James Rosenzweig
Department of Physics
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2.6
Overall Rating
Based on 9 Users
Easiness 1.7 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.9 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Needs Textbook
  • Useful Textbooks
  • Tough Tests
  • Issues PTEs
  • Tolerates Tardiness
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
27.5%
22.9%
18.4%
13.8%
9.2%
4.6%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

50.0%
41.7%
33.3%
25.0%
16.7%
8.3%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

29.0%
24.2%
19.4%
14.5%
9.7%
4.8%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (7)

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Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A-
April 7, 2018

I took 1AH and 1BH as a second year chemistry major. My high school had not offered AP physics, but I got a 5 in AP Calc AB, transferred an A in Calc II from community college, got As in Math 32AB, 33A in my first year, and took 33B (also got an A) concurrently with 1AH. For reference: I got an A- in 1AH and a B in 1BH. These classes are hard.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From what I could see, the ideal student for 1AH or 1BH would have:
1) taken AP Calc BC in their junior year of high school
2) taken multivariable calculus and linear algebra in their senior year of high school
3) gotten a 4 or 5 in both calculus-based AP Physics tests

Most of the people in the class were not this ideal student, but several were (as first quarter freshmen) also in my math 33B section, and, like the other reviewer said, those fast track EE students were the real deal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Content-wise, 1ABCH is divided up differently from 1ABC in this way:

1A covers mechanics through torques (not including oscillators), while 1AH covers all of this as well as changing mass systems (rockets, water wheels, snow plows); oscillations, including unstable, damped, and driven oscillators, systems of coupled harmonic oscillators (solved using eigenvalues, a math 33A technique), and the derivation of the wave equation from infinitely many coupled harmonic oscillators; and central forces/the many body problem. The textbook is An Introduction to Mechanics by Kleppner and Kolenkow, originally written for an MIT honors class. We covered chapters 1-7, 10, and 11. The textbook chooses not to include solutions, which is frustrating because many of the problems are unusual to set up in some way. There are lots of examples in each chapter, but the examples are also sometimes esoteric (solar sails!). Math-wise: the book says knowledge of differential equations is not necessary, but I found taking 33B concurrently very helpful for this class in particular. Light multivariable calculus is used for rigorous definitions of stuff, but the problems usually reduced to one dimension. Linear algebra showed up several times, especially in the coupled oscillators.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1B covers three weeks of oscillations and waves, then spends the next seven weeks working through electrostatics, DC circuits, and the lightest of touching on simple magnetic fields. But, 1BH is not content to settle for that, oh no. Skipping the SHO content, we spent five weeks on electrostatics (3 chapters in the book), then rushed through electromagnetism (chapters 4-10, skipping chapter 8 on AC circuits) in the five weeks after that. It was, frankly, very difficult. The book is Purcell and Morin’s Electricity and Magnetism, which makes the unfortunate (for us) choice of showing how magnetism derives from relativity in chapter 5 and using it throughout the book (most undergraduate E+M books, like Griffiths, don’t cover that material until the end). As a result, you essentially have to learn special relativity in the middle of the quarter to do well – luckily, the mechanics textbook that Morin also wrote was a helpful supplement. Electrostatics is also pretty difficult without a rigorous mathematical understanding of boundary value problems (which I did not have). The good news about the book: the problems are much more sensible than in the 1AH book, and most chapters include 20-30 completely worked out problems in the back. The text itself also does not jump off the tracks for solar-sail type diversions, so reading is much smoother. The course is very heavy on multivariable calculus (particularly math 32B content, like Stoke’s Theorem), but linear algebra and differential equations were not used very much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1C starts by finishing electromagnetism in about four weeks, continuing through optics, then ending with a single chapter on special relativity. Since 1BH already covered all of E+M, 1CH becomes a class in optics (plus 3 weeks of special relativity at the end). The textbook is Eugene Hecht’s Optics, written for upper division physics students and very expensive. Since I am a chemistry major, I opted not to take this class, instead taking 1C and enjoying my curve advantage in already knowing the E+M and special relativity content.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As far as the professor: Professor Rosenzweig can be confusing at times, but he does a pretty decent job all around and obviously lives and breathes breathes physics. I found him much easier to follow in 1BH than 1AH because in 1AH, he tended to dive off-topic to mechanics problems that he found interesting, like the snow plow. He did not seem to enjoy just presenting the new content very much. In 1BH, outside of a 1 hour diversion into statistical mechanics to show why potential is not ‘exactly’ zero on a conducting surface, he seemed much more interested in the physics and mathematics involved, and his lectures were much better because of it. To theorize, I think the 1BH content is just much more relevant to the modern particle physicist. His problem sets are generally from the book, with maybe 1 or 2 additions that he wrote himself. The curves on exams jumped around wildly, but in general, you get an A or a B. I only went to office hours twice – they were generally scheduled from 2-5 PM on Wednesdays, when I had a lab conflict. Discussion was not really necessary, unless you wanted to see your graded homework covered in red marks (hehe).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you feel unprepared for this class, I would recommend Chemistry 20AH, which I took as a freshman. It covers quantum mechanics in a lot of detail, so it will be intellectually rewarding for a physics/engineering major, but it is less prerequisite heavy (a tiny, tiny amount of multivariable calculus, some straightforward single-variable calculus). There is also the math honors series, but by all accounts, that series is very proof heavy.
Anyway, to all incoming freshman: welcome to UCLA! And good luck.

