1.8
Quality3.9
Difficulty20%
Would Retake91
Reviews20%
Would Retake
91
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
5
1
4
8
3
15
2
34
1
33
What Students Say
“Do not go to lectures but go to discussion sections”
PHYS104 - 1.0 rating“Well, it's slightly better than 103 because the material is easier, but the course is just as bad”
PHYSICS104 - 2.0 ratingClass Info
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.37 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYSICS04
4.0
(1)PHYSIC103
4.0
(1)201
3.5
(2)PHYS202
3.0
(1)PHY201
3.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
PH202
5.0
PHYS201
4.7
103
4.5
PHYSICS103
4.3
PHYSICS104
4.2
Reviews (91)
No Comments
He should touch a 110V capacitor!!!
No Comments
all he does is prove the equations in the book
he proves a LOT of equations which takes up the whole lecture. and i think he's a bit out of touch with what to expect from students who are not physics majors: the first test i only finished half of it, but with the curve i got a B.
Extremely difficult exams, his lect is like a writing class!
exams weren't too bad, but i stopped going to lecture because he went so fast i got nothing out of it. so basically i taught myself
Exams are well written - tough, but doable. Nice level of difficulty. However, his lectures are too fast to follow, and the same material is covered in the book and discussion. Skip lecture, read the book and go to discussion, you'll be fine.
I didn't think he was bad at all. Come on guys, this is physics class, of course the prof is going to sped lots of time deriving formulas. While his lectures did move fast, I believe this was out of necessity due to the material that had to be covered.
Same old Smith.Goes super-blazing fast,at the end of lecetures u get pieces of junky handwritings in ur noteboook(supposed to be your notes)instead of learning any physics,which I dont even read for exams.Skip lecture & have a happier day.
does everything right out of the book
His lectures are tough to follow but he tries to help. Hes not THAT bad. He does demonstrations. The exam ?'s don't really resemble the hw ?'s. Tough if you are learning it for 1st time.
He doesn't try to be confusing, he just is. If you had little physics background (like me) it'll be almost impossible to get an A. You'd have to be a genius to figure everything out having not had physics before.
This guy in unbearable....can't understand what hes talking about and its all mumbo-jumbo when he puts in on the board. He just confuses me more so I have to teach myself.
The only professor who teaches you about the speed of light by lecturing at it. Blazes through his ppt slides, and suggests you copy down the details from the web. Since all he does is narrate from the slides, there's no point to lecture. Only class in 3 years where I have considered skipping lecture. For exams, do many book problems on your own.
No point in going to lecture, just read the chapters in the book
not necessary to go to class- just read the book. exams are hard mostly because not enough time is given to take them. probably pretty hard to get an A in this class.
smith's lectures are made up of him reading off power points at an amazing speed. hard to follow and all his slides are online anyways, so class is essentially pointless. his exams are ridiculously hard, maybe he doesnt realize were only in 103 and half the class is only taking it for a requirement anyways...not a fan of smith.
Talks way to fast. Do the practice exams! The exams are not really like the homework, so the practice exams helped.
Not helpful, if you contact him he will tell you to go to your ta which by the way wont be able to speak english. The tests are aweful, there is no preparing for them. If he was teaching the black board that would be fine since that is who he talks to anyway
His lectures are not totally boring, however they will not help you on the unbelievably hard midterms (there is no way to prepare), where the averages hover around 60%. The practice exams really do not help. But with the curve, I good grade is attainable.
talks 60 words per mintue and flies through his powerpoint lectures.
Goes through lectures way too fast, just download the powerpoints and take your time. Not approachable or friendly. Exams seem to focus more on manipulation of variables in equations than actual physics principles (basic algebra), though somehow the average is still in the 60's. Class is curved to a mean of 80, st dev of 10 (so 17% A's).
Way, way too fast in lecture. If you read the information before class, you may have some idea what he's talking about. Average on the exams is usually pretty low, so the curve helps a lot.
I got an A in 103 with Smith but will be lucky to get a B in 104. It is a very tough class and the professors really don't help. Less than 25% of my discussion go to lecture. Do the practice exams and copy down as many of the problems onto your crib sheet is possible. (sometimes the exact questions show up again). Electromagnetivity is awful...
Awful. Tests didn't measure what you learned, just how fast you were at punching buttons on your calculator. Don't take a class with him, even if you think you have no other choice.
His lectures are far to fast, he isn't very helpful, if you came into class knowing nothing about physics it will be way over your head. Exams are pretty hard average between 60 and 65. He seems to get real upset if you don't understand what's going on right off the bat.
The lectures are pretty fast but his lectures are clear and easy to understand. However he seems to be concerned more about his own "research" in Europe than teaching physics in Madison. Overall, the class isn't that hard to get good grades in.
