3.0
Quality3.8
Difficulty36%
Would Retake91
Reviews36%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
29
4
17
3
5
2
11
1
29
What Students Say
“His lectures are boring and his exams are very tough”
PHY2048 - 1.0 rating“Richard bone is a good professor”
PHY2048 - 4.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
43%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.75 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYSICS
5.0
(1)SSSSSPHY
5.0
(1)PHY3106
5.0
(2)PHY3107
5.0
(1)PHY4323
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
MODPHY
5.0
PHY2
4.0
PHY4323
4.0
PHY2048
3.9
PHY2049
3.8
Reviews (91)
Great guy.
Great proffessor....very clear...and pretty simple tests
AWESOME professor....my first A in Physics....amazing....
The guy who grades his tests is insane. Whoever it is knocks off a crazy amount of points for nothing. I missed a negitive on one test and he took half of a question for it. That's a big deal in a seven or six question test. He is an ok teacher but his grader is making his class rough.I think this was the grader's first time grading a class.
007..Test questions come from homework. Studying homework questions will get you a B or higher on every test. Very clear. Likes to use his middle finger to explain...very effective.
This guy is suuuuuper cool! He teaches everything so clearly and makes the class a million times easier than it really is. I recommend Bone for any class ESPECIALLY physics II. lol he looks like sean connery.
Very boring but clear lectures, he explains very well the material. Test are easy as long as you do the homeworks and understand the material well. Recommend over other physics professors.
If you are pre-med or pre-dental, or optometry, you are going have to be a stud(academic-wise) to get an A in this class,(take w/o calc with Li to save your GPA). Study your tail off for the exams, and for the final(not that you wouldn't) but study and learn everything you can. He explains very well, he is the best physics professor FIU can offer.
SUPER COOL! He is by far the best physics professor i have ever met. He makes the material VERY clear, and loves it when ppl ask questions Even when i thought i MIGHT get a B i STILL loved it, cuz u KNOW ur learning something! KNOW THE CONCEPTS and do the HW. wish i had him for phy I. taking him again. he's a sweetheart <3. TAKE HIM!
He looks like a nice old guy and he does look like a mini Sean Connery. However, his tests look nothing like the Homework and he seems to enjoy your suffering. I recommend Sargsian he is the best pysics professor at FIU, not Bone. Don't be fooled just because Bone reminds you of your grandfather.
Great professor and great human being. He is extremely clear and helpful. Take him and you'll learn physics. his notes are extremely clear and organized. I hardly used the book and got an A just by studing the notes. Doing the HW is a must. He gives you a formula sheet during exams.
Great professor. He makes you laugh sometimes, his lectures are very clear. However to pass the class, you should read the book and his notes. Some problems in the exams are very similar to those he explains in class. Try to keep up with HW it will help your grade a lot.
Boring...... Have your caffeine fix before class
phy 2 with calc, lol he does look like o conner. he's a good professor.
Hes not a bad teacher if you are good with the concepts instead of the math. He tells you that if you do good in the homework, you will do good on the test because the problems are similar, but maybe 1 out of 8 problems is similar, so dont just do the online hw.Understand concepts!!! Half of his test is concepts, and that will hurt your grade!!
He' ok. He assigns way too much hw and it's only 12% of your grade. The hw is sometimes on harder material that what he explained in class. His exams are rather trick and difficult at times. A nice guy but challenges you a lot, maybe too much. I did ok on his first 2 exams, but don't expect to on his final. the material becomes tougher as u progres
arbitrary grading. boring. lectures are absent of any applicable examples. VERY arbitrary rating. doesn't seem to show a lot of concern for his students. I taught myself all of modern I and i'm doing the same for modern II. STAY AWAY. unless you're a physic major and can't avoid this because he's the only professor available
TERRIBLE PROFESSOR. DOES NOT TEACH AT ALL.
If you pay attention to his lectures, do the homework (as well as exercises from the textbook), and ask him pertinent questions, you will succeed in mastering Physics II. He is truly an expert in every topic. Don't even bother reading other comments - does who don't know how to dance (and don't commit into learning) blame the floor.
