PHYS 1425

This class felt very scuffed at times. There were multiple instances of errors in the reading quizzes, which I'm not sure if they were even properly corrected in the grade book (I'm not certain of it, but that lack of clarity for that is a downside in itself). The worst of it came with publishing modules. There were multiple instances of having a reading quiz due on Monday at 2am (which was a weird time in the first place), but the module that included the quiz wasn't published until AFTER the deadline. This might've been his first time teaching the course under Canvas, so maybe it'll be fixed when it comes around next.

Besides that, Dukes knows what he's talking about, but it's hard to fully grasp it when the presentation of the content is bland. We had an interesting video here and there, but you'll mostly be going through a PowerPoint with application questions throughout. Those are a part of your grade, so attendance is required in that sense. Make sure you understand the principles of the content and what's going on in the formulas. It's a lot, but you're given a lengthy cheat sheet with the most important equations and constants, so that's a plus. Besides that, the class isn't too bad as long as you're on top of the subject.

An interesting course that everyone seems to just want to get over with; which I can understand. I myself didn't enjoy taking physics at all, either. Prof. Dukes isn't the most engaging lecturer, but I do feel as if his lectures assisted with my understanding of the material (when I came to lectures).

Thankfully, the class was fairly easy. Tests are fair, and as long as you complete the homework and answer clicker questions, you won't end up with a bad grade at all.

I think I read somewhere that more than half of all engineers end up leaving to take Physics 2 somewhere else and after taking this class it makes a lot of sense. The exams are all MC so making the smallest of errors results in the loss of a lot of points. The lectures are very dull and his PowerPoint slides from 2006 doesn't help the situation. Mastering Physics was designed to be as nonintuitive and annoying as they were always super difficult and nothing like what was going to be on the exams. Overall very terrible class and I would highly recommend going somewhere else.

As a general introductory course I did not expect too much. Dukes is not a bad professor but he is dry. The demonstrations helped to liven things up but lectures could still be dull.

Tests and homework aren't easy but office hours definitely can help with the latter. The semester I took it Dukes did give a small curve (5 points) to some of the tests.

Overview:
A small part of your grade is based off attending class and answering what used to be "iclicker" questions, now just answering them online instead. Your five lowest days are dropped giving you five skips without any penalty if you wish. For the homeworks which are 20%, they're typically pretty tough as the year goes on but if you give them a good effort you can do well and finish with above a 90% there fairly easily. There are three midterms and one final. The best process for studying them in my opinion is to go over the practice exam and make sure you understand every problem, then proceed to go into the textbook and do the review problems for the chapters where content is covered. I didn't find paying attention in class was important for my success, however I had taken physics 1 in highschool, ymmv.

Okay, everyone here says take this class with Prof. Neu he’s great! Honestly, Chris is enthusiastic and entertaining but he takes forever to get through review and content (I've sat in on his review sessions). Sometimes he doesn’t include some of the equations needed to complete the homework. I was registering for classes and though I was doomed cause everyone said Dukes is terrible. He is honestly not- he’s just an old professor and physics is just boring (just in my opinion). He incorporates demos and there’s a bunch of math, but he’s gotten better at explaining the clicker questions after if people get it wrong. If you aren't required to take this class, then don't. But if you are an engineer then you'll get a reasonable grade if you put in a good amount of work or have prior physics knowledge. Point is taking this class with the other professor won't drastically change your grade- they both give the same tests and same homework.

I would never recommend a class in the physics department at UVA to anyone. As students, we're expected to memorize formulas and memorize where to apply them. I do not think I have learned anything from taking this course. This may be related to my lack of interest in the topic and my lack of prior knowledge (didn't take AP Physics). Duke's lectures are extremely lackluster and he'll just read off slides with background and already worked-out problems. There are occasional demonstrations but there are hardly ever problems that will we work through as a class, which is the most useful learning strategy for me personally. Also, the two interactions I had with Professor Dukes weren't the best and I feel like he can oftentimes lack empathy for his students. To summarize, only take this course if it is required.

