Astronomy C1836, Fall 2001
     Stars and Atoms
Hours: Tue-Thu 6:10-7:25 PM
Classroom: Pupin 424

Class meets in Room 1332 Pupin.

New Homework schedule: check Syllabus.

NB: if you can't do Problem 1 because of bad weather,
skip it and add it when you hand in the next Homework.
 

Syllabus in Postscript
 

To understand what the stars are, and why they shine, must be
one of mankind's oldest dreams. This question was finally solved
in a miraculously short period of time, in the first few decades of
the 20th Century. This revolution in astronomy went hand in
hand with the equally momentous revolution in physics that produced
the Theories of Relativity, Quantum Mechanics, and the first insights
into the nature of matter and forces. In fact, some of the first
applications of the new physical theories were to the problems of
stellar physics and the size and structure of the Universe.

In the course, we'll discuss the birth, life, and death of stars. We'll see
how Modern Physics was born between 1875 and 1925, and how it provides
the basis for understanding the structure and evolution of stars.

text:
Sheldon  Glashow: From Alchemy to Quarks (Brooks/Cole, Pacific Grove, Calif., 1994)
 

Homework

 Problem Set 1  (due Thursday September 27)
 Problem Set 2  (due Tuesday October 16)
 Problem Set 3  (due Thursday November 8)
 

Homework Solutions

 Solutions to Problem Set 1
 Solutions to Problem Set 2
 Solutions to Problem Set 3

Midterm Solutions

 Solutions in Postscript

Solutions to the Final

 Solutions in Postscript