3.1
Quality3.2
Difficulty57%
Would Retake104
Reviews57%
Would Retake
104
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
27
4
14
3
27
2
18
1
18
What Students Say
“This was an awful experience”
PHYSICS151 - 1.0 rating“Dont get me wrong, professor hamilton is a great person”
PHY151 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.08 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYS151
4.0
(6)PHYSICS151
3.6
(16)PHY151
3.2
(53)PHY152
2.8
(22)PHY131
1.6
(7)Difficulty by Course
PHY131
3.7
PHY152
3.5
PHYSICS151
3.3
PHY151
3.1
PHYS151
2.5
Reviews (104)
he does not prepare us for tests, lectures are disorganized and the only good thing is the curve. nice guy and provides resources but I learn most of this class through tutors and SI sessions. Avoid if you can
Professor Hamilton is the pinnacle of academic teaching. He is the Socrates of our modern times. I would 100% recommend taking his class. and promise from the bottom of my heart, that you will come out of that class a changed man. For his class isn't just a class; but an experience, to be savored and enjoyed to your heart's content.
Awesome Professor! Very Lenient and understanding
Can't say i've met a better professor
Very fruity, especially on fridays! A true inspiration.
Professor Hamiltons class was amazing. Attendance wasnt mandatory but you would still want to go because of his fun demos and personality. His lectures could be hard to follow sometimes but if you did a little bit of the reading before it shouldnt be a problem. The tests werent bad and they were multiple choice.
If you do the homework's without cheating, go the review sessions, and ask for help you will do great in the class. He answers all your questions enthusiastically, and is very helpful. The lectures are PowerPoint and can sometimes be confusing, but if you ask he'll clarify it for you. The curve on exams is also very good bonus.
This was an awful experience. He seemed to be confused on what he was teaching which translated to who well students could do. His teaching style works for the top 1% of the class and the bottom is left lost. TEST ARE SO HARD
One of the, if not the best physics professor I've ever had. The content can be challenging at times, but if you put in the effort this class is amazing. Dr. Hamilton does his best to make the exams manageable and applies very lenient curves. He responds to emails quickly and genuinely wants you to succeed.
Genuinely wants you to succeed, is very helpful and responds to emails quickly
Dont get me wrong, professor hamilton is a great person. He's nice and caring and wants you to succeed The problem is that he is not a great teacher. The classes will only be helpful to you if you're already pretty smart or you know the material. Most of the students i met had to learn the material by themselves. for that reason, i dont recommend.
He drones on in class, not giving much thought to making anything fun or understandable. Occasionally will throw in a pop culture reference, but that does little to liven up the mood. The questions on the exam are unreasonably hard and/or tricky.
What can I say, this man is an absolute gem. His lectures are super entertaining and the curves on the exams are really generous. If you have solid algebra skills and have taken physics in the past, this class will be a breeze.
Definitely drones on during class so I didn't attend many of his lectures, but he does fun experiments and makes nerdy jokes that can make it worth attending at times. His powerpoints are very detailed and lectures are uploaded, so it was easy to learn by myself and do well on exams. He curved every exam and adjusted grading to help students.
Was really a terrible teacher. The ONLY reason I did so well is because I took physics in high school. Lectures are honestly useless. They are so boring and its impossible to know what you need to know vs him just rambling on and deriving equations. I literally did not attend class half the time and did completely fine. He does curve exams though.
I do not know why he is a teacher. He dis not good at communicating what we need to know and when he is just rambling and writing, for the most part, incomprehensible symbols on the board.
Is truly a terrible teacher. Somehow just makes the class vibe really unappealing. Makes things waaaaay more confusing than they need to be.
Easily the most frustrating class I took this semester. He is so bad at clearly stating what we need to know and why he does what he does during problems on the board.
Best Prof ever
I barely went to class because he put me to sleep every time but i got good grades from just looking at the powerpoints he posted from lecture.
great professor, a little monotonous, physics is not easy but if you took ap physics or the equivalent you should be fine with some practice.
Insane curves on the exams, but the lectures are so. boring. Be warned.
Prof. Hamilton is truly a very nice person, and he really seems to care about his students. However, his lectures can be a bit monotonous, and sometimes it's just better to go over the lecture slides yourself. The curve is amazinggg, and is definitely the only reason I got a decent grade!