Helpful?

3 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
July 2, 2020

If you're interested in physics at all, I HIGHLY recommend the honors series. Jamie is may not have the best handwriting for online lectures, but the honors series is just great. I appreciated the opportunity to actually learn interesting physics instead of just learning how to apply formulas to questions. His homework assignments are impossible and his tests make you questions your life, but go to the TA office hours for homework help and trust the way this class is curved. Everyone in my section got some kind of A's.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I remember anxiously searching through bruinwalk during my freshman orientation so I thought I'd drop some hints for those considering to take this class :)
---
1. if you didn't feel comfortable with AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C material, you might want to reconsider the physics honors series.

---
2. if you have some time in your hands and nothing better to do in quarantine, do consider taking a multivariable calculus class at a community college.
familiarity with multivariable calculus is a must for this class; you'll either come in with some experience or try your best to learn as you go.

---
3. if you don't find the lectures helpful, find other ways to learn the material.
no one is forcing you to go to lectures. if you learn better by reading the textbook or watching lectures from other people, you should do what works for you.

---
4. DON'T PANIC.
even when the you don't know what the homework questions are asking. even when you look at the test and feel like you should drop the class. even when they just through a shit ton of math on you as if you should know this already. just breathe and go find Trevor.

---
5. Trevor. he's your TA (hopefully). go find him. use him. get to know him.

---
6. make/join the class groupchat.
physics honors series is relatively small and most people stay together through the entire year. get to know some of your classmates in groupchats because you WILL need emotional support after those tests. and your classmates are actually really smart.

---
7. no matter what they tell you, you choose which classes you take.
they're not letting you take 3 stem courses in fall? well if you'd be happier taking a stem course than a GE, do what you gotta do. it's week 4 and an unnecessary class is giving you hell? DROP that shit and take it later/find other options. they're scaring you into repeating a class you already have credit for? judge for yourself and decide for yourself.

---
8. you can drop classes. you won't die or not graduate on time because you drop one class and find other ways to fulfill the requirement. just make sure you do your research and decide before it's too late to go back.

---
9. try to enjoy feeling dumb
most of us never found any of our high school classes too challenging and probably never got below an A on a test in stem courses, without even trying so hard. some of us continue to do so in college, but that's probably not a good sign because in college you're supposed to challenge your mind. and in freshman year you're supposed to get a taste of what the next 4 yrs are going to be like and decide if you really want to do what you chose to do. so if you're feeling lost and/or feeling like a dumb piece of shit, just trust that you're doing it right. if it helps you, always remember curves do exist. if you found the test difficult, your classmates did too. don't worry.

---
10. ignore all above and just do what you gotta do to be happy. take care of yourself. this class only lasts 10 weeks but you are stuck with yourself for your entire life. so if you ever have to choose between being good for the class/grade or being nice to yourself, choose the latter.

