Professor Trnka is a complete GEM. Tests based off homework, homework based off lecture - to a T. It wasn't a class that I worried about bc if I did the homework and understood each problem (only 6 every week), I was chillin for the tests. Absolutely love him. So lovely, so cute, so caring 3 The TA Steven Gardiner was also BOMB and super helpful!

He actually teaches you the things you need to learn. Does in class review and example problems before midterms, and then tests you on the same material (no trick questions). His lectures are organized. He goes over all the topics he has to cover clearly and still has time for reviews. He truly cares about students and is a great person and teacher

Professor Trnka is my favorite professor that I've ever had at UC Davis. He is organized and is always available to help because he actually cares about his students. Attendance to lecture is not mandatory, but you will miss out on great lecture notes. Weekly homework really prepared you for the exams, and his practice exams were helpful too.

best professor ever, tbh he gave me hope to learn engineer again

Great professor, first time teaching 9 series at UC Davis but did it very well

He's great with the material and very fair with the grading. Probably the best professor at UC Davis.

He's a great professor who shows genuine interest for his students; makes and effort to make ensure the class understands an idea before moving on.

He is one of the best, if not the best professor at Davis. Extremely fair in his material and expectations. The only issue one could have with him is that the class is uncurved; however, the final was curved since a large portion of the class did poorly. Overall, Dr. Trnka is a 10/10. Had I had the opportunity I'd take him for all of the 9 series

Great professor, he is the one who really wants his student to learn knowledge but doesn't give too much pressure to his students. As long as you follow his lectures and do homeworks, you will receive the grade you deserve.

Trnka was probably the best physics professor I've had so far here at UCD. His lectures are amazingly clear and even though I used the textbook to study, it was largely unnecessary. His lectures were so comprehensive that I really didn't need anything else. His practice exams are VERY helpful as well.

Our class was his first time teaching 9B. He was amazing. The homework was doable, tests were extremely relaxed, and he obviously had a good attitude toward teaching. The class wasn't curved, but after the scores on the final were lower than he expected, he curved them last minute. He also brought us cookies and water for the final. 100% love.

Hands down the best lecturer I've had at Davis, let alone for a science class. His method of explaining topics is very clear and direct. Homework is very manageable, everyone got 100% on almost all homework. Tests are exactly what you would expect after doing the practice questions, also very manageable. All I'm saying is I'd marry the man.

If you want a professor who is super nice, is super clear about concepts, sends periodic clarifying emails, and brings treats/water for everyone to finals, Prof. Trnka is for you. Side note: He always smiles, and brightens my day.

Trnka is a gem - take him if you can, you will not regret it. He is a professor who truly cares. Everything everyone here said is true. I feel like I learned a lot more in this course then I did with other physics professors. He can make really challenging concepts crystal clear and accessible. HW is fair, exams even more so. I actually like physi

I love this professor. You got 7 hw assignment and 3 midterms within the quarter, midterms are not hard if you finish your homework. He makes everything clear and understandable. Wish I can take his class again.

Trnka is a 10/10 professor. His diligence towards the class is very underrated. He messages and informs his students often. His office hours are very chill and relaxed. And he strives to grade papers and exams; he grades and distributes them back in a matter of a few days. You need to take him at least once before graduating.

Trnka is one the the coolest and nicest professors I have ever had. It is a pleasure and an honor to take his class. His lectures are informative and he really cares about his students and wants you to succeed. He is super responsive to emails and questions and gives clear feed back. He also is a total cutie pie-he brought us cookies for our final

Awesome experience of learning physics.

Learned so much in this class. Made you fully understand real life connections and he genuinely cares about his students. Honor and pleasure to be taught by him. They don't call him Turnt Trnka for nothing!!

Really enjoyed this class. This guy cares a lot, and even brought in cookies for everyone during the final. Pretty much everything you need to know is covered in lecture, with only some supplementation from the textbook. High quality TA really helped, too. This instructor is inspiring and makes Physics enjoyable to learn.

Trnka's class is my favorite physics course offered by UC Davis. He has structured homework assignments based on the lectures that he has covered during the week. His final and midterms are similar to the homework. He's a nice professor and his lectures are packed with relevant info.

The best professor I've ever met.

Lectures aren't mandatory but going benefits you a lot. All of the material and explanations you need to succeed on homework and exams Professor Trnka outlines in a sensible, organized way. He should teach other teachers how to teach. 10/10

Excellent Physics professor! He made the subject matter very easy to understand and interesting. He gave three midterms and a final, all in the same, clear format. Homework is not too difficult, but required. Lecture isn't mandatory but it definitely is useful to go. Great guy, even brought cookies and water to the final!

