PHYS 2620

I took this class over the summer, so I can't really speak for the difficulty of taking it during a regular semester. I took the class because I enjoy physics. I don't think I would have been able to handle it during a regular semester. I was able to do well in this class because I had plenty of time to really read the book, read through the notes, and devote my time to understanding the concepts. I've also heard that the summer session is more concept oriented and doesn't have as much hard math.

So, I would say this class is for people who know they enjoy physics and are willing to put in the time to understand what they are learning. It's definitely not easy, but it's also very interesting.

You're just teaching yourself the entire content. That's it. The professor will occasionally answer questions you ask him on Collab, but besides that you're just reading his shitty textbook.

The textbook is godawful. It sometimes skips necessary explanations. It's so filled with proofs that I neither asked for nor are useful to me that my hands physically flinch every time I touch it.

The webassign questions are also awful. I can't tell you how many hours I've wasted per assignment getting wrong answers because Professor Thornton didn't properly define a question, and I have to guess what the fuck he meant.

His lectures online suck - they're shitty powerpoints, and they only cover the easy material. Not the hard stuff that you get confused on.

Also, he'll tell you that the first homework is the hardest. That's a god damned lie. The whole course will consume about 20-40 hours per week. It's a pain in the fucking ass.

Thornton is fine. He's responsive and kind. The textbook does most of the teaching. If you can deal with that, you'll have no trouble. You set the pace for this course, so if you want to finish it in three weeks by cramming all your reading and homework into that time, you can, without too much difficulty. The good news is that you get a course out of the way, and after this you can move onto the nitty gritty physics.