Joseph Eberly - University of Rochester

Professor: Joseph Eberly

Department: TBD

College: University of Rochester

Rating # 1

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: Not sure yet
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: No
• Attendance: Mandatory

Comment:

Time consuming weekly Homework with few helpful resources for questions. Tests are extremely difficult, and practically impossible to study for due to lack of practice problems and brain teaser type of questions asked. Lectures are just derivations with no conceptual information. Would not recommend PHY 143. Extremely difficult with little payoff.

Rating # 2

Overview:

• Course: PHY533
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: Yes
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: Yes
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I am sort of NAVY guy and want to be the Professor myself. Cannot imagine being dressed like Eberly at the lecture in a suit church-like perfect style and teach not wearing uniform or para-uniform at the same time. Enormously difficult job for me. Perfect lecturer under extremely heavy conditions. Perfect lectures. Dream home exams, my favorite.

Rating # 3

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: A+
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: Not Mandatory

Comment:

One of the best professors in the Physics department. Definitely take his class. I wasn't interested in Quantum at all previously, but now I am even considering it as my specialization.

Rating # 4

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Best class of college so far! Loved him and his teaching. Difficult, but worth the feeling you get when you figure his problems out. Very particular sense of humor (dry, witty, and sarcastic), so beware of taking things he says too seriously! :)

Rating # 5

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

One of the best classes I ever took. It cemented my love for science and math. If you go into the class with an open mind and expect it to be the most rigorous class in your schedule then you'll be fine. If you disrespect it, you will get burned. The more you put in, the more you get out.

Rating # 6

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Makes Quantum actually easy and very graspable. Only gripe is that he spends a lot of time going over math, and the math is beyond what the prereqs require. But if you know basic diff. eq. you're golden- if you don't, I'd suggest looking over a book before taking the class.

Rating # 7

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

I would say that, with pretty good confidence, most of my fellow students agree that Eberly is just not what he's meant out to be.

Rating # 8

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: No
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

May be smart, but bad at teaching. Very hard to follow, and most of material is math, and very little concepts. Tests are unreasonable. Class requires a lot more work than any other class, with lab, wrkshop, lecture, weekly graded hw. Would not recommend.

Rating # 9

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He's brilliant. As a professor, he's great if you're interested in the theoretical aspect of physics. He emphasizes creativity in proofs. Several of his proofs left me open mouthed and profoundly excited about the subject. I'm a physics major because of professor Eberly.

Rating # 10

Overview:

• Course: PHY123
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 1.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

His tests were awesome...they really aligned with class material, you got to pick and choose questions, and doing extra questions gave you bonus points. Great lecturer. Homework could be tedious at times, but a lot of the time hw questions appeared on exams.

Rating # 11

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Prof. Eberly is an incredible person and a brilliant physicist. It's worth getting to know him.

Rating # 12

Overview:

• Course: PHY123
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

His lectures are very difficult to understand, focusing entirely on derivation. Besides the few times when he talks down to students when we miss something on a test or don't answer a question in class, he generally ignores our presence. You probably have to take his class - just use the book and TAs and hope for the best.

Rating # 13

Overview:

• Course: PHY123
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 1.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He's incredibly smart but expects too much of his students. Lectures focus entirely on the math rather than concepts and it's hard to follow what he says in class. He's the classic case of a teacher who thinks he's teaching well but no one understands him and so workshops are where the TA says "So here's what you should have learned..." Annoying.

Rating # 14

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He's a really smart guy with a quirky sense of humor. His lectures are excellent, and very clear. It's true that he has high expectations. He expects his students to be competent. Willing to answer questions. And he's the President of the Optics Society of America. Wow.

Rating # 15

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Does well explaining hard material. HW is indeed loooong, but interesting and not terribly difficult. Tests are easy, but easy to lose points as well. He makes lectures pretty interesting.

Rating # 16

Overview:

• Course: PHY163
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: Yes
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is very discouraging because he treats you like an idiot. Very demeaning and possibly ****. Its better to go to the TA's and not him because he will just make you feel bad for not knowing EVERYTHING about physics

Rating # 17

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.5
• Course Difficulty: 2.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

many people say he's difficult but that's easily compensated for by lax grading and an abundance of extra credit--120%! he's a good guy as long as he thinks you're busting your butt--i went to off hours once without being read and got my butt handed to me for it. material till first test difficult but the rest is piece of cake. hw VERY LONG.

Rating # 18

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 3.5
• Course Difficulty: 3.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

He is an excellent lecturer, but he gets quite upset when people don't know their basic trig identities, formula for solving geometric series, etc. However, his temper does get in the way of his teaching on occasion.

Rating # 19

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 5.0
• Course Difficulty: 4.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

A bit "aloof" in person, but an excellent professor for a challenging class. Also has a good sense of humor and keeps lectures pretty interesting.

Rating # 20

Overview:

• Course: PHY143
• Grade Received: N/A
• Overall Rating: 4.0
• Course Difficulty: 5.0

• For Credit: N/A
• Textbook Used: N/A
• Would Take Again: N/A
• Attendance: N/A

Comment:

Teaches a course that is very challenging in the best way. Rigorous, difficult material is presented fast, but he isn't aloof to students' needs or difficulties. Responds well to interest shown outside of class (e.g. students going to his office hours).