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Online reading assignment: blackbody radiation (NC campus)

Astronomy 210, spring semester 2013
Cuesta College, San Luis Obispo, CA

Students have a weekly online reading assignment (hosted by SurveyMonkey.com), where they answer questions based on reading their textbook, material covered in previous lectures, opinion questions, and/or asking (anonymous) questions or making (anonymous) comments. Full credit is given for completing the online reading assignment before next week's lecture, regardless if whether their answers are correct/incorrect. Selected results/questions/comments are addressed by the instructor at the start of the following lecture.

The following questions were asked on reading textbook chapters and previewing presentations on blackbody radiation.

Selected/edited responses are given below.

Describe something you found interesting from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally interesting for you.
"The H-R diagram was interesting to me because it applied all of a star's characteristics including size (diameter), temperature, and luminosity into something you could visualize among various stars, including the star we are most familiar with: the sun."

"What I found interesting was that the hottest stars are blue-hot I use to think they were yellow since I thought the sun was the hottest star."

"I enjoyed going out and looking at the stars in the night sky to see which were hot and which were cool based on their color."

"I found it interesting that there are stars that actually glow blue. This was interesting because I am trying to picture what that sunset would look like."

"I find it fascinating how the stars are so far away, and we haven't gotten close to reaching them physically and yet we know so much about them just by using other scientific methods."

"How the hottest stars give off ultraviolet light but still appear blue."
Describe something you found confusing from the assigned textbook reading or presentation preview, and explain why this was personally confusing for you.
"Why do the coolest stars appear red? Shouldn't it be opposite?"

"The Stefan-Boltzmann law. The math is confusing. I don't quite get the whole calculation to get the luminosity and temperatures of stars. I get that blue colors is hottest and red is coolest, but that's about it."

"I need a little help telling which star is hotter. I am just not too sure on it."

"I am confused on how you can tell the difference between colors of stars. They all look the same color to me, just with different shades."

"How exactly the H-R diagrams work; it basically looks like a scatterplot to me, but I'm not quite sure what the whole concept of luminosity means."

"I still working on understanding the H-R diagram, I know there is the main sequence (where luminosity varies as temperature varies) and stars off the main sequence. I am working on understanding how stars get from the main sequence to off the main sequence."
Ask the instructor an anonymous question, or make a comment. Selected questions/comments may be discussed in class.
"If I am not doing well on the quizzes can I still get a good grade in the class?" (That depends on what you consider "not doing well" on the quizzes, and a "good grade" in the class, but yes, it could still be possible.)

"If you were given the chance to be one of the first humans to terraform Mars and live there, would you?" (That depends on whether Mrs. P-dog gets to go there, too.)

"I really hope the midterm is just like Quiz 3 because it was very comprehensible." (Maybe you're becoming better at comprehending, or something.)

"Can we get a starwheel from you to use for the midterm?" (Yes. Supplies are limited. No rain checks. First come, first served. Void where prohibited by law.)

"Hmm, man I can never figure out a good question or comment. LOL." (I think this qualifies.)

"How are we going to review for the midterm? I need some study tips for your class, what do you suggest?" (The specific topics covered on the midterm are listed on the study guide for the upcoming midterm. You'll practice answering sample essay questions in class, and for homework make sure you go over the multiple-choice questions on the quizzes.)

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