2.5
Quality3.9
Difficulty40%
Would Retake176
Reviews40%
Would Retake
176
Reviews
Rating DistributionOfficial
176 total ratings5
24
4
21
3
32
2
44
1
55
What Students Say
“Zachary Lewis is Satan's manifestation on Earth”
PY205 - 1.0 rating“He is a really awful teacher, worst than Phillip Brown”
PY211 - 1.0 ratingClass Info
Online Classes
100%
Attendance Mandatory
63%
Textbook Required
0%
Grade Predictor
Your expected effort level
Predicted Grade
B+
Grade Distribution
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Improving
+0.27 avg changeRatings by Course
PY208
3.6
(20)PY205
2.4
(133)PHY205
2.2
(17)PY2O5
1.5
(2)PY211
1.0
(1)Difficulty by Course
PY211
5.0
PY2O5
4.5
PY2015
4.0
PHY205
3.9
PY205
3.9
Reviews (174)
Provides great examples, but is very confusing to listen too and extremely dull. Does post the notes online after class. Expects students to read before class and this is assessed by quizzes before class. Would not recommend for your first physics.
His notes are really just the textbook and in order to understand do well on tests, you need to know the book inside and out with the examples. He hates answering questions and is a real pain when someone asks a question, acting like it's a stupid question and then doesn't even explain it. There are better teachers, find them.
He does not really provide conceptual information, and he expects you to basically learn everything from the book. You will have to read the entire chapter and the example problems to understand the stuff in the book though. A LOT of work, and he is not helpful at all when asked questions until like 50 people ask the same question & he gets annoyed
Requires a LOT of out-of-class work - lectures are more of a question/answer period with an expectation that you've already learned the material. Don't expect him to work out problems; you will be able to get conceptual hints but not much more. Good if you have the time to prepare extensively out of class; otherwise choose a different professor.
Can be pretty sarcastic when you ask questions sometimes, you have to really work hard outside of class to get through. He doesn't go through material thoroughly enough for us to be prepared for a test.
Doesn't go over material very well, expects you to do the reading outside of class. You basically have to teach yourself. Not a good professor to have for a first-year physics course. Most other professors will benefit you more.
Expects you to read and know material before coming to class, prepare for the lectures to be mostly student questions
A lot of outside class work. Expects you to teach yourself. Sets up class to have you ask questions rather than he teaching anything straight forward. You have to put in time if you want a decent grade. Also, attendance is mandatory, even though you can learn just as much by not going.
If you have adult-like studying habits and can handle a lot of reading, this teacher is a great choice. He is fair, funny, and he cares a lot. So glad I was in his class, he made it more fun than I expected.
Lots of homework assigned and very little covered in class. The homework questions are 5x harder than anything you'd see on an exam so you really have to work for a decent homework grade.
Class is a basic overview of what you were supposed to read. He wants people to ask questions and will wait in silence for them. He is very knowledgeable and helpful outside of class, but definitely do the readings and go to class.
Lectures are spare but information-dense. Test review sessions are very helpful. Accessible outside of class. Most of the problems with PY at State are due to the common exams; there's a limit to how much the different professors matter to your grade. But you'll learn more physics with Dr. Lewis than most of the other professors.
Even though physics is the worst class I've ever taken, Lewis made it so much more enjoyable. He is probably the smartest person I have ever met in my life and even though his lectures are dull sometimes, he has great sarcastic humor. He really tries to help people pass this class and has optional review sessions. Probably best in physics dept.
If this is your first time taking physics DO NOT take it with Lewis. His lectures are long-winded, confusing and pretty much just a summary of the textbook. Be prepared to do tons of reading outside of class and to basically teach yourself all of the material. I have never struggled so much in a class in my entire life. Find another professor ASAP.
Dr. Lewis is a pretty good teacher. He posts lecture notes online, provides practice tests (some problems end up popping up again), and generally does a fair job of explaining concepts. The textbook is extremely useful and will essentially contain every homework problem. Be prepared to read.
Dr. Lewis was a pretty good professor. He was not amazing- he had pre written pages of notes that he would just put up on the projector for us to copy and his voice is a bit monotone so the class can be a little boring. But the notes are actually very helpful and he always seemed very willing to offer help outside of class.
