Natural Sciences I (ERTH 1030)

Fall 2005

Nature and content of the course

This course is the first of a two-semester sequence (ERTH 1030 & ERTH 1040) which together constitute a comprehensive and integrated survey of the natural sciences.  For our purposes, the term "natural sciences" is taken to mean the sciences of the natural world, as set apart from the man-made world.  The course sequence is comprehensive in that it covers all the natural sciences¾biology, chemistry, geology, and physics¾at scales ranging from that of the atom to that of the universe.  The coverage of each discipline cannot, of course, be comprehensive.  The course sequence is integrated in that attempts will be made throughout the year to show connections among sciences generally treated in isolation (such as biology and chemistry, or physics and geology).  Attention will be given to the relevance and usefulness of science and of scientific methodology to humankind.

Natural Sciences I covers elements of Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy and Planetary Science, in that order (see syllabus).  The progression of the course is thus from the most fundamental of sciences¾in which very simple systems are discussed¾to sciences that draw upon the basics to examine progressively more complex systems.

Expected background

We recognize that most students enrolled in Natural Sciences are not majoring in a science or engineering field.  Accordingly, no prior knowledge of scientific principles or methods will be assumed.  All discussions will build from an introduction of principles at a very basic level.  Mathematics is another matter.  As the universal language of science, math is the way in which we communicate our understanding of the way things work.  We must assume, therefore, that students enrolled in the course have some facility with basic mathematics.  The level of math will not advance beyond algebra and trigonometry, although occasional references to calculus may be made as appropriate.

Use of class time and attendance

The two 80-minute class periods (TF 10:00-11:20) will be used for introduction of material, mostly in lecture format, with liberal use of examples and occasional films.  The recitations (times TBA) will be used to introduce homework assignments, conduct demonstrations, review for exams, and address general questions and concerns.  Attendance at regular class periods and recitations is encouraged.  Those who attend class should do so for the purpose of listening to or participating in the discussion.  Other activities¾e.g., reading the newspaper, listening to CDs, talking, and sleeping (especially if audible)¾will be frowned upon.

Text

The textbook for Natural Sciences I is The Sciences: An Integrated Approach (4^th edition) by James Trefil and Robert Hazen.  This fall we will cover a good portion of the material in chapters 1-16¾essentially the first half of the book.  If you plan on taking Natural Sciences II, the second half of this text will also be useful.

Exams

There will be 3 exams during the regular term: September 27, November 1, and December 9; see calendar.  The second and third exams will be cumulative in the following respects: 10% of the point value on the second exam will come from material covered on the first exam, and 20% of the point value on the third exam will come from material covered on the preceding two exams.  The exams will include short-answer (possibly involving simple calculations, multiple-choice and true/false questions.  The will be a penalty for missing an exam without either: 1) discussing the situation in advance with Prof. Watson or; 2) having a medical or family-emergency excuse.

Homework

There will be 7 homework assignments during the term (roughly one every two weeks).  Questions and problems will be taken from the text and other sources; their purpose will be to get you to think about material presented in lecture and give you practice in problem-solving.

Grading

The three exams will constitute 80% of your course grade.  The exam with the lowest score will be weighted 20%; the other two will be weighted 30% (This allows you to do relatively poorly on one exam and still do well in the course).

The homework will make up the remaining 20% of your grade.

Extra credit.  The third exam will include a section of extra-credit questions on material covered in the course.

Your final letter grade. In many courses your final grade is determined from the position of your overall score on a "curve" representing the performance of the entire class.  This approach has some advantages, but it also causes anxiety because you never really know where you stand until the course is over.  In order to ease that anxiety and make it possible for you to work toward the grade you desire, the final grades in this course are predetermined as follows:

90-100   =    A

75-89     =    B

60-74     =    C

45-59     =    D

<45        =    F

Grades will be rounded to the nearest integer (e.g., 74.6 would be rounded to 75 and become a B; 74.4 would be rounded to 74 and remain a C).