I really liked this class, and found the TA extremely helpful. I never thought I would like Physics, but I was proven wrong. The lectures were kind of fast, and all the lecture notes were online, so class attendance wasn't a necessity. Just do the practice exams, and you will be fine.
This was a good class because I had a great T.A. She was a great help and ended up not going to lectures because she gave us what we needed to know. Wesley rushed through his lectures, leaving some confused. He is the opposite of friendly or approachable.
Absolutely awful class and prof. Do whatever you can not to take it. By far the worst class I have taken yet and I am a junior. The worst part is that he is the only prof teaching 104 next semester so I have to take him again. Very poor program. Labs are worthless and so are discussion sections (both are mandatory.)
Horrible class. He goes very fast, but lectures are clear. The entire class is very organized. Mandatory discussions were useless because my TA was horrible. Lab is long and often times pointless. Exams seemed to be completely opposite of practice exams at times, but the final was okay. The demos are the best thing about the class, if they work.
Overall good proffesor. Very organized and knowledgable. But not quite as laid back. When he lectured he kind of "yelled at you" the way he talked but he got through the material pretty well. The practice exams are very very helpful! Just do ur work and its not too hard to get an A.
worst class of my life. on the first day of class, they tell you not to take notes in lecture. what's the point of going then? exams are ridiculously difficult. i'm sorry if you have to take this class.
Wesley's lectures are completely useless. I never went because I don't need to go to lecture to have someone read formulas off a powerpoint. Discussion saved my life! Btw, Steve Burns is an amazing TA
Don't go to lecture, it was a waste of time. Having a good TA is essential. Lab is a joke, and was very easy and boring. Go to every discussion session and you will do just fine. Homework is online which is nice. Wesley was not a good professor and could not stand sitting through lecture. Even if you don't go to lecture you can still get an A.
I skipped about a third of the lectures. I slept through almost all of the lectures I did go to. I still came out of the class with an AB. Read the book and do practice problems, you'll be fine. He's not a particularly interesting guy, and don't even think of asking him questions, he's pretty intimidating. Also, some exams are unfairly tricky.
I've had Wesley two semesters now, and although I've attended every lecture i can say they are pretty useless compared to the lectures of other classes. material presented clearly, but he shows way too many equations and doesn't A)give you all the important ones and B)define the important one from the rabble. Pray you have a good TA.
I don't know if this guy actually exists or not because he never came to the class (not even once!!!), but I got an A so who cares hahaha
I took his class in fall of 2003. Exam 1 was so hard that even the TAs couldn't finish it in the time we had. Several people were actually in tears when the exam was over. I did almost all of the problems in the chapters we covered, and I only got a C on that exam. If he's your professor, save your money and drop his class before it's too late.
This guy just really doesn't care about this class. The powerpoints are the same ones the department's been using for years and he doesn't seem to understand that a majority of people taking the class have no physics background. Exams are absurdly difficult to finish in time unless you are able to immediately figure out how to solve the problems.
Tests do not correspond to material in class. Most of my discussion does not attend lecture, they are pretty pointless. I ended up just relying on the book to teach myself material. Homework solutions can often be googled. Smith seems much more concerned with his research than helping you do well. The bad news: I still have another semester to go.
Worst class ever. Smith doesn't care about students. Lectures are pointless and many do not go. Discussion material is helpful if you have a good TA. The online assignments are ridiculous and pointless. Tests are impossible and don't correspond to anything actually done in class. Rely on the book to teach you this course!
Worst professor I have at at UW-Madison. It's shocking how unhelpful this man is, and how irritated he seems when you email him or ask him a question outside of class. Don't even bother going to lecture...they are posted so you can get equations, and the TA's will take 5 minutes to explain what he was unable to do clearly in 50 mins. Just a jerk.
just not good at all. He might be a genius, but it certainly doesn't help you learn anything.
Bad class system. Way too many online quizzes, the midterms are terrible, and the grading scale is ridiculous. Stay away from Smith and Bruce Mellado if you can- unless you would like to get cheated out of a good grade.
Wow. Just wow. I am a 4th-year pre-med with a 3.55 overall GPA who failed his first exam. The median was SIXTY PERCENT. This guy's sole purpose in life is to spend as much time in his overseas physics lab as possible, and to do as little teaching as he can. He will tell you to go to your TA if you are struggling. Good luck!
My 4th year at UW and he is without a doubt my least favorite professor. No office hours, no make up exams offered (in a class of 400+), reads straight from slides. He wants to invest as little time in his students as possible. But he is the only option for 103. Don't attend lectures. It seems like he doesn't want to be there either.