Amazing lecture. Helpful homework assignment. Midterms and final are related to Homework and lecture materials. Very nice guy

Excellent Physics Professor!! 100% would recommend, homework are related to lectures, and exams related to homework and practice midterms! Very nice guy, holds office hours before due date of homework and review sessions for midterms/finals! Please, take him, you absolutely will not regret! He is the best!

One of the best STEM teachers I've had at Davis. lectures on relevant material, explains the proofs of concepts but doesn't let that bog down the class and emphasises the application of the conepts. He seems to genuinely care for his students and enjoy teaching, has fun mini experiments in class. Tests are clones of practoce exams, but challenging

Very caring and nice professor. Trnka reviews the previous day's notes at the start of every lecture; it is such a simple thing but I find I really understand concepts much more in his class. Weekly homeworks + 3 midterms + lab grade. He is great a teaching concepts without extra fluff, he is just a great professor.

ProfessorTrnka is a great professor, probably one of the best in the physics department. His lectures are super clear, everything is organized. He goes over all concept in class before exams. His practice exams are extremely helpful for actual exams. Professor Trnka is also a caring character, he is very generous on grades. TAKE HIS CLASS!!!!

Dr. Trnka is the best physics professor. He explains concepts clearly and does experiments on every class. He is very helpful during office hour. Grading criteria is clear, homeworks are based on the lecture, and exams are not difficult. If you work hard, you can get an A.

Mr. Jrnka is one of the best professors at UC Davis! He covers lots of materials in lectures but all exams are based on HW. There are 3 midterms + 1 final exam. Final is much harder but reasonable. He is very generous and responds emails super fast. Its my pleasure to take PHY 9B with him!

the best professor i have ever seen on uc davis! i just need one sentence to express my feeling: all professor should take look or learn his teaching method and grading style with wisdom in every corner to inspire student !!! take his class definitely!

Great professor, best Physics professor. 3 midterms and a final, homework is 15%, not curved but not needed, all test averages were in B range. Great lecturer, clear explaining of concepts, midterms and final very fair and exactly like practice problems and examples in class. Would definitely try to take if you can.

If you have the opportunity, make sure you take his class. His lectures are clear and informative, he makes it easy to understand but I still felt that I learned. HW isn't hard and he's very accessible for questions both online and in OH. Exams had no surprises. He genuinely cares about his students and how well they're learning.

Best lecturer Ive ever had. Really chill. 3 midterms but theyre all easy

He gives an equation sheet for every exam, the midterms are very similar to the practice ones, and attendance is optional because his lectures are online. There's no curve but it's easy to earn an A in this class if you just put in the effort!

There are 3 midterms, 7 hw assignments, and labs that require a pre-lab. While this sounds like a lot, Trnka releases 2 practice midterms for each exam which are almost identical to the real ones, the hw is very helpful for exam prep, and the pre-labs are only 2 questions max! Trnka is an AMAZING PROF who lectures very efficiently and truly cares.

You can skip class but you will be missing out on the greatly designed lectures. Trnka ensures that his students know the material by presenting the topics in an orderly way.

Might be the best professor Ive had at Davis so far. Hes super nice, a great lecturer, and really cares about his students. Was extremely helpful whenever I didnt understand something and is extremely good at explaining the course material in an attainable way. Was an all around amazing professor and I highly recommend taking his class!

You need to take his class. I wish every UC davis physics professor is like him. His test is similar as his practice midterm.

Professor Trnka is by far one of the best professors Ive ever had! His lectures were very clear and he posted the notes right away and started each lecture with a review from before. His midterms resembled the HW and practice MT so if you study those youd score very well. Most importantly, he cared about us and our success, and was very kind.

Literally the professor that students dream about. His lectures are amazing (he has an accent but speaks very good English and is easy to understand). However, his exams and homework are extremely fair and he grades them super fast. Lectures are awesome and he is just a really nice guy that wants you to do well.

This is the best Professor I have ever had in Davis. He is so wholesome and is probably the nicest person on this planet. His homeworks were 100% manageable and they prepare you for his tests. Many resources including practice tests that are the exact format to his actual tests. Very helpful and knowledgeable class! TAKE THIS CLASS WITH HIM!!

Hands down the best professor on this campus! Amazing lectures and extremely clear grading criteria.

His midterms/final are very similar to the practice material he gives out. He is super helpful and cares a lot about his students

Amazing!!

He is amazing! His tests are just like the practice tests and he cares about his students. He is extremely fair and if you do the homework and practice exams you will do well.

