PHYSICS 17
Elements of Quantum Mechanics and Statistical Mechanics
Description: Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisites: courses 1A, 1B, and 1C (or 1AH, 1BH, and 1CH), Mathematics 32A, 32B. Enforced corequisite: Mathematics 33A. Photons, photoelectric effect, uncertainty principle Bohr atom, Schrödinger equation, hydrogen atom, Gaussian and Poisson distributions, temperature, entropy, Maxwell/Boltzmann distribution, kinetic theory of gases, laws of thermodynamics, black body radiation. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 4.0
Units: 4.0
1 of 2
Most Helpful Review
Winter 2024 - Wes is an awesome professor! He is a great lecturer and truly cares about student learning. He also makes class interactive with demos and Q&As. In regards to exams, there was one midterm (30%) and the final (40%). The exams were difficult but do-able. He generously curved them as well. If you're taking physics 17, I highly recommend taking it with Campbell.
Winter 2024 - Wes is an awesome professor! He is a great lecturer and truly cares about student learning. He also makes class interactive with demos and Q&As. In regards to exams, there was one midterm (30%) and the final (40%). The exams were difficult but do-able. He generously curved them as well. If you're taking physics 17, I highly recommend taking it with Campbell.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Ok, I'm the type of student who pays attention and does pretty well, but I absolutely could not stand this professor. The first couple lectures were fine, but then he started lecturing in circles. He would put the same equation on the board day after day, then give you another that's supposed to be derived from the original equation, but fail to explain it. And when he did explain it, it was in a circle. He also never made eye-contact and mumbles just when he's getting to his point. His tests were supposed to be pretty fair. Most of the problems were, but the issue is that they were vague as all hell. You didn't know he wanted for the question, and if you have a horrible TA, you get it wrong, even though it's right. In a nutshell, avoid him if you can, OR just teach yourself out of the book.
Ok, I'm the type of student who pays attention and does pretty well, but I absolutely could not stand this professor. The first couple lectures were fine, but then he started lecturing in circles. He would put the same equation on the board day after day, then give you another that's supposed to be derived from the original equation, but fail to explain it. And when he did explain it, it was in a circle. He also never made eye-contact and mumbles just when he's getting to his point. His tests were supposed to be pretty fair. Most of the problems were, but the issue is that they were vague as all hell. You didn't know he wanted for the question, and if you have a horrible TA, you get it wrong, even though it's right. In a nutshell, avoid him if you can, OR just teach yourself out of the book.
AD
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2019 - This class was bad for everyone involved. It was his first time teaching phys17, and it went terribly. Super nice guy, very smart and friendly, just couldn’t quite find out a way to properly explain the concepts to the class in such a way that we could understand. We took 2 midterms, and a final, and the average score was a failing grade every time. First midterm average was 37/60, second was 34/60, and the final average was a 60%. Overall, physics 17 might be an easier class with another professor, and I think the main reason it went so bad for everyone is because he was so used to teaching upper division complicated QM, that when it came to teaching us, he sort of implied we understood it. The midterms were very hard, as was the final.
Fall 2019 - This class was bad for everyone involved. It was his first time teaching phys17, and it went terribly. Super nice guy, very smart and friendly, just couldn’t quite find out a way to properly explain the concepts to the class in such a way that we could understand. We took 2 midterms, and a final, and the average score was a failing grade every time. First midterm average was 37/60, second was 34/60, and the final average was a 60%. Overall, physics 17 might be an easier class with another professor, and I think the main reason it went so bad for everyone is because he was so used to teaching upper division complicated QM, that when it came to teaching us, he sort of implied we understood it. The midterms were very hard, as was the final.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2020 - Prof Ni is the sweetest person. Physics 17 is kind of a boring/shallow class on its own since it is sort of just an introductory dabble in quantum/stat mech, but she explained the concepts very clearly and the workload is light. The exams are long but not hard. I don't really care for the class itself as it is mostly just taking textbook formulas and applying them without derivation, but Prof Ni is like a mother to us, her kindness brings me joy in the dark times of COVID.
Fall 2020 - Prof Ni is the sweetest person. Physics 17 is kind of a boring/shallow class on its own since it is sort of just an introductory dabble in quantum/stat mech, but she explained the concepts very clearly and the workload is light. The exams are long but not hard. I don't really care for the class itself as it is mostly just taking textbook formulas and applying them without derivation, but Prof Ni is like a mother to us, her kindness brings me joy in the dark times of COVID.
Most Helpful Review
While he could have spent a little bit more time explaining the significance of his lectures at the beginning of the class, Professor Ong is pretty good. He is always willing and eager to see students during his office hours or whenever. Only exceptions are the frequent trips that he makes to go just about everywhere in the world and do cool physics stuff, which he loves to talk about. Homework assignments are not bad, though he has a habit of assigning stuff before we learn it in class. Tests are very well written: they require some thinking beyond just plugging stuff into formulas, and he ends most problems with some kind of conceptual question that will test how well you actually understand what is going on. First midterm was a little too long for one hour, though the class is curved so that was not a huge problem. Some minor qualms, but generally a great professor.
While he could have spent a little bit more time explaining the significance of his lectures at the beginning of the class, Professor Ong is pretty good. He is always willing and eager to see students during his office hours or whenever. Only exceptions are the frequent trips that he makes to go just about everywhere in the world and do cool physics stuff, which he loves to talk about. Homework assignments are not bad, though he has a habit of assigning stuff before we learn it in class. Tests are very well written: they require some thinking beyond just plugging stuff into formulas, and he ends most problems with some kind of conceptual question that will test how well you actually understand what is going on. First midterm was a little too long for one hour, though the class is curved so that was not a huge problem. Some minor qualms, but generally a great professor.
Most Helpful Review
The course is called INTRO to ELEMENTS of statistical and quantum mechanics. But, I walked away with a graduate level understanding of Thermodynamics. If you want to learn everything about what Dr. Putterman thinks is important (which is he adds to every lecture), than take a class with him. His lectures are very entertaining, the homework is from some lost tome of graduate school, and the tests are horrifying. Overall, it's more of a hazing ritual than a learning experience.
The course is called INTRO to ELEMENTS of statistical and quantum mechanics. But, I walked away with a graduate level understanding of Thermodynamics. If you want to learn everything about what Dr. Putterman thinks is important (which is he adds to every lecture), than take a class with him. His lectures are very entertaining, the homework is from some lost tome of graduate school, and the tests are horrifying. Overall, it's more of a hazing ritual than a learning experience.
AD
1 of 2
