based on race, color, national origin, sex, pregnancy, age, disability, creed, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, veteran status, political affiliation or political philosophy. Individuals who believe
they have been subject to misconduct under either policy should contact the Office of Institutional Equity and Compliance (OIEC) at 303-492-2127. Information about the OIEC, the above referenced policies, and the campus resources available to assist individuals regarding sexual misconduct, discrimination, harassment or related retaliation can be found at the
OIEC website.
ASTR 3740 Homepage
Updated 2017 Jan 18