Literally, the best professor ever. If you take any other professor over him, that's the worst decision ever. He has amazing lectures! Homework and quizzes are based on his lectures. He has a review for each midterm and it helps you prepare so much! Hands down the best professor in the world!! He is also such a funny and friendly person in general!

He definitely deserves the amazing ratings he has. The material was super clear and he explained things in a way that made things very easy to understand.

One of the best professors I have ever had, truly cares about his students and is extremely responsive, thorough lectures with good sample problems

One of the best professors I have taken. I have an A- rn before finals. The midterms were fair. The sample problems he creates reflects what will be on the midterm. I love how he took time to record lectures (& had live lectures) for those who how could not attend lecture since everything is crazy with covid. His 5 star rating is well-earned.

Professor Trnka is amazing! He doesn't dumb down the content nor does he make the exams any easier. He simply is a brilliant teacher and you learn the 9B material with no compromises. His lectures go way deeper than your short term memory, you actually UNDERSTAND. Curves exams nicely if need be and is on top of his communication game!

Material was difficult. Trnka really explained the concepts well with clear derivations, formulas, and examples. Homework was representative of both lecture material and the tests. He was accessible for outside help if needed. He fostered communication between students and was also honest with us. Would love to take his classes again.

Genuinely the best professor that I have had so far at Davis. I hate physics, but he made me want to like it. The professor gave out great sample problems and tests were very fair. You can also tell that he cares a lot about his students. Also, he sends out weekly updates that are extremely helpful to know what's going on in class.

Detailed prerecorded lectures (totaling 3 hours/week) are posted ahead of time along with live lectures for that week, both of which are optional. 2 midterms, 1 final. Both midterms were extremely fair and reflected hw/sample problems well, and all exams are curved. Final is made by a 3rd party (b/c of physics department). Basically, take Trnka.

Best physic professor! Amazing lectures and everything so organized! He cares about every student and doesn't make students nervous. Fair weekly HWs and two easy midterms. The final was written by a third party but he gave a signification curve. He has a 5/5 for a reason! Take him! (I wish there are many Prof Trnka teaching physic in Davis.)

I had no physics background, yet Professor Trnka explained everything so clearly and had great examples that made me enjoy physics. He was always communicating with the class and gave hw problems similar to midterms. He gave a lot of practice problems and was kind. This was a great class with an amazing professor!

Prof. Trnka was the best physics teacher I've ever had. He had recorded lectures that covered material and live lectures that went over the recorded lectures. His sample problems were very similar to midterm problems. Very patient and very communicative for an online classes. Beware though: 2 midterms worth 45% and 1 final worth 40%!

Trnka is a very respectable physics professor. Before this class, I never really enjoyed physics. However, Professor Trnka really changed things up for me. His lectures were very understandable and detailed. His exams are manageable as long as you study the sample problems and attend lectures. He is a great communicator and provides plenty of help.

professor Trnka provides very detailed lectures along with sample problems that closely aligned with the midterms. Test heavy course but youre given a lot of resources. post prerecorded lectures a week before then does live review lectures the week of. homework due every week 6 problems. overall difficult material but prof. makes it doable .

Genuinely tries to helps students thru piazza and discord, and would even take the time to get to know them. Good lectures and provided plenty of practice problems with guidance. His midterms were fair and similar to his sample problem practice. As long as you attend lecs and understand the practice problems well, you should be able to pass

He was very helpful and gave lots of homework hints. I actually did good in this class and he explains material very well. I didnt even read the book once and I was fine. Way better than any 9A professor

Professor Trnka has a bit of an accent but speaks English fairly well enough to solidly explain concepts in lectures. His lectures are theoretical, but his derivations and calculations are easy to follow. I would not say that the midterm exams are by any means easy but there are extra credit problems. He is also active on discord as well as OH.

Trnka is hands down one of the best professors I have ever had. He is the BEST physics professor. I am generally not good at physics but he makes it so clear and easy to learn. He is so caring and understanding of students. I couldnt have asked for a better experience.

He made me love physics. Goated professor.

He is the best. I want to switch to Physics major now because of him.

Professor provides you with all the material and help that you need to do well in this class, but it is ultimately up to you to deicide what to do with those resources. Best physics professor. Only downside is that I wished he taught 9C and 9D.

Hands down the best professor I've had at Davis. Never really enjoyed physics much until Trnka, but this quarter it was easily my favorite class. Homework is very manageable, the lectures are incredibly useful, and the exams are very fair. Highly recommend taking physics with him if you have the chance, you won't regret it.

