ASTR PHYS 109 Big Bang and Black Holes Fall 2014 Course objectives This course is designed to give an intuitive understanding of the Big Bang and Black Holes without mathematics and de mystify it for non scientists The primary goal is for students to learn about the origin and evolution of the Cosmos and communicate their understanding using their own words to a lay audience Prerequisites None Instructor Prof David Toback Office Mitchell Institute MIST Room M425 Email toback tamu edu Course website http faculty physics tamu edu toback 109 Textbook Required Big Bang Black Holes No Math by Toback You can get this book at the bookstore or order online EBook format is also available online See bigbang physics tamu edu for more details Recommended books A Briefer History of Time by Hawking and Mlodinow Theory of Everything by Hawking Stephen Hawkings s Universe by Filkin The First Three Minutes by Weinberg Other readings to be downloaded from the web Course Work and Grading The bulk of the grade for this course is in the writing component A premium will be placed on the ability to understand and convey the excitement about science cosmology and the physical universe to the lay reader Additional parts of the grade include online pre lecture reading question assignments to help with lecture prep in class quizzes to make class time more productive and online end of chapter quizzes to consolidate learning after class By percentage the grade is based on Short papers 90 In class quizzes pre lecture reading questions 5 Online End of Chapter quizzes 5 Note that you cannot pass the course without 1 Completing all the parts of all the papers 2 Passing all of online End of Chapter quizzes 3 Passing the first Pre Lecture Reading Question assignment You will be allowed as many attempts as needed for these last two Frequently Asked Questions Answer to frequently asked questions about grading and other parts of the class can be found at http people physics tamu edu toback 109 109FAQ shtml It is expected that all students have read this document Students in the Honors Sections The regular sections and honors section meet together during the regular class period However each honors student will have an additional Research Paper that will be part of their paper grade More information about it can be found at http faculty physics tamu edu toback 109 Honors Description of the Writing Portion of the Course Each paper assignment will submitted online and graded using the Calibrated Peer Review system cpr tamu edu which we will refer to as CPR Many students find using CPR to be the most difficult and unpleasant portion of the course The instructor believes reviewing papers as a way of learning to critique your own work is the most important part of the class and one of the best ways to improve your writing We will spend time discussing each paper in class We are here to help you get excellent grades if you will put in the time and effort required Before each paper is due students will be encouraged to submit drafts to the TA for feedback with enough time for the TA to respond with comments This will help produce an excellent final draft paper Getting help from the TA s during both the writing and the Calibration stages of CPR will be encouraged In the case that you don t get the grade you want on the full paper score you will be encouraged to resubmit your paper However doing so requires doing the full CPR process again In general we will take the average of the two scores as long as the first draft shows a good faith effort Exceptions will be made in rare cases ADA Policy The American s with Disabilities Act ADA is a federal anti discrimination statute that provides comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with disabilities Among other things this legislation requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that provides for reasonable accommodation of their disabilities If you believe you have a disability requiring an accommodation please contact the Department of Disability Services in Cain Hall B118 call 845 1637 or e mail disability tamu edu Additional information is available at http disability tamu edu Honor Code The Aggie Honor Code states An Aggie does not lie cheat or steal or tolerate those who do Further information regarding the Honor Council Rules and Procedures may be found on the web at http www tamu edu aggiehonor The plagiarism statement for the course can be found at http faculty physics tamu edu toback 109 WritingAssignments plagiarism shtml 50 Word Summary This course is designed to give an intuitive understanding of the Big Bang and Black Holes without mathematics and de mystify it for non scientists 2 ASTR PHYS 109 Big Bang and Black Holes Fall 2014 Dr David Toback Unit 1 2 3 5 4 6 Topics Introduction Course Introduction Preliminary Reading Assignments N B BBBHNM is required all other readings are recommended BBBHNM 1 4 BHOT 1 3 SHU 1 2 TOE 1 The very big objects in the universe Same as above The very small objects in the universe Same as above Evidence C10Scientific Models and questions we can answer with experiments Early Cosmology From Aristotle to Newton Same as above The Physics we Need Light and Doppler Shifts BBBHNM 5 SHU 3 p55 69 Gravity General Relativity and Dark Matter BBBHNM 6 BHOT 4 6 Atomic Physics and Quantum Mechanics BBBHNM 7 SHU 6 7 up to page 153 BHOT 9 11 117 122 Nuclear Physics and Chemistry BBBHNM 8 Thermal Equilibrium and Termperature BBBHNM 9 The Evidence for the Big Bang The Exploding Universe BBBHNM 10 TOE 2 TFTM 1 3 BHOT 7 SHU 3 69 76 4 77 86 5 95 104 Expanding Space Time BBBHNM 11 Photons and Hydrogen in the Universe BBBHNM 12 Evolution of the Universe The Early Universe BBBHNM 13 TFTM 4 5 SHU 5 104 114 7 154 158 BHOT 8 68 76 After the first three minutes BBBHNM 14 Black Holes and Other Big Objects Galaxy Formation BBBHNM 15 SHU 4 87 93 TOE 3 BHOT 8 76 85 Stars BBBHNH 16 Black hole formation and properties BBBHNM 17 Early Times and the Fate of the Universe Possible Fates of the Universe Dark Matter and Dark Energy BBBHNM 18 SHU 8 159 164 BHOT 11 122 137 Seeds Handout Particle Physics Dark Matter and the Very Early Universe BBBHNM 19 Inflation and the Earliest Moments in Time BBBHNM 20 BHOT 12 Primary Textbooks and Reading Big Bang Black Holes No Math Toback BBBHNM Briefer History of Time Hawking BHOT Stephen Hawking s Universe Lufkin SHU Theory of Everything Hawking TOE The First Three Minutes Weinberg TFTM