I skip all lectures and look at the slides a day before exam. Super nice prof who tries to make his slides more funny-looking (a lot of memes and anime references). Lots of extra credit (for both exam and lab section). Crazy grading curve tho, my final exam grade just boom from 84 to 91. Never take a physics class before but it is quite easy for me
Decent professor but not the best. His lectures are super dry and he can ramble through problems sometimes; I ended skipping a good chunk of lectures later in the semester. However, he does make an effort to explain things. Homework can be pretty tough and it's worth 30% of your grade; start it early. Tests are generously curved, which is nice.
I didn't find the lectures to be very helpful, nor was the reading. I mostly reviewed the practice exams and reading for exams, which were curved pretty heavily (mostly scored around a B in those). If you do your best on hws/labs/exams (considering the curve on the exams), it's very likely you'll do decent in the class so I wouldn't worry too much.
Prof. Hamilton is a genuinely nice guy. When you ask questions he would try his best to answer. Respond to emails and grade exams really quickly. In-class experiments were entertaining. Though, I didn't really learn much from the lecture or textbook. Homework assignments and exams were very difficult. LRC tutoring is the only reason why I passed.
Jojo Reference + Sanic reference in slideshows... + the Goat
Sits in the front of the lecture teaching straight from slideshow. So boring and will lose attention very fast
His style of teaching leaves much out. Very unclear on course material and exam material is very confusing, even for people who study a considerable amount. His homework policy is good but he can be rude and overall not a very good professor
Hamilton would mess up his own examples during class. He's a cute lil dorky guy, so lecs aren't unbearable. Ppl always flunk his exams no matter how much they study. Curved averages are always around a 80-85, with raw scores being in the 50-60s across the board. Definitely recommend tutoring center for this class. Lab grades can boost ur avg though
He's a really nice guy, but will often make mistakes during lectures. Is kind of fast so taking notes isn't easy either. teaches from slides, so you might as well just watch the lecture recordings. Tries to make class interesting with game and anime references in assignments and tests. Gives resources to those struggling.
He is one of the nicest professores you will ever have, and genuinely cares about his students. However, his lectures can get boring and he is basically just teaching off of the slides. The exams are difficult but have a high curve. You won't fail this class, however if you want to actually learn physics you have to do a lot of self teaching.
Lectures are fun (he threw an egg at a wall and rode a fire extinguisher rocket wagon!) and he teaches a lot of concepts through memes/pop culture references. Exams are easy if you've taken physics before, and doable if you haven't. Pearson (required for homework) is annoying but homework is generally doable, too. Great professor and chess player.
Awesome teacher. Really cool demos throughout class- very chill, very thorough about what he teaches
David is an alright professor, he's a really nice guy. He gives you two midterms and one final. Whichever one you do the worst on is weighed less which is nice. His lectures are kind of boring and you don't need to go to do well. He does try to make them fun though by doing in person demonstrations.
Overall, professor Hamilton is a very nice guy. His lectures are just very boring. The homework is 10x harder than the tests, and the tests are all multiple choice. Overall the class is a breeze, and professor Hamilton is a very nice, caring guy, but he will put you to sleep with his lectures.
Professor Hamilton is a decent professor for entry level physics 151, sometimes he moves very quickly and he erases his work as soon as he writes it, but he records his lectures and posts his annotated slides on moodle after class. He is very responsive to emails and answers any questions you have if you reach out to him.
Prof Hamilton is a great professor! His lectures are great and he really explains the course material well. The homework assignments are a bit difficult, and some of them can be extremely long. However, for all exams (including the final), they are not cumulative and he lets you have a full sheet of paper front and back with handwritten notes.
If you need to take Physics 151 and 152 at UMass, Hamilton is a solid choice. The lectures were boring but the grading was very fair. The homework wasn't too challenging but was harder than exams. The exams themselves were curved and fair with topics mentioned during lectures and homework
This is not a professor whose personality you will get to know at all. Exams are curved which is nice and homework is a guaranteed 95+. Lectures are dry and boring but I would go in person because watching the recorded version will really put you to sleep. Helpful office hours with simple explanations.
Professor Hamilton performs some cool demonstrations during the lectures, and is responsive to emails. The exams are very fair, and you are even allowed to bring a full page of notes. Some of the homework problems are significantly harder than the tests. If you previously took AP physics, the labs might be kind of annoying.
Lectures are extremely dry. You can get away with not going to the lectures and watching the recordings instead. I also found the textbook that's available on MasteringPhysics decently helpful. Overall, it's pretty hard because it's a hard subject but he makes the criteria clear and the tests have a great curve.
lectures were terrible. very droning voice. his jokes were funny but I kept zoning out. curve was only thing keeping my grade afloat.