Rare find-an amazing physics professor with a great voice. His explanations are crystal clear, take good notes. Keeping up with the HW problems is essential to doing well on the test; after all it is physics, and the secret to doing well is practicing problems; unfortunately, many students don't understand this and end up struggling w/ the class.
He knows what he is teaching doing the homework alone is enough to wrap your head around what he has taught. Receiving terrible marks on the exam is near impossible unless you literally have never sat in his lectures, didn't do a single homework and never cracked open the book.
Great professor for PHY 3106 & 3107.
Great teacher, always prepared for class, tries to bring demos to keep us entertained. 3 tests that are tough but super fair. Reading the book and doing hw is more than enough to pass. Great British accent =P
This guy is the easiest professor ive ever taken. You can compare him to a 1st grade math teacher.. yeah that easy
He talks sooo cool!!.. i think i have a crush on him :)
If you dedicate 1-2 hours every other day to working on HW problems and going over lecture notes, an A will be easy to get. Bone has a gift for lecturing.
Dedicated and very helpful. His accent makes his lecturing a bit boring but he's overall a good teacher.
He lectures well and very clear. Exams are not like the mastering physics hw they are rather more conceptual (exam problems can be answer with understanding but they are tricky and difficult). He's very fair in grading and willing to help! STUDY HARD!!!! His formula sheet has everything you need so you can cross them out as you go & can answer all
Really easy professor. TA grades fairly. His lectures are so freaking boring. He teaches really good but slowly. If you understand fast, you will fall sleep. Do the HW, and you pass the class. I miss half of the classes because he is boring, and just by reading the book and doing HW, I passed every test above 90. Really interesting subjet btw.
Bone is not that bad of a professor, although he is quite monotone. There are three homework assignments per week. Formulas are given in the exam, so just learn the concepts behind them. I recommend taking problem solving with this class, it was very helpful.
Bone is a great professor. He knows his physics and just going to his lectures will be enough to pass the class. HW is due 2x a week and is harder than the tests. So, if you do the hw and understand it this class will be easy. I missed a bunch of lectures but had solid hw grades and I understood the concepts. Class examples show up on tests. Take!
Good professor, tries to give a different view of the chapters, but still need to read the book.
His lectures are very clear and understandable. Love his accent. He's a nice professor and very helpful. Test are MC and free response. The exam questions are somewhat similar to homework or lecture questions.
If you are a super nerd, you love physics, and you can teach physics to yourself then take this professor, but if you are suck at physics. You want to learn physics, and at the end you want to get a good grade with a great knowledge of physics 2048 then to go to 2049 then stay as far from this man and take another professor.
Avoid. Doesn't do many practice problems in class essential for Physics. Extremely tough in grading since questions on exams are few and most questions are multiple choice with tricky choices and 3 or 4 showing work. When asking for a study guide before exams, he will tell you that your book is your study guide. You'll need to teach yourself.
His lectures are boring and his exams are very tough... His exams are very short so there are less chances for extra points. He seems like a nice man but his methods aren't helpful. Get ready to read the selected chapters and become familiar with physics youtube videos because you won't learn only by sitting in class...
The teacher I chose got sick in the middle of the semester and he replaced her. Not very convenient, especially since he made his tests more difficult. His tests were multiple choice with free response. The free response was worth 2/3 of the test grade. He barely does problems in class. You basically have to teach yourself. Book needed.
Don't take this class with him. The guy is not lenient at all. If the entire class is failing he won't care. He doesn't curve or anything. Avoid!
My professor got sick during Spring 2016 semester and he took over the class. The class was NOT that hard. Bone wants you to learn the concept so that you can do well in Physics 2 instead of just giving you the answer. If you need help, stop by his office hours and he is willing to clarify anything. I ended up with a B+ in the class.
