Kristen B. Wingfield McQuinn
Principles of Astrophysics
Undergraduate level course PHYS 341 (Fall 2023)
Monday & Wednesday 2:00 - 3:20 pm; Busch Campus
Instructor Prof. McQuinn
Astrophysics is the application of physical principles to astronomical systems. In Physics 341 and 342 you will learn how to use gravity, electromagnetism, and atomic, nuclear, and gas physics to understand planets, stars, galaxies, dark matter, and the Universe as a whole. Gravity is the dominant force in many astronomical systems, and it will be our focus in Physics 341.
Some astrophysical systems are described by equations that are fairly easy to solve, and we will certainly study them. However, many interesting systems cannot be solved exactly. Nevertheless, we can often use physical insight and approximate calculations to understand the salient features of a system without sweating the details. One goal of the course is to develop that skill. As you will see, it will take us very far (through the whole Universe, in fact!). Another goal is to learn about recent advances in astrophysics, a very dynamic field of research.
Our Sun; Image by NASA
Binary Stars; Image by NASA
Prerequisites for this class are two semesters of physics and two semesters of calculus. I will briefly review physical principles as we need them, but assume that you have seen them before. I will also assume familiarity with vector calculus. Some of the assignments may involve a bit of computation that can be done with programs like Excel, Google Spreadsheets, Maple, Matlab, or Mathematica.
Lectures will be based on the course textbook, Principles of Astrophysics: Using Gravity and Stellar Physics to Explore the Cosmos, by Prof. Chuck Keeton. (It was written specifically for this course.) Optional, supplementary information can be found in An Introduction to Modern Astrophysics (2nd edition) by Bradley W. Carroll and Dale A. Ostlie (affectionately known as the Big Orange Book).
Course Format
Lectures will be held in-person(!!), Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:00 to 4:20 pm, on Livingston campus in Tillet Hall (TIL) room TIL-242. Our classroom is a bit bigger than usual, which follows University protocols for lower capacity in the rooms and allows for social distancing.
Instructor Contact Information
Office: Room 308 Serin Physics Building, Busch campus
Email: kristen.mcquinn@rutgers.edu (you can generally expect an email reply within 48 hours, or slightly longer if it's during a weekend; if you don't receive one, send your email again)
Office hours: TBD.
Assessment
We will have weekly problem sets due each week. In working on the problem sets, you are encouraged to work in groups, though your submitted write-up should be your own. You must list your collaborators on the write-up. You are allowed to consult outside reference material (which must be cited), but you may not examine problem sets or solutions from previous years of Physics 341/342 or other similar courses online, nor are you allowed to post problem set or exam questions online. No late problem sets will be accepted! No exceptions!
Always show your work. You will not receive full credit if you do not show your work. I will never look for a specific answer. Rather, I am always looking for the reasoning behind the answer.
There will be one midterm exam and a final exam. Details about these will be provided as the semester progresses.
The course grade will be calculated from the problem sets (70%), the midterm exam (15%), and the final exam (15%). A course grade of 90% or higher will guarantee you an A. The two lowest problem set grades will be dropped in calculating the course grade. While that means you could skip two problem sets and still get a perfect score, experience has shown it is typically much better for your grade to turn in all of them and have the two lowest scores dropped.
Academic Integrity
Notwithstanding the shift to an online format, students are expected to maintain the highest level of academic integrity. You should be familiar with the university policy on academic integrity. Violations will be reported and enforced according to this policy.
Use of external website resources (such as Chegg.com or others) to obtain solutions to homework assignments or exams is cheating and a violation of the University Academic Integrity policy. Cheating in the course may result in grade penalties, disciplinary sanctions or educational sanctions. Posting homework assignments or exams to external sites without the instructor's permission may be a violation of copyright and may constitute the facilitation of dishonesty, which may result in the same penalties as cheating.
The Rutgers honor pledge will be included on all major assignments for you to sign: On my honor, I have neither received nor given any unauthorized assistance on this examination/assignment.
Almost all original work is the intellectual property of its authors. In this course, this includes syllabi, lecture slides, recorded lectures, homework problems, exams, and other materials, in either printed or electronic form. You may not copy this work, post it online, or disseminate it in any way without the explicit permission of the instructor. Respect for the author's efforts and for the author’s intellectual property rights is an important value that members of the university community are expected to take seriously.
Resources
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A list of physical and astronomical constants, in cgs units
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Student wellness resources, Crisis intervention, and Violence Prevention & Victim Assistance are available at Rutgers
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You can also Report a Concern
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Students with disabilities should consult the department policy
Schedule: Topics and Assignments
This syllabus may be modified and the schedule updated as the semester progresses.
Note: Under the "Text" column, "Ch" mark the Chapters in Keeton. "CO" refers to Carroll & Ostlie, on reserve at the Library of Science and Medicine
NGC 4449; Image by McQuinn et al. (2019)
