VVV has his own way of understanding physics, and lecturing them out, so you probably need some time to get used to his style. However, once you manage to keep pace, you'll find that he really has a profound knowledge in physics, and his point of views on various materials are thorough and in logic with each other. Each time I ask him a question, I will always get even more than I ask for from his answer. If you choose VVV, it is definitely a hard path, but if you manage it, you'll get much more than you expect.

Yes, the other reviews are true - this is not an easy class BUT it is worth all the struggle, especially if you are interested in physics. Vassiliev will spend most of his lectures going over problems that seem incredibly difficult at first, but actually end up being manageable and doable with our current physics knowledge. Personally I really appreciated that but I can understand how that's not everyone's deal. He certainly goes above and beyond the course material but a key thing to note is that none of the extra topics or concepts are on the tests. You can totally rely 100% on the textbook and homework and get an A in the class.

Additionally, there is quite a bit of extra credit on both the homework and exams, and you will likely get over 100% on many of your homework assignments. His exams can certainly throw you for a loop, but I would say they're still very fair. And if all you're looking for is to pass the class, a 30% in the class was curved to a C, so I doubt any of us failed, despite the apparent difficulty of his lectures.

Overall, definitely take Vassiliev's class if you have a strong interest and background in physics, and even if you don't have either of those, the class is designed so an A is certainly still very possible.

All the reviews are true, and you can look at them and decide whether or not to take Physics 1B with VVV. And my suggestion is if you are not a Physics major, just want to use this class to fulfill your major's requirement, have no strong interest in Physics, and also have other important class to take during that quarter (like CS32), DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH VVV!!!

This is the worst class I've taken at UCLA. You are probably considering taking a class with VVV to become better at physics. Well, don't do that. You won't learn anything from his lectures. All he does is point at his lecture notes and mumble. His HOME ASSIGNMENTS (that's right, not homework, but HOME ASSIGNMENTS) are time consuming to say the least and will make you neglect all of your other classes. I know you are thinking that VVV will make you a better physics major, but trust me, you can just learn using the textbook with any other professor. This class truly sucked the living soul out of me, and I can't say I came out of it as a better student. Also, his exams are absolutely horrendous. After each exam, it felt like I was in the wrong class (and the wrong major). The average for the first midterm was ~58, the second ~43 and the third exam (non-cumulative "final" exam) ~40. He even sent us an email explaining how disappointed he was in our averages. It's completely his fault. He can't just mumble through the lectures without picking up a pen and expect people to follow along. Don't take this class, trust me.

TLDR: If you did well in AP Physics C Mech, this class is an easy A and even A+ because there’s so many extra credit opportunities.

However, Prof. Vassiliev’s lectures were often extremely convoluted and were a jumble of equation derivations and complicated algebra which in my opinion, were not necessary at all for answering most of the exam questions. The textbook problems and chapters were mostly all you need to succeed in this class. The downside was that it was mandatory to purchase the textbook (~$35) to complete the Pearson MyLab Mastering Physics HW problems.

For context, however, I came in already having done AP Physics C and having completed all of the lower division math requirements, including 32AB and 33AB which will make learning the concepts and methods in this class significantly easier.

He is so hard, but gives lots of extra credit. Most humbling, painful, but rewarding class in my opinion. I learned so much from him, but would definitely avoid him in the near future to protect my sanity.

Professor Vassiliev has a very thick Russian accent. For many people this is a huge roadblock for their understanding of the class and personally, it took a good amount of concentration to make sure I got 100% of what he was saying. Once getting over that, I think he is a pretty strong lecturer, and it's very clear that he is passionate about physics. He also included a 10 minute break for every single one of our 110 minute classes as well as having regular demonstrations that keep the lectures interesting. His lecture slides do move a bit quick, however, and he rarely does the derivation of problems and formulas live, which meant that I spent time in lecture deciphering what it was that he was writing down. I took AP Physics 1 in high school, which was a big help for me because it made a lot of the material and mental imaging pretty trivial. This is really useful because he gives A LOT of extra credit. The homework assignments each have small amounts of extra credit, but he gives A TON on the test (it was possible to get more than 160% on multiple) because he does not expect all students to finish all the questions. Because of how much partial credit you can get, I would honestly do the questions you know, leveraging both extra credit and normal questions because they are not designated so by difficulty, and then writing as much down for the other questions to rack up points. The extra credit is huge because there isn't a midterm or final, just 4 exams, and that meant that I could've missed the last exam and gotten a 96. It is, however, still a weeder class so the averages on the tests were still in the 55-70 range but he does curve on top of the extra credit. Discussion attendance is recorded and mandatory, but I would just walk in, scan a QR code and walk out. I think it's well within possibility to excel in this class (especially given that an A- is an 80%), so I would recommend Vassiliev if you can handle the accent and the lectures.

Professor Vassiliev is a great professor. His exam is challenging but doable. As long as you master all of his homework assignments and practice, you will be fine. He offers tons of extra credit in his exams and tests. Some of the extra credits are just free points for you. Also, if you show your work, you will at least get some partial credits. One thing you have to get over is his accent, and I took about 4-5 lectures to get used to his accent. Overall, I will recommend him as your Physics 1A professor.

I really loved VVV's teaching this quarter. He is of course brilliant, and doing astrophysics research. He makes a lot of the material from the textbook feel intuitive and real. I still wanted to read the textbook, and did, which was of course very helpful. Still, specially with the denser concepts towards the end of the quarter, lecture felt much more natural than textbook reading. He is very kind, and always willing to answer any questions you have. I spent a lot of time in office hours this quarter, and have thoroughly enjoyed learning from him and spending time with him. He is also a fair grader, and often encourages and grants regrade requests on exams. His exams offer a lot of credit opportunity for those who can excel, but are still graded decently friendly for the average student. He likes for his students to understand the material well which is reflected in his teaching (often deriving things and writing his own slides/modifying textbook material to communicate material naturally, thoroughly, and intuitively) and his exams.

triple v is da goat

Professor Vassiliev is clearly dedicated to ensuring his students grasp the material, demonstrating a genuine interest in our learning. However, there are significant challenges in understanding his lectures that need to be addressed to improve the overall learning experience.

Firstly, Professor Vassiliev’s strong accent, combined with frequent mumbling, makes it difficult to follow his explanations during class. This issue is further compounded by the poor quality of the microphone, which often results in muffled audio. As a result, many students struggle to pay attention and fully comprehend the content being presented.

One potential solution to these challenges is for Professor Vassiliev to record his lectures. Recorded lectures would allow students to replay sections they find difficult to understand, providing the opportunity to better grasp the material at their own pace. Additionally, these recordings could include clearer audio, which would significantly enhance comprehension.

The good thing was that the final is not cumulative but instead there are 4 midterms/exams which are well paced in my opinion. The only reason I didnt struggle was becasue I had a background in Physics. If you did not, this is going to be insanely hard.