PHYS 1060

DON'T TAKE THIS TO BOOST YOUR GPA! The only work in this class is about 10 problem sets which usually have around 12 questions and the two midterms plus final. Lou is a great person and I adore him! During class, he seemed so genuine in his passion about the demos he was showing us and the content he lectured about. The thing is though that this class ended up being WAY harder than I thought. People say to take this if you aren't a science person, which I'm not, but I still did horribly in this class. Part of it is a me issue for sure. I got As on all of the problem sets, Bs on the midterms, and a C on the final! Even though he puts up past tests for everything, I still got those grades and I'm a 4.0 kind of person (as most UVA people are used to being). So many people said this would be a GPA booster, but it really isn't unless you're actually into physics. It's like easy enough content, but the questions on the midterms and finals ended up being way trickier than expected.

Unlike 1050/the "easier" of the two How Things Work courses, 1060 is not really a free A. The first month or so is a very simplistic coverage of mechanics and review from 1050, but afterwards Bloomfield moves into E&M and other topics that are more complicated and sometimes difficult to think through if you don't enjoy physics. Problem sets are doable but will actually require understanding the chapter topics well, although the lowest one is dropped if you complete the course evaluation at the end of the semester. Both midterms and the final are multiple choice, with exams from previous years posted online for studying. Each exam covers the same core topics as (and sometimes reuses questions from) older exams, so reviewing those is very helpful.

Overall, identical format to 1050 but with different, more difficult material. Bloomfield is very knowledgeable and genuinely cares about his students, and I hear that lecture supposedly has some pretty interesting demonstrations from time to time. Great course for people who genuinely enjoyed 1050 or have some interest in physics, but there are better GPA booster classes out there if that's what you're looking for.

AVOID this class! Bloomfield is a cool guy, but he is terrible at presenting information in class. The Problem Sets are impossible and have absolutely nothing to do with what is presented in class. Each question is about a paragraph in length, and each answer choice is about equal in length. The Tests are not easy either. Avoid this class if you can

Despite what many students say, this class is not an easy A. The tests are very challenging and the averages on the tests range from high 60s to low 70s. Louis is an amazing professor and if you read the textbook and talk to him in office hours/simply make an effort to understand the material, you can succeed in the class. However, I would not recommend this class to anyone who is not willing to put in study time.

Lou is a passionate professor that tries to keep class interesting with his demonstrations. The problem sets are kind of fun to do! I recommend doing them in groups so you can strategically distribute your incorrect tries. The exams are easy just do as many practice tests as possible. Overall great intro course!

Bloomfield is fairly engaging, although by the end when he was talking more about E&M stuff it got a little less clear (at least, I just didn't understand it as well). It's quite easy to do well, although it's not super easy to do quite well.

Bloomfield is awesome. Clearly one of the smartest guys you're ever going to meet. It starts really slow for a couple of weeks, but it switches to more difficult stuff pretty quickly. People that took physics in high school should definitely get an A, and people that didn't should have no problem getting a B. I didn't do any of the reading, and did fine. He does demonstrations every day, and while most aren't super exciting, there are more than a couple that you will remember for the rest of your life.

I took this class because like everyone else, I thought it would be an easy way to fulfill the science requirement, but boy was I wrong. This class is seriously hard.. the concepts are difficult to understand, and the homework sets are quite tricky as well (do them in groups if you can!) This class is by no means easy and it's NOT AN EASY A. If anything, it's an easy B. To get anything higher you need to put in serious effort.

Be warned: despite how easy this class seems/sounds just from the title alone, you must actually study and try pretty hard in order to get that A. The class is curved, so if you're shooting for a B/B+, you can literally get away with doing just about nothing and still be fine. The best way to study for the exams is to study Lou's past exams because he either takes questions from them verbatim or uses very similar concepts. Lou is an incredibly kind individual, yet aside from his various demonstrations, it was extremely hard to pay attention to him because the material was rather boring. Overall, take this class if you want a chill work load and want to learn some tid bits about Physics.

