2.8
Quality4.2
Difficulty25%
Would Retake143
Reviews25%
Would Retake
143
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
25
3
23
2
38
1
30
What Students Say
“Do you want a good grade, heard 123 is easier”
PHYS123 - 1.0 rating“Would've rated him 4/5 but he says kinetic energy KYE-netic SO”
PHYS123 - 3.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.77 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYSICS116
5.0
(1)PHY310
5.0
(1)121
4.0
(1)PHYS12X
4.0
(8)PHYS115
3.8
(6)Difficulty by Course
114
5.0
121
5.0
PHYS122
4.5
PHYSA
4.5
PHY121
4.4
Reviews (143)
Good explanations, helpful, clear.
Phys 122 is not easy, but pedigo does a great job of explaining the difficult subjects.
Very good lecturer, explains clearly
he didnt give enough time for the type of questions he like to ask on tests. his lectures were not helpful to say the least. i did well in this class but i could have done better with a better professor. he liked trick questions and that is what he asked on exams when there already isnt enough time.
No Comments
Other than his complete "smarki-ness" he was not helpful at all. During his office hours he would look at the students like they were idiots. Likes trick questions, and the clicker. Don't take him if this is your first physics class - only if you have a good understanding of it before-hand.
i don't understand anything. there are no examples. i am confused all the time.
i hate you! you are hopped up on some evil physics****! thank goodness for rory!
The professor does an okay job of teaching - but its HOW he teaches that confuses students even more, he focuses tooooo much on the conceptual extreme. He doesn't really bother to explain concepts to the rest of the class that choose "wrong" answers to his clicker responses.
Likes to talk and ramble on about physics material even if you are not covering it the particular topic. Dont even think about asking a question..he will pound you into the sand with quick comments making you feel stupid and inferior. Office hours are a waste unless you want to be bored to death just like in lecture.
Seems to be unpopular, but I actually liked his class. His lectures explained most of the background information that the book missed, and the in-class interactive worksheets were usually the basis for the stuff on the tests. He is a fantastic teacher! A lot of these kids just want someone to kiss their ass, and Pedigo isn't going to, so boo hoo.
I enjoyed learning physics from this professor and thought that he did a really good job with presenting complex material in a number of different ways, in attempts to meet the learning needs of the students. Physics is a challenging subject matter, so expect to actively participate and to earn your grade. The professor definitely does his part.
He was a fun teacher. Lots of excitement and passion plus a tad bit of funny corniness made physics easier to understand and kinda fun to learn from him. Just be sure to go to class because some of the stuff he teaches and are on his tests isn't explained very well in the book.
Best Lecturer ever.
I took him for the entire physics series, 114, 115 and 116 and he was a great professor. He used a lot of demos and obviously loved his job. He was very clear on what expectations were and his example problems helped a lot. I would highly recommend that you do all the problems that are at the end of each chapter in the book. It helps a lot.
pretty lame, not helpful, really cocky, his tests suck
PUT THE CLICKERS AWAY! Pedigo LOVES to use these infrared clickers during lecture and asks you graded questions throughout the class and you are to use these clickers to answer. Did I mention they were graded? This guy is TOUGH! Tough exams, strange lecturer and somewhat full of himself. I didn't learn a thing from him.
Pedigo is very good at physics and he is very fun person. That said, he is not a very good teacher. He refuses to explain concepts more than once as if low level physics courses are beneath him. My class average was 48%. If you plan on taking algebra based physics, surprise, Pedigo has never heard of algebra so he uses calculus instead.
great teacher
You really need to go to class and get CLICKER POINTS since those are graded. If you expect for him to go over simple concepts & problems, then you're wasting your time. He likes to put equations up and explains how it was derived, which could've been found in the textbooks. His test are tough,try to get a hold of his old tests they'll help a lot
Well he is a really nice guy... But his tests are not! And by that I mean extreamely hard... They are graded on a curve though... The online homework is killer too... often interesting in lecture but all together so-so!
Pedigo is a fun lecturer. my only regret is that we only had 50 min. to cram so much material. I wish I was a physics major because of him. However that being said he is not an easy teacher at all. He makes it hard on purpose so that if you want to do well you have to try immensely hard.