DON'T go for this class if its your first time studying physics at state
Dr. Lewis is great professor! If you're willing to follow the structure of his class (read before class, talk to him after class), you'll learn a lot. He's an interesting fellow, and his antics are usually conducive to learning. Would take again for sure
Lewis doesn't explain a lot in his lectures and most of his explanations are vague if you don't know the subject clearly. He sometimes derives equations in class which is really hard to follow. Since I learned Physics 1 and 2 in High school, I got a pretty good grade anyway. If you are a dummy at physics, pls do urself a favor and not take his clas
The examples that Lewis gives in class are dumbed down yet the tests are super tricky. You are expected to read the textbook before class and he only covers the topics he feels are difficult. I had no prior experience with physics and did not find his teaching method beneficial. He was also very condescending when people tried to ask questions.
Lewis is a nice guy and can be funny but his lectures were not overly helpful. Many times he would briefly summarize the textbook reading and give a clicker quiz problem as an example. Could have read the book and not gone to class if attendance wasnt mandatory. Tests were the same across all classes but were difficult even after a lot of studying
Basically summarizes the book, even studying 4 hours every week I struggled.
He is willing to accuse students of cheating, not doing work and not listening in lectures before he reflects on his issues and mistakes. He is a really awful teacher, worst than Phillip Brown. Do not ever take his class. He needs to be fired.
His lectures are okay, a little boring at times. Gives access to past tests that are very similar to current tests.
Physics was a challenging class for me, but Dr. Lewis had little influence on my experience. His lectures were not especially helpful, and he even said that we should learn mostly through the book. The tests were generally not too difficult, but the final was a bit surprising because a different person wrote the test. Read the book and do the hw.
Zachary Lewis is Satan's manifestation on Earth. Never before have I met a professor who has chastised the class for taking notes during lecture. He is condescending, not funny, he wears the same damn vest everyday, and he is very angsty. His class is akin to learning from a 15 year old keyboard warrior. Get away from his class.
If you're new to physics and you have Lewis, get a tutor and a Chegg account. Lectures are basically CliffsNotes of the textbook (which you're supposed to read outside of class) and you will never work an example. I had to switch to credit only halfway through the semester because I got absolutely nothing from his instruction.
Just the worst. Take Dempster.
a lot of people say their profs don't really teach, but i've never seen that statement more true than w zach lewis. took him over the summer, there was never a lesson plan. his class was p much open office hours - he didnt teach, and then he got annoyed with us for not having enough questions for him. his answers were more confusing than helpful
I took Zach for summer session and that is his ideal setting to teach. Yes he wears the same damn sweater vest every day and his style of teaching is to answer questions in class, but if you do what he says and look over the book (not read) and do the homework, you'll be well prepared for the test. Dr. Lewis's test were extremely fair.
While easy to understand, Professor Lewis speaks at a word a minute, making for very slow lectures. He gets very easily sidetracked by questions. and takes very long pauses under the guise of "making sure that no student has a question". The lectures are practically worthless, but you have to go because he assigns "attendance quizzes"
Do not expect Lewis to teach you the material. You have to read and understand it for yourself. The lectures are basically practice problems, so if you didn't understand the material before class, he won't help with that. I have never taken a physics course before college, which caused me to struggle with this class. Forced me to change majors.
Some hate Lewis, but tbh, he's not that bad. Physics is a hard subject and for kids who haven't seen physics b4, may find it difficult. that being said, Lewis by no means is a great professor (pretty boring actually), and the lectures don't help with the hw. If you've taken physics in high school you should do fine on the tests
He's honestly not as bad as others have said, he is dry and has a question-based teaching style. But he is still highly knowledgeable and patient with working with students. Some warnings to other people taking him is that there are graded Top-Hat quizzes every class used as roll, also, the WebAssign is a lifeline to understanding the material.
If you've never taken physics until this class, good luck. I survived by getting a Chegg account and getting as many participation points as possible because the class was a waste of time. Lewis is a really boring professor, and although he asks for questions he says things like "we will cover this later" and never really go over specific problems.
Lectures are useless, since Lewis just gives a summed up version of what was in the textbook. If the grad student is teaching, it's worth paying attention. He's good at explaining things and makes the content interesting. To get an A, work through all the example problems on WebAssign and pray that Webster makes a reasonable test.
You can tell Lewis is passionate about higher-level physics. He pauses for minutes at a time while students sit in silence (this is a good time to organize your notes) but otherwise if you read the textbook and don't ask questions in class just to fill the time you'll be fine. Do the example problems as well, they're essentially repeated on tests!