---
+ talk to upperclassmen.
if you don't know any, just find random people in clubs. most of them will be more than happy to share their tips and resources. they've been through this already and therefore already have all you need to get through this class (probably). the resources they have collected are just sitting in their google drive. befriend them. swipe them. join their clubs.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Dec. 20, 2019

Oh, Physics 1AH. I decided to take this course as a biophysics major, and while I definitely don’t regret my decision as an A- is a good grade, it was an extremely difficult class. Leading up to the first midterm, the content was manageable despite difficult. After the first midterm, however, the class really picked up and got particularly difficult. Most of the time I felt like I was just trying to survive instead of learn physics. The professor often said grading was very lenient, which to some extent is true, but the content being so exceptionally challenging means you still have to work for your grade. If you push through, you’ll probably get a decent grade (at least a B), but my god is it rough.

Some pieces of information I think are important:

-I cannot stress this enough but READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER before the first lecture. You will be very confused otherwise. I didn’t realize this until several weeks in, and at that point I was very behind.

-Make sure you are solid with vector calculus and some multivariable calc (basically 32A), otherwise you will struggle to understand how to even approach problems. If you’re concurrently enrolled in 32A (which I was and it seems most people are), learn vector calculus and partial differentiation before class starts. Also review how to solve differential equations since every other problem involves them.

-Lectures were honestly unhelpful; the professor explained how to do problems and that involved content we barely learned, which is why it’s so important to read the textbook to learn how to do the problems beforehand. Lectures also frequently involved completely tangential topics that served no purpose other than to give those listening a migraine.

-The class does follow the textbook somewhat closely, which means reading and independent study were significantly more helpful for me than lectures. There was weekly homework that was easy to complete due to being straight from the textbook, which has a complete answer key. You can find the textbook online (as well as the answer key).

-I don’t know if Trevor will continue to TA for the class, but he is amazing. He explains problems incredibly concisely and is very helpful. If he’s still the TA, would definitely recommend office hours and the tutoring hours he provides.

-Discussions were useless, since the TA just explained how to do homework problems... and there’s the answer key that shows all of the work. If you’re confused about a problem, I would go into office hours instead of expecting clarification in discussion. Only times I went were to pick up my midterms the week after we took them.

In general I would not recommend taking this course unless you’re a physics major who is also in the honors program or doing EE fast track. There’s no reason to subject yourself to the painful experience the class was otherwise.

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Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A-
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Dec. 15, 2017

Took this class in my first quarter at UCLA and it was so tough that it literally made me change majors. The concepts in this class are only meant for people who were already top of their class in physics and intend to keep performing at that level, as they start hard and only get harder.

"Jamie" gives lectures only on trivial (a word you'll hear too much), incredibly difficult, and out-of-the-scope-of-the-course concepts. However, he is very good in office hours save only for his sometimes condescending nature if you don't understand the setup of a problem.

The homework problems are EVERYTHING in this class. They will take a long time and will get increasingly difficult, but the midterms and the final are straight from the homework. Sometimes, he'll throw in a problem from lecture but it's usually one explained heavily in the book. However, we got one problem that was one of the terribly complicated things we discussed in lecture and almost everyone got screwed on it.

Every Tuesday, he brings in baked goods his wife makes and they are almost always superb. The only reason I came to lecture on Tuesdays.

If you really want a physics degree, go ahead and take this class. You should do fine. If not, then I guess it's a rather easy class with the grading scale being largely As and a couple of Bs. But the class itself won't be easy. Good luck.

Also, beware of the Fast Track Electrical Engineering kids. They will screw up the curve. And if you are one, congratulations. You'll do just fine.

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B-
March 1, 2020

Took this class as a Physics (B.S.) major and... MY GOD is this class so unnecessarily difficult! My condolences are with you as a physics major or an EE major on the fast track program if you do. The only saving grace was the TA ("Trevor", look for him, he ROCKS!) that explained everything 100 times more clearer and better than "Jamie" will ever be.

Pros:
Every week, his wife brings the entire class cookies that SLAM.
In addition to the textbook questions he assigns as homework, he will also give you supplemental questions that tie the homework question with general physics applications, which is an opportunity to show what you understand about it.
He holds review sessions.
He allows you to make your own "cheat sheet" (1 page for midterms, 2 pages for finals, all front-and-back).
The class is curved GENEROUSLY, although the exams will not be.

Cons:
His lectures are virtually tangential and useless that the textbook (which apparently is the same one used for MIT Honors physics) and the TA explain it better. This is also the reason why I either stay for half his lectures or skip it altogether.
His office hours is a sneaky excuse for him to be condescending towards his students which isn't ideal especially if you REALLY are struggling.
His substitute lecturer Brian Naranjo is no better than he is at lecturing.
If the pro about HW going beyond the textbook does not entice you, then you will have a LOT harder time understanding his questions then.

