Prof. Pribram is one of the nicest guys I've ever met. He is knowledgeable and tries his best to keep the students engaged during lecture, although the material is pretty dry and sometimes boring. It's an easy class and it's not hard to get high grades as long as you read the book and do the homework, which wasn't all that much anyway. Go to his office hours if you need help on homework or just want to chat with him. He will tell you a bunch of interesting stories (whether it's physics-related or not).
Grade Distribution
10 Reviews
Easiest class ever. Definitely a GPA booster.
This was a great introductory physics course for none physics majors. It was an easy class and a good way to become more familiar with the topic.
Class if very easy if you have any reasonable understanding of variables and how to use formulas. I never took physics in high school and breezed through this class without really reading. occasionally I'd have a homework question i would need to look up.. but again i didn't read regularly. If you are a science major you shouldn't be in the class though.
The work is not hard. However you have to do the readings. There are three exams and one final and that is it really. Then you have random days when he assigns clicker questions to check your knowledge and attendence at the same time.
Professor Pribram is incredibly nice. He is genuinely passionate about physics; he often spends up to 20 minutes at the beginning of class sharing a news story related to physics, or some information about one of the major figures in physics history. He does clicker questions in class (taken straight from the textbook) to make sure everyone's understanding the concepts, and explains the reasoning behind each answer. There are homework assignments on a weekly basis, usually 5-10 questions from the textbook, which usually don't take too long to complete. The are 3 short quizzes (usually 2 multiple part questions), 2 tests (full class period, several questions, non-cumulative) and a cumulative final exam. He sends out the sections to go over ahead of time and often puts formulas on the exam so you don't have to memorize them, but sometimes he goes over one or two concepts in class that aren't in the textbook so review your notes as well before the exams. It really isn't hard to do well in this class as long as you do the (relatively easy) homework and test prep.
Professor Pribram is a wonderful professor and is also very, very nice. Anything you don't get he is happy to go over during his office hours. The class is not very difficult, especially if you took a traditional physics course in high school. The math in the course is extremely simple (i.e. 5x2=10), as the course is more conceptual. Regardless, Professor Pribram and this class are great!
This course was almost too easy, and lectures could be dull. However, the professor is extremely approachable, eager to help, and excited about his subject matter. He incorporated current events in physics into his lectures, and always had anecdotes to tell about various famous physicists.
really easy class and the professor tries to help if you have questions (he's really boring though). not a lot of work and the weekly homework is easy. wouldn't even bother showing up for class if it wasn't for the clicker questions. recommended if you need an easy science class.
This class is absolutely awesome. Interesting and easy. Favorite class at UVA