The College of New Jersey
Department of Physics
Astronomy 261: Astronomy II
Dr Thulsi Wickramasinghe
Email: wick@tcnj.edu
Office: SC P110, Science Complex
Course Outline
The following gives an idea about the topics to be covered in lectures.
- Framework of Cosmology
- Galaxies and Dark Matter
- Cosmic Structure
- Quasars
- Probes and Relics of the High-redshift Universe
- Fundamental and Unresolved Problems of Cosmology
Required Textbooks
- New Perspectives in Astrophysical Cosmology by Martin Rees,
2nd Edition, Cambridge University Press, 2000
- Is the Universe Open or Closed by P Coles &
G F R Ellis, Cambridge University Press, 1997
Additional Reading
- Quasars and Active Galactic Nuclei by A K Kembhavi &
J V Narlikar, Cambridge University Press, 1999
- Galactic Astronomy by J Binney & M Merrifield,
Princeton University Press, 1998
Attendance
Attending lectures is essential to do well in
the course. A substantial number of problems will
be solved in lectures. These problems will help you
do your laboratory work effectively.
The examinations will be based upon laboratory work
and the material discussed in lectures.
Laboratory
Laboratory work is a necessary aspect of the course.
You will get a maximum of
10
points for each lab report.
(Preparation = 5; Completion = 5)
Every student must complete all the laboratory assignments.
ABSOLUTELY, no late lab reports will be accepted.
Observatory Assignments
In addition to regular lab assignments, there will be
observatory assignments as well. Each assignment (
10
points) is counted as one regular lab exercises.
The student is expected to go to the campus observatory to
carry out necessary observations to finish
these assignments. Please make sure that I
inspect your work when you have completed the
observations.
Make sure that you give your
name to the observer-in-charge at the campus observatory
at the time of your observation.
Please go to the observatory as early as possible because
we get at TCNJ only one clear night out of four on average.
Projects
There will be a project report due. You
are expected to surf through the Internet and do a
literature search to finish your project report.
The entire class will be divided into small groups.
Each group will submit only one report.
The report should be neatly typeset (with a program like Word) and stapled!
Examinations
There will be midterm exams.
These examinations
will not be cumulative.
Policy of Examinations
Under no circumstances, may a student be
exempt from taking an examination. If you are
unable to take an examination, you will have to provide valid
written evidence (e.g. an original medical report
from a doctor or a letter from the college
Infirmary) of your inability to attend the
examination. Even though I give two series of
lectures for Astronomy 161, you should regard
these two as two independent courses; thus,
you will not be allowed to take an
examination with the students from the other section.
You are supposed to take no more than three exams
during a particular day. If such a conflict occurs,
you should first talk to the professor whose exam is the
latest in the day. He or she is obliged to give you
that particular exam at a different time.
Grading Policy
Your final grade will be calculated according to the
following tables. The highest score, after normalization or so called
curving, will be 100. Your letter grades will then be assigned.
Just because you got above 90%, you cannot expect to have
an A. This is because I will maintain another cut-off point
to ensure that not too many A's are given.
This is a way to maintain high standards.
| RANGE OF SCORE |
GRADE |
| 90 - 100 |
A |
| 85 - 89 |
A- |
| 80 - 84 |
B+ |
| 75 - 79 |
B |
| 70 - 74 |
B- |
| 65 - 69 |
C+ |
| 60 - 64 |
C |
| 50 - 59 |
C- |
| 45 - 49 |
D+ |
| 40 - 44 |
D |
| 00 - 39 |
F |
Office Hours
To be more effective, I will be keeping regular office hours.
How to contact me
The best way to contact me is through email. No matter where
I am, I will be reading my email many a time a day!