Professor Trnka is a physics legend and a wonderful professor. He is genuinely caring, communicates and talks with students over discord and after lecture, and is just an all around friendly guy. While the material is definitely not easy, he makes it manageable with fair homework and VERY reflective exams (review the practice problems!). TAKE HIM.

Best professor I've had at Davis. Very clear lectures. Gives lots of resources to help with homework. Study guides are very helpful and midterms are straightforward. Answers questions on class Discord. He made me love physics.

Prof Trnka is the best physics prof I have ever had! I wish he taught 9c too! Lectures are very clear and he makes them fun with lots of demonstrations! He is great at communicating with the students and is accessible through discord, piazza and email. He provided hw help videos and practice midterms that will prepare you well for the real midterm.

The best physics professor I've ever had. Prof Trnka is a really kind, helpful, clear and consistent lecturer. Lectures are easy to follow and he covers all the content needed to do the HWs. He also posts many practice midterms/finals which are very similar to the real tests. He also gives EC on all tests. Very approachable, would def take again.

To keep it short he is the best professor I have ever had, I don't think any other professor can beat him. He responds to emails very thoughtfully and is very accommodating. Admittedly, he makes me want to continue studying physics. Midterms and homework are extremely reasonable and reflect the final. I will cherish Trnka until the end of time.

Professor Trnka somehow made a physics class be my favorite class for a quarter. He explains concepts very well in his lectures, and he gives plenty of resources for homework/exams so as long as you're willing to put in the work then you will get a good grade. He has midterms and exams but they're on problems from class so just pay attention.

One of the best physics professors you will ever have at Davis! He's extremely kind and does his best to help everyone as much as he can. His lectures are clear and he does demos during class to show the application of these concepts in real life. He always uploads homework help guides and videos too. Overall, amazing professor!

I had a really bad 9A professor, who I nearly failed, and I hate physics a lot, so I had low expectations coming here. Trnka made me enjoy the class. His lectures are clear, he actually communicates with people, he's active on discord, and his tests were reasonable, basically the opposite of my bad 9A professor. Good job Trnka, keep it up!

Professor was really good at teaching the material and even rounded up my grade for quite a lot.

Trnka is by far my favorite professor in all of UC Davis so far. His lectures were always extremely informative and his homeworks were overall pretty doable and his exams were only slightly harder than the homeworks. Overall, IMO if you attend class, you are likely to do well in his course, since he tests on the concepts and not crazy situations.

Prof. Trnka is very passionate about physics and cares for the success of his students. He provides the material needed to do well in his class, from clear/organized lectures to extra credit on his tests. His lectures usually answer his homework questions and his tests are similar to the practice test he provides. He is also very active on discord.

Awesome professor! Very clear about assignments, topics, deadlines, etc. Very understanding. Great extra credit. Helped me actually like physics after horrible 9A experience. His lectures were awesome!

Lectures are clear. Posts homework solution videos that get you 75% of the way there. Exam questions are in the exact format as homework. Exams have very lenient grading, and usually a bonus question. Even if you don't do well on the exam, you will be curved up. Gave us candy after a Halloween midterm. Too nice to be a STEM professor.

One of the best professors I have had at UC Davis. If you have the chance to take him, you should do it. He makes physics less stressful and more understandable. Practice midterms and homework questions are extremely similar to tests, so if you do those and do everything he suggests, you will do well in the class. Also a nice curve.

this man is a blessing and a saint the guy who said the exams were very hard below me is dumb ash don't listen to him...seriously tho this is a plug-n-chug class, if u understand the concepts at least partially and understand how to do most of the problems you'll be fine. trnka has reddit posts calling him pookie bear so that's how u know he's good

This guy is awesome. The lectures were clear and high quality, and the practice exams and homework were nearly exactly the same as the actual exams. Take him!

Trnka is honestly one of the best professors I've had at Davis. He makes it very clear what you are expected to know and his exams are very similar style to the practices he provides. He provides a lot of support throughout the quarter through Discord and homework help videos. If you have to postpone taking physics in order to get Trnka, do it.

So much better than my 9a prof. Clear lectures and practice exams that were almost identical to the real exams. Fairly generous grader as well and really nice; quickly responds to emails.

Professor Trnka is by far the best professor in the physics department. If you get a chance to be in his class take it. You're gonna get a great grade, or at least have a great experience in a shit department. Great lectures and never once got bored. He is my glorious king and renewed my faith in UC Davis.

By far the best professor in the department- I had a terrible experience in 9A and actually enjoyed this class. Caring and truly wants his students to succeed.

