SYLLABUS FOR PHY 109 spring 2017

Office hours are Monday and Wednesday 9:30-11:30am.

Textbook: Global Warming: Understanding the Forecast
Instructor: George Rhee phone: 895 4453. Office BPB 239 grhee@physics.unlv.edu

Introduction
January 17 Humankind and Climate Chapter 1
19 Energy
Part I The Greenhouse E↵ect
24 Blackbody Radiation part1 Chapter 2
26 Blackbody Radiation part2 Chapter 2
31 The Layer Model part1 Chapter 3
February 2 The Layer Model part2 Chapter 3
7 Greenhouse Gases Chapter 4
9 Greenhouse Gases Chapter 4
14 What holds the atmosphere up? Chapter 5
16 What holds the atmosphere up? Chapter 5
21 Exam I
23 Weather and Climate Chapter 6
28 Weather and Climate Chapter 6
March 2 Feedbacks Chapter 7
7 Feedbacks Chapter 7
Part II The Carbon Cycle
9 Carbon on Earth Chapter 8
14 Carbon on Earth Chapter 8
16 Fossil Fuels and Energy Chapter 9
21 Fossil Fuels and Energy Chapter 9
23 The Perturbed Carbon Cycle Chapter 10
28 The Perturbed Carbon Cycle Chapter 10
30 EXAM II
Part III The Forecast
April
4 The Smoking Gun Chapter 11
6 The Smoking Gun Chapter 11
18 Potential Climate Impacts Chapter 12
20 Potential Climate Impacts Chapter 12
25 Decision, Decisions Chapter 13
27 Decision, Decisions Chapter 13
May 2
4
11 FINAL EXAM at 10:10 a.m.
1. Exams. Two one-hour exams during the term, plus the final, as scheduled above. Course grades
will be calculated for each student by dropping her/his lowest score on the one-hour exams. The
final exam will be 50% of the final grade. The final examination must be taken. All exams will
be closed book and closed notes. Calculators or translation devices will not be permitted. One
half of the final will consist of questions on material covered since the second hour exam; one-half
of the final will consist of questions on material from the earlier parts of the course.
2. Except for certifiable emergencies (car accident with copy of police report, serious illness with
physician’s note, etc.) all examinations will be taken at the appointed times. Failure to take an
exam at the appointed time will result in an assignment of zero points for that exam.
3. Students will not be allowed to start an hour exam or the final after any other student
has completed the exam and left the room. Please be on time.
Academic Misconduct -Academic integrity is a legitimate concern for every member
of the campus community; all share in upholding the fundamental values of honesty, trust,
respect, fairness, responsibility and professionalism. By choosing to join the UNLV com-
munity, students accept the expectations of the Student Academic Misconduct Policy and
are encouraged when faced with choices to always take the ethical path. Students enrolling
in UNLV assume the obligation to conduct themselves in a manner compatible with UNLVs
function as an educational institution. An example of academic misconduct is plagiarism.
Plagiarism is using the words or ideas of another, from the Internet or any source, without
proper citation of the sources. See the Student Academic Misconduct Policy (approved
December 9, 2005) located at: http://studentconduct.unlv.edu/misconduct/policy.html.
Disability Resource Center (DRC) The UNLV Disability Resource Center (SSC-A 143,
http://drc.unlv.edu/, 702-895- 0866) provides resources for students with disabilities. If
you feel that you have a disability, please make an appointment with a Disabilities Specialist
at the DRC to discuss what options may be available to you. If you are registered with
the UNLV Disability Resource Center, bring your Academic Accommodation Plan from
the DRC to me during office hours so that we may work together to develop strategies for
implementing the accommodations to meet both your needs and the requirements of the
course. Any information you provide is private and will be treated as such. To maintain
the confidentiality of your request, please do not approach me before or after class to
discuss your accommodation needs.
Religious Holidays Policy Any student missing class quizzes, examinations, any
other class or lab work because of observance of religious holidays shall be given an op-
portunity during that semester to make up missed work. The make-up will apply to
the religious holiday absence only. It shall be the responsibility of the student to no-
tify the instructor no later than the end of the first two weeks of classes, September
5, 2014, of his or her intention to participate in religious holidays which do not fall
on state holidays or periods of class recess. For additional information, please visit:
http://catalog.unlv.edu/content.php?catoid=6&navoid=531.
Incomplete Grades - The grade of I - Incomplete - can be granted when a student
has satisfactorily completed three-fourths of course work for that semester/session but for
reason(s) beyond the student’s control, and acceptable to the instructor, cannot complete
the last part of the course, and the instructor believes that the student can finish the course
without repeating it. The incomplete work must be made up before the end of the following
regular semester. If course requirements are not completed within the time indicated, a
grade of F will be recorded and the GPA will be adjusted accordingly. Students who are
fulfilling an Incomplete do not register for the course but make individual arrangements
with the instructor who assigned the I grade.
Library Resources: Students may consult with a librarian on research needs. For this
class, the subject librarian is Michael Luesebrink. UNLV Libraries provides resources to
support access to information. Discovery, access, and use of information are vital skills
for academic work and for successful post-college life. Access library resources and ask
questions at https://www.library.unlv.edu/
Tutoring and Coaching: The Academic Success Center (ASC) provides tutoring and
academic assistance for all UNLV students taking UNLV courses. Students are encouraged
to stop by the ASC to learn more about subjects o↵ered, tutoring times and other academic
resources. The ASC is located across from the Student Services Complex (SSC). Students
may learn more about tutoring services by calling 702-895-3177 or visiting the tutoring
web site at: http://academicsuccess.unlv.edu/tutoring/.

Learning Outcomes

1) Students will gain a quantitative understanding of the greenhouse e↵ect. energy use.
2) Students will learn where to look up the key numbers in this field.
3) Students will learn how the forecast for future climate impacts depends on current
greenhouse gas emissions.
4) Students will run online models to estimate for themselves the impacts of greenhouse
gas emissions on the earth’s temperature.