I wouldn't really recommend him for an introductory physics course since he's more of a specialized professor. Maybe consider him when going for upper-divs courses...

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B
Dec. 30, 2019

Stuff we do: This class consists of two hours of lectures where Professor Rosenzweig writes on the whiteboard about the concepts illustrated by Kleppner & Kolenkow (the textbook). Homework is usually 7 problems from the book and is assigned every week. Discussion is used to go over homework problems.

Pros: It's clear that Professor Rosenzweig cares about his students by holding review sessions before exams, and I appreciate that he uploads notes online in case I miss anything from lecture. Also, his wife bakes cookies, which are delicious. He also allows cheat sheets on the exams. You can get a PDF of the book online for free by just googling it. Trevor, the TA, was very kind and approachable and helpful during office hours. Trevor, who graded the exams, also was generous with partial credit on the exams, so don't leave anything blank! As long as you are on the right track, he will throw points at you (this might change depending on the TA).

Cons: As someone who did honors classes in high school and breezed through them, I was fooled by how tough college honors classes are -- they are no joke. This class was extremely difficult, and the concepts were IMMENSELY hard to grasp. The textbook is a little unorthodox in that it jumps from one equation to the next without explaining the steps to it. Compared to other students in class, I found it much harder to understand the material simply because I don't think I knew as much as they did. So, I believe my following comments might be skewed. In my opinion, I don't believe Professor Rosenzweig effectively broke down the concepts and explained them clearly in simple terms. When he tried explaining, it was still too difficult to understand, and he's hard to follow. I don't feel that his style of teaching nor the course content is best for first-year students, definitely not as an introductory course. However, other students did fairly well on the exams and understood a lot, so maybe his teaching style works for them? I'm also not sure if everything he discussed in class was within the scope of the material, which, to reiterate, made things very challenging. Then again, compared to everyone else, it may just be that my level of physics is not on par with them.

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Dec. 23, 2019

His TA, Trevor, is my favorite human. He's incredibly smart, he's a brilliant teacher, and he's one of the most helpful people you'll ever get to know. Plus he's a chilled out grader. Most people in the class got As, but it's a lot of work.

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Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A-
April 7, 2018

I took 1AH and 1BH as a second year chemistry major. My high school had not offered AP physics, but I got a 5 in AP Calc AB, transferred an A in Calc II from community college, got As in Math 32AB, 33A in my first year, and took 33B (also got an A) concurrently with 1AH. For reference: I got an A- in 1AH and a B in 1BH. These classes are hard.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
From what I could see, the ideal student for 1AH or 1BH would have:
1) taken AP Calc BC in their junior year of high school
2) taken multivariable calculus and linear algebra in their senior year of high school
3) gotten a 4 or 5 in both calculus-based AP Physics tests

Most of the people in the class were not this ideal student, but several were (as first quarter freshmen) also in my math 33B section, and, like the other reviewer said, those fast track EE students were the real deal.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Content-wise, 1ABCH is divided up differently from 1ABC in this way:

