Synopsis
The material covered in this class will introduce you to some basic concepts of the physics and the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere. Upon completion of the class (provided you study hard) you will have a good understanding of the processes that determine the structure and the dynamics of the terrestrial atmosphere. During the semester we will cover a variety of topics ranging from small-scale atmospheric phenomena to planet-wide weather patterns. We will discuss the role of natural and anthropogenic factors in the global change of the terrestrial climate.
Time and Location
The class will meet three times a week Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9:35 - 10:25 am (3rd period) in the big auditorium (NPB 1001) on the first floor of the New Physics Building (NPB).
Office Hours:
Office hours will be held on Mondays from 10:30 am to 11:00 am.
Required Materials
The main textbook for this class is "Meteorology Today" by C. Donald Ahrens, which this year came out with a new, ninth edition. Use older editions at your own risk. The book is accompanied by a ``Workbook and Study Guide'' which has exercises and example problems. The study guide is not required for the class.
MET 1010 web page
http://www.phys.ufl.edu/~matchev/MET1010
The web page will contain information relevant for the class. There you will find the latest announcements, old exams, lecture notes and other study materials. Please check for updates regularly.
Exams
There will be three in-class midterm exams and one final exam. Each exam will last 50 min. and consist of 33 multiple choice questions. Examples of old exams from previous years can be found on the web-page of the class. The dates of the exams have already been announced: October 1, October 29, December 3 and December 18. Since you are allowed to drop one exam score (see grading policy below), there will be no makeup exams given under any conditions. If two midterm exams are missed you will be expected to withdraw from the course. You should make sure you show up for the final exam! The final exam carries double weight (see grading policy below), therefore, if you miss the final, your grade in the course will suffer significantly. Your exam scores will be posted on WebCT as soon as they become available, so please register for the class on WebCT as soon as possible. The professor will not tolerate any questions of the type "Can you tell me what my exam scores are?".
Assignments
There will be no homework assignments in this class.
Grading
Your grade will be based entirely on your performance on the exams, with the final exam carrying double weight. You will also be allowed to drop one lowest score among your exams. For example, if your lowest score is on one of your midterm exams, say M1, then the final grade is made up of the other two midterm scores, M2 and M3, plus twice the final exam score F: M2+M3+F+F. If your lowest score is on the final exam, the grade will be determined simply by the sum of the 3 midterms and the final: M1+M2+M3+F. The grades will not be curved. Anyone who scores 80 points or higher on each of the three midterm exams will be given an A and will not be required to take the final exam. A student whose average grade on the three midterms is above 80 points, but who has at least one midterm score below 80 points, will be required to take the final. The grading scale is shown below: (There will be 33 questions on each exam, each question is worth 3 points, so the maximum number of points on each exam will be 99. Since there are 4 scores entering the final grade calculation, the maximum number of points you can accumulate is 4x99=396.)
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