I had this professor for half of Physics 1 and 2 . He is a cute old man with an accent. However his teaching is not so good, he speaks low and continue to teach without taking notice that his students are confused. Most students study by the book or by watching youtubvideos. Physics is a confusing subject for me. Always available during office hrs
There are a few good physics professors at FIU and this guy is not one of them. I understand physics is a tough subject but this professor is just not helpful. The whole class could be confused or failing and he wouldn't care. You need to read the book and look at videos online because you won't learn anything from him.
Very good at teaching you the basics but does not provide enough examples in class. He is very good when it comes to simplifying physics and i would recommend only if you are willing to put in the time to do his homework assignments and study.
He is Ok.
Class is very test heavy, two tests and one cumulative final. Homework 3 times a week. His lectures can get boring and does not provide enough examples. Goes over the proof on how to acquire the equation but does not give an example with actual numbers using the equation. I learned mostly through videos online.
Dr. Bone's is one of the best professors in FIU's physics department. He assigns homework every lecture so if you are lazy and do not like to do homework, he may not be a good fit. With that said, he is a great instructor, explains himself very clearly, very helpful in office hours, and a fair grader. Passing is 55%, you have to try to fail.
Upper division physics is hard, but Bone makes it much easier to grasp. His tests are graded leniently and resemble the problems you might see in the homework without using the homework problems as exam problems. The homework is assigned nearly every class and collected a week later. He speaks very clearly as well (shout out to his British accent).
Please know the difference between a good person and good professor. Bone is a nice old man but he is a horrible professor. He will destroy grade point average. And yes I tried very hard in his class and went to office hours.
He has tenure stay away from him. Financial aid even is wondering why 8 people in the same day dropped his class. Avoid him. Nice old man but bad professor. Average for te test were so bad and still did not curve or give extra credit. Do not waste your time.
The absolute worst professor. People give him good rating cause he is nice old man but that will not give you favor. It came to a point people walked out of the class cause he SOO bad! Even a physics major said avoid this guy.
People are dropping his class and he cares but will not change anything. Most people below me saved themselves and dropped. He gave the smallest and easiest amount of example or examples. It depends. He the hardest homework problem and you do know what to expect on the exam. He is not the best. He should not teach!
The worst. The absolute worst. The worst part is that he is tenure. He speaks very low. He assigns too much homework and test are ridiculous. The averages were pretty bad. That the test needed to be curved and he will not give curves or extra credit. DROPPED!
Wow you see its drop date. He is available in his office but doesnt give any practical help. The exam were really hard! My advice would be to not take this professor. He is really nice its not worth the stress of exam when you are clueless on what to be tested on. I had to drop!
Best physics professor I ever had. Took him for a 6 week term and I still felt well versed in physics by the end . He does experiments in the classroom, He even blew up a charged capacitor in class. Really fun highly recommend. He really cares, yes he assigns some homework but it mimics his exams so if you do it well, you will pass.
Professor Bone is by far one of the BEST! Took him for Summer B. All the bad reviews undermine him. He explains well in class and obviously you still have to READ THE BOOK/watch Youtube SOMETIMES. It all makes sense. Do lots of practice problems because his exams are based off of them, word for word sometimes. Very lenient with curving the class!!
Bone was not my first choice, I'm a biochem major so I was just trying to get this class out of the way for Summer B. I was really nervous going into this course, but he really is a great lecturer. His handwriting is amazing which is essential. Read the book, go over lectures again and again if its remote. You'll be fine! :)
Professor does not care about his students. Took online and did not grade work at all. First mathematics/physics oriented class I've ever taken that does not grade work. Does not let you go back on questions during exams. Failed nearly half the class during summer. Avoid at all costs. You will fail.
He did not fail nearly half the class.... lets start there. A 55 was the cut off for a C. No one cared about his exams being set up the way they were (not going back after each question+MC and 3 free response) until they saw how insanely hard the exam was. You needed to study for a C, and u needed to not sleep properly for 6 weeks for an A.
This is the only review I have done. Only to contradict the students who say this guy is a "good teacher".He Should not be a teacher. Tricks students on test. Has no issue failing you. Decimal in the wrong place you get the whole questions wrong. Cant go back on questions on test and questions appeared the same. Do no take at all cost!
