PHYSICS 1A
Physics for Scientists and Engineers: Mechanics
Description: Lecture/demonstration, four hours; discussion, one hour. Enforced requisites: Mathematics 31A, 31B. Enforced corequisite: Mathematics 32A. Motion, Newton laws, work, energy, linear and angular momentum, rotation, equilibrium, gravitation. P/NP or letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2018 - Hamilton is a standard professor - he goes over concepts/theory in class along with some examples. I liked how he did in-class questions through a software called Kudu - this allowed us to interact with each other and not fall asleep at 9 am haha. However, I found that his lectures lacked example problems, and also he did not give us any sample exam problems before the midterm/final. As such, we kind of went into the exams without knowing exactly what to study. Also, some of the hw questions he assigned were kind of irrelevant to the material. Overall, Hamilton is okay as a professor - I'm kind of neutral about recommending or not recommending him.
Fall 2018 - Hamilton is a standard professor - he goes over concepts/theory in class along with some examples. I liked how he did in-class questions through a software called Kudu - this allowed us to interact with each other and not fall asleep at 9 am haha. However, I found that his lectures lacked example problems, and also he did not give us any sample exam problems before the midterm/final. As such, we kind of went into the exams without knowing exactly what to study. Also, some of the hw questions he assigned were kind of irrelevant to the material. Overall, Hamilton is okay as a professor - I'm kind of neutral about recommending or not recommending him.
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Most Helpful Review
Holczer is a very nice and likable guy, but a poor teacher. I stopped going to his lectures and went to Corbin's instead or just read the book. The class was extremely easy with me just taking college prep physics in high school. Holczer has an accent which is very hard to understand (though kinda awesome) and his handwriting isn't good. We graded homework in class which was definitely a plus, none of that online hw stuff. His tests were extremely easy. They are just questions from the book. In fact one of the questions on the final was a question I had done the night before while studying. Pretty much everyone gets A's which really helped my GPA since its a 5 unit class. I'd take his class again so that I'd get all the easy tests but just go to a different teacher's lectures.
Holczer is a very nice and likable guy, but a poor teacher. I stopped going to his lectures and went to Corbin's instead or just read the book. The class was extremely easy with me just taking college prep physics in high school. Holczer has an accent which is very hard to understand (though kinda awesome) and his handwriting isn't good. We graded homework in class which was definitely a plus, none of that online hw stuff. His tests were extremely easy. They are just questions from the book. In fact one of the questions on the final was a question I had done the night before while studying. Pretty much everyone gets A's which really helped my GPA since its a 5 unit class. I'd take his class again so that I'd get all the easy tests but just go to a different teacher's lectures.
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Most Helpful Review
The class is difficult. Professor Jura is very approachable and likes to explain a variety of material to his students. His class can be difficult because he does not really teach out of the textbook and tends to teach astronomical applications. The homework really requires some thinking and can be quite tricky as well as time consuming. He will never directly answer your questions in office hours but rather urge you to think. The time rush on the midterm exams can cause some difficulty. One important point is to memorize the equations and formulas he presents or know very well how to derive them. I would try to take some time to memorize them over the quarter. Mostly his homework and exam questions involve leaving the answer in variables but that did not bother me. If you are really into physics and astronomy then I highly recommend that you take his class. However, his style can be a little bothersome but if you will invest a good amount of effort in his class then you can do well.
The class is difficult. Professor Jura is very approachable and likes to explain a variety of material to his students. His class can be difficult because he does not really teach out of the textbook and tends to teach astronomical applications. The homework really requires some thinking and can be quite tricky as well as time consuming. He will never directly answer your questions in office hours but rather urge you to think. The time rush on the midterm exams can cause some difficulty. One important point is to memorize the equations and formulas he presents or know very well how to derive them. I would try to take some time to memorize them over the quarter. Mostly his homework and exam questions involve leaving the answer in variables but that did not bother me. If you are really into physics and astronomy then I highly recommend that you take his class. However, his style can be a little bothersome but if you will invest a good amount of effort in his class then you can do well.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2024 - Professor Kamaha is very kind and genuinely cares about her students' success. I'm sure you'll probably start reading this review thinking, "You got an A+, what do you have to talk about?" Well, the majority of the reviews under Professor Kamaha seem to be worse than she deserves, and I feel that part of it surely must be due to the nature of the content that she teaches. Physics is hard; honestly, she doesn't deserve the blatant rudeness that many of my classmates express towards her. Professor Kamaha gives you an equation sheet and calculator for her exams. Some teachers only give you one or the other, or none at all. Biggest tip for her exams: Look at the practice tests. You don't even have to solve the questions; just look at the solutions and make sure you understand how you get from the question and the answer because she very often copies her questions for her exams verbatim from the practice exams, sometimes without even changing the numbers. At the end of the day, Professor Kamaha by no means unreasonable, and she genuinely wants you to succeed. The second midterm had 2 of the 3 questions directly from the practice exams, and she also gives points when she feels that the exam average is too low. She gives some supplementary assignments that serve as extra credit if you need it, and it's actually a substantial amount for quite a few people—I encourage you to do it even if you think you don't need it! You can do well in this class if you're diligent and try your best. Mechanics is straightforward conceptually: push an object, and it moves. Just be glad it isn't Corbin... or 1B... or heaven forbid 1B AND Corbin...
Fall 2024 - Professor Kamaha is very kind and genuinely cares about her students' success. I'm sure you'll probably start reading this review thinking, "You got an A+, what do you have to talk about?" Well, the majority of the reviews under Professor Kamaha seem to be worse than she deserves, and I feel that part of it surely must be due to the nature of the content that she teaches. Physics is hard; honestly, she doesn't deserve the blatant rudeness that many of my classmates express towards her. Professor Kamaha gives you an equation sheet and calculator for her exams. Some teachers only give you one or the other, or none at all. Biggest tip for her exams: Look at the practice tests. You don't even have to solve the questions; just look at the solutions and make sure you understand how you get from the question and the answer because she very often copies her questions for her exams verbatim from the practice exams, sometimes without even changing the numbers. At the end of the day, Professor Kamaha by no means unreasonable, and she genuinely wants you to succeed. The second midterm had 2 of the 3 questions directly from the practice exams, and she also gives points when she feels that the exam average is too low. She gives some supplementary assignments that serve as extra credit if you need it, and it's actually a substantial amount for quite a few people—I encourage you to do it even if you think you don't need it! You can do well in this class if you're diligent and try your best. Mechanics is straightforward conceptually: push an object, and it moves. Just be glad it isn't Corbin... or 1B... or heaven forbid 1B AND Corbin...
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