No Comments
Professor Pedigo is super cool. He makes a difficult class one that everyone will want to go to and pay attention because his lectures are super valuable! He always is doing something with experiments, whether it be blasting into class on a fire-extinguisher propelled red wagon, or exploding a 50lb barell. This isn't an easy class though...his test
A great professor, but I had a hard time with him. I had no background in physics. He's comprehensive but I personally struggled. I'd recommend him though. He's really nice and knowledgeable.
He seems like a nice person, but he goes pretty fast on his class. The class can be fairly tough, and though the multiple choice part of the test are easy, the written part is pretty hard.
His tests are super hard, and he doesn't specifically prepare you for them. I would recommend thoroughly understanding the homework to do relatively well on the tests.
He is a nice teacher, but does not know how to teach. He tends to waste too much time on deriving equations in class, and does not spend time explaining how to apply them to solve problems. Clicker questions are tricky, & counted as part of our grades. Exams are super hard. Only those who have taken high school physics can survive he class...
I would not reccommend Pedigo! His midterms/finals are way too hard and most of them have an average around 50%. The multiple choice sections of his test, which account for at least half the points, do not accurately reflect the knowledge of the student. No matter how hard you work, there is always a serious possibility that you could fail his clas
I had him for a full year. Phys 121-123. He is really enthusiastic about what he teaches. His tests are pretty difficult but he tells you what to study in order to prepare for the tests. Overall if you can get a hold of old 114-116 tests then this class is a breeze since his multiple choice is similar.
Excellent enthusiasm for the subject.
I took Pedigo for 121, 122, & 123, and I really enjoyed his class. The only people he acts like a smart ass to is "know it alls". His tests are very fair, and his averages are low. With his class, its either you get it or you don't. But if you can get a hold of one of his past exams, they are VERY similar to current exams.
He seemed like he was more interested in his research then teaching the intro physics series. The lecture notes were helpful but it wasn't enough to offset his clicker questions and poor teaching.
Very enthusiastic but does not know how to teach at all. Spends too much time on unnecessary topics and barely any time on how to solve problems in homework and on tests. You have to depend on what you can learn yourself from the book.
Likes to play with demos ONLY, and seldom is work shown on board. Nothing relevant is taught in any depth.
The material in this class is hard and needs to be thoroughly explained which Pedigo does not do at all. He can spend the entire lecture on something completely irrelevant. You really have to teach yourself for his class.
He only explains concepts in class and does not work any problems. So if you can learn how to do all the problems on your own then you will be fine in this class, but if you want someone who will actually teach you the material, pick someone else
Avoid him unless you really want to lower your GPA. His lectures are completely irrelevant and useless. What he teaches almost never appears on the midterms and they are very challenging.
Worst prof I've ever had. But, if you like teaching yourself from the book, go for it. His averages are really low - around 50%. His lectures were useless. He did not work through any problems in class. Only explains concepts (but not very well.) Also seemed very full of himself and as though explaining and examples were below him.
Worst professor I've EVER had by far. Full of himself and seems to have an attitude that if you don't understand something it must be because you're not thinking, not because he hasn't explained the concept. Shows you equations and how he likes to rearrange them but never how to apply them. His exams are too long and averages too low.
The lecture was poorly related to the exam. He was very excited about the material but only taught concepts with few practice problems. Teach yourself from the book.
Definitely the worst professor ever. He is very enthusiastic about physics, but he is a horrible teacher. If you are excellent at teaching yourself, you will do well, but if you are looking for someone to actually teach you for the $900 you spend on the class, then avoid him. He hates students and it shows.
If you don't like physics or aren't willing to put effort into this class, Pedigo is not for you. He is a senior lecturer with years of experience. He's not going to dumb down his class for lazy students. He goes fast but he always knows what he is saying and RARELY makes any mistakes. This is for serious students only.
This professor doesn't care if his students learn anything and he often does things very differently from the textbook. I don't recommend taking him at all.
I absolutely ADORE Dr. Pedigo. I can't believe he has such poor reviews! He was extremely enthusiastic about the subject and always willing to go above and beyond to help during his study hours in the physics study area. The exams were very difficult and there was a TON of homework but it was definitely worth all the effort.