Professor Hamilton was a decent professor. I never paid attention in lecture, never really studied for the class, and still passed. This is not a suggested route to take. I just had so much work for my other classes. Online homework is time consuming, two multiple choice exams and then the final. I met with him for office hours and he is helpful.
He makes you do the homework before you come to class, but you never actually learn anything in class. If you can avoid it do not take his class. I am a decent student and get mostly A's and B's, but I already know im going to get a C or a D in this class. The structure itself is fine, but you literally do not learn a thing from him.
Took 151 with very little prior knowledge. Hamilton had amazing slides but his lectures are very speedy. Although they are recorded so you can review them easily. Labs and quizzes are not bad at all. Exams are hard as they are way more difficult than the practices, but the curve makes up for it. Would definitely take him again.
Hamilton is really nice as a person but doesnt know how to teach, I will probably fail this class when im a straight A student lmao this sucks. Dont take Physics 131 with him you will learn nothing, I have to self-teach everything just to barely pass.
Hamilton definitely cares about his students and is a really nice guy, but I think he struggles to simplify concepts enough to explain them well. I don't think this is really his fault, he is just too smart to effectively teach the content. He tries very hard but the team-based, open-ended design of the class isn't conducive to a math-heavy course.
absolutely do not take physics 131 with professor hamilton. it was a disaster of a class. he cannot teach. his exams are also horrible, and often times like to include questions on topics we've never did, but vaguely "explored the concept of". he is nice, and very intelligent, but cannot teach for the life of him. AVOID HIM.
A nice guy, but by far the worst professor I have had at UMass. I am a straight A student and had such a tough time in his class. Didn't learn a thing in lectures. Exams were ridiculously difficult and had topics we barely discussed in class. Homework is due before you learn the unit so it's all self-taught. Definitely find another professor.
while the class was easy to do well in because of the set up he is a really bad teacher. Like really really struggles with teaching- i dont think this is his thing. You will prob get an A but not learn anything.
I had a terrible time trying to learn from Hamilton. His lectures are very disorganized, he goes on convoluted tangents, speaks very quickly and is incredibly hard to follow, doesn't know how to explain material in a way appropriate for an introductory level course, and provides no useful assistance outside of class. Surprised I passed his class.
Monotone but easy to learn from his slides. Extra easy if you already know some physics already.
Professor Hamilton's style of teaching makes Physics interesting and fun. Fairly easy for the first half of the semester. Attendance is not mandatory in class, and the homework and practice are more than enough to prepare for exams. Would definitely recommend this class to anyone thinking about registering. You won't regret it.
He is an amazing teacher, he makes class very interesting with practical explanations and amazing in class questions that are very engaging, has his entire class on the edge of their seats. Definitely recommend taking his class if you wanna enjoy physics not only study it, Exams and HWs are tough but if you put in the right effort it will be easy
Breaks down complex topics to make them more accessible for students with little to no background in physics. Super intelligent and it's clear that he cares about all students. Also super funny. This class will probably be on the more difficult side if you haven't taken AP or any physics previously.
Don't go to the lectures. He makes things more confusing that needed. Learn everything on Khan Academy.
Confusing how he transitions
Doesnt know how to teach, lectures are very boring, attendance is not mandatory. The midterms and finals are very very hard.
Hamilton's a pretty chill guy, and teaches the material in an interesting and engaging way. His lectures are pretty awesome too, he demonstrated impulse by sitting on a skateboard with a helmet on and blasting a fire extinguisher. He'll answer your questions if you have any, and will give extensions on homework if you need it.
Hamilton is a solid professor. He makes lectures interesting through lots of experiments, but goes through examples pretty fast. Annotated notes are on moodle. The exams for this class are tough and the practice exams don't help too much. The final especially was absolutely horrible, nothing like the practice. Homework is around 20 questions a week
Nice grading scale, tests only account for 50% of the overall grade, and worst from your midterms and final only worth 10%, the other two 20% each. All test formats are 25 MCQ(with curve). The lectures are sometimes proof heavy and his voice is somewhat monotone. However, I still recommend going to lectures as they do help. Hw is hard. goated prof
Lectures can be confusing as he proves a lot of equations when the proofs are not relevant at all. Exams are easy if you fully understand the homework you do instead of just looking up answers. Did not go to any lectures and crammed the day before exams and ended up with an A. Overall David is a great guy and a relatively easy class
Lectures are fast-paced and unorganized. Homework is miserable. Very lengthy. Exams are 25-question multiple choice with a reference sheet. The exams barely resemble the study guides he provides. There is a nice curve on the exams though.
