The professor is super awesome.

Popmintchev did all that he could for such a hard course. It seemed to me that some people were upset with him but I don't believe it to be his fault, I just don't think you can make everybody happy teaching such difficult material. The professor goes over basic concepts well, the HW you must do goes over the details/examples. also,he uses iClicker

Popmintchev simplifies the concepts to help the broad spectum of students to understand the material. Will take Physics 1B and 1C with him if offered!

Professor Popmintchev was shaky in his lectures at first, but I think after feedback he greatly improved. He clearly cares about the students, and made the course more relatable for Biology majors. He always sent tons of e-mails on resources and office hours, and made me enjoy physics.

I took physics in high school, so this class was more of review for me, but I would imagine it being very challenging for students who haven't taken physics in high school before. With that said, Professor Popmintchev really tried to help all of us. Highly accessible outside of class. 10/10 would take again!

Lecture was not the most exciting, however, he made the clicker points worth a lot. Extra credit assignments were given and extremely helpful in boosting your grade at the end. He was pretty lenient on extending deadlines for homework and other assignments and he is super understanding of how fast the quarter system is. Definitely recommend.

He is definitely very passionate about what he teaches. He is very accessible outside the classroom and gives great help.

I could understand fundamental mechanics ideas due to his passionate lecture. He also communicated with us easily through Facebook page. (super helpful) I impressed that he cared about all students and had a passion to our class. If you attend class and do homework, then you can expect good grade in this lecture! I really recommend him !

He's very passionate about teaching. He tries to adapt to the class he teaches and you don't see that from other professors. Would definitely take him again if possible!

The best professor I've ever seen in UCSD. If you study and finished all the hw, you can get A. He actually cares about students' learning and grades. Tests and quizzes are all based on hw and practice test. His teaching style can actually make you learn phys, unlike other profs just try to destroy your GPA. Overall, I would take his class again.

Popmintchev is a wonderful professor who really cares for students' growth and development! Although the lectures are too fast-paced (since he expects you to learn mostly through textbook reading), there were interesting demos that I personally enjoyed. Concepts in tests are exactly based off of HW + past quizzes, and only require simple math! :)

Professor Popmintchev is definitely one of the best professors I've had so far. He genuinely cares about his students and gives many chances to get extra credit. The WebAssign homework is pretty difficult but the practice problems he gives are very representative of his quizzes so as long as you make sure to do those, you will get an A.

He is a wonderful and Brilliant Scientist and you'll learn an abundance of information if you pay attention. Reading from the textbook helps a ton. And GET HELP IF YOU NEED IT! Quizzes are kinda rough but you can manage if you work at it.

I already took physics during high school so the class material was easy for me, but Dr. Popmintchev clearly cared for his students and seemed passionate about physics. His explanations were a bit confusing though. I did feel bad for him because a lot of students clearly didn't respect him and were disruptive during lectures.

Professor Popmintchev is great. His accent is very understandable, he's clear and concise, and it's very obvious that he cares about his students. He did lots of really cool experiments and demonstrations in class (superconductor levitation, water rockets, etc) which helped a lot and were fun. All told, he's a good professor and I recommend him.

He was the first physics class I have ever taken so it was difficult for me at some points but he made it so that I was able to pass. His quizzes are based on the problems from the homework and lectures.

If it's your first phys course, it'll be hard. Had a hard time following along in lecture because he goes pretty fast and the lecture slides get pretty messy. Discussion isn't mandatory and not helpful imo. Quizzes will be a pain. The final was half conceptual and half calculations. He offers extra credit opportunities and the curve was generous.

Despite taking physics in high school, I found his lectures to be confusing because he moved so fast. However, his quizzes were very fair and the final was completely doable. He curves generously and gives extra credit opportunities. You can tell he doesnt want to ruin your GPA, because he doesnt set a limit on how many As he gives out.

His lecture is not of the best ones. He has quizzes every week instead of giving a midterm. There's only 10 questions on the quiz, but he curves the class generously. I think A is like somewhat 85% or 80%. Care about his students and is patient to answer any questions. He has podcast, which is extremely helpful.

Prof. Popmintchev uses all available technology - iClickers in lecture, slides projected from an iPad in a hybrid mode with handwritten notes on top in real time, great visuals. There are 7 quizzes + a final. He posts compressed guidelines and "laser-focus exam preparation topics". Bonus points are available. I like the Physics Olympiad problems!