Though many people disliked Pedigo's lectures, but I always found them very helpful and interesting. I always dislike when professors spend lecture reciting the textbook readings, and Pedigo is one of few professors who extends beyond the textbook through interesting proofs, derivations, and demos. He is always enthusiastic and his exams were fair.
Dr. Pedigo is extremely enthusiastic about what he teaches. Cares about success in general, not just about material tied directly to the text book. Tests were difficult, but fair. Methodical strategies for solving physics problems are very effective. I highly recommend Dr. Pedigo to anyone who has an interest and desire to learn physics.
I studied under Pedigo at a community college while working. Found him to be an amazing physics professor, particularly taken concurrent with a good calculus course. He uses immersive levels of derivation. I now have BSME/MSME from big schools and he was the most prepared TEACHER I ever experienced.
Pedigo does a great job at teaching. He explains all the topics clearly and completely. His tests can be challenging but very fair in terms of how well he tests on what you have gone over in class. If I could do it over again I would take Pedigo for the whole 12X series!
Dr. Pedigo is an interesting teacher. I was very intrigued by physics prior to taking his class. My major is electrical engineering and taking his class just about steered me away from it but I persevered. His tests are very difficult and he speeds through material. In my opinion, the textbook he uses sucks but maybe that's just me.
A skilled and involved professor. Be sure to figure out the homework system before the quarter starts or you'll miss assignments.
He s the most horrible prof I've ever met ever in UW!! crazy unrelated hw and 3 exams, disorganized lecture and handout, super fast go through every example not theory in textbook. Totally free style!
Excellent professor who is always prepared. The class is something of a black hole in terms of consuming your time in the form of assignments, but the homework problems are very valuable. Lecture extends on the material in an intuitive way, a good thing because the textbook is godawful. Overall, a difficult, but rewarding course.
hard class because of the workload, hes not the best at explaining things in class so take notes beforehand then just pay attention in lecture. hes better at one on one, also he does funny/wierd stuff sometimes, hes okay but alot of people dont like his teaching style. its not too bad!!
Best lecturer I have ever had. Explains clearly and talks articulately.
The physics series is difficult regardless of the professor. That said, I've had this guy for the whole series and he is quite an enthusiastic and amusing lecturer. I highly recommend him.
I took the general physics series (121-123) with Pedigo and he is one of the best teachers I've ever had. The classes are a lot of work and can be difficult but his exams and grading are fair. He is very animated and a great lecturer and I always looked forward to his classes.
Not a good lecturer. Often explains things incorrectly, as well as quickly and incompletely. Using the textbook (even though it's not a very well-written book either) is much more helpful than going to lecture.
I have him for 121-123, to sum it up it is not an easy class, he doesn't give out practice exam, so you never really know if you are prepared, his slides are confusing and he never post the solution to his clicker question. Advice: Don't take his section if you don't have to.......
Helpless lectures. Go get old exams from your friends, then you will very easily get A. People had trouble because they dont know what to study and how to study. Talk with person who got 4.0. My advice is Do well on useless tutorials and other things such as HW, lab, attandence, etc, then bad test grade won't hurt you too bad.
Jesus the physics series is hard. He is a great lecturer who you can tell truly loves Physics, and he gets really worked up over it. However tests are almost impossible to study for, just do all the homework and understand it.
Physics series is hard in general and after a while I didn't feel like Pedigo was that great. If you're good at the clickers then you'll do well on the multiple choice, that being said, he didn't make the class worse in anyway so he's alright compared to some of the other teachers I hear.
As far as physics goes, you won't get a better teacher. The only problem is that the tests are very limited in time and doing well on them has more to do with how good you are at taking tests rather than how well you know physics. This is a problem with the physics series though, not just him. Overall, get him as a prof if you can!
Pedigo is a fantastic lecturer. He explains things for what they ARE, rather than a simplified 'functional' definition. If you're interested in Physics, he's the best you can do, if you want an easy class maybe you shouldn't pick Physics. He uses lots of demos and knows how to teach (plus writes the tests), but that doesn't mean it's an easy class.
