UVA Physics Classes

<p>I'm a soon-to-be first year student who's been looking through Lou's List, and I want to ask about some of the physics courses.</p>

<p>I'm probably going to be a math major, and I'm Echols, so I don't actually have to take physics, but to confirm that I don't want to do physics, more generally just see what college-level physics is like in college, and to keep open the option of transferring to some schools that expect physics (just in case...), I want to take some physics classes.</p>

<p>I'm somewhat confused as to how the physics classes work, however. There seem to be two intro sequences- 1610, 1620, 2610, 2620, and 2310, 2320. I'm not clear as to why they both exist- 2310/20 seems to correspond to the two parts of AP Physics C, which begs the question of why the four-semester sequence exists. It might be a slower-paced version, but then I don't get why it's recommended for physics majors. If it's more expansive, I'd be worried that the shorter sequence doesn't cover enough.</p>

<p>I don't know how much it matters, though, since (unless something went wrong), I should have gotten at least a four on both parts of the Physics C test, so that I have credit for 2310/20, unless I misunderstand the equivalences (which might be the case, because the page listing AP credit is really confusing for AP Physics). This in turn leads to the question of what I should take this fall. While some of the 3000-level courses look interesting, the interesting-looking ones also require Differential Equations, which I have not taken yet (although I probably will take it next semester).</p>

<p>Is it worth trying to get an exemption from that requirement (if it helps, I have some experience with differential equations already, and I'm generally really good at teaching myself math) to take the 3000-level classes? Should I even be trying to take them at all, or should I just take something else? What would that be? (I'm somewhat suspicious of 3110, "Widely Applied Physics", which doesn't require diff eqs. It looks like a flaky class, except that it has Physics 2620 as a requirement.)</p>

<p>Thanks in advance for any help.</p>

<p>Physics at UVa sucks. Most teacher’s are incompetent, office hours aren’t helpful, homework is worthless, and lecture is ridiculous. I learned much more in AP in high school than I did last semester. Average’s on 16 question tests are around 60%, which isn’t unheard of, but the teachers could be so much better. This was in physics 1425 btw, which is mechanics. I am not excited at all for E&M. But hey, the rest of UVa is amazing.</p>

<p>The longer physics sequence is for physics majors and the other sequence is for everyone else. Also, one does not get lab credit with AP credit so that may be another thing to look out for if you’re looking for exemption.</p>

<p>If something says it requires diff eq, you had better have taken diff eq first. That is a beast of a class. I would honestly advise you to take physics pass/fail if you are not sure about it – you can be sure you will pass it that way. Alternatively, you could audit a class which does not get credit but would be a great way to see if a class is a good fit if you have a lot of AP credit. The only problem with pass/failing or auditing is that if you love it, you will likely have to repeat it for a grade if you decide to do a physics minor or something. The problem with not pass/failing or auditing is that if you hate it and stop working it in then the grade is on your gpa.</p>

<p>Here is some more info on required physics major courses and tracks
<a href=“http://www.phys.virginia.edu/Education/Programs/MajorBrochure/default.pdf[/url]”>http://www.phys.virginia.edu/Education/Programs/MajorBrochure/default.pdf&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

<p>Also you might consider taking an astronomy class. The basic ones have minimal math but are very interesting (take with Ed Murphy), and the upper level ones are more physics-y. That might lead you to reconsider your specific interest in physics?? I loved astronomy as a math major, even with the minimal math required in the intro classes. I took an intro class, archaeoastronomy, and mysteries of the universe. Interesting stuff. A good number of people doing physics here are doing astronomy-physics.</p>

<p>Regarding “Physics sucks”: My S has had several Physics classes on the major/minor track and has learned a considerable amount, so he would probably differ in his opinion. The courses have been competitive and fast-moving, and they have lost many fellow travelers across the semesters.</p>

<p>I don’t know what is a fair number of courses to sample for a useful opinion. There’s an exceptionally time-consuming two-semester lab course along the way.</p>

<p>P.S. Consider refreshing your memory on the use of apostrophes.</p>

<p>Oh wow, I effed up. Haha thank you</p>

<p>The difference between the two-course sequence and four-course ones is that the four-course one goes more in depth while I would imagine the other one probably covers the basics but doesn’t go too much into detail. I think the main purpose of the four-course sequence would be to prepare you for the 3000-level classes. As for taking a 3000-level class straightaway I would advise against this as almost all of them have differential equations and another physics class as a prerequisite. So unless you feel confident that you already know the math and physics to go into those classes, I would take the introductory classes first. Widely Applied Physics is probably an exception to this. Also m4dskillz07, I completely disagree with you. Having taken 3 classes in the Physics department this previous year, I can say that I learned a lot from them and the professors were extremely helpful.</p>

<p>Thanks for the responses. However, I’m still not sure.</p>

<p>The problem is that, at least for me, AP Physics was already a really easy course- I didn’t study until we were reviewing for the AP, spent less than an hour each week on the homework, and I sill easily got an A every quarter. I really don’t want to repeat the course, in part or in whole, by taking one of the tracked courses, but I also want to take a physics class.</p>

<p>In any case, both Classical Mechanics and Widely Applied Physics are now full, so my only options are to take one of the sequence courses or Statistical Physics. Does anyone have experience with the class? I’m pretty sure I’ll be fine with the math, except that I don’t have a terrible amount of experience with actually solving differential equations (which is listed as a requirement, though that seems odd to me).</p>

<p>Keep in mind that 1) classes open spots throughout the summer for orientation sessions to have equal opportunities to get in and 2) the first week of classes you could also try to get in since a lot of people are just class shopping then</p>

<p>Statistical Physics is taken in the first semester of your fourth year if you are to follow the recommended sequence. It also has Phys 2620 (Modern Physics) listed as a prereq and I don’t know if AP Physics taught you that.</p>

<p>Regarding the first class you would take in the four class sequence, 1610, believe me, it’s probably much tougher than the mechanics you did in AP Physics. It obviously won’t be at the same level of difficulty as the 3000-level classes but it’s certainly no walk in the park. A lot of new concepts and the math is tougher too (we used multivariable calc at a few places). Not saying its too difficult but its more than the simple algebra you would use in AP Physics. On the mid-terms and final I would say the average average was probably in the high 60’s (despite the professor giving us extra credit problems on every exam). Another thing which might help you in assessing the difficulty of this sequence could be the drop in the number of students who continued on to 1620. We went from about 70 to 35. And from 35 we’re now at 24 in 2610. Hope this helps.</p>

<p>Circumflex, don’t bite off more than you can chew. Start off in the first semester of physics for prospective majors. Many of those kids will also have taken AP physics and done well on the exam. If, however, the course turns out to be too easy for you, you can always accelerate in your second semester.</p>

<p>It is often difficult to know where you are going to fit just from reading course descriptions, and it’s very common for bright, ambitious students to overestimate their level of preparation when they are just entering college. You will have plenty to adjust to in the first semester at UVA, even without the risk of crashing and burning in a course that’s way over your head.</p>