Vladmir is both a great person and great teacher. Once you get past his heavy accent, he is a good lecturer. The class content is not very difficult especially if you took AP Physics. I will say his tests are very difficult and the class average are typically around 50% but if you pay attention in class and don't cheat on the homework its very manageable to get well above that. Vladmir's grading scale is very generous and he will most likely curve the exams tremendously.

Vlad is a kind-hearted old man who is undoubtedly a genius but lacks a few basic but critical skills to make this class manageable. His accent is definitely a factor to consider because at 8am he is unintelligible without 110% focus, which I often could not muster. The real kicker however was that the slides and formula were PREWRITTEN AND NOT DERIVED LIVE. No other math or science class that I've taken has ever had every formula prewritten and not allowed students to derive along with the professor. This makes it extremely difficult to remain engaged - instead of following along with the lecture, we would have to copy down the lecture frantically while Vlad rambled in the background.
The demonstrations that supposedly make mechanics interesting were mediocre at best, although that had more to do with faulty equipment than it did with Vlad's teaching. The tests were difficult but also closely rooted in textbook problems and curved somewhat generously with extra credit opportunities, so in theory they should have been approachable to a well-prepared student. The worked out solutions to homework problems would make a huge difference - I found them in week 8 but they would have greatly enhanced my understanding if they had been outright provided instead of pirated independently.

Overall, as far as Physics 1A goes Professor VVV is certainly not the worst possible options. He means well and wants his students to succeed because he is passionate about physics. Unfortunately, his inability to deliver lectures in a meaningful or engaging way is his one downfall, but thanks to my AP physics background I was able to skate by.

VVV is very smart and he is very willing to help you can tell he is passionate about the subject and very welcoming in office hours. However, his lectures are not very educational. For one, he rarely writes anything down and it is just all prewritten down, so while you copy it down, he explains it and you miss all of it. He just talks to you for 4 hours of lecture a week in a mildly thick accent. He also overcomplicates the subject far more than it has to be, maybe because he is coming from an advanced physics background, but it often makes concepts a lot more confusing. His tests are almost always no numbers just variables. It is helpful if you like the centered focus on the chapters, so that you don't have to review TOO much since there isn't a final just a test for the last few chapters, but he again tries to overcomplicate it so that unless you are attuned to all topics you don't do that well. I realistically would advise against him, but there isn't much better I don't think, and given the resources he provides and the willingness to help, you will survive. Many people stopped showing up to lecture after the first half of the quarter if that gives you any intuition on whether or not to attend. Good luck!

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.

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.

Professor Vassiliev has a way of frustrating you and intriguing you at the same time. In 8 AM lectures, he is almost impossible to understand, but it is clear that he is passionate about his subject and wants you to love it as much as him. I learned almost the whole subject through the textbook, but I gained a newfound appreciation for Physics by visiting office hours, where we could spend close to an hour talking about a single problem. One-on-one, he is a far better teacher than during lecture, so if you sign up for this class, take advantage of office hours more than lecture time. His exams are quite difficult. There are 4 across the quarter, and no final exam in Week 11. Each exam and homework assignment has a lot of extra credit opportunities, so it's good idea to at least attempt the homework ones. If you're a Physics god, try the exam ones too.