Wesley is painful to listen to and sucks at demos. That said, his exams are super easy if you look at the past year's tests. He is apparently really easy and is at a loss for creativity. If you are at all good at math this class will not be hard.
You absolutely don't need to go to lecture. After going thru 103 and 104 with Wesley, my best advice is to skim the chapter each week, write down all equations and valuable concepts, and DO THE HOMEWORK. WORK THROUGH EACH WEEK DONT JUST CRAM. I crammed in 103 and my grade suffered. In 104, by using the above method now, my grade is much better.
As long as you look over practice exams, go to class, and study well in advance you will be fine. I didn't think he was a bad professor. Make sure you have good equation sheets. Class consists of 3 exams, 1 final. Weekly quizzes. Lab is boring/pointless. I skipped half of my discussions and still got an A.
My TA is a better teacher than Smith.I wonder what this guy even does. Didn't even show up the first 6 weeks of class. Tests r incredibly hard to finish in allotted time.Expect to find material pop up on exams that u don't recall seeing even if u did 2 practice tests & all the homework beforehand. Curve is good but this class simply sucks.
Awful, awful professor. Never in class and when he is, he lectures super fast. Don't go to lecture, it's pointless because slides are online. Exams are extremely difficult and take longer than allotted time. Doing practice exams is the best way to prepare for tests. Good luck, you'll need it.
Doesn't care at all about his students. Only cares about research. Only professor that teaches the course so you are pretty much screwed....
I think his method of teaching is to be so awful that the students are forced to teach themselves.
The sequel we've been waiting for Physics 104! Honestly, the material feels a bit easier this time around -- but make no mistake it is just as hard. My advice would be to read summary pages, go to lecture (he doesn't teach but better than nothng) and literally run problems every day or the exams will wreck you even after practice.
The exams are not what are on the practice tests, and the TA's are not helpful at all, there is no conceivable way to do well in his classes.
Do not go to lectures but go to discussion sections.. Quizzes are irrelevant for the exam but are worth a large portion of your grade. Labs are pointless but are mandatory. Overall, teach yourself the material and work your way through all the practice exams and you'll do well. Discussions and lectures are nothing like the problems on the exams.
Worst. Class. Ever. Well, it's slightly better than 103 because the material is easier, but the course is just as bad. Mandatory but pointless labs. Irrelevant quizzes worth 30% of your grade. And exams that are not conceptual at all. Go to discussion and make good notecards and you should be relatively fine (albeit miserable).
If you want to learn physics really well for future MCAT exams or general interest in learning, then take this course.
Don't listen to everybody else. It is a different but effective curriculum that really drives home the concepts well. A medium amount of time is all that is needed for this class. Just review the practice exams and you will do fine.
His tests are literally impossible. They are very hard and all conceptual. We only got 1 hr to complete the midterms, which doesn't make sense at all. He doesn't explain things at ALL (expects all students to be physics-wiz kids). Weekly quizzes. Discussions are helpful... But if you don't like physics, STAY AWAY from Wesley!
This was one of my least favorite courses at UW. It's like those cartoons where the in class lecture covers 2+2 while the tests ask 2x+4y how many apples if banana slugs hate salt. 1010 would not recommend. Though tests are all multiple choice.
one of the worst teachers ever. i didn't like my TA in the beginning of the semester so I emailed him for help, and he basically blew me off. What a jerk!!! He is very self-absorbed and gives the hardest, most impossible tests ever. Also, there are weekly quizzes which are very tough and unrelated to what he talks about in class. Don't go to class
DO NOT TAKE. Goes way too fast on his lecture PowerPoints and probably gives the hardest tests I've ever taken. Plus you only have an hour to complete the tests and that is NOT enough time...
Worst class I've taken at UW, and I'm a senior. I found 104 more interesting than 103, but just as hard. Especially with a professor who puts so little effort into his class. Half of exam questions are copied from somewhere else. Smith is a horrible person. Impossible tests, pointless labs, difficult quizzes every week... Good luck. You'll need it
There was two lecturers for my class and Professor Smith was one of the two. He is funny and demonstrations are very entertaining. Exams are multiple choice. 30% of grade is on weekly quizzes. Overall, not an easy class and also not a hard class. If you make a study sheet and practice solving problems with past exams, you will get a good grade.
I honestly really do not like physics as a subject at all but had to take this class for my major. Wesley is a terrible lecturer, he just reads off his power point slides which make no sense to begin with, dont bother going to lecture. My best advice for passing is to do the homework, definitely read the book, and go to discussion.
Nothing offered by this class is helpful in the slightest. Lecture is awful, discussion is like lecture part 2, labs often don't line up with what we're learning. Haven't heard of anyone that has had a pleasant experience with this class and neither the UW nor Wesley seem to care at all.