At teaching the material, hes amazing. He goes down to detail and explains concepts so well. You feel confident coming into the exams because of how good he taught. But then, the exams are insanely difficult. I gave 4/5 because he did a VERY VERY generous curve. Nice guy, great teacher, hard exams. Exams are 30% each so they will make up ur grade
Prof Bones way of teaching is very questionable, he only gives us the formulas rather than showing us how to apply them. His tests are extremely difficult. The averages for the first two tests in my class were both below passing, (a 58 is passing in this class).The exams are also worth 90% of your grade with no study guides. Stay away from him.
Don't even bother going to the lectures. You'll spend almost two hours learning how to derive a formula and never how to apply it. Never tells you what's on exams or gives sample problems. 3 exams make up for 90% of your grade. He seems sweet but is not a good professor; avoid if possible.
Prof Bone's lectures are clear and made me understand physics more. I understand physics is a difficult class, so it requires alot of work to get a good grade. However the best way to learn the material is to do the HW. My only complaint is that the 3 exams is worth 90%.He teaches the concepts well, but you have to learn to apply them doing the HW.
My advice to any student considering taking this class is to avoid it at all costs if you plan to pass the course. The professor seems nice; however, he is not a good teacher, you will likely fall asleep during his lectures. His exams are very different than what is on the homework.
The only good thing about Professor Bone is his grading scale. You can technically pass the class with a 52% sometimes. But beware, he does not teach nor does he provide a single resource including extra credit. 3 tests worth 30% of your grade that he does not review or provide resources for review. Just no.
Great lecturer will explain concepts clearly n give lots of practice problems on what to expect on tests and hw. But doing the hw felt inconsistent cause some information was not provided n its like where did this come from when you check notes/looked it up online. Lowkey same feeling for exams. The class built weird but overall not a bad professor
DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS IN THE SUMMER!! I had previously taken the class another semester and failed because his course is extremely test heavy. During the Summer B term, the class was very messy and the test were switched to be online. There was no partial credit on the exams, the averages were very low, and he's not considerate during the course.
His score is too high on here. You have three exams each worth 30% of the total grade. You have quizzes on concept every class that are worth 5% total. Homework is 5% and there is a lot of it. Some homework questions appear on the exams. You need luck to find them, though. This class is demanding, practice each HW 10 times or fail. Period.
Very test heavy (3 x 30%). During lectures, he derives formulas and as a result, the homeworks take forever (5%). His tests are kinda similar to the homework. The only reason to take this class is for the curve. If you take this class, plan on learning from the homeworks. Also, 5% is attendance, which is done with an i-Clicker app that cost $.
Do not take this Professor! Very test heavy with 90 percent being split across 3 exams and the other 10 is between quizzes and homework. In the end you will teach yourself and the test are extremely difficult having to derive formulas using Calc 3 in a Calc 2 class. Lectures are also pointless. Do yourself a favor and take someone else.
I genuinely don't understand how or why his rating on here isn't significantly lower. All he does is derive formulas for the entire class period instead of actually teaching you how to use them. Tests are worth 90% of your grade and he doesn't seem concerned when the class average is in the 50s for tests. Avoid him!!
exams are 90% of your grade, yet doesn't bother giving a review or practice test for the exams. the homework is tedious and you will spend more time trying to understand how to solve it. his lecture material is basically how to get the formula that you need to use instead of how to use the formula. avoid if possible.
Professor means well, seems very knowledgeable. Lectures very basic. He rarely does example's in class. He says "read the textbook, there are example's there" but the textbook is difficult to read and understand. He doesn't understand the difference it makes when someone explains a problem, vs when you see a problem worked out. Avoid this prof.
AVOID THIS PROFESSOR LIKE THE PLAGUE. He barely teaches in class, homework is substantially more difficult than the very few examples he shows in class. 90% of your grade for the semester is based on THREE TESTS. Class averages for tests are low. On one test, the class average was 39. Expects us basically to teach ourselves. Completely ridiculous.