I had him for 122 and 123. His lectures are pretty straightforward and the demos are fun. He makes the concepts easy to understand. For the tests, I recommend you to work on the end-of-chaper problems from textbook. I did most of them and they prepared me really well for tests.
Pedigo is very enthusiastic about the subject being taught. However be prepared for his lecture slides which are very useless for studying for the midterms. He likes to talk about the history behind the physics. Midterms were not bad, just get old midterms. Be prepared for the last material which is very hard and Pedigo is not good at teaching it.
He's super enthusiastic and he loves the clickers bc he's the one who brought it to the dept. Think fast on tests because of super tricky questions. Do the book problems. Not a bad guy tho.
Terrible terrible professor. I wish he wrote out things like how UW does math rather than put slides up, it'd be much easier to follow. If I didn't read the book carefully beforehand, I wouldn't understand a thing in lecture. Rambles on. Lectures mandatory because clickers, which sucks, but at least you know what to concentrate on for self-study.
His lectures are not even clearer than watching videos on smart physics. And most answer to clicker questions on lecture is like"86% of you choose A so I think A is probably the right answer! Okay, let's move on to the next one." You won't get a good grade unless you have a strong basis in high school physics or study really hard on your own.
Pedigo is always enthusiastic in class. Unfortunately the helpfulness of his lectures fluctuates greatly. Sometimes you learn nothing from him, somethings he clarifies very well. Pedigo goes over the most basic problems in class, which can make doing difficult webassign hw nearly impossible. He also does not give practice tests while other prods do
Pedigo definitely knows the subject matter of this physics course. While he is knowledgeable it was clear to me that he does not care whether or not students learn in class. Virtually every component of lecture with him is useless and clicker questions are not helpful. Avoid him if you can.
I think what it comes down to is this: If you like physics, you'll really really like Pedigo. If not, you really really won't.
A lot of people don't like Pedigo because they don't like Physics. Pedigo is extremely committed to helping students and very good at explaining concept. If you can, take his class.
Most people writing on here don't realize how terrible most of the physics profs are at UW. As someone who is having to retake the entire physics series, Pedigo is AWESOME. Enthusiastic, designs lectures so that students have an opportunity to understand etc. Physics is not a cakewalk at UW, but Pedigo makes it possible to learn if you work hard.
One of the worst profs I've encountered. Routinely fell behind schedule on lecture material, actively campaigned for us to not get practice tests. The prelectures are more useful than his lectures. The quality of the instruction shows with the test averages, at least the curve is easy as a result.
To make things clear, Pedigo himself is a great professor. He is very enthusiastic about the class and does his best to keep us interested and entertained. But the class itself is definetly not an easy one. The work load is heavy and the tests are very difficult. But it will be like that for all physics class at UW, so good luck and be prepared !
He cared about whether you learn or not. And he prepared a lot in his ppts and worksheets. However, the way he presented this materials is not clear enough. He talks too fast, without focus. Many important points will be missed even if you pay attention. You can take his class, no hurt.
I like physics especially mechanics. Pedigo is a great prof. He knows his materials and very enthusiastic. However, his lecture notes are terrible don't study from them. And his test are awful. In the multiple choice he puts like 5 questions in one problem so if you miss one you'll miss the whole 5. Maybe I found it hard because I'm a freshman.
Great lecturer, I'm sure he's helpful if you go to office hours. Physics is just really hard. The tests are unbelievably hard but curved decently. Defs would recommend the professor, just not the class.
Pedigo is great professor for quantum mechanics. He can explain the concepts very well and It is definitely worthwhile to attend all the classes. This class is mainly conceptual and has little calculation so listening to his long enthusiastic explanations will be more helpful than in the intro series.
I absolutely hated his class. He always talked way too fast and it was very hard to understand what he was saying. I did not learn anything from his class and he never went over how to solve problems that were assigned as homework and in the tests. If 60% of the class got a question right, he thought that was good enough not to need to explain.
His exams are unbelievable! Do as much problems as you can .