I did very well in this class but be warned that this is NOT a "guaranteed A" like some people assume. I had previous physics knowledge from high school and still took this class seriously/studied. The class is graded on a scale at the end to a bell curve so it's not like 40% of the class ends up with an A or anything. With that said, I think a B+/A- is doable with minimal work.

Bloomfield is such a fun guy and very passionate about physics; his demonstrations are also really fun. There is a problem set due every week that takes like less than an hour (like 20 min ish? barely), 2 midterms, clicker questions, and a final. Skim the book in order to get the clicker questions right. I slept in class a lot so I actually read the book. Take this class seriously, study past exams and notes for the test, and you should be fine.

Don't be the kid who got like a 25/60 on the final...

Bloomfield is the sweetest man. He tries so hard to engage students and truly get to know everybody. The class is interesting and never has a dull moment...all of Bloomfield's demonstrations in class are exciting and help get his point across. HOWEVER, my warning to other students is that this class is definitely NOT a blow-off class. I made the mistake of thinking so at first, and I paid for it dearly. Read the text, make sure you understand that concepts, and you'll be fine. If you don't understand something, ask! Bloomfield loves to talk to students. Just don't assume this class will be an easy A, and you'll do great. Workload: Two midterms and a final with weekly problem sets!

lou is very enthusiastic about the subject and tries to make it as interesting as possible. as long as you study the old tests you will be golden for the exams

Professor Bloomfield is a fabulous professor! He is very fair, and he's so passionate about physics; it's infectious. He teaches the class assuming you have zero knowledge of physics, so don't worry so much if you're not a science major. Lectures are exciting (with cool demonstrations that help the information stick in your head). If you do the reading and take the old exams to study for tests, you should do well. I would definitely recommend both sections of his How Things Work series.

Bloomfield does a lot of experiments in class to help show concepts he is teaching that can be fun. The midterms and tests aren't too bad.

I love this class. I hated physics in high school, but this class made me love it! Mr. Bloomfield is just awesome and fun and funny, and he gets so excited about everything he's teaching!

LOVE bloomfield - he is seriously so great. But this class is not easy! I took it thinking it would be an easy science for me...don't do that. Just try to understand everything as he goes along - don't save your studying for the night before! Big curve in the class.

Great class for non-science majors. I didn't do as well as I should have on the second midterm. DO THE PRACTICE EXAMS. Bloomfield repeats a lot. Major curve as well.

More difficult material than PHYS 1050. Reading is not necessary, but class attendance is.

This course is deceivingly hard. Lou is a great professor and really enjoys teaching. Be sure to pay attention in lecture (clicker for participation) and study old tests that he provides on his website.

Lou is a trip! Even though the material is rather mundane, he makes his lectures interesting. He is extremely knowledgeable and he works very hard to make sure everyone understands each concept. He is extremely approachable and puts in a great effort to help you.

The class is fun and I recommend it.

This class is not as easy as everyone says it is. Reading the book (which is pretty dry) is SO important. Tests are totally random and even though I took loads of practice exams in preparation I never did very well. The steep curve and participation are what ultimately got me a decent grade in this class. Lectures can be entertaining but its also easy to daze out.

Bloomfield is a very enjoyable professor, knows his stuff. He tries to make physics fun... Problem sets are quite wordy but nothing you cant handle. If you understand the concepts class will be a breeze for you. Bloomfield is pretty popular and makes students be apart of the demo.

I took this class to fulfill my math/science requirement...bad idea. Lectures and readings are easy enough to follow, but the exam questions seem like they're written to trick you. Hard material that he presents in a simplified way, but you will get caught up in his verbiage and not do well on the tests if you are not math/science-oriented

This class is a bit harder than the 105 that Bloomfield teaches, just because the concepts are more complicated. But don't graduate without taking a class of Lou's, he's just a peach.

Very enthusiastic about what he teaches and a very pleasant class! Study for the tests and do the homework and you'll be fine!