Most people that don't do well in his class just don't do the assigned reading outside of class. It's a flipped classroom, so if you don't read the textbook outside of class as assigned and actually try to understand it, you're going to have a bad time. If you're capable of teaching yourself some and staying on top of the work, you'll do fine.
I don't understanding the other comments about him. There are "Reading Quizzes" that you do before you cover the material in class (makes lectures easier to understand), but those are usually self-contained, and you hardly need the textbook. He goes over everything you will need to do the homework/tests. Just pay attention and you will do fine.
worst professor i have had the misfortune of knowing. Spends the first 30 minutes of class asking if people have questions then spends the next 20 minutes doing half a problem. I have never seen this man physically work out a problem to completion. Good luck passing his class.
You need to read the textbook to get a good grade. That's just the way this class works. Too much material to cover in lectures. Take some of these comments with a grain of salt: almost all of these reviews come from freshman engineers, many of whom are accustomed to a high school setting where they can show up to class, pay attention, and make A's
Class time is worthless , if hes not going to teach attendance should be optional .
He expects you to read the text and then he uses class time to broadly review and answer questions. But his answers are often more confusing than the question. Not reccomened for students with AP physics in hs. Homework can be very difficult, but mastering it will prepare you for the tests that are easier.
You have to read the textbook prior to class, otherwise, you won't be able to do the warm-up quiz at the beginning of lecture (which does count for a grade). After the quiz, he gives notes which are exactly what you read from the textbook. If it weren't for the top hat participation grade, there's no point in going to class.
Horrible teacher, has a quota to give 30% of students a failing grade refuses to teach and spends 45/50 minutes of class asking if anyone has questions which no one ever does because no one knows what's going on. All ncsu physics teacher's tests suck the same, but zachary lewis' class will teach you as much about physics as my 12 year old brother
Lewis is a failed professor. If you get him as your physics teacher I would highly recommend switching or taking physics online. The lectures involve two top hat quizzes and little to no teaching. Text book is trash. Be prepared to teach yourself. Massive curves. Honestly whole physics department needs work.
Terrible professor.
Bad lecturer, great teacher. His lectures are unlikely to help, but GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS. If you tell him you need help and honestly want it he will do his best to help you understand physics, and he IS a good teacher, though his lectures aren't great. I went from a 64 two tests in to a B- at the end, thanks entirely to his willingness to help.
I took PY208 over a 5-week summer session and it honestly wasn't that bad. Tests weren't as hard as they would be during the semester because we had so little time and the material was so condensed. He let us use a cheat sheet with whatever we wanted for the exams. As long as you do all the homework and practice problems you'll be good.
Going to class is almost pointless. Class is pretty much just him going over the Top Hat quiz. You will have to teach yourself the content from the textbook. Good thing is he makes it clear that Top Hat is only for attendance and you can do it from home. The in class quizzes are useful for seeing what style of questions will be on exams though.
His class isn't for you if you haven't taken PY. PY 205 is NOT taught well at NCSU so if you don't have a STRONG background in PY you will not survive. Lewis does not curve at all. His lectures are useless. If you have to take PY, take 12 hours max because it will require every bit of your time and get ready to pay a tutor and Chegg.
Everyone at State knows the physics department is terrible. Lewis especially knows it. His classes are always one or two quiz questions, not graded, that are him trying to help you on the tests. The test questions are exactly like the quiz, so do them. Pay attention to these and do the ridiculous HW with chegg and you'll do fine.
Dr. Lewis held one of the most unhelpful lectures I had my freshman year. He explains one example question for 50 minutes. He is not engaging and not personable. His class is supposed to meet 3 times a week with a recitation, but it is a complete waste of time. The class is 99% self taught. Beware.
So thanks to COVID-19 it was partially online, and most people would expect that thanks to the unexpected circumstances and the fact that there are lots of hurdles test would be handed either toned down a bit or the same difficulty, nope it got exponentially harder thanks to this.
Do not take this class with Lewis. His lectures are an absolute waste of time. His lectures mainly consist of him starting at the class waiting for someone to ask a question. His homework policy makes no sense, you are never able to see what problems you get right until its due. Horrible teacher, horrible textbook, be prepared to learn online.
Not as horrible as his reputation suggests but certainly not a good prof. Stumbles over and fumbles the simplest of explanations and makes the material more difficult than it needs to be. Not very helpful when asked questions, usually responds with "read the textbook." If only I had thought of that! Such insight! Avoid his classes if you can.
Everything about this class is terrible, WebAssign without instant feedback, the fact you do not learn anything in the lectures, the tests can be ridiculous. The transition due to COVID was lackluster, he was on a powertrip when it came to the online testing procedure.