It is very hard to learn physics from a lecture. If you come in with AP physics knowledge you should be alright, but if this is your first physics class it's not a fun time. I also found Dukes' lectures dull and annoying with Learning Catalytics (aka online iclicker) questions during class. This is all coming from someone who isn't a fan of physics so your experience may differ.

This course is a pain in the butt, but looking back on it, it really wasn't that bad. Attendance is mandatory in lecture despite Dukes being the most boring professor in the world because of the clicker questions. I never paid attention in lecture. What really helps you is the Mastering Physics homework. If you choose to do these questions NOT the night before they are due and actually try to understand the concepts, they will really help you. The tests seem unfair because they are so short, but he does curve pretty effectively and has an equation sheet. The same thing applies for the final: the curve is really helpful. I got an 80 on the final but ended up with an A+ in the class, just for reference. Throughout the course you'll find yourself thinking that the class is annoying and boring, but in the end if you put in a decent amount of effort and don't just Chegg everything this class will end up boosting your GPA (especially since the accompanying lab will NOT boost your GPA).

Dukes was fine at lecture. His presentation was a little dry but it's mechanics so I can't blame him. If you've taken AP physics before this class will be pretty straightforward and if you haven't just read the slides before the exam and make sure to understand Mastering. You can't really complain about the exams since there was a pretty good curve.

Dukes is a fine lecturer. It's not an interesting class--though to be fair, the material itself is pretty boring--but some of the demos are cool and you have to go because of iClicker questions anyway. My main issue with Dukes is that he didn't care if anyone actually learned the material--like if there was an iClicker question that 80% of the class got wrong, you'd think he would go over the relevant concepts so that people understand, right? Nope, he just moves on. Happened a bunch of times throughout the semester, especially towards the end when things get more complicated.

Also, he doesn't post lecture notes online until he's done teaching them, which is frequently after the related MasteringPhysics homework is due. So how are you supposed to know the equations and concepts that you need to solve the homework problems? Chegg is your friend!

Overall, this course is not easy (regardless of professor) but it's possible to do well if you're willing to put in the effort. I never went to Dukes' office hours but I heard mixed comments about how helpful he was in person. I found that just flipping through his slideshows was the most helpful way to study, especially since he'll occasionally recycle clicker questions directly from the slideshows to the exams. The three midterms and the final are all difficult but they're all curved pretty generously, so you'll be alright as long as you study.

Dukes is a boring lecturer. MasteringPhysics taught me absolutely nothing. Do not go into the midterms expecting to get all the questions right. They are all multiple choice but even the highest scores normally aren't better than 12/15. The only things I will remember from this class is "Oh! Iclicker question", Jaguar XKRs, and Al the Demo Guy. Without Al this class would be total chaos because Dukes is so so clueless during the demos.

love Dukes even though this class wasn't easy. Demos in class made this one of my favorite classes of the semester. The tests were hard and sometimes the homework got ahead of the material but overall a good time

Seriously, don't take this course unless you need to. His lectures are boring and people only go for the clicker questions; you can do other homework while answering a question or two every 10 minutes or so. Dukes can be condescending if you ask him a question and he wonders why you don't understand a concept. His lectures are filled with random information that you won't need for the tests, and he reads formulas to you that are on the formula sheet. The demos are cool though and Al the demo guy is the real MVP. The tests are really difficult and they are only 15 multiple choice questions. I found the best way to study was to go through the powerpoints the night or two before the test and just skip the fluff. The best part of this class was when he would show basketball clips from March Madness at the beginning of class.

Dukes isn't horrible, but he isn't great. The class was easier for me because I had taken AP physics 1 and 2 in high school, and Dukes did fine teaching it as a refresher course, but for someone learning the concepts for the first time it may be more difficult. The demonstrations are useful, but he doesn't explain them well, so I would recommend looking up better versions online because those really helped me get the concepts. Study clicker questions for tests, because he will sometimes take them and use them verbatim on tests. Also, he doesn't teach fundamental theories well, so it could be useful to look up really basic questions that don't use numbers because those will inevitably show up on tests.