Unless you're willing and able to dedicate at least an hour (bare min.) to really understand the long homework, I would avoid. You're on your own in the class, lectures are very basic, and you self teach by doing the long and tedious homework after every night. Exams aren't too bad if you've done every homework that he assigns after every class.
Richard bone is a good professor . The course is not an easy course so it does require you to do work to understand the concepts . Do the homework, participate , attend and ask questions in his office hours
All he does is derive equations using calculus for 1.5 hours and turns around and says don't be a formula guy". My core engineering classes are less math heavy than this class. Too much homework and the tests are very difficult. Calculus III is not a requirement for this class but he references it a lot (gradient, flux, cross product).
As far as good professors go. This man is not one. By far the worst professor I have ever had, never in my life have I ever struggled with a course like this and I passed both orgos. Had to retake in a 4 week course with professor Sargsian in the summer and got a B because that professor actually CARES and provided study guides and understands.
Took him Spring 2023. Your effort will determine your grade. If you don't procrastinate on the HWs, study for exams, and stay on top of it you should be fine. We got a final review, generous curve, and the final grading scale was heavily skewed in your favor. Simply put, try and you should be good to go.
A truly spectacular teacher in the worst sense. When asked outside of class for help during scheduled office hours he may tell you he "doesn't have time" to teach you and make passive aggressive comments as to why you don't know everything he does already. Tests are 90% of the grade, homework an in class quizzes are 5 each.
Least helpful and sympathetic teacher in the department, avoid the prof if you can. Teach yourself if you don't have a choice.
Avoid taking this course with this professor. There's way too much homework, exams are 90% of your grade, and his lecture lack clear explanations and helpful examples. At least 80% of the class has a failing score for every exam and most students are doing poorly. Provides no reviews or practice test, overall probably the worst professor I've had.
This class was really not hard. If you know how to do basic calculus and put in the effort to do the homework you will pass the class. If you want a professor to hand hold you take a different class or change your major. Bone is very generous with grading so if you fail that's on you. iClicker is 5%, Homework is 5%, 3 Exams that were 30% each.
This is a class that is completely fair but at the same time requires effort from the student. This class played out like this professor's Physics 1 class, just with new concepts. Simply study hard for exams and don't procrastinate on HWs and you will pass. We did not have any exam reviews but your grade was still determined by your own effort.
Not terrible, just long lectures mostly and a lot of homework. The exams are not terrible either just make sure you study the homework and you're good.
Not a bad professor. He's goos at explaining concepts but it can get boring because he goes on an on for 1 hour an a half. Your only graded on 3 exams, iclicker and homework not many grades. And a lot of homework. Overall not bad. Tough class
Tests are 30% each, HW 5%, iClicker 5% Lectures are LONG and can very quickly become unengaging, at many times sounding like a just okay BBC documentary. If you have trouble paying attention for long periods of times prepare to learn through the HW, which is only 5% of the grade. Orgo Chem tutor or Khan may be your best bet at learning fully here.
Your entire grade relies on 3 exams and his lectures are really boring. If you're easily unengaged, avoid this like man the plague. The hw are really long and not entirely representative of what's on the exam, and it's only worth 5% of your grade as opposed to the 30% for each exam.
It's 3 exams that determine your grade 30 percent each and it's 5 percent for homework and 5 percent for iclicker. Honestly do not take this prof. Only take him if you have previous knowledge of physics. Not worth the struggle tbh.
I understand this is a tough class, but we shouldn't be expected to accept mediocrity from the physics department. I took Circuits the following semester and got an A+, which is applied Physics II, but this was just awful, lectures are the biggest waste of time unless you looove theory. Grind 200 practice problems a day and pray before his exams.
Three exams , 30% each,Hw is 5% , clicker quizzes 5%. No review for the exams.
Dr Bone! One of the best, among many GREAT physics professors at FIU!
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
67%
Textbook Required
43%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-1.75 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYSICS
5.0
(1)SSSSSPHY
5.0
(1)PHY3106
5.0
(2)PHY3107
5.0
(1)PHY4323
5.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
MODPHY
5.0
PHY2
4.0
PHY4323
4.0
PHY2048
3.9
PHY2049
3.8