UC Berkeley Physics Upper Division, Fall 2008
Physics 105, Analytic Mechanics
Martin White, 2.8 out of 5
TuTh 8-930, 150 GSPP
“He’s the reason I changed majors [from Physics]…very sarcastic, kind of mean, but he really knows what he’s doing and tries to teach you. good lecturer but doesn’t like students visiting OH…Prof White is hilarious and he is very challenging…Prof. White obviously knows the material quite well. However, writing it on the board in the midst of biting sarcasm does not mean that it has been TAUGHT.”
Text: Classical Mechanics by John R. Taylor
Physics 110A, Electromagnetism and Optics
Mahiko Suzuki, 3.9 out of 5
MWF 10-11, 534 Davis
“Homework is physically easy, but mathematically annoying. Tests are given almost copied out of class examples. But lecture notes are posted online. dont go to class, but read the examples carefully… Organised, clear and extremeley helpful…his boardwork is the best I’ve ever seen, and his explanations are crystal-clear. He is, however, quite demanding with homework and exams. Sometimes, he goes into more mathematical detail than I care for…During discussion, he will give substantial hints if you ask him for help.”
Michael Crommie (one rating)
TuTh 930-11, 3 Evans
“He does not do a good job of choosing homework assignments, usually lectures are written at 2 am the night before the class. Nice guy, and helpful in office hours, but boardwork needs to improve.”
Text for each prof: Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd Edition) by David J. Griffiths
Physics 110B
Mark Strovink (4.2 out of 5)
MWF 10-11, 75 Evans
“Horrible. Really can’t follow his lectures. He talks a whole lot about particles because that is his research interest, but we don’t have the background to understand any of it…Easily the best professor of my undergraduate career. Go talk to him in OH; he has plenty of entertaining (and usually applicable) stories…I was impressed his HWs more than his lecture although his lecture is very well organized with neat writings on a blackboard. By the way, you would not use the Optics book much, so you do not have to buy it if you don’t want it…Does his job well, perhaps the best in the department. the most efficient in conveying knowledge. If he is teaching a classand you have the option of taking it, do so. However, do not take the class lightly.”
Texts: Introduction to Electrodynamics (3rd Edition) by David J. Griffiths & Introduction to Optics (3rd Edition) by Frank L Pedrotti, Leno M Pedrotti, and Leno S Pedrotti
Physics 111
Section 1: William Holzapfel, 4 out of 5
MTWTF 1-5, 286 LeConte
“Very enthusiastic. Explains very good. Lecture’s are very organized and are a big help with the lab reports… pretty helpful, interesting professor. not a very easy one, but very approachable at OH. sticks to the book… Good solid professor. Homeworks long but fairly straightforward. Enthusiastic.”
Texts: The Art of Electronics by Paul Horowitz and Winfield Hill & Microelectronic Circuits Revised Edition by Adel S. Sedra and Kenneth C. Smith
Section 2: Dan Stamper-Kurn, 1.1 out of 5
MTWTF 1-5, 283 LeConte
“Lectures are worthless. Homeworks are very difficult and often seem like they aren’t related to the text or the lecture. Overall, a horrible experience. I learned very little from his class…Very unclear professor. HW’s are super hard…HW’s are horribly difficult when they are not based from the textbook. HW tends to confuse rather than teach. No help can be expected from professor (nor GSI since he sometimes doesn’t know what the prof is going)…horrible and supper hard.”
Texts: Experiments in Modern Physics, Second Edition by Adrian C. Melissinos and Jim Napolitano & An Introduction to Error Analysis: The Study of Uncertainties in Physical Measurements by John R. Taylor
Physics 112
Ivo Souza, 2.7 out of 5
MWF 8-9, 4 LeConte
“His lectures were to the point and informative, and his tests were very relevant to the subject matter. As for not excusing homework, that won’t be fair to other students, right? And he uses Kittel, which is a standard…Prof. Souza made it a nightmare. In my opinion, it is excusable for a prof. to be mediocre as long as he tries. This guy doesn’t care AT ALL about students, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he really doesn’t care about physics…. His lectures are bad regurgitations of an already bad textbook, really no point in attending (not to mention he cant even answer questions). He often tries to be a hardline professor, but he comes off as being mean (ex. won’t let you miss a homework even if you have a good reason).”
Texts: Thermal Physics (2nd Edition) by Charles Kittel and Herbert Kroemer
Physics 137A
Zi Qiang Qiu, 4.5 out of 5
MWF 9-10, 101 Moffitt & TuTh 930-11, 9 Evans
“Homeworks are also insightful. In OH he will answer all your questions, will help you solve the homework if you show that you have thought about it. Test, not hard and very closely related to homework and lectures…He’s definitely a good teacher. Tests are mostly based off of the lecture and pretty easy if you go to class. Homework problems assigned from the book…He’s a total G. Good, informative lectures, and he’s helpful and nice. The problem sets are painfully challenging, but the tests are straightforward and reasonable. He has a hilarious tendency to say “arrpha” (“alpha”).”
Texts for Each Section: Introduction to Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition) by David J. Griffiths
Physics 137B
Dung-Hai Lee, 3.9 out of 5
TuTh 930-11, 534 Davis
“Prof. Lee gives excellent lectures, and gives problem sets that really help you understand the material. His notes are much better than most textbooks on QM…He’s a bit intimidating, but don’t be afraid to go to his OH to ask him questions. Don’t buy the book, his boardwork is amazing and he supplies textbook like notes… Excellent lectures, very hard homeworks and exams. Seemed to grade fairly though…Prof. Lee gives lengthy homeworks and hard exams. However, if you are the least bit interested in QM, he is the one for you. You will learn a lot. He is very enthusiastic and (at least) I was never bored. One last advice: Go to lecture! He does not go by the book.”
Text: Quantum Mechanics (2nd Edition) by B.H. Bransden and C.J. Joachain
Physics 141A, Solid State Physics
John Clarke, 4.7 out of 5
MWF 11-12, 213 Wheeler
“Very nice guy and explains clearly to detail, his midterms were at about the same level as the homework so they were actually doable and they make you feel good about physics… but his final was unspeakably hard, feel like I could have a different evaluation because of the final… He is very clear and his lecture notes are very helpful. His tests are about the same as the homework level. A very insightful and fair professor.”
Text: Introduction to Solid State Physics by Charles Kittel
Physics C191, Quantum Info Science & Technology
Birgitta Whaley
TuTh 1230-2, 180 Tan
“Lectures varied from easy to hard this was more to do with the content than her, but at time the lectures were unclear. Maintained an aloof attitude throughout the semester…Her ability to understand questions and answer them is slim to none. Furthermore she makes so many mistakes at the board that it is usually an excercise of patience to stand her class…Interesting material, but follows the text pretty closely.”
Texts: Principles of Quantum Computation and Information – Vol.1: Basic Concepts by Giuliano Benenti, Giulio Casati, and Giuliano Strini & An Introduction to Quantum Computing by Phillip Kaye, Raymond Laflamme, and Michele Mosca
(All ratings from Ratemyprofessors.com)
