PHYS 1050

Decent class--he tried to make the lectures interesting. Problem sets were pretty easy. Tests were harder, but still not bad.

Bloomfield is a great professor and a really nice guy. Even though I'm not at all a physics person, I put a medium amount of effort in and got a B+. Not a difficult class, but you do need to do the homework.

I loved this class. Bloomfield made physics so interesting and fun.
The experiments/examples were fantastic. If you read and go to class, you'll get an A.

Grandpa Lou is the best! Since the class is graded on a curve, it's tough to do really well, but if you're looking to enjoy yourself it's a pretty amusing class. Since he had a show on the discovery channel a few years ago there are generally camera guys bouncing around, but his demonstrations are interesting. Also, review previous years' midterms! The same questions pop up year after year! Pretty good class but unless you really get physics, you're probably going to walk away with a B or B+

Professor Bloomfield is a great teacher and super excited about the material. Weekly problem set that can be difficult. The tests questions aren't always easy but if you study previous years tests enough, you should be fine.

Well. This class is extremely fun, and Lou is incredible. However, it can be incredibly hard for people who struggle to grasp the concepts, and there's a disconnect between the lectures and readings, which tend to focus on the science, and the exams themselves, which only ask about application. Overall, though, the class was worth taking, and many people likely won't struggle with the science.

Attention non-science majors, this class is very difficult. Though, you will enjoy the demonstrations and learn a ton about "how things work", the exams are extremely difficult to grasp (unless you really study the practice test) and some of the weekly homework sets may be out to trick you in order to make you really think. If you are passionate about physics, have intrest in how things work scientifically, want to meet Lou Bloomfield (which you should, he's super sweet and attentive) or really enjoyed your high school science class, I would definitely recommend you take this class. BUT walk in with caution knowing that the class will be very challenging and intellectually stimulating. However, if you are a non-science major looking to knock out a science requirement, beware and enter with caution. This may be a class you want to take with your friends. At the end of the day, you may be able to help each other out more than you know!

This class is awesome! I took this class as an easy A, and it fulfilled my expectations + I learned a lot and it was fun too!

Professor Bloomfield is amazing and so funny. He tries to learn everyone's names (it's a HUGE class), and he always does presentations to explain the harder-to-grasp concepts (such as inertia, momentum, etc..).

I can't recommend this class enough. There are weekly homeworks (10 multiple choice questions, takes from 30mins to one hour), clicker questions every class (but you can miss about 8 classes and get a few questions wrong, and still get full credit), 2 midterms and a final (all multiple choice).
Simply do all the previous exams to practice for the midterms and final and you'll do great. The questions are verbatim from the previous exams, so if you spend about 2-4 hours doing them the night before the exam you'll get an A.

One of my favorite classes in UVA!

This class was much easier than How Things Work 1060. The weekly problem sets are much easier in this course. However, both courses are great. Lou is such a fun person, and loves to do demonstrations. As a person who HATES physics, I found myself quite entertained watching Lou do his experiments. He is seriously the man. There are three tests, which you just need to cram for the night or a couple nights before. Take all the practice tests at your disposal and I guarantee you will get a fine grade.

I love Professor Bloomsfield. He definitely made science a little more enjoyable for me (a person who hates science). He tells you on the first day of classes that the class is for non-science majors, people who have little to no background in science, or people who simply don't like science. He no longer does i-clickers, simply because he doesn't want anyone there who doesn't want to be there. With this being said, he records every lecture and posts them on the class website, just in case you don't want to or just can't make it to class. He does demonstrations to explain almost all concepts and theories. I will admit the weekly problem sets are tad bit difficult, or at least they were for me. The test on the other hand are that bad. He posts exams (midterms and finals) from previous semesters to study. As someone previously stated, he does try to learn everyone's name even though there are over 200 people in the class. No one really goes to office hours, but he holds them anyway. He also encourages you to ask questions during lectures as well as volunteer in demonstrations. You can't really go wrong with this class or professor. I'm considering taking PHYS 1060.