Undergraduate Course: Astrophysics: Stars and Planets (PHYS10111)
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 4 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course begins from a premise of no prior knowledge or experience of Astrophysics, but a solid background in both Physics and Mathematics. Students are introduced first to the key concepts of observational astronomy, the basic properties and structure of stars, and their evolution throughout their lifetimes. The course then examines the formation of stars and of the planets orbiting them, considering the properties of planets in the solar system and those orbiting around other stars.
The course is a core course for all Astrophysics students in Semester 1 of Senior Honours, and is designed to be accessible to students in all other degree programmes within the School of Physics & Astronomy.
The course is self-contained, but is also intended to link naturally with the Astrophysics: Galaxies and Cosmology course which follows in Semester 2. Taken together, these two courses should provide students with a solid, balanced, physics-based understanding of the structure of our Universe, and our place within space and time.
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| Course description |
Course Description (academic description): This course begins from a premise of no prior knowledge or experience of Astrophysics, but a solid background in both Physics and Mathematics. Students are introduced first to the key concepts of observational astronomy, the basic properties and structure of stars, and their evolution throughout their lifetimes. The course then examines the formation of stars and of the planets orbiting them, considering the properties of planets in the solar system and those orbiting around other stars.
The course is a core course for all Astrophysics students in Semester 1 of Senior Honours, and is designed to be accessible to students in all other degree programmes within the School of Physics & Astronomy.
The course is self-contained, but is also intended to link naturally with the Astrophysics: Galaxies and Cosmology course which follows in Semester 2. Taken together, these two courses should provide students with a solid, balanced, physics-based understanding of the structure of our Universe, and our place within space and time.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 90 |
| Course Start |
Semester 1 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 36,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 18,
Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 4,
Summative Assessment Hours 3,
Revision Session Hours 3,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
132 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
90 %,
Coursework
10 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
90% exam
10% coursework |
| Feedback |
Not entered |
| Exam Information |
| Exam Diet |
Paper Name |
Hours & Minutes |
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| Main Exam Diet S1 (December) | Astrophysics: Stars and Planets Dec Exam | 3:180 | |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Explain the nature of stars and planets, their formation and their evolution.
- Apply knowledge of core concepts in physics to derive astrophysical properties of stars and planets
- Formulate solutions to astrophysical problems related to stars and planets, involving new concepts, with limited guidance
- Demonstrate knowledge of the frontiers of the discipline, for example, through cases where current theories fail to explain a set of observational data
- Demonstrate a high degree of independence in learning and retrieving information on stars and planets from the primary research literature, books and other sources
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Astronomy,Stars,Planets |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Trent Dupuy
Tel:
Email: Trent.Dupuy@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Alex Delaney
Tel:
Email: adelane3@ed.ac.uk |
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