This class is hard but Dukes is an okay professor; he is very approachable and he does plenty of demos. Only take this class if you have to because it is hard to do well in even though there is a generous curve. The 3 midterms are quite tricky and hard to study for, and sometimes your grade on tests is a coin flip as all the test Dukes gives are multiple choice and only 15 questions. The final is 40 multiple choice and they are a bit simpler than the 3 midterms but still difficult.

You spend most of the class going over equations that are given to you on the formula sheet for the exams. Also, much of class is spent going over random physics topics that you do not need to know for the exams.

The exams in this class were very difficult. Although each exam was curved, it is still difficult to do well in this course-- even if you read the textbook and pay attention in class.

Dukes is not good. The whole department to be honest is not good. I think its quite unnecessary that all e school majors have to take this class to be honest. Dukes has a really monotone voice and people only go to class to get clicker points you don't really learn anything otherwise. I tried to actively take notes in class for 3/4 the semester and it resulted in nothing. The only way people learn is if they read the textbook or do Mastering Physics and even then the tests are so crazy hard that you have no clue where they pulled out these questions from. The final is even harder. None of the TAs or professor Dukes have helpful office hours so you basically feel trapped.

Brutal class. Took it with Duve, not good, not fun. Probably shouldn't even study for the exams because all the material on it comes out of nowhere. Took similar class early in high school and remember liking it and feeling confident on the material during the course. Nothing in this class made sense. Terribly taught. This class is pretty much the sole reason I'm transferring out of the e school.

Dukes is not a good lecturer. His voice is very monotonous and it lulls you right to sleep. Combine that with the fact that he dims the lights in the lecture hall and voila. He lacks energy. He gives his lectures while leaning against the wall or railing with his legs crossed while occasionally pointing to the screen with his laser pointer. His lectures include long periods of time when he determines the intricacies of the algebra to completely solve a problem, when it would be much more worthwhile to simply show us how you might approach the problem and set up a solution. We are all capable of working out the simple algebra once a problem has been set up, that's not what he should spend a large portion of his time explaining. The consequence is that students mentally check out during this time and really only "take notes" by writing down useful equations which we don't know how to use. The lectures are worthless and would be empty if not for the clicker questions. You might as well just give us an equation sheet with all the formulas we might need, because that's all the lectures contribute to your learning. The Mastering Physics homework is where people actually learn. Overall, the course isn't terrible - the grading is relatively fair, there is a reasonable amount of homework - but the lectures are.

Dukes has a voice that is hard to pay attention to during lecture, but go for the clicker questions. He reads off of his slides which isn't too great, but when you're studying for tests, it's helpful to go through the questions he works out. He's also a really nice person during office hours, so if you absolutely can't figure out a hw question or find it on yahoo answers, he's not a bad resource.

He does clicker questions in during lecture for credit since his lectures are pointless otherwise. You'll learn everything by yourself and through Yahoo Answers on the homework. Learning the previous three weeks' material the days right before the tests were not unheard of, and tbh doable to some degree. I did this and and averaged a 12/15 on the tests, which he curves to an around an A-.

Dukes has one of those voices that are really easy to fall asleep to, so it's pretty hard to pay attention in class. The material is definitely learnable on your own though so you're not in deep trouble if learning in lecture is hard.

Dukes is a suitable enough lecturer but the real work in this class is done through going through the textbook in good detail and reviewing the slides from class, as he goes a bit too quick to take detailed notes with. Attend the classes and get your clicker points and get started on the hw sets early. Tests are difficult but there is a substantial curve - 13/17, even with two "questions" being filling in the correct section number and test form, is commonly an A on the midterms.

Dukes is a decent lecturer, but not for Physics. When doing example problems, he puts the entire solution slide up and then talks through it very quickly, which is basically useless. I highly recommend reading the relevant textbook sections before going to class, although you can get the iClickers without doing so. He does some really cool in-class demonstrations. Tests aren't easy, but there's a huge curve.