1A covers mechanics through torques (not including oscillators), while 1AH covers all of this as well as changing mass systems (rockets, water wheels, snow plows); oscillations, including unstable, damped, and driven oscillators, systems of coupled harmonic oscillators (solved using eigenvalues, a math 33A technique), and the derivation of the wave equation from infinitely many coupled harmonic oscillators; and central forces/the many body problem. The textbook is An Introduction to Mechanics by Kleppner and Kolenkow, originally written for an MIT honors class. We covered chapters 1-7, 10, and 11. The textbook chooses not to include solutions, which is frustrating because many of the problems are unusual to set up in some way. There are lots of examples in each chapter, but the examples are also sometimes esoteric (solar sails!). Math-wise: the book says knowledge of differential equations is not necessary, but I found taking 33B concurrently very helpful for this class in particular. Light multivariable calculus is used for rigorous definitions of stuff, but the problems usually reduced to one dimension. Linear algebra showed up several times, especially in the coupled oscillators.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------
1B covers three weeks of oscillations and waves, then spends the next seven weeks working through electrostatics, DC circuits, and the lightest of touching on simple magnetic fields. But, 1BH is not content to settle for that, oh no. Skipping the SHO content, we spent five weeks on electrostatics (3 chapters in the book), then rushed through electromagnetism (chapters 4-10, skipping chapter 8 on AC circuits) in the five weeks after that. It was, frankly, very difficult. The book is Purcell and Morin’s Electricity and Magnetism, which makes the unfortunate (for us) choice of showing how magnetism derives from relativity in chapter 5 and using it throughout the book (most undergraduate E+M books, like Griffiths, don’t cover that material until the end). As a result, you essentially have to learn special relativity in the middle of the quarter to do well – luckily, the mechanics textbook that Morin also wrote was a helpful supplement. Electrostatics is also pretty difficult without a rigorous mathematical understanding of boundary value problems (which I did not have). The good news about the book: the problems are much more sensible than in the 1AH book, and most chapters include 20-30 completely worked out problems in the back. The text itself also does not jump off the tracks for solar-sail type diversions, so reading is much smoother. The course is very heavy on multivariable calculus (particularly math 32B content, like Stoke’s Theorem), but linear algebra and differential equations were not used very much.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1C starts by finishing electromagnetism in about four weeks, continuing through optics, then ending with a single chapter on special relativity. Since 1BH already covered all of E+M, 1CH becomes a class in optics (plus 3 weeks of special relativity at the end). The textbook is Eugene Hecht’s Optics, written for upper division physics students and very expensive. Since I am a chemistry major, I opted not to take this class, instead taking 1C and enjoying my curve advantage in already knowing the E+M and special relativity content.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
As far as the professor: Professor Rosenzweig can be confusing at times, but he does a pretty decent job all around and obviously lives and breathes breathes physics. I found him much easier to follow in 1BH than 1AH because in 1AH, he tended to dive off-topic to mechanics problems that he found interesting, like the snow plow. He did not seem to enjoy just presenting the new content very much. In 1BH, outside of a 1 hour diversion into statistical mechanics to show why potential is not ‘exactly’ zero on a conducting surface, he seemed much more interested in the physics and mathematics involved, and his lectures were much better because of it. To theorize, I think the 1BH content is just much more relevant to the modern particle physicist. His problem sets are generally from the book, with maybe 1 or 2 additions that he wrote himself. The curves on exams jumped around wildly, but in general, you get an A or a B. I only went to office hours twice – they were generally scheduled from 2-5 PM on Wednesdays, when I had a lab conflict. Discussion was not really necessary, unless you wanted to see your graded homework covered in red marks (hehe).
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
If you feel unprepared for this class, I would recommend Chemistry 20AH, which I took as a freshman. It covers quantum mechanics in a lot of detail, so it will be intellectually rewarding for a physics/engineering major, but it is less prerequisite heavy (a tiny, tiny amount of multivariable calculus, some straightforward single-variable calculus). There is also the math honors series, but by all accounts, that series is very proof heavy.
Anyway, to all incoming freshman: welcome to UCLA! And good luck.

Helpful?

3 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
July 2, 2020

If you're interested in physics at all, I HIGHLY recommend the honors series. Jamie is may not have the best handwriting for online lectures, but the honors series is just great. I appreciated the opportunity to actually learn interesting physics instead of just learning how to apply formulas to questions. His homework assignments are impossible and his tests make you questions your life, but go to the TA office hours for homework help and trust the way this class is curved. Everyone in my section got some kind of A's.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
I remember anxiously searching through bruinwalk during my freshman orientation so I thought I'd drop some hints for those considering to take this class :)
---
1. if you didn't feel comfortable with AP Calculus BC and AP Physics C material, you might want to reconsider the physics honors series.

---
2. if you have some time in your hands and nothing better to do in quarantine, do consider taking a multivariable calculus class at a community college.
familiarity with multivariable calculus is a must for this class; you'll either come in with some experience or try your best to learn as you go.

---
3. if you don't find the lectures helpful, find other ways to learn the material.
no one is forcing you to go to lectures. if you learn better by reading the textbook or watching lectures from other people, you should do what works for you.

---
4. DON'T PANIC.
even when the you don't know what the homework questions are asking. even when you look at the test and feel like you should drop the class. even when they just through a shit ton of math on you as if you should know this already. just breathe and go find Trevor.

---
5. Trevor. he's your TA (hopefully). go find him. use him. get to know him.