Fantastic professor. This was my first time taking physics and thanks to this professor I did very well. He is clear about what will be on the quizzes and tests. Teaches the concepts very well and does cool demos in class.

I enjoyed his class because even though I had never taken physics, I was able to pass his class decently. He helps you prepare for the weekly quizzes by giving you a list for what to study. There are also some extra credit opportunities that really help, and not make professors do that. The only thing is that his lectures are heavy in material.

Popmintchev is a solid choice professor. Although he has weekly quizzes, he has no midterms. He also uses iClickers in class so attendance is mandatory. He has clear grading criteria and there are lots of extra credit opportunities. As long as you put in the work, a good grade should be very achievable with Popmintchev.

You'll know he's the right prof as he climbs onto lecture desk.

Sat in Physics 4A with another professor and did not understand anything. Took this class and understood what Classical Mechanics is all about.

simply the best professor I've seen so far. He cares about his students. also I've seen so many people with PhD who definitely know a lot but are extremely bad at explaining their knowledge to others. Popmintchev ain't like that. he does not only have tons of knowledge but also guide students in the right direction with passion.

Yes he could be unclear sometimes, but I've never had any professor who cared about students more than Popmintchev. His quizzes shouldn't be that bad if you study his lecture slides and practice quizzes. Also, his homework is pretty intense in terms of amount, but it's definitely doable since I did it. Also, he loves answering questions, so ask.

He's such a caring, patient, and inspiring professor that would spend two hours holding an extra review session before the final.

He's a very nice professor. Hard homework, quizzes weren't too bad generally. Final was a reiteration of quiz problems and general concepts but with different numbers. Very dedicated to teaching, and has some fun/interesting demos.

Extremely generous with grades and extra credit. Homework can be extremely tedious and time consuming, but the quizzes/final- most of your grade- are much shorter and easier. Lectures are okay, and the clicker questions help for the exams. Strongly recommend if you want an A but don't think you'll be touching classical mechanics ever again.

I came into this class without ANY physics knowledge so the class was harder for me than others. But prof popmintchev is SUPER caring and SUPER nice! He gives out A LOT of opportunities for extra credit and his grading is very generous. All quizzes/final were multiple choice and doing the hw (a LOT of problems) really helped me understand physics!

I love this professor because he gave a hella big curve and lots of extra credit. THANK YOU TENIO!!!!! One thing I would point out is the lack of time to ask questions during office hours because he only holds office hours one day and one hour of the week and if students have class at that time, they would not be able to talk to him.

This professor emphasizes a lot on quizzes (60% of total grade), so you gotta start working at the beginning of the first quiz. His lectures are mostly the concepts and the question types hell be testing on the final and the quiz.

Amazing teacher, clearly wants all his students to succeed and gives many opportunities to raise your grade. He is extremely caring and funny, and would definitely want to take him again.

Great prof, show up to lectures because clicker questions count for participation/bonus if you get it right. Lectures move quickly due to the amount of material that needs to be covered, but he always has office hours. Weekly quizzes count more than the final& can be tough if you dont study, but most questions come from the hw & lecutres.

In a research university like UCSD, it's hard to come by professors who care about teaching AND their research. However, Popmintchev was an exception to this. His handwriting can be a bit messy and I had to make use of the textbook to establish my understanding of what was covered in class at times, but he definitely wanted us to succeed.

If you had any prior knowledge on AP physics, this class should be a straight A+ for you. I didn't do well on my final but I still got an A out of it.

I'm not that great at physics, but I managed to get a decent grade because his quizzes don't try to trick you--they're very basic as long as you pay attention in lecture. He really cares for his students!

Very fun professor. I really liked his in-class demos and the questions he chose to assign online and on quizzes. He let lectures go long the last two weeks to catch up on material, but that was mostly due to Monday holidays.

popmintchev is the best. like other physics courses, he gives 7 weekly quizzes with 10 problems instead of a midterm, and drops the lowest score. the questions he chooses are very fair (straightforward, not tricky) and often pulled from lecture or homework. homework is either graded or for extra credit. heavily bumps grades in students' favor.

Good prof, in the beginning he taught very fast and the lectures were way ahead of the homework/weekly quiz which was confusing but we caught up by the end. Really cares about students, uses a facebook group similar to piazza which was nice, quizzes are multiple choice, equation sheet is given and not too tricky. Would recommend.

