FRS 001H — Sec. 001 — (1 unit) — CRN 53260 — R 2:10-3:00 pm — 108 Chemistry
The Origin and Evolution of Comets

Instructor: William Jackson, Department of Chemistry, College of Letters and Science

Description: Comets are thought to contain the original material that formed the solar system and hence understanding them will expand our knowledge about the origin and evolution of the solar system. The information that we obtain about comets comes from various sources. They include visual and telescopic as well as satellite and spacecraft observations. From these observations scientists have learned a lot about the chemical and physical makeup of these objects. We will explore comets by reading original review articles, selected chapters from books and exploring web sites on comets. Participation in the seminar is expected to not only increase the student's knowledge about comets but they will begin to understand how scientists use observation of natural phenomenon and postulate a way in which these things may happen and then test the postulate by more observations or other direct experiments. Informal classroom discussions on comets will by lead by the professor and students participating in the seminar. The basis for these discussions will be the reading assignments.

Format: Each week the instructor will pose several questions. The classroom discussion will follow from those questions. It is expected that as the discussion precedes other questions will arrive. An example of the type of question that will be posed is given below. What is a comet? What are the different parts of the comet? How does the comet change as it approaches the sun? Where do comets come from? What are the different types of comets? What makes the different? Reading assignments of material that can be found on the Web as well as in the library will be expected. Grading: Fifty percent of the grade will be assigned based on a 500-word term paper and the balance will be from classroom participation.

About the Instructor: