Topic outline

  • Introduction and cosmic scales

    Date: 10.1.2023, 14:15 - 16:00
    Location: TU1 Saab Auditorium (Maarintie 8, Otaniemi)
    Teacher: Joni Tammi

    Learning outcomes of the week

    After this week, you should be able to:

    • Understand what the course is about, how it is organised, and what is required for passing the course.
    • Understand what the learning diaries are and how to write them.
    • Appreciate the astronomical and cosmic distances, and assess the role of humankind on a cosmic scale.
    • Recognise some central concepts related to human perspective regarding out place in the universe (such as "the pale blue dot", or "the overview effect").
    • Assess your own starting level, and that of the students in general.

    • Individual work before the lecture

      Preliminary work is a way to cover topics and content without having to spend lecture time on it. Instead, it allows everyone on the lecture to have the basic understanding and ideas required to discuss and understand the lecture topics and participate in the activities. Like all homework, it takes some time, but that time is taken into account in the number of credits awarded from the course. Preliminary work for each lecture is done before the lecture, because they often introduce a lecture topic, of offer background knowledge required at the lecture.

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    • Lecture slides

      Slides will be uploaded here after the lecture.

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      File icon
      Slides - AVotW 2023 - L01 File PDF
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      Additional material: Humans vs. cosmic scales Page
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      Quizzes on the lecture Page

      Results from lecture quizzes (Parts 1 and 2).

    • Individual work after the lecture

      Preliminary work (described above) is done before each lecture, but there is also more traditional homework after each lecture. The first week's assignments are a bit different from what they will be for the rest of the course because we are only getting started. The after-the-lecture assignments are usually made available only after each lecture.

      "After-the-lecture homework" are to be submitted before the next lecture. In other words, the deadline is always the next Tuesday at 14:15. Every week, you can get up to 6 points from completing the assigments -- they make 50 % of the final grade.

      The assignments become available before the end of the lecture.

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      Assignment icon
      Have you written learning diaries before? [2p] Assignment
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      Your take on the lecture questions? [2p] Assignment
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      Assignment icon
      Astronomical distances [2p] Assignment