Seth J Putterman
Department of Physics
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2.7
Overall Rating
Based on 3 Users
Easiness 1.0 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.3 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.3 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.0 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

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GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
25.0%
20.8%
16.7%
12.5%
8.3%
4.2%
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.

25.0%
20.8%
16.7%
12.5%
8.3%
4.2%
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.

41.9%
34.9%
28.0%
21.0%
14.0%
7.0%
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.

25.6%
21.3%
17.1%
12.8%
8.5%
4.3%
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.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (3)

1 of 1
1 of 1
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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A+
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Jan. 5, 2023

I guess you don't really have a choice; it's always Putterman for 220.

Helpful?

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Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 4, 2023

This was an incredibly fun class, but it's very difficult.
Make sure that you have a strong grasp of the calculus of variations. If you didn't take an undergraduate fluid dynamics class, try to teach yourself some of it because Putterman will assume that you are confident with that material and will jump straight into an abstract field theory formalism of fluids. Obviously, you will also need to be very strong with undergraduate Hamiltonian and Lagrangian mechanics before you start the class too. Your perturbation theory skills from quantum mechanics will need to be flawless.
His description of Hamilton-Jacoby theory and generating functions was way too short and much more confusing than it needed to be, so you will need to supplement that with some YouTube lectures.
Spend time with Landau's book and pay very close attention to Putterman's notation; people would often have trouble digesting the enormous amounts of algebra on the board. Be prepared to do dimensional analysis on your toes to make up for his handwriting. Be alert about what Putterman's saying because he will do a lot of the mathematical steps in his head. You can also always ask; he responds to every question in a friendly manner, even if it's about week 1 material in week 8.
Homework problems are often ambiguous, but if you get used to his style of writing (and if you are able to guess what assumptions can simplify the problem to the point where it is solvable without losing the interesting physical behavior), you will understand that they reveal very interesting and fundamental results. The tests include primarily problems very similar to the homework, and then one random question that will, at first glance, look completely unrelated to the course content.
If you don't trip over any of those barriers, you will gain an extraordinary and unique perspective of a beautiful field from a professor who cares very deeply both about physics and teaching.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: B+
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Aug. 23, 2022

I don’t even know how to describe the feeling of helplessness I felt in this professor’s class. Really negative experience.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Verified Reviewer This user is a verified UCLA student/alum.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A+
Jan. 5, 2023

I guess you don't really have a choice; it's always Putterman for 220.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Fall 2022
Grade: A-
Jan. 4, 2023

This was an incredibly fun class, but it's very difficult.
Make sure that you have a strong grasp of the calculus of variations. If you didn't take an undergraduate fluid dynamics class, try to teach yourself some of it because Putterman will assume that you are confident with that material and will jump straight into an abstract field theory formalism of fluids. Obviously, you will also need to be very strong with undergraduate Hamiltonian and Lagrangian mechanics before you start the class too. Your perturbation theory skills from quantum mechanics will need to be flawless.
His description of Hamilton-Jacoby theory and generating functions was way too short and much more confusing than it needed to be, so you will need to supplement that with some YouTube lectures.
Spend time with Landau's book and pay very close attention to Putterman's notation; people would often have trouble digesting the enormous amounts of algebra on the board. Be prepared to do dimensional analysis on your toes to make up for his handwriting. Be alert about what Putterman's saying because he will do a lot of the mathematical steps in his head. You can also always ask; he responds to every question in a friendly manner, even if it's about week 1 material in week 8.
Homework problems are often ambiguous, but if you get used to his style of writing (and if you are able to guess what assumptions can simplify the problem to the point where it is solvable without losing the interesting physical behavior), you will understand that they reveal very interesting and fundamental results. The tests include primarily problems very similar to the homework, and then one random question that will, at first glance, look completely unrelated to the course content.
If you don't trip over any of those barriers, you will gain an extraordinary and unique perspective of a beautiful field from a professor who cares very deeply both about physics and teaching.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2021
Grade: B+
Aug. 23, 2022

I don’t even know how to describe the feeling of helplessness I felt in this professor’s class. Really negative experience.

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 1
2.7
Overall Rating
Based on 3 Users
Easiness 1.0 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 2.3 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.3 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 3.0 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

There are no relevant tags for this professor yet.

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