PHYS 1425

out of the two professors ive heard of, she is definitely the better one. though she seems to go fast in class and it may be hard to keep up, she is generally nice and light-hearted. if you go to her asking for help she'll do her best to help you out and make sure you succeed. definitely pay attention to the group quizzes/examples, as they are helpful for preparing for the exams. the exams aren't too difficult, just make sure you keep up with the concepts. person homework is annoying but get them done.

Reasonably clear grade expectations from the onset: 20% final, 30% midterms (2 for 15% each), 12% group quizzes, and 38% for weekly HW assignments (reading, standard problem solving, and written notetaking/chapter summary). Lectures are decent, and involves working through problems together based upon the prior initial reading. Attendance is only mandatory for weekly group quiz. If you've already taken Physics in high school and did well, much of the content will overlap and it'll be mostly straightforward, but if you haven't or struggled than the course will be challenging and quick paced. However, there are plenty of group quizzes and hw assignments which should boost your grade and still make an A obtainable. Finally, professor Xiaochao is a reasonably respectful professor who cares about her students.

Professor Zheng is a wonderful teacher who ensures students are learning.
The class was formatted as such:
20% final, 30% midterms for 2 exams, 12% weekly group quizzes, 20% for MasteringPhysics weekly HW Assignments. 6% reading quizzes, and 12% combined written work. In my opinion the weekly assignments were an easy opportunity to boost your grade, the only thing that can be remotely difficult is the weekly quizzes, the weekly HW is not too difficult as long as you give yourself enough time to complete it and go to office hours for questions you find difficult.
This semester our test scores for each test, including the final, was composed of a individual portion and group portion. the breakup was 60%/40%, 70%/30%, and 80%/20% for midterm1, midterm2, and final exams respectively.
Her Lectures were informative, and usually involved deriving or presenting a formula and then completing practice problems in class. I would say some lectures were fast paced though, so if this is your first physics course the course may be challenging and require a mental shift, but if you've taken physics in high school and done decently, you should be okay for the most part. Physics is a tough class but professors Zheng makes it digestible, She answers questions in class and seems like a nice person. I would Highly recommend her for this class

My advice for this class is to turn in all your weekly hw, mastering physics, and reading quizzes in on time. This helps boost your grade as most people don't do super well on midterms. Also try to aim for 100% on group quizzes. She has the TA's walk around to help you, but if you don't finish the quiz in time go to TA hours (she lets you submit the quiz 10pm that night)!!! This class is a lot of work, but achieving an A is obtainable if you put in the effort. If you've taken physics in high school it def makes the class easier, but you can still succeed even if you have no experience with physics.
Overall, super great and funny instructor! Heard she was one of the better physics professors at UVA. I found her exams to be very fair. The midterms were fine, but the final was lowk terrible. However, the group final portion helped even it out. Only thing was, I found her lectures to not be that helpful. She uploads all her notes on Canvas, so I recommend looking there. Highly recommend taking it with Professor Zheng.

Honestly, I loved professor Zheng. She's funny, and really made physics class something I wanted to go to. She always did these in-class demos and took student volunteers, which were super entertaining if not helpful. I did not find the course content to be that difficult (given that I have a decent amount of Physics experience from high school). Office hours were useful, but I would definitely suggest befriending the people at your assigned table and helping each other. You're with them for the whole semester so you might as well.
I've heard horror stories about the other professors in the physics department, and while I can't speak on their teaching ability, I can say with confidence that Professor Zheng is a one of a kind physics professor that really puts effort into her class (and it shows)! 100% take this class with Prof. Zheng if you are able, she is great.

#tCFS25