Physics 130
Atmospheres and Weather
Spring Term, 2004
Instructor: Dr. William T. Franz, Professor of Physics
Hours and Contact Information: E-mail at any time to wfranz@rmc.edu.
Office hours Tuesday and Thursday 9:00 - 10:00, Wednesday 11:00
- 12:00. All other times by appointment or by chance.
Text: Meteorology Today, 7th edition, by C. Donald
Ahrens, available in the College Bookstore.
Additional supplies: Students should bring a formatted (PC,
3.5 inch) diskette to class each day along with their text and notebooks.
It is also recommended that each student bring a calculator (capable
of trigonometric functions and scientific notation) and some different
color pens or pencils. The most important item to bring to class
each day is an open mind and a willingness to learn!
Course Objectives: This course is an introductory survey
of basic meteorology, including aspects of comparative planetology.
The foremost course objective of the course is to understand the
dynamics of the earth's atmosphere in the context of its planetary
neighbors. Specific course objectives include:
- Understanding the chemical and thermal composition of the earth's
atmosphere.
- Knowing the earth's motions and how they influence seasonal
variations in climate and global circulation patterns.
- Recognizing human interactions with atmospheric processes and
the long-term impacts of human activities.
- Understanding the special roles played by water in the atmosphere,
including energy transport, precipitation, cloud cover, and human
comfort.
- Understanding vertical transport mechanisms in the atmosphere.
Knowing how atmospheric pressure and other forces drive the global
circulation patterns.
- Recognizing local, small-scale systems, their causes and impacts.
- Knowing the properties of storms and severe weather - tornadoes,
hurricanes, thunderstorms and other cyclonic systems.
- Identifying air masses and fronts.
- Knowing the constraints on weather forecasting, identifying
the information important in forecasting, and developing an ability
to make weather forecasts.
- Using computer resources to obtain weather and climate information.
Grades:
| 2 midterm examinations, @20% |
40% |
| Final examination |
25% |
| Laboratory Work |
25% |
| Attendance and Participation |
10% |
Student Responsibility: Regular class attendance and participation
are expected. Laboratory work is a part of many class sessions,
and college policy permits no discretionary absences from laboratory
classes. Students missing laboratory work must make up that work;
it is a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity to use someone
else's laboratory data. The course schedule contains the topics
to be covered in each class session, and it is the responsibility
of the student to read carefully the material assigned for each
session. Examinations will cover material presented in class sessions,
in laboratory work, and in the assigned reading.
Getting the most from this class: It is certainly possible to pass
this class without exerting an extraordinary amount of effort. The
educational process does not work very well that way, however, and
the student ultimately suffers in such a scenario. What works best
is active engagement. Read the text before coming to class. Come
prepared to ask questions about material you do not understand.
Come prepared to talk about things you find especially interesting
or curious. If you do not understand material, it is your responsibility
to remedy that situation. Ask questions in class. Come to office
hours or schedule an appointment with the instructor. Do this promptly
before small misunderstandings become major problems. It is not
an easy task to learn several weeks' worth of material in the last
night before an examination.
The nature of this course: This course serves several purposes
in the curriculum of the College. The first purpose is the general
education science requirement. As such, no prior experience in meteorology
or other advanced science is expected. No mathematics beyond high
school algebra, geometry, and trigonometry is required. The second
purpose is the environmental studies major program. The atmosphere
is an important component of the environment, and understanding
its processes is a vital part of understanding environmental issues.
The course is a computer intensive course and it may be used to
satisfy the college's requirement in computer literacy. As such,
all students should participate in using the computer to gain information.
Computer work is an integral part of the laboratory experience.
There will also be computer work on some of the examinations. Students
should be certain that they can do the computer work and laboratory
teams should divide such work evenly to assure that everyone learns
how to do these tasks.
Special Note: The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990
and other Federal laws require Randolph-Macon College to provide
a "reasonable accommodation" to any individual who advises
us of a physical, psychological, or learning disability. If you
have a physical, psychological, or learning disabiity that requires
an accommodation, you must first register with the Office for Disability
Support Services, located in the Higgins Academic Center. Please
arrange a meeting with the course instructor to discuss your needs
and how to register for these support services.