Freshman Seminar 113
The Search for Life in the Universe
Fall 2004
Course Syllabus
This syllabus will get more fleshed out (and is subject to
change), especially in the later parts, as the semester
progresses. We may have several guest lecturers by experts in
various fields. Note the relation between the lectures and the
chapters of our two textbooks.
Monday, September 13: Introduction
A timeline of the universe. A
definition of life. The Copernican Principle. The Drake
Equation (G&O Chapters 1, 2, 18)
Homework 1 distributed.
Writeup 1 on the Big Bang.
Wednesday, September 15: Overview of cosmology
The expanding universe, Big Bang,
primordial nucleosynthesis, formation of structure, the cosmic
microwave background. (G&O Chapter 6)
Writeup 2 on the physics of
stars.
Monday, September 20: Stars I
What is a star? Black-body radiation. Hydrostatic
equilibrium. Stellar energy source, thermonuclear fusion.
(G&O Chapter 2, 4). Guest lecturer
Wednesday, September 22: Stars II
The H-R diagram, lower-mass limit to stars,
degeneracy pressure. Post-main-sequence evolution,
supernovae, heavy element synthesis.
(G&O Chapter 4, 5)
Monday, September 27: Stars III
Star formation, the interstellar medium, disks
around stars.
(G&O Chapter 3)
Homework 1 due.
Homework 2 distributed.
Writeup 3 on planetary
thermodynamics.
Wednesday, September 29: Stars IV
Brown dwarfs, failed stars, and planets. What is
the definition of a planet?
(G&O Chapter 4)
Monday, October 4: Our solar system I
Orbital dynamics: the laws of gravity
(G&O Chapter 2)
Wednesday, October 6: Our solar system II
Regularities in the solar system,
planetary formation mechanisms, equilibrium temperature of
planets.
(G&O Chapter 11, 16)
Monday, October 11: Search for planets around other stars I
The difficulty of direct imaging of planets.
Doppler searches and their results.
Planets around pulsars.
(G&O Chapter 17)
Outline for Paper 1 due
Homework 2 due.
Wednesday, October 13: Search for planets around other stars II
How does our solar system compare with other planetary
systems? Models for the formation of planets.
Monday, October 18 Search for planets around other stars III
Other search
techniques: Occultations, gravitational microlensing, direct
imaging. Technologies for the future.
Wednesday, October 20: Contigency
Monday, October 25 Fall break
Wednesday, October 27 Fall break
Start reading Fry's book over the Fall break. Much of the first six
chapters are historical background, read it lightly. The material in
Chapters 7-13 gives much of the context of the first four classes
following the Fall break.
Updated syllabus at midpoint of the semester; we are behind
about one week.
Monday, November 1: Search for planets around other stars II
How does our solar system compare with other planetary
systems? Other search
techniques: Occultations, gravitational microlensing, direct
imaging. Technologies for the future.
Monday, November 3: Search for planets around other stars III
Terrestrial Planet Finder: A tour of the Princeton facilities.
Monday, November 8: Life on Earth I
The early history of the Earth, and the
generation of Earth's atmosphere. The greenhouse effect.
Earth's history versus those of Mars and Venus.
(G&O Chapter 8, 12, 13)
Wednesday, November 10: Life on Earth II
The biochemical nature of life. The
universal language of amino acids and DNA/RNA
(G&O Chapter 7, 9, 10)
Monday, November 15: Life in Earth III
Models for the origin of life.
Homework 3 due.
(G&O Chapter 9, Fry Chapters 7-9)
Wednesday, November 17: Life on Earth IV
The growth of complexity. Evolution; is
intelligence imperative? The Rare Earth hypothesis. Asteroid
impacts and its effect on evolution.
(G&O Chapter 9, 16)
Monday, November 22: Life on Mars? I
Geological history of Mars.
(G&O Chapter 13, Fry Chapter 14)
Wednesday, November 24: Life on Mars? II
Martian meteorites, recent missions,
extremophiles, and all that. Europa and Titan
(G&O Chapter 14)
Homework 4 due.
Monday, November 29: Interplanetary travel
The physics of rocket propulsion.
Colonizing the galaxy?
(G&O Chapter 19)
Wednesday, December 1: The search for life
Searching for intelligent life, searching for life of any
kind. SETI and OSETI. Reiterating the Drake
Equation. Thinking again about the definition of life.
(G&O Chapter 18, 20, 21, 22)
Outline for Paper 2 due
Monday, December 6: No class
Class during reading period instead
Wednesday, December 8: No class
Class during reading period instead
Homework 5 due (in Prof. Strauss' mailbox)
Monday, January 3: Student presentations I
Wednesday, January 5: Student presentations II
Student presentations. Also: general discussion, Impact of the discovery of extraterrestrial
life on society.
Tuesday, January 11 (Dean's Date):
This file was constructed by Michael Strauss;
send me mail.