Pedigo is literally the WORST of the worst. You have to attend all his lectures(for clickers,yay!!) but NONE OF THEM ARE HELPFUL!NONE! !TOUGHEST tests I've ever seen in my life. I've always got above 3.8 in any sciencemath class but for his class I'm praying to get above 3.5. HIS CLASS IS A TORTURE. Avoid if u can. god bless who take his class
Everyone is complaining about how he is a bad teacher but honestly I think he's a good teacher teaching a difficult subject. Of course physics 121 will be hard that's a given, but I thought he had a great grasp of what he was teaching and did a good job explaining it. It is true that he talks very fast in lecture but he does have office hours too..
After taking two physics classes in high school, I thought this class would be a breeze. But really, I had a hard time keeping up to all the expectations. Tests were an average of 55% before curving (and we had no idea what the curve would be). It's a lot of work and if you want to do well, you need to be really dedicated to the class.
I have never taken such an incompetent professor before. He not only belittles his students but doesn't seem to care if they understand the material. He speaks to fast and doesn't given clarifying answers when asked a question. He is mean spirited and his exams are impossibly long. Stay away at all costs.
He has great hair for his age. With that out of the way study hard and do as many problems as you can. His goal is to trick you and he would like nothing more than to do so, be careful.
My boy DP helpful af and he knows how to teach, but his tests are crazy!
Pedigo is a good teacher, and I liked his enthusiasm. He consistently does not finish his powerpoints so there is always a bit of untaught material that you are responsible for. He is very clear on what needs to get done in the class and how grading works. Sometimes he talks really fast. He does not offer practice tests.
avoid this professor.
Pedigo may get a bad rap, but every other entrance series professor is so much worse. He's consistent, he's a teacher, not a researcher, he's tough, but it's good for you, and as long as you keep up with your work, go to class, you'll be absolutely fine. His classes are totally doable, they just take a little more work than you're used to.
Daryl is consistent, which is good. Consistently, hard through the whole Physics Series at UW. He doesn't really take too much time to explain questions when you go into office hours either. I'd recommend to avoid taking his class if you can, it'll save you stress and an unhappy grade.
He does not structure well that the students fail to grasp important points or the big picture. He is not being clear with the materials and the goals of the class. Avoid taking 225 with him if possible.
He's smart but horrible at explaining stuff at a simpler manner. His explanations are too abstract and complicated. He had clicker questions for us and didnt even know the answer himself sometimes. He post lecture slides afterwards but the questions dont have answers on them so it's hard to review
Pedigo is on of my favorite profs. I felt his explanations were clear and easy to understand, esp. given QM isn't the easiest thing to explain. The tests aren't a cake walk, mostly because they are packed with a ton of questions. However he gave an outline of the contents of each exam beforehand, and that made it easier to study for them.
One of the clearest and easiest to understand physics professors. His explanations are always precise but understandable. I've had him for the introductory physics courses (121 and 123) and the quantum mechanics course (225). I've also taken several other physics courses at UW and Pedigo is by far the best physics professor I've had.
Pedigo is a solid teacher. He's great at teaching conceptual stuff. He has a lot of trouble explaining math though, which makes homework tough. Clicker questions make attendance important. Tests are pretty easy, though you might have to fight for points because of bad graders.
Pedigo is someone that expects you to learn the material on your own and does very little to help with the material when the book is already confusing enough. (he helped write the book) His office hose help very little with understanding and his grading system is questionable at best. Take Tolich or someone else if possible.
His attitude is a little off. When I ask questions at the end of a lecture he sometime sounds a little bit condescending. He doesn't sound particularly enthusiastic, but he doesn't sound like he doesn't want to be there. The positive side is that he knows his stuff. I respect him.
Very knowledgeable about physics concepts but not very good at conveying/teaching them to students. Class requires a lot of self-teaching and midterms are pretty difficult if you do not have a good comprehension of class material. If you are planning to take this course please make sure you have a way to get extra help if needed.
Really animated and clear lecturer. He's quite out there which helps make morning lectures entertaining and memorable. This is a hard class with lots of homework but if you go to office hours he and his TAs are very helpful.