Useless lectures, useless teaching structure, Usleless physics department. Absolutely disappointed. Take this class in the summer or at a different university.
I don't really know why Lewis gets bad ratings. The way the physics department is structured shouldn't be blamed on him. Lewis would definitely pass the vibe check as a professor at my home university, which is more demanding. Although the material is hard if you have taken a physics course before you will be fine. Lewis is also very open/accesible
Dr. Lewis is very nice. Always willing to give extensions on HW and gave extra credit. Very understanding.
Dumbest class I've ever had. I basically had to teach myself because the lectures were just him reading us the textbook.
Even though I got an A, it was more due to self teaching than any help on Lewis' part. His lectures are boring, he works one example for the whole time and just hopes it makes sense. Khan academy was my real professor tbh. There are better professors out there for 205. He's knowledgable, I'll give him that but going to class was a waste of time.
Wouldn't have gotten an A if I hadn't taken physics already in high school. There was about 5 minutes of somewhat useful instruction per class, the rest of the time was just him rambling. Also he's bad at explaining basic concepts. If you do take his class, save yourself some time and don't attend the lectures, you're better off using khan academy.
Dr. Lewis was ok for PY205. His lectures were boring, and the tests were difficult with a terrible format. However, he gave practice tests a few days before the test which were very similar to the real test, and his prepared lecture slides were very helpful for review. Expect to teach yourself mostly from the textbook.
I've heard terrible things about the Physics department. Honestly, at least during this COVID semester, this was probably one of my best classes. The homework wasn't that long, the textbook was helpful, and Dr. Lewis did a great job going over the textbook every lecture. Additionally, we watched recorded lectures, and they were incredibly helpful.
Lewis really advocated for students this semester. Homework was doable and not to long (and good practice). Practice tests were very helpful and similar to tests. Lecture videos were by another prof but were very useful (I recommend reading the textbook before watching them). This class really changed for the better!
The physics department at NC State has a bad reputation, but honestly, the class wasn't that bad. After the first couple of tests, the students complained about how different the practices were, and they changed. Dr. Lewis was a great advocate for us, and you could tell he cared. The class is quite easy if you took a physics class in high school.
Gives extremely dry "lectures" that consist of lewis going over 1 homework problem in the span of 50 minutes. Literally can only get through 1 problem because the explanations are so overly long winded and irrelevant. Doesn't respond to emails or when he does the reply is a nonanswer.
Zach Lewis doesnt completely suck. The real problem is that Zodiac Webster who is involved in every class.
I had the enjoyment to take this Satanic Club Leader (like actually- he is. We asked in class) professor before the pandemic. Coming from a consistent dean's list student, he is the worst professor (especially for in-person classes) and his tests look nothing like you'll listen him ramble to in class. If you have to take him... read txtbook instead
We stan Dr. Lewis.
Dr. Lewis is an amazing professor and deserves to be protected. As long as you put in the work (like with any other college class) this should be a breeze.
Cancels class 8 times because he got the sniffles, once because of an old knee injury flaring up after he fell up the stairs AFTER our test the night before. Just run from NCSU physics as fast as possible
Lewis is possibly the worst professor I've ever encountered in my entire life. I'm still in the class right now but NEVER take physics with him or even here at state. If given the option- do it at a community college. He never actually answers questions, won't respond to any emails you send him and doesn't actually teach class material - good luck!
His lectures are useless, youd be better off watching Ruth Chabays videos on YouTube wish I had know about that earlier. Cancelled class 9 times in a semester. He is also never accessible by email. Youd be far better off taking this class elsewhere. Everything is also multiple choice so one wrong sign and youre out of luck. Worst class ever.
Lectures are useless. Textbook and google got me through the class. He cancelled class 9 times 17% of classes throughout the semester for various lame excuses. He is nearly impossible to reach by email. The lectures consist of the same announcements for about half of the time and then a few useless problems that relate in no way to the homeworks.
Extremely inaccessible outside class, will NEVER answer you back, MANY students in GroupMe can testify. Constantly cancels classes without any "real" alternative, such as a previous lecture recording or from home lecture. Useless lectures that teach you nothing outside of the textbook. Take literally anybody else, the whole department is awful.
This will forever be the worst professor I have ever had. If I could go back in time and do anything it would be to never even look in the direction of taking a class that has Lewis as a professor. Going to class was pointless. if he had a 25 page slide he went over 5 of them and 3 out of the 5 were just announcements. class was a waste of money!