Prof Popmintchev is really a kind professor. He gives an easy A compared with other professors. He tries hard to explain the contents. There are 7quizzes per quarter, but most of them are not hard and easy to get good grades. The prelecture questions are a lot and need a lot of time to finish but they will not be graded. Gives a lot of extra credit

Clicker quiz in class for extra credit. Homework can be alot but he offers extra credit and a generous grading scale. Physics itself is hard but he teaches it really well. You need to take time yourself to understand the material outside of class. Weekly quizzes, easy. Finals and quizzes are not hard if you do the practice quizzes/final exam.

This teacher is great and obviously too advanced with his teachings. Cares a lot for his students and is amazing and funny. Above all you have to study and do your part but even then he is there to help. Attend lectures for extra credits. His very generous And overall a great guy definitely recommend him

Really knows his stuff and puts on good lectures

Professor Popmintchev cares a lot for his students. He goes a little fast during the first two or three weeks of class but slows down as time goes on. It is better to listen in class and watch the podcast afterward to copy down some notes. Quizzes are very representative of the homework and practice exam. Take this professor if you have a chance!

If I did my homework without Chegg it would be an easy A. But I was a dumb dumb and did not. He is a great teacher and very reasonable in his test questions. Probably B+/A-. Honestly one of the best. His experiments were also hella cool. Go daddy pop

Amazing professor, tries to explain everything in-depth. Course content can sometimes get confusing and a little overwhelming if it's your first time touching physics. Doing the homework and practice questions really help.

Popmintchev is the fav prof this quarter. He comes to class prepared and excited to teach the class. He takes complicated concepts and breaks them down so anyone can understand them. However you must put a lot of work for this class. Profs gracious explanations and extra credit points will not allow you to succeed alone. The curve is good too.

For Physics 2A, loved this man. Podcasts, no midterm, very generous grading scale AND extra credit. There are clicker questions and some of the HW is wack, but if you're stuck you can always google it. He tries his hardest to make lectures interesting and I have an enormous respect for him. 11/10 recommend

He's is too cool

he's a gem. but MAN this class made me cry it was so hard. but it was my first physics class so there's that. there's weekly quizzes instead of midterms and they (and the final) are all multiple choice. don't really like that but what can you do. i gotta say, he has a generous grading scale that allowed me to pass even with how hard i struggled.

The best professor I've ever had. Some know the subject but cannot teach well. This professor has a great knowledge of the subject and he is the best at teaching. He respects students and takes time to explain the material. He give students a lot of opportunities to do well in his class. Physics may be difficult but he prepares you well for exams.

Lecture goes really fast but he podcasts and the notes are also available online. He gives a lot of extra credit and really wants the students to succeed. If you put your effort into it you will get a good grade.

Professor Popmintchev is the BEST!!! Gives clear lectures and podcasts everything. Offers a ton of extra credits:) Attendance is required for iClickers points but you can also earn lots of extra credit during lectures. Go for him!!

Legend

Tenio Popmintchev was a great professor and made physics make sense, and he always stopped to ask for questions and explain confusion. He also offers lots of extra credit in many ways and the final grading scale is also extremely generous. Definitely one of the best professors I've ever had.

Prof. Popmintchev was the best professor I've ever taken at UCSD!! He cares for students A LOT, and he even cares about some small things I was struggling with. It was my best decision to take PHYS 2A this quarter to be able to meet him!!

i love popmintchev. i was terrified going into physics because in high school i had earned horrible grades in AP physics 1 and 2. I didn't even bother trying AP physics C because that sounded like hell. but popmintchev seriously made physics understandable and easy in some weird way. so much extra credit too and amazing curve A+

Professor Popmintchev offers many extra credit opportunities. If you attend discussions, lecture and do the homework you will be successful in this course. Sometimes his lectures are confusing and he tends to go a few minutes over time, but overall he is a good professor. The grade scale is very forgiving, but there are 10 weekly MC tests.

Though not the best of the best, professor Popmintchev is still one of the best professors the physics department ever has. He cares for the students so much so that when he realized we were bad at concepts such as the conservation of energy, he decided to halt the class' normal progression and do more exercises on that topic.