---
6. make/join the class groupchat.
physics honors series is relatively small and most people stay together through the entire year. get to know some of your classmates in groupchats because you WILL need emotional support after those tests. and your classmates are actually really smart.

---
7. no matter what they tell you, you choose which classes you take.
they're not letting you take 3 stem courses in fall? well if you'd be happier taking a stem course than a GE, do what you gotta do. it's week 4 and an unnecessary class is giving you hell? DROP that shit and take it later/find other options. they're scaring you into repeating a class you already have credit for? judge for yourself and decide for yourself.

---
8. you can drop classes. you won't die or not graduate on time because you drop one class and find other ways to fulfill the requirement. just make sure you do your research and decide before it's too late to go back.

---
9. try to enjoy feeling dumb
most of us never found any of our high school classes too challenging and probably never got below an A on a test in stem courses, without even trying so hard. some of us continue to do so in college, but that's probably not a good sign because in college you're supposed to challenge your mind. and in freshman year you're supposed to get a taste of what the next 4 yrs are going to be like and decide if you really want to do what you chose to do. so if you're feeling lost and/or feeling like a dumb piece of shit, just trust that you're doing it right. if it helps you, always remember curves do exist. if you found the test difficult, your classmates did too. don't worry.

---
10. ignore all above and just do what you gotta do to be happy. take care of yourself. this class only lasts 10 weeks but you are stuck with yourself for your entire life. so if you ever have to choose between being good for the class/grade or being nice to yourself, choose the latter.

---
+ talk to upperclassmen.
if you don't know any, just find random people in clubs. most of them will be more than happy to share their tips and resources. they've been through this already and therefore already have all you need to get through this class (probably). the resources they have collected are just sitting in their google drive. befriend them. swipe them. join their clubs.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Dec. 20, 2019

Oh, Physics 1AH. I decided to take this course as a biophysics major, and while I definitely don’t regret my decision as an A- is a good grade, it was an extremely difficult class. Leading up to the first midterm, the content was manageable despite difficult. After the first midterm, however, the class really picked up and got particularly difficult. Most of the time I felt like I was just trying to survive instead of learn physics. The professor often said grading was very lenient, which to some extent is true, but the content being so exceptionally challenging means you still have to work for your grade. If you push through, you’ll probably get a decent grade (at least a B), but my god is it rough.

Some pieces of information I think are important:

-I cannot stress this enough but READ THE ENTIRE CHAPTER before the first lecture. You will be very confused otherwise. I didn’t realize this until several weeks in, and at that point I was very behind.

-Make sure you are solid with vector calculus and some multivariable calc (basically 32A), otherwise you will struggle to understand how to even approach problems. If you’re concurrently enrolled in 32A (which I was and it seems most people are), learn vector calculus and partial differentiation before class starts. Also review how to solve differential equations since every other problem involves them.

-Lectures were honestly unhelpful; the professor explained how to do problems and that involved content we barely learned, which is why it’s so important to read the textbook to learn how to do the problems beforehand. Lectures also frequently involved completely tangential topics that served no purpose other than to give those listening a migraine.

-The class does follow the textbook somewhat closely, which means reading and independent study were significantly more helpful for me than lectures. There was weekly homework that was easy to complete due to being straight from the textbook, which has a complete answer key. You can find the textbook online (as well as the answer key).

-I don’t know if Trevor will continue to TA for the class, but he is amazing. He explains problems incredibly concisely and is very helpful. If he’s still the TA, would definitely recommend office hours and the tutoring hours he provides.

-Discussions were useless, since the TA just explained how to do homework problems... and there’s the answer key that shows all of the work. If you’re confused about a problem, I would go into office hours instead of expecting clarification in discussion. Only times I went were to pick up my midterms the week after we took them.

In general I would not recommend taking this course unless you’re a physics major who is also in the honors program or doing EE fast track. There’s no reason to subject yourself to the painful experience the class was otherwise.

Helpful?

1 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2017
Grade: A-
Dec. 15, 2017

Took this class in my first quarter at UCLA and it was so tough that it literally made me change majors. The concepts in this class are only meant for people who were already top of their class in physics and intend to keep performing at that level, as they start hard and only get harder.

"Jamie" gives lectures only on trivial (a word you'll hear too much), incredibly difficult, and out-of-the-scope-of-the-course concepts. However, he is very good in office hours save only for his sometimes condescending nature if you don't understand the setup of a problem.