Awesome lectures, great drawing skills, notes were super clear and useful, understood more in this class than 9A. Prof Trnka provides support through hw help videos and always answer questions on Discord/Piazza FAST. Only slight con is his soft voice, but no biggie. HW and tests are very similar, def not easy since it's physics. Great professor.

taking 9c rn with weideman/dina and had to come back here to say this guy is goated, man i miss him :( my glorious blue eye king. exact opposite of them, fr downgraded after him

Trnka is a sweetheart and the probably the only Physics professor with a genuine care for his students. I actually learned something and I was not pressured 24/7 to read textbooks or watch hours of Khan Academy. He taught concepts in lecture, provided video walkthroughs for his HW, and had great TA's teaching discussion. TAKE HIM IF POSSIBLE.

By far the easiest physics class I have ever taken. Prof Trnka's lectures are exceptionally clear and perfectly match the homework and exams. For homework, he provides help videos as well as office hours. For midterms/finals he provides the most helpful/accurate practice tests I have ever seen. Even his formula sheet is amazing. Take this class!

That's goat right there. You see him teaching physics that quarter? You take him. He's the best physics prof you'll ever get.

I am retaking this course but this time with professor Trnka. It is only week 3 but he is a amazing professor with great lectures. They are broken down simply and will explain questions with joy and enthusiasm. The only reason I rank the difficulty of the course as a 4 is because he teaching is amazing but the subject itself is very difficult.

The lectures were easy, and homework was clear and interesting. Analysis homework doesn't have specific numbers, multiple instructions are given, and students have to work with variables and make assumptions. Keep in mind that an analysis is worth 5 points and the class is worth 3000. Very fair and well structured.

Exact midterm problems are given in advance but without numerical values, so there's almost no way you fail a test. Analysis homework can be hard but each one is only worth 0.1% of your grade. Lectures are proofs and clicker questions. Analysis is a good way of studying since it makes you deconstruct everything about the problem. Best physics prof!

Extremely solid lectures, very clearly structured teaching. However, the physics department pushes inefficient "problem analysis" HWs that ultimately do not prepare students. Exam averages very low. Take this awesome professor, since most physics classes are doomed with problem starts anyway.

Absolute best physics professor ever!!!! If you see his name teaching physics don't even hesitate to take his class

Professor Trnka was the saving grace of my 9A experience! Kind man and great lecturer. Unfortunately Trnka is given little freedom as far as course structure. Weideman is really the professor. 4 analysis HW problems/wk which are very complex/in-depth and graded harshly. 2 MTs but final is worth most (~60%) MTs are heavily curved and very low avgs.

Such a nice professor, very kind to students and willing to help students. Unfortunately, teaches under Weideman's rules and has no partial credit on exams is annoying.

Trnka is an angel in the UC Davis physics department. Class was incredibly hard and no partial credit on an exam of such difficulty is insane, but he did the best he could. Def take Trnka over Weideman, he gave us a few points if our answer was reasonable enough. Really sweet guy who wants you to do well, wish I could take him for every physics!

a good lecturer, but the strucutre of the entire course is cooked cuz of Tom Weidman anyways. caring professor and useful office hours.

Oh my pookie Trnka... If only you weren't teaching it alongside Weideman... Jokes aside, he is absolutely a godsend and he tries to give as much partial credit as he can. He tried REALLY hard to give us resources to help us succeed. I loved his lectures and it's such a shame that he doesn't really have power over how the course goes. Take him pls!!

Professor genuinely cares about students, asks for feedback after midterms and is pretty generous in his grading. He is incredibly nice and lowky is on Discord 24/7 to answer questions. I think the course is just insanely hard, but he tried his hardest to help, like actually releasing solutions to exams and a practice midterm at our request

Caring Professor! Goes out of his way to help out students, always checks in with students for feedback after the exams. He is a victim of Weideman's methods, however I wish he didn't follow through with Weideman's methods for the 9A course, since I heard many professors straight up ignore and are 100% against Weideman's Methods.

Great prof but 9A itself was harder because of Weideman's structure. Doing the really difficult analysis in the libretext book and using University Physics (young & freedman) helped me barely squeak out an A- (took AP Phys 1 in hs). Homeworks were largely not helpful and nothing helped with discussion quizzes, they were impossible.

Trnka is the absolute GOAT, and was the only saving grace for this course. He is extremely knowledgeable and explains everything well during lectures. This course suffers extremely from Weiderman's enforcement of his course structure (which Trnka lowkey seems to hate), but Trnka did everything he could to be helpful and make this class engaging.