Ample opportunities to receive an A in this class due to extra credit from iClickers, homework, CAPEs, etc. However, lectures are hard to follow. Physics is a hard class to teach effectively, and Popmintchev is mediocre at best with explanations and lectures. Be ready to self-study if you truly want to understand the content.

As someone who had never taken physics before the material was pretty confusing and Prof's lecture's can be hard to follow sometimes. I recommend reading the textbook and doing those practice problems as quiz questions tend to be similar. However, the grading scale is generous a 75 is a B+ and the Prof genuinely cares about students and learning.

His teaching was fine but his grade boundaries are generous and also gave lots of extra credits.

Pop is a legend. Weekly quizzes are tough but grading scale is very generous. He stresses learning for the sake of learning rather than for the grade. Homework is quite challenging but is not represented in the quizzes. I recommend finding a few friends to work on the homework and study for the quizzes with. Good teaching style for a tough course.

Professor Popmintchev is a great professor. The grading scale for his class is very generous. If you do all the homework's and get average scores of his weekly quizzes, you are guaranteed to get a passing grade in his class. Yes, guaranteed. Apart from a generous curve, he knows how to teach physics very well.

The grading scale and overall class is extremely generous, and there are loads of extra credits. That being said, I think his lectures are pretty awful and almost impossible for me to understand. You also do have to attend discussions and lecture for part of your grade. Do recommend tho just based on how easy it is to do well in his class.

Really good grading curve with a lotttt of extra credit that makes up for any bad quiz grades. Lectures were not helpful to me but there were some pretty good demonstrations. Discussions are mandatory but they were really helpful for going over difficult homework questions.

Good teacher, slight Slavic accent but not unintelligible, very concise, examples are used on tests. Be sure to do well on quizzes and the rest of the class is a breeze.

Professor Popmintchev is not that great as a lecturer, but he is very nice and kind. There are many quizzes, they are not difficult if you prepare for them. 85% for an A!!! How nice is that!! Lots of extra credits if you do extra homework. You won't be regretted taking his class.

Honestly I think his lectures are amazing. Occasionally he will speed up a lil bit bc time but it still works. I hear lots of ppl complain abt his lectures but those are also ppl who use their phone the entire class. I like that he goes explains the example problems and also tells us when a topic isn't going to be tested on. Also funny some times.

Although this class and the material can be tough sometimes, but professor Popmintchev will make it clear if you ask him. He is VERY understanding and truly cares about his students. I like that he promotes learning over just grades and he will make adjustments to the grading scale if the class doesn't meet his expectations. He is very chill & nice

I love Professor Popmintchev. So amazing and understanding. I respect his hard work and passion for physics.

Professor Popmintchev is an amazing person. He truly cares about is students. Even though most people think his lectures are unorganized or etc, but at least he picks easier questions on quizzes and everything is fair game. He is very understanding and you just need to do the HW, practice quizzes to do well in his class. Thank you professor.

Professor Popmintchev is truly the GOAT. He makes everything seem so fair and much easier. He practically uses the practice quiz questions and HW questions on the quizzes which as long as you do them, you can easily ace this class. He is a very respected, caring, and understanding professor. He will make physics more fun. Thank you professor.

I 100% recommend taking this course with professor Popmintchev. He has been so understanding and amazing throughout this quarter. Even though, some people think his lectures are unorganized, but I believe it makes sense if you listen in class. Do all the practice quizzes and HW then you should be good. He is also such a kind and caring person.

very nice and caring. he let us drop 2 quizzes out of 5 and offered lots of extra credit. final wasn't too bad either. 10/10 recommend

Prof Popmintchev is clearly passionate about the course content, and although stern, clearly cares for the well-being and education of his students. Truly a wonderful professor!

BEST PROFESSOR AT UCSD. HE IS AMAZING. I love Tenio

Great professor, lectures could be a little dense but professor was very understanding when the class fell behind by giving extra extra credit and giving loads of opportunities for bonus points

G O A T . POPMINTCHEV is the GOAT of physics. They need to hire more professors like him who actually CARE about students. More European professors please!! He clearly wants his students to succeed, good class materials, exams, and lots of extra credit

Popmintchev's quizzes are usually reasonable, and when the students don't do as well on a quiz he makes up for it by giving tons of extra credit through bonus assignments or bonus questions on quizzes. Very doable and if you try, you can easily get an A.

