Physics 55 Spring 2007
Old Announcements

Here for the record...

• 1/11/07: Comet McNaught, an unexpectedly bright comet, will become visible near the horizon in the early evening for the next few days.
• 1/12/07: There are two types of PRS transmitters. For this class, please buy the RF transmitter type. This one is rectangular, silver, and has a screen.
• 1/16/07: The observation days, by greatest popularity, will be Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. I put your observation group assignments on the observation page. If you did not send me your preference, I assigned you to a random day. IMPORTANT: you will need to keep this evening free. Let me say this again. IMPORTANT: you will need to keep this evening free. Since the three sessions must go in order, and sessions happen irregularly due to weather constraints, you may not be able to substitute another group's day if you miss a session. There will be no makeup observation sessions.
• 1/16/07: Since some of you have the third edition of the textbook, I placed a copy of the 4th edition on reserve in the Vesic library. Most of the material is the same between the two editions, although the chapter numbering is a bit different. The homework problems are also different, so you can check them in the library if you have the old edition.
• 1/19/07: If you were not in class on Friday, please send me the RF ID for your PRS transmitter. To get this ID, do:
• 1/22/07: There will be no observing sessions this week-- first ones will be next week.
• 1/22/07: I will be out of town from Wednesday morning until Thursday. Wednesday class will be the first quiz, proctored by your TA, followed by the pre-observation session. I am not sure how early I can get back on Thursday; I nominally have office hours 1-2 pm and 5-6 pm, but you might want to drop me a line to check that I am in before coming by (and if I'm not back in time and you need to see me, please make an appointment).
  • Turn your unit on.
  • Hit "*", possibly a few times, until you get "Setup menu".
  • Scroll down with the down arrow to get "Diagnostics".
  • Hit the green enter key.
  • Read off the 6 character radio ID.
• 1/26/07: First observation sessions will be next week! I will post on-or-not by 5 pm on the day of observation.
• 1/26/07: During next Monday class time I will do a SkyGazer tutorial. If you have a laptop computer, please bring it to class, with the SkyGazer software installed.
• 1/31/07: Next observation sessions will be the week of Feb 12. I will post on-or-not by 5 pm on the day of observation.
• 2/16/07: Next observation sessions will be the week of Feb 19, for Monday and Tuesday. There will be no Wednesday session. I will post on-or-not by 5 pm on the day of observation.
• 2/19/07: The midterm date is changed to Monday, Feb 26.
• 2/21/07: I will be away at a conference from Thursday Feb 22 morning to Wednesday Feb 28 morning (in time for class on Wednesday). I think I will have email most of that time.
• 2/21/07: Next observation sessions will be the week of Mar 5, for Monday and Tuesday. There will be no Wednesday session. I will post on-or-not by 5 pm on the day of observation.
• 3/01/07: There will be a total lunar eclipse on Saturday, March 3: the moon will rise in an eclipsed state. Assuming the weather is good, you can join the public observation session at Forest View Elementary School; on-or-not info posted here. This might be a good source of material for an extra credit project (note: for all extra credit projects, you must contact me in advance). I may be driving to Forest View from Duke, so please contact me if you need transportation.
• 3/7/07: Monday group observation writeups are due on Monday, March 19.
• 3/19/07: Next observation sessions will be Tuesday Mar 20, for the Tuesday group. Since I will be out of town, Prof. Plesser will take you out. He will post on-or-not at this link on Tuesday. If the session is on, Prof. Plesser will meet you at 8 pm due to later nightfall.
• 3/22/07: Observations are on next week. The Tuesday group will be doing their second session, and the Monday and Wednesday groups will be doing their third sessions, as weather permits. The third session worksheet is now available: please read the instructions carefully as this session will be conducted a bit differently from the first two. In particular: you'll need to hand in a copy of your preobservation notes at the beginning of the session, and you'll need to hand in the sketches of your observations that you do at the session.
• 3/30/07: Observations are on next week. The Tuesday group will be doing their second session, and the Monday and Wednesday groups will be doing their third sessions, as weather permits. The third session worksheet is now available: please read the instructions carefully as this session will be conducted a bit differently from the first two. In particular: you'll need to hand in a copy of your preobservation notes at the beginning of the session, and you'll need to hand in the sketches of your observations that you do at the session.
• 4/9/07: Tuesday observing is on for 8 pm. Prof. Plesser will take you out. He will post on-or-not by 6 pm at this link on Tuesday. This will be the third session for the Tuesday group; pre-observation notes are due at the beginning of the session. Anyone who has previously missed a session must come to this one.
• 4/9/07: I will be out of town late Tuesday afternoon to Thursday evening, so won't be in for my office hours. However, as usual, you can make an appointment. I will be intermittently in email contact.
• 4/15/07: If weather on Tuesday is good, we will have an optional makeup observation session.
• 3/16/07: My office hours will be slightly changed from now on: they will be Thursdays noon-1pm and 4:30-5:30 pm. Remember you can always make an appointment, too, if these times don't work for you.
• Watch for the Lyrid meteor shower this weekend.