Avoid taking 103104 if you can. Terrible classes, terrible professor. Lecture is worthless, labs don't relate to anything that you'll be tested on, and discussion is sometimes useful but rarely. It's known that this class is awful and yet nothing is done about it. Tests are ridiculous.
Just take practice tests and you will be fine, I highly suggest signing up for the PLC. Don't bother going to lecture.
Lectures not necessary to learn the material. If you do old practice exams you'll be OK. Labs are pointless, but pretty easy.
He has an assistant professor as well. They are both terrible. I've never had such a tough time staying focused in one of their lectures. Absolutely awful.
Confusing covers material so fast and poorly. Lecture is not even worth going tbh
HOW TO GET AN A: If you have a great TA, you rely on them to teach you the material. Lectures from Wesley are worthless so I recommend subsidizing them with reading the book. If your TA sucks then join PLA or another group study for physics. Practice exams are very similar to actual exams.
Lectures are just read off the slides, he goes way too fast and does not explain things. Better off learning online and doing the practice problems and tests.
Lectures are useless, definitely read the text book and plan on learning from your discussion TA.
He really was only here half the semester, lecture is useless, just study from the practice exams and you'll do fine. The exams, though time crunched, are fair. Considering it's physics he's not the worst.
Lectures were long and ambiguous - he derives equations, and does not provide numerical or computational examples, just the occasional conceptual example. Weekly quizzes are difficult, but his exams are very similar to previous exams. The best approach is not to understand the material, but to study old exams and put equations on your note sheet.
Read the textbook, do the problems at the end of the chapter, and do ALL of the practice exams. Good luck, this class sucks.
Lectures are useless. Read the book for a general understanding then pay attention in discussion. If you have a bad TA sign up for PLA . Do the most recent 3 practice exams before each midterm, many questions are identical. Most quiz questions are repeats and can be found on Chegg.
It was not fun. This class is almost as bad as ochem. I feel like I could understand but the professors don't seem to care about helping the students learn material. They even say to learn it on your own. Best bet for a decent grade is to skip lecture do problem worksheets and hardcore study practice exams.
Like many others, the lectures are pointless. Slides are just read off, so just do them at home to save time. The professors explicitly state at beginning of term that they are not here to teach us. Watch out for the online quizzes; Chegg can help, but even then his answer will be the only right answer, even if yours is correct. Take other prof.
The only good thing about that could possibly happen is if you join the learning center or you attend the help desk every week. The only one who teaches you in your TA. If you don't have a good one good luck. He seemed so nice. As a person, I like him and the curve is decent. Lectures were way too fast, slides long, and lecture had no math!
Smith is an incredibly hard test writer. The way the class is structured there are three midterms and a quiz every week so there are very little areas to receive points. Along that with that, the tests have proven to be VERY difficult. They are all 20 question, multiple choice tests. Lectures are useless, expect to read to understand the material.
I'll make this short and sweet: hardest class I've ever taken, and I've already taken all my other pre-med required classes. It is not the subject itself, it is simply the teaching style. Bluntly, if you truly want to succeed, it will not be from this class, but from outside resources. Try to deck out your notecards, but even then it's grueling.
Professor Smith simply has a teaching style that was not compatible with my personal style of learning. He bulldozes through an ugly powerpoint and does not give opportunities to take adequate notes. He is a dry lecturer that made class extremely difficult to sit through. The same equations were often written multiple different ways, very confusing
Quite literally the worst professor or teacher I've ever had in my life. Gave exams way harder than in previous years giving us no way to adequately prepare for them. Also horrible lecturer. Barely worth going to class. Overall horrible prof, horrible class.
Not a fan of this class at all. But if it's a relatively easy class. I really only study for this class a week before the test.. He gives you a lot of practice tests that are pretty reflective of what the test will be like. I almost never go to lecture. I only go to the discussions and labs and I still got an A. I would go to the HelpDesk for quiz.
Wesley is 1 of the best physicists in the world, which I think makes it harder for him to communicate such elementary physics. Your grade is exams and quizzes which are impossible and have nothing to do with what is being taught in lecture and the book and discussions dont relate to the test either. Theres a pretty big curve though, so thats good.
He was ok. The class wasn't too bad. I would take again if I had to.
Class Info
Attendance Mandatory
5%
Textbook Required
75%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
A-
Grade Distribution
Common Tags
Rating Trend
Declining
-0.37 avg changeRatings by Course
PHYSICS04
4.0
(1)PHYSIC103
4.0
(1)201
3.5
(2)PHYS202
3.0
(1)PHY201
3.0
(2)Difficulty by Course
PH202
5.0
PHYS201
4.7
103
4.5
PHYSICS103
4.3
PHYSICS104
4.2