The homework problems are EVERYTHING in this class. They will take a long time and will get increasingly difficult, but the midterms and the final are straight from the homework. Sometimes, he'll throw in a problem from lecture but it's usually one explained heavily in the book. However, we got one problem that was one of the terribly complicated things we discussed in lecture and almost everyone got screwed on it.

Every Tuesday, he brings in baked goods his wife makes and they are almost always superb. The only reason I came to lecture on Tuesdays.

If you really want a physics degree, go ahead and take this class. You should do fine. If not, then I guess it's a rather easy class with the grading scale being largely As and a couple of Bs. But the class itself won't be easy. Good luck.

Also, beware of the Fast Track Electrical Engineering kids. They will screw up the curve. And if you are one, congratulations. You'll do just fine.

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B-
March 1, 2020

Took this class as a Physics (B.S.) major and... MY GOD is this class so unnecessarily difficult! My condolences are with you as a physics major or an EE major on the fast track program if you do. The only saving grace was the TA ("Trevor", look for him, he ROCKS!) that explained everything 100 times more clearer and better than "Jamie" will ever be.

Pros:
Every week, his wife brings the entire class cookies that SLAM.
In addition to the textbook questions he assigns as homework, he will also give you supplemental questions that tie the homework question with general physics applications, which is an opportunity to show what you understand about it.
He holds review sessions.
He allows you to make your own "cheat sheet" (1 page for midterms, 2 pages for finals, all front-and-back).
The class is curved GENEROUSLY, although the exams will not be.

Cons:
His lectures are virtually tangential and useless that the textbook (which apparently is the same one used for MIT Honors physics) and the TA explain it better. This is also the reason why I either stay for half his lectures or skip it altogether.
His office hours is a sneaky excuse for him to be condescending towards his students which isn't ideal especially if you REALLY are struggling.
His substitute lecturer Brian Naranjo is no better than he is at lecturing.
If the pro about HW going beyond the textbook does not entice you, then you will have a LOT harder time understanding his questions then.

I wouldn't really recommend him for an introductory physics course since he's more of a specialized professor. Maybe consider him when going for upper-divs courses...

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: B
Dec. 30, 2019

Stuff we do: This class consists of two hours of lectures where Professor Rosenzweig writes on the whiteboard about the concepts illustrated by Kleppner & Kolenkow (the textbook). Homework is usually 7 problems from the book and is assigned every week. Discussion is used to go over homework problems.

Pros: It's clear that Professor Rosenzweig cares about his students by holding review sessions before exams, and I appreciate that he uploads notes online in case I miss anything from lecture. Also, his wife bakes cookies, which are delicious. He also allows cheat sheets on the exams. You can get a PDF of the book online for free by just googling it. Trevor, the TA, was very kind and approachable and helpful during office hours. Trevor, who graded the exams, also was generous with partial credit on the exams, so don't leave anything blank! As long as you are on the right track, he will throw points at you (this might change depending on the TA).

Cons: As someone who did honors classes in high school and breezed through them, I was fooled by how tough college honors classes are -- they are no joke. This class was extremely difficult, and the concepts were IMMENSELY hard to grasp. The textbook is a little unorthodox in that it jumps from one equation to the next without explaining the steps to it. Compared to other students in class, I found it much harder to understand the material simply because I don't think I knew as much as they did. So, I believe my following comments might be skewed. In my opinion, I don't believe Professor Rosenzweig effectively broke down the concepts and explained them clearly in simple terms. When he tried explaining, it was still too difficult to understand, and he's hard to follow. I don't feel that his style of teaching nor the course content is best for first-year students, definitely not as an introductory course. However, other students did fairly well on the exams and understood a lot, so maybe his teaching style works for them? I'm also not sure if everything he discussed in class was within the scope of the material, which, to reiterate, made things very challenging. Then again, compared to everyone else, it may just be that my level of physics is not on par with them.

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Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Dec. 23, 2019

His TA, Trevor, is my favorite human. He's incredibly smart, he's a brilliant teacher, and he's one of the most helpful people you'll ever get to know. Plus he's a chilled out grader. Most people in the class got As, but it's a lot of work.

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2.6
Overall Rating
Based on 9 Users
Easiness 1.7 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.1 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.2 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 2.9 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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