Overall, material of the class was good. It's very interesting. Demonstrations wake you up. But he will never go through a problem step by step on paper. He has maybe a lecture slide that tells you generally how to solve a small problem, other than that, he will just throw up a slide full of integrals and said it's cool and move on.
counting down from ten is the best thing ever
Never studied. Never read the text. Great personality for this professor. Funny guy, but that doesn't change the fact that physics is difficult.
While he is very smart and cares about his students, his lectures are confusing and he struggles to explain the more difficult topics. Nice guy, not so great professor. 121 has an insane amount of homework and reading
Im an electrical engineering major and I can say this class really took a hit on my love for my major. His teaching style completely rubbed me the wrong way. The course structure was jumbled and terrible. I don't know what else to say but if you can avoid taking this class with him do it
Physics is already a hard subject, and Pedigo didn't make it any easier. His lectures are so heavy, he often rushes at the end, and doesn't provide any calculation examples in class. However, the curve is so low in the class because nobody learns from his teachings, so it helps get a decent grade in the class. I recommend taking another professor.
I like prof. Pedigo's class as he is excited about what he is teaching. His explanations for the abstract concepts are very clear. He also cares about whether his students learn and tries to help them even if he is busy.
His lectures are extremely dense and he enjoys teaching you the theory behind the concept, so a lot of weeding is required to get down to the fundamentals. I succeeded by going over every equation on the equation sheet and writing down what each variable was. This way I knew what material to expect and how to use only the most important equations.
Very vague, never directly answers your questions, lectures are sub-par, exam questions are either way too easy, or absolutely ridiculous. Idk why he can't ask fair, difficult questions.
Vague responses to questions, weird lectures too
You can't really hear/understand what he is talking about in class so you have to read the textbook which is ridiculously long and boring. There are lots of homework and he gives clicker questions in class so you have to go to class although you learn Nothing there. If you haven't learned the material before it is impossible to get a good grade
His lectures are funny and entertaining, and he has some excellent demos but he doesn't go into nearly enough detail or give nearly enough example problems. Class is basically a light overview of the material and if you want to do well you have to spend about 90% of your time trying to figure out the rather confusing textbook.
Pedigo is okay but it seems that he doesn't really care so much. His lectures are just general overview of the materials and not that helpful. The course structure is horrendous, but it is probably the department's fault. Only 5 credits class but feels like 10. Hated the 5-6 points multiple choice questions, no chance of partial credits.
He is not very engaging, lectures feel rushed, and he expects you to learn the material from the textbook on your own. I'm torn on attendance because there were clicker questions but they were heavily curved and lectures were pointless overviews. Pulls questions for tests from the unassigned problems in the book so do those if you have time.
Would've rated him 4/5 but he says kinetic energy KYE-netic SO.
I am simply traumatized by Darly Pedigo and physics. I think he is very enthusiastic and he seems very knowledgeable but his teaching sucks. It's difficult to hear him most of the times because his voice is so soft-spoken and he goes by slides so fast during lecture I thought they were gifs. Unless you already know all the material do not take
Still salty about Physics so came back to rate him after 1 year. Horrible class by itself but Pedigo does not make it any better.
Speaks quietly, hates explaining, and gets annoyed when students ask questions. Test averages in his class are usually extremely low, because no one has much idea about what's going on. Doesn't provide good study material, and his lecture slides aren't very helpful. Study from the textbook and try to avoid him at all cost.
I love his lecture. HE's a SUCH AMAZING PROFESSOR. HE makes everything so clear. As long as you go to lectures, he will make sure you pass the exams.
He took major heat for not giving out practice exams, but I don't think he was trying to screw us over. He lectures are horribly planned, he always rushes at the end. Actually every lecture was like that. You would think a guy as smart as Pedigo would learn from his mistakes, but nope. 3..2..1... and BOOM!
Daryl Pedigo is very passionate about physics. He would catch his breath during lecture because he couldn't stop talking about it but it's difficult to follow him if you don't already have the foundation that he has. If you want a decent grade from this class be prepared to learn from the textbook and attend lecture for the participation points.
Sorry No Pedigo again. He will not explain any calculations for you. Just give you the formula, and then boom you get the answer. How could you get the answer? We don't know
He's the hardest professor I've ever had. Lectures are okay but his exams were the worst. Exam questions were calculator heavy and his averages are typically 45-65%. I highly recommend taking ANY other professor other than Pedigo. Also, he pronounces KAI-netic energy.