Horrible teacher, doesnt know how to teach. No need to attend class as you WILL fall asleep. Tests are very hard. you learn nothing in the lectures
Gorgeous human being, horrible teacher. The final is multiple choice and still had a 50% average, but he curved it to around a B-. You won't learn anything, but you'll pass. He also loves wearing Birkenstocks in frigid weather (no socks). Still took him again for 152.
I understand all the negative and positive reviews, and I agree. This man truly cares about how you are doing, and that is invaluable.
Very boring lectures with very unorganized slides that were hard to follow. Did maybe 1 or 2 demonstrations per week. Did provide lots of practice, but exams were much harder than any practice exam or homework. No partial credit on exams. Good curves due to impossible test questions. Never seemed engaged, very monotone. Would not recommend.
Slides in class aren't very useful, stick to the textbook and use the formulas in there. The exams are pretty tough with conceptual questions not taught in class along with many questions that use formulas only found in the book. Practice exams are also way easier. Sometimes spent half of class deriving a formula through calculus youll never use???
HONEST REVIEW -- CLASS: PHYSICS 151 | SEMESTER: FALL 2023 -- Professor Hamilton is an intriguing individual. His lectures are disorganized and difficult to follow. The homework assigned is quite lengthy and requires lots of effort. Moreover, the exams are challenging. The only positive aspect of the class is the laidback attendance and exam curve.
Good class, Hamilton is very kind with the curve on exams and allows a 3 day grace period for late homework. He is a great professor, only thing I can complain about is the size of the lectures.
CLASS: PHYSICS 152 | SEMESTER: SPRING 2024 -- Professor Hamilton is a good-for-nothing instructor. His lectures are disorganized, confusing, and mediocre at best. The homework is dreadful. The exams are challenging and look nothing like the practice tests, but they usually have a nice curve. Hamilton is a nice guy, but he should not be teaching!
The exams are hard, but curved thankfully. The final was bad, with an average of 56%, which is only 5% higher than the one for PHYS 151. The exams always have to be scaled, not because students are bad at physics, but because the professor is bad at teaching physics. There's homework every week, and it's tedious and not super relevant to the exam.
His demonstrations are iconic, 90% of the time something goes wrong, but they're hilarious. However, he can go quite fast during example problems and provides irrelevant proofs during lectures. Exams are way harder than the rest of the course but usually have a nice curve.
David Hamilton's lectures left a lot to be desired. However, he was a very fair grader and often accessible outside of class for help. I would advise spending time at SI sessions and becoming best friends with the Pearson's e-text
Long story short Professor Hamilton does his job very well. He clearly explains the topics and does a good job of constructing a a straightforward exam that covers the taught topics. One minor criticism would be that at times I did think the course was a bit too fast paced but that up to interpretation. OVERALL A GREAT PROFESSOR.
Lectures are a mess. His writing on the slides is everywhere and unorganized. One of the benefits of this class however is the exams aren't worth too much, and they are curved heavily. His experiments are also funny because something always goes wrong.
He was very kind and generous with curves but you will not learn much through his lectures. It is more helpful to just learn the content yourself.
152 is formatted similarly to 151. The lectures are difficult to follow a lot of the time. I think that he makes things seem more complicated than it really is. I watched organic chemistry tutor and did not go to class and I did well on all the exams.
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IF YOU HAVEN'T TAKEN PHYSICS PRIOR! Lectures are awful and lectures are difficult. If your struggling, go to the SI sessions or the LRC. AVOID AT ALL COSTS. Labs are light though.
Where do I start with Prof. Hami. Hami in the best way is one of the homies ngl. His pop culture references are one of the reason I attend lectures but also his experiments will engage your attention as his performance are unique. His lecture are fast (like Lightning McQueen) but that is expected with any physics class. ALGEBRATIC HEAVY, BEWARE.
He speaks awkwardly, but he is trying his best to explain stuff to students. He is a great guy, cant hate him. Make sure you don't use chat GPT on homework and you will get a good grade.
David is a great person, but his lectures can be really boring. Be prepared to learn physics on your own. You might have a hard time if you are taking physics for the first time. Exams are not very different from what you get on the homework.
I won't lie, Hamilton is incredibly boring at times. Instead of going to lecture, I watched his lectures on echo360 which helped. He talks in a monotone voice but he teaches the content in a systematic way and doesn't leave anything out which is good. If you have a good understanding of the homework and practice exam you will do very well.