To improve the chances of getting the grade you desire…

·  Attend the lectures and recitations (and bring your brain as often as possible!).  The lectures will follow the text fairly closely in terms of the material covered, but in many cases we will use alternative approaches designed to strengthen your grasp of difficult concepts.

·  Read about topics in the text before they are covered in lecture.  This should help you spend more time listening and less time taking notes, so you may get more out of the lectures.

·  Form a study group with a few classmates.  The varying perspectives brought to the course by your fellow students can help a lot in working out problems.  Some individuals tend to be good at math, others (e.g., Architects) are skilled at 3-D visualization.  So get together and form an unbeatable study team!

·  Ask questions when you don't understand.  The recitation groups will be small and friendly, so don't hesitate to speak up.  Both Prof. Watson and TA Amy Gagné are receptive meeting one-on-one outside of class, so don't hesitate to contact us be phone or e-mail.

·  Pick up graded exams and homework as they become available.  Don't let months pass by without learning how you're doing in the course¾you may find yourself a difficult situation.

·  Take advantage of the extra credit opportunities in the third exam.  Additional final-exam type questions will be included; if you review the all the course material in depth, you'll be in a position to improve your grade significantly.

Statement regarding ACADEMIC INTEGRITY

Good student-teacher relationships are built on trust.  As a student, you must have confidence that we have made appropriate decisions about the structure and content of this course, and that we will make a strong effort to accommodate the varying needs of a diverse group of students.  Teachers, in turn, must have confidence that the assignments and exams you turn in represent your own work.

The Rensselaer Handbook defines various forms of Academic Dishonesty and procedures for responding to them.  All forms are violations of the trust between students and teachers.  Students should familiarize themselves with the appropriate portion of the Rensselaer Handbook and note that the penalties for plagiarism and other forms of cheating can be quite harsh.  For the purposes of this course (which requires no term paper), cheating includes, but is not limited to, the following:

®  submission of work that is not your own

®  presenting joint work as your own without acknowledging it as such

®  transferring information during exams

®  using crib sheets or coded sources of information during exams

®  stealing papers or exams, even if you don't use the material yourself

®  altering information on a graded exam or copy thereof

Working together

Study and review of material with other students in the class is encouraged.  However, no work is to be handed in that is the product of a joint effort.  You may, of course, discuss assigned problems and questions in general terms and seek advice from others about how to proceed, but in the end you must complete each assignment yourself.

SYLLABUS                        Natural Sciences I                        FALL 2005

lectures TF 12:00-1:50 in JRSC (J-ROWL) 3W13

recitations: Th 9:00-9:50 (3W13 Science Center)                 

Instructor: Prof. E.B. Watson  watsoe@rpi.edu            T.A.:  Amy Gagné  gangea@rpi.edu

1C31 Science Center (x 8838)                                        MRC room 316 (x 8343)

Office hours:  call or e-mail for appointment                  Office hours: call or e-mail for appointment

HOMEWORK ASSIGMENTS

Homework assignments will be posted here: 7 in all, due at intervals averaging ~2 weeks.

  HW1 (due 9/16)      HW2 (due 9/30)      HW3 (due 10/18)      HW4 (due 11/4)      HW5 (due Nov. 22)

  HW6 (due 12/9)

Lecture notes

Graphics and other materials used in lectures will be posted here as documents in PDF format.  In general, these will supplement (not duplicate) material in the text, and note-taking will be much easier if you obtain printed copies before class.  In most cases the lecture materials will be posted with ~24 hours lead-time, but occasional late postings may occur (i.e., in the evening before class).  Paper copies generally will not be available, but if you have trouble obtaining the electronic version, please let Prof. Watson know.  It will probably work best to save the files to your own computer rather than printing them directly from this web site.

  9/30      10/4      10/7      10/14      10/21      10/25

  11/8      11/11      11/15      11/18      11/22      11/29

  12/2      12/6