Homework 7 is ready!

You have a quick homework assignment on elementary concepts of the theory of universal gravitation, as discussed in lecture on Monday. This homework assignment, Homework #7, is due on Wednesday at the beginning of lecture.

No lecture today.

We are still waiting for our scantron results from Wednesday's exam, so let's take this Friday off.

No lecture today, both sections.

I set up a short concept guide for you on the gravitational concepts of chapter 5, so you can use it for reading ahead. It is on the Webcourses home page.

See you all on Monday for regular lecture, normal times.

Interesting density figures for extraterrestrial planets

The article, "Extrasolar planets: Larger than they ought to be," in Nature this week has some interesting specs for these "hot Jupiter" planets recently discovered around nearby stars. Most of them could float in water!

This is helpful to glance at because we will be studying

1. density,
2. radiative heat transport and
3. gravitation with its tidal effects.

Educating your mind

For those of you who are using advanced study techniques to prepare your coconut for Wednesday's midterm exam, I just posted some extra blurbs in the Doc Cam folder.

1. Optional reading on the orbits of the gravitational field, many cool looking diagrams, and
2. for Friday's lecture, a pair of biographical blurbs on Edmond Halley and Isaac Newton.

If you have some extra time, you can look over the orbits pages.

Caught nappin'

Take a look at the Lecture Files in Webcourses. There is a file for exercise 10, p. 73, which we were working on at the end of lecture. I made an error in the orbital speed computation, which was spotted by Morris and Katherine. The new lecture file for exercise 10 has the correct computation, along with some comments on the law of universal gravitation in chapter 5.

Gracias, Katherine and Morris!! I was nappin'!!