Hamilton is incredibly smart. Lectures are good, but sit up close because his handwriting is awful. Homework can be difficult, but if you get it done, the tests are basically the same and you can do well on them. Exams are curved. Attendance not mandatory, but I suggest going because he's funny and does some pretty neat demonstrations in class.
David is a great physics professor. His lectures are meant to be used in conjunction with the textbook, and as long as you read it you will be fine as he uses class time to expand on the readings. Homework is reasonable and exams are easy. Great guy with entertaining experiments!
Phys125. Grade is 60% based on group presentations. There are only a few short lectures with not much information. You are expected to learn all the information for your topic on your own through research with no baseline of knowledge because the lectures are so rare and unhelpful.
Super nice guy, as long as you show up somewhat regularly, pay attention to the lectures and do your homework youll be fine
great guy lowk sucks at teaching. u need to learn everything urself. u will be fine if you have taken physics b4 or learn how to teach urslef. dont rely on curves for a boost in grade. chances are it will be less then u expect. his in class demos can be fun
He flew through lectures assuming we all understood everything. The class average was so bad that he ended up curving all the exams, which was nice. I would not recommend this class if you are not a physics/math major.
Fine teacher, his lectures were hit or miss sometimes they got really boring. You get notes on the tests are they are curved sometimes. Nothing super bad or good about him.
lectures are impressively boring. homeworks are hard. tests are not if you do the practice exams. literally the most boring individual I have ever laid eyes on. I would recommend not going to lectures. when he explains things he makes them more confusing and confuses himself half the time. his demonstrations rarely work. terrible teacher!!!!!!!!!!!
His lectures famously suck at conveying information and had having him for 151/152 (wasnt gonna take an 8am) he still sucks. Great guy, bad lecture teacher. Tends to have convoluted slides that seem never to defined clear points while instead focusing on examples makes it hard to understand the underlying concepts
cant understand anything and his course materials are the worst.
Blazed through his slides, doing most of the work written on during the lecture. He usually posted an annotated version of the lecture slides, but the work was written so poorly that it was ineligible. Explained concepts in way harder ways than what was actually required for exams. Homework was also hard and required info not covered in class.
I love Hammy. I made sure to choose him after taking 151 with him. He isn't the most exciting, but he shows up and teaches the stuff he is supposed to, usually pretty well. Homeworks are harder than exams, but that makes the exams pretty easy to do well on, especially after the practice exams + his curve. Show up, pay attention, and you're fine!
Hamilton is an okay lecturer. He is young and is relatable with younger students by incorporating online memes, or movie references into his presentation slides. It can be difficult at times to read his annotation writings, and hard to stay focused on his lectures unless you sit closer to the front
Has terrible handwriting so prepare to review slides a lot. Don't waste time copying down everything. I found tests are much harder than the HW problems & lectures. Otherwise, chill guy and is kind! Lab attendance is mandatory & boosts your grade. SI + Peer Tutoring is the best help ever!!! I took 151 & 152 with him, both were mid.
I love this man. He clearly knows what he's talking about, he doesn't read off the slides and often draws stuff out on the board step by step. His slide transitions make my day,he clearly has a sense of humor. Sometimes I wish he would elaborate more. I originally had Tigran but now go to David's lectures and physics makes a lot more sense!
He's such a nice guy. His class is very accessible and the workload is reasonable. That being said, his lecture style wasn't for me, it kinda bored me, but there are so many resources and the class is very doable. If he learns how to teach a little better he'd be fantastic
He seems like a great guy and all, but he is horrible at lecturing. His lectures are incredibly boring, and I feel like I learned nothing from his teaching. His tests are also much harder and way different from the practice exams. Half of each exam is weirdly worded logic questions that are there for no reason. Would not recemmend
He's an ok lecturer. His slides include funny references and his demos are fun but he's not the best explainer.
You may see this professor and see that he's rated higher, and wonder if it's actually worth it to take his class apart from another more convenient. Take his course. His lectures are optional, but super helpful, but the best part of having him as a professor is that he is incredibly communicative. You can expect an email back within the hour.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Stable
+0.08 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYS151
4.0
(6)PHYSICS151
3.6
(16)PHY151
3.2
(53)PHY152
2.8
(22)PHY131
1.6
(7)Difficulty by Course
PHY131
3.7
PHY152
3.5
PHYSICS151
3.3
PHY151
3.1
PHYS151
2.5