Disrespectful, NO practices tests, unnecessarily difficult, and basically ONLY does learning catalytic all class. Do you want a good grade, heard 123 is easier? Yeeeah, not with Pedigo. Take with another teacher if you want to recover from 122 and actually learn a thing or two. 3, 2, 1, BOOM!
Pedigo is the type of person you would crack open a cold one with, but he isn't the type of person you want as a physics professor. Lectures weren't super helpful because most of the time is allocated to clickers and the course overall was disorganized.
He is a mediocre physics professor, he started the quarter strong with interactive lectures and worksheets but got worse as the quarter went on. He lectures assuming everyone has done the reading which results in a lot of people being lost. However, if you do the reading, his lectures and examples help a lot with understanding the material.
Took Physics 121 my first quarter at UW and this professor made it one of the hardest classes I have ever taken. His exams are extremely difficult and the exam averages are around 50%
This is one of the only professors I have ever actually disliked. He was quite arrogant and rude when I tried talking with him. As others have already stated, most of the classes are clicker questions, so the class pretty much consists of self learning with challenging tests. Not an inspirational course, and a very poor use of one's time.
Really tough grader. All the exams are hard. Think carefully before taking this class.
Be ready to teach yourself:)
Phy 121 is tough in generally but Pedigo made it hell for sure. Hardest class I've taken without a doubt. The test averages were ridiculously lower. i thought I was going to fail the class but the average GPA was over a 3.0 so I ended up with a average grade. Just glad I made it.
Overall, I thought Professor Pedigo was a fine instructor for a difficult class. He kept lectures entertaining and the lectures supplemented the required readings. This is definitely a class that requires a lot of effort for a good grade. My primary complaints are that lectures were not well timed and relied too heavily on clicker questions.
Pedigo is the worst professor I've had at UW. The whole intro series is a mess to be frank. He makes relatively simple concepts much more complicated then they need to be. When he does do an example in lecture he rushes through and then gives like 5 clicker questions a class so you really do have to learn the material your own. Exam averages in 50s
This class has 3 reading quizzes, weekly lecture homework, pre-lab, post-lab, pre-tutorial, and tutorial homework due each week. Prepare for your grades in other classes to suffer because of this one.
Tons of hw (like any intro physics class, not a fault of the prof), has a really bad habit of rushing through important explanations as well as cramming in important details after class has ended. Equation sheets are disorganized and lack a LOT of important equations / concepts so make sure to memorize them for exams.
Worst prof I've ever had. Avoid at all costs. Rushed through all explanations, is very rude to students with questions and gives extremely difficult exams. Spend over half of lecture doing clicker questions so rushed through explaining anything. The class has 3 components, and they are all out of phase for some reason, but that's not prof fault.
Terrible prof. Does not give practice exams and very bad teaching
Terrible teacher. Does not teach and relies on clicker questions which don't make sense because we were never taught the basics of the topic in the first place. The equation sheet he uses also contains both the books and his "own" equations which sounds fine but he doesn't include a lot of the most important equations from the book.
Pedigo doesn't do a great job at describing concepts for the first time. Reading the book is a must since his lectures aren't easy to understand, and a lot of his explanations are pretty hard to follow. Sometimes he starts to talk fast and louder which is because he's passionate about the topic (i guess?) but it just makes it harder to follow
My least favorite professor. Doesn't explain well and gives very hard exams. Also gives messy equation sheet and is generally rude to students. Avoid if possible
does clicker questions all class and then doesn't explain the topic. My worst grade at uw
Amazing professor! To this day, I still tell my kids that he was the main reason I am successful in my career. The push that he gave me, gave me the MOMENDUM to pursue greater things. And the KAINETIC energy that I kept is what allowed me to keep going.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
86%
Textbook Required
67%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.77 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYSICS116
5.0
(1)PHY310
5.0
(1)121
4.0
(1)PHYS12X
4.0
(8)PHYS115
3.8
(6)Difficulty by Course
114
5.0
121
5.0
PHYS122
4.5
PHYSA
4.5
PHY121
4.4