Very fair professor test are reasonable assessment of the material and he gives out plenty of extra credit for students. Also very flexible as there has been many disruptions to the quarter.

Some feedback given to Popmintchev is little unfair like that he is boring or that you can't wait to get out of your seat, he is truly not that bad and you can see he cares about his students. Although, I do agree with some other criticism including uncertainty of attendance. Given it's a really hard class, you still have to work really hard.

He has great policies!!! There were a lot of disruptions during the quarter that impacted the attendance policy, and I wish he had been clearer on how exactly it would change. However, he is super nice and really cares about his students doing well!! He gives a lot of opportunities for extra credit and I would recommend him as a 1C professor :)

Flexible Professor and offers a ton of extra credit

Although Professor Popmintchev's lectures are a little boring, especially for a mandatory 8am lecture, he offers lots of help, extra credit opportunities, and the quizzes are very fair. He is pretty funny without trying to be funny too.

There were a couple of events which disrupted the quarter. However, he is a great professor, don't let any of the other reviews fool you. The quizzes and the final are straight forward if you put in effort to the class in the form of completing the homework in its entirety and attempting to understand the concepts behind the actual problem. EC too!

He is an exceptional professor who generously offers extra credit opportunities and provides clear explanations, demonstrating remarkable accommodation for students.

Prof Popmintchev is a super nice guy however his lecture can super boring (especially if you have the 8 am). He does Iclicker for participation (get to miss 5). Quizzes were like the practice ones he gives and he gives a lot of EC!

Honestly he was mid at teaching and lectures were mandatory w/ iclicker so that sucked, but he's a really chill and understanding guy so that lowk makes up for it. 5 quizzes and he drops your lowest two, but the final is separate and cumulative. His practice quizzes are pretty similar to the actual quizzes tho so that was helpful. Hella ec too.

Professor Popmintchev is a very accomodating professor. Physics is hard but he offers a lot of EC and the quizzes can be a hit or miss. He very understanding and is crazy smart.

Great physics professor. His lectures are straight forward with lots of examples. It's a hard class, but he was accommodating. He was accessible outside of class, offered a review session for the final, and assigned bonus homework throughout the quarter.

Professor Popmintchev cares a lot about his students. He has plenty of office hours he offers extra credit opportunities. His quizzes are fair and if you study you can get a good grade. He makes physics easier to understand and more interesting by giving real application of what you are learning.

The professor podcasts lecture and gives multiple resources for practicing Physics concepts such as Kudu online homework, extra credit homework, practice quizzes, past quizzes with answer keys, and lecture slides. The professor clearly explains the material and makes it easy to understand complex Physics concepts, both in lecture and office hours.

Uses clickers for attendance, and changed clicker policy late into the quarter, so go to lecture and answer all the questions. 5 quizzes with 2 dropped. He added extra credit questions bc of poor performance. Had an online final bc of TA strike. Offered extra credit to help with those failing the class. Can tell that he really wants us to succeed.

Excellent professor, goes through a lot of material during lectures but prepares for biweekly quizzes. Provides lots of extra credit and additional preparation for quizzes through Kudu. Attendance taken through iClickers but allows for n number of missed absences, two lowest quizzes dropped. Need more like him.

I love Bulgaria

King.

Awesome. Would recommend.

Excellent professor who makes complex physics concepts easier to grasp. Offers multiple resources like Kudu, extra credit, and practice quizzes. Using Unstuckstudy alongside the class materials really helped with study prep.

Love love love! One of the best professors at UCSD.

The class is graded based on clicker participation 10%, kudu HW 15%, 5 quizzes 45% (drop 2), final 30%, and many extra credits. Professor Tenio is caring about his students. Exam questions aren't difficult; those are mostly similar to/easier than the practice quizzes. Take 1C with him if you can!!

Fair. Lots of extra credit opportunities. Not curved but you will get a higher score this way trust me. EC goes a LONG way. I clicker is representative of exam questions. Pay attention to the pre reading KUDU questions. These two things are most like the quizzes. B in phys 1A, C in 1B. A- here. Grateful for this professor. Effort = success here.

Great professor who just wants you to do well in his class. Provides so many extra credit opportunities (extra credit for correct iclicker questions, bonus HW, bonus exam questions, SETs, etc.) & HW is only biweekly. Honestly I could've missed so many more lectures if I knew this beforehand.