Assignments as of Wednesday, November 18
This page contains the homework assignments that
we assign for Astrophysics during the semester (and their solutions).
Note: In order to read these assignments and the solutions,
you will need to obtain Adobe
Acrobat Reader (click here) if you don't already have it installed.
Current Assignments: This table only list assignments
that were current as of Wednesday, November 18 at 11:28 PM.
| Journal Reading: "The Velocity-distance Relation for
Isolated Extragalactic Nebulae" (Questions due on Tuesday, Nov. 24, Discussion on Tues.. Dec. 1 in class) |
Please download “The Velocity-distance Relation for Isolated Extragalactic Nebulae” (Hubble, E. and Humason, M.L. 1934, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 5, 264) from the electronics handouts page on our course website. You need it for Problem Set 11. |
| Problem
Set 11 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Tuesday., Dec. 1 at 4pm) NOTE: Your should also download the Excel file HubbleHumasonFigure1RawData.xls which is necessary for Journal Reading questions. |
This problem set mostly focuses on some simple stellar structure questions and a proper review of the Journal Reading with some work to bring that data into modern form. |
| Problem Set 12 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Tuesday., Dec. 8 at 4pm) |
Late Assignments: Assignments that are past due in this table are noted by a orange background.
| Problem
Set 1 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Sept. 4 at 4pm) |
This assignment deals with material from Chapters 2 and 3. It focuses somewhat on problems that require a good knowledge of the "definitions" used to describe planetary orbits and then exploits Kepler's Laws like crazy. [Re-uploaded on Thursday, Aug. 27 to drop a few questions.] |
| Journal Reading: “On the Masses
of Nebulae and of Clusters of Nebulae” (Questions due with Problem Set 2 on Friday, Sept. 11, Discussion on Tues.. Sept. 15 in class) |
Please download “On the Masses of Nebulae and of Clusters of Nebulae” (Zwicky, F. 1937, Astrophysical Journal, 86, 217) from the electronics handouts page on our course website. The article discusses various methods used by Fritz Zwicky to determine the masses of individual galaxies and clusters of galaxies (referred to at the time as “nebulae”) . This paper saw the application of the virial theorem to the problem. It is a longish paper (29 pages), so I don’t expect you to learn all the material in it in one pass, but pay attemtion especially to the sections on the application of the viral theorem to the problem and the results. Write up of 2 questions and your best attempt at answers based on the paper for Problem Set 2. |
| Problem
Set 2 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Sept. 11 at 4pm) |
This assignment is a bit shorter than the first and focuses on a few problems from Chapter 3 on Gravity and Orbits. |
| Problem
Set 3 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Sept. 18 at 4pm) |
This problem set focuses on tidal forces and other effects of differential
graviational forces. [Re-uploaded on Thursday, Sept. 17 to drop last question.] |
| Problem
Set 4 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Sept. 25 at 4pm) |
This problem set has one additional tides problem and then a bunch of problems related to the basic properties of light and matter. |
| Problem
Set 5 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Oct. 2 at 4pm) |
This problem set will involve problems relating to the interaction of light and matter as well as some more involved radiative transfer problems. (Solutions updated on Saturday, Oct. 3 at 10:47 pm to include point breakdown and correct one typo in a solution.) |
| Review Study Guide for Midterm Exam #1 (Midterm #1 on Tuesday, October 6). |
The First Midterm Exam will be on Tuesday, October 6. The study guide is online. |
| Journal Reading: “Measurement
of the diameter of alpha Orionis with the interferometer” [SOLUTIONS] (Questions due on Friday, Oct. 9, Discussion on Tues.. Oct. 13 in class) |
Please download “Measurement of the Diameter of Alpha Orionis
with the Interferometer” (Michelson, A.A. and Pease, F.G. 1921,
Astrophysical Journal, 53, 249) from the electronic
handouts page on our course website. In this article, Michelson
measures the diameter of Betelguese using an interferometer of his
own design, something that hadn't been done before and wasn't pulled
off by anyone else for over 20 years. This is a relatively
short paper (11 pages), but again, my goal is not for you to memorize
the paper, but for you to pay attention to how Michelson and Pease
pulled off the measurement of the diameter of a star. The questions you have to answer are in the handout... |
| Problem
Set 6 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Oct. 16 at 4pm) |
This problem set, mostly dealing with continuous (Planck) spectra and their applications. |
| Problem Set 7 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Oct. 23 at 4pm) |
This problem set deals with the issue of telescopes and their properties, at least the ones of interest to astronomers. |
| Problem
Set 8 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Oct. 30 at 4pm) |
This problem set focuses on the determination of physical parameters of the Procyon star system, with a few diversions along the way. |
| Problem Set 9 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Monday., Nov. 9 at 4pm) |
This problem set deals with some basic binary system dynamics, hydrostatic equilibrium, and spectral classification of stars. |
| Problem Set 10 [SOLUTIONS] (Due Fri., Nov. 13 at 4pm) |
This problem set has some problems related somewhat generically to hydrogen fusion and the conditions inside the Sun as well as some retread of the material in Chapter 14 on the HR diagram. |
| Review Study Guide for
Midterm Exam #2 (Midterm #2 on Tuesday, November 17). |
The Second Midterm Exam will be on Tuesday, November 17. The study guide is online. |