Dr. Lewis did a decent job explaining scientific concepts although I was still more naïve and new to physics so I did not fully understand his class and lectures until I received outside help from a physics tutor and my Dad. Make sure you do all of the examples and ask for help when needed; he is very approachable during office hours.
Lectures consisted almost entirely of very basic review questions without substantial support on new material. The textbook is what will teach you in Lewis' class; not Lewis. WebAssign homework was frequent and was due every Mon/Thur. You can get by in this class just w/ homework & reading the textbook, but frankly thats not the best way to learn.
Dr. Lewis expects all of his students to read multiple sections of the book prior to his class with writing their own notes and then his lectures are simply practice problems from the readings. It is impossible to understand the readings from the low difficulty level of the problems he chooses and the lack of good lecturing skills. not personable
Would not recommend 205 with him unless you can learn from textbook only. Lectures are not very helpful, the questions he goes over in class are good to review but are taken straight from the book and he takes the whole class time explaining 2-4 problems. Never teaches new content, just practice. He's not a bad guy but there are better choices.
Lewis's class is ultimately a supplement to reading the textbook. Most of your learning will be done reading the textbook and doing the HW. His class was not that useful to attend, and he will typically end class 10 minutes early "if there are no objections," because he ran out of example problems to ramble on about for 30 minutes. Take Doucette.
"How difficult was this professor?" ... nothing but a helping hand... if you put in the work, he will work with you. As someone said, he should be protected!
Despite what other reviews say, Lewis was pretty good answering emails & would extend HW when asked. He isnt a bad person, got a little sassy on occasion tho. His lectures were just useless to attend, overly simplified examples & slow paced (~3 problems per lecture). No reviews in class before exams even tho he couldve done that very easily.
While Lewis isn't very good at teaching, he isn't a bad guy and at least tries to help his students. Read the textbook and do the homework. Many homework questions re-appear on the tests.
I showed up to his class like 3 times. During these times, he went over 2-3 practice problems in class. In short, he goes over things very slowly. Everything I learned in this class was through a textbook. Fortunately, the participation (at least for this semester) was optional, so i was able to spend my time doing other better things.
Summer physics is a breeze (if you can learn from a textbook) - his grading is very generous (bonus questions and final exactly like previous tests). But he does not teach, learned entirely from the textbook. Class is to practice problems.
The lectures were not informative. You are expected to read the textbook before class, and during lectures, you will go over some practice problems. Be warned, that even if most of the class gets the problem correct, he may still spend twenty minutes going over the problem.
Dr. Lewis gets a bad rap on here, but I loved him as a professor. I took him for a summer class, but he was great. I had a family medical emergency and he was extremely flexible with helping me work around it, and very understanding of anything that came up. Great lecturer. A lot of work, but that's to be expected with a 5 week physics course.
Dr. Lewis was terrible at answering emails and was very hard to get a hold of in general. The tests were hard, but they were somewhat similar to the homework questions. The lectures were the most pointless lectures I have had during my time at State. It was so bad that I just stopped going because it was a waste of time. Avoid him if you can.
Physics definitely easier over the summer. Test were shorter / very similar to homework, bonus was given for attendance, and easier grade distribution. However, Lewis is still a below average prof. He expects you to learn entirely from textbook. Lecture was nothing more than a painfully slow problem secession. Overall just lazy and lackluster.
Worst teacher I have ever had. Get ready to teach yourself everything via the textbook. No curve on tests, and points taken off on homework assignments. Forget about actually learning the material, you'll just be trying to get by. Avoid at all costs. We go over maybe 3 multiple choice questions per 50 minute lecture.
Taking a class with Dr. Lewis is a waste of time. The lectures are just a 50 minute question and answer session. He gets through about 2 practice problems per class. Absolutely zero teaching happens during the lecture; you're expected to read the textbook on your own and teach yourself the material. Would not recommend anyone take this professor
Hands down the worst professor I have ever had. For context I made an A+ with a different professor. The content is easy he's just lazy and doesn't teach. He's inaccessible by email, encourages students not to come to lecture, and he cancels class every week to have a long weekend. Biggest waste of money to date at this university.
Lewis is the worst professor at this university. You gain absolutely nothing from attending his lectures. Get ready to read the textbook and try to find a section with a teacher that isnt dogshit to watch the recordings.
Lectures are a waste of time. My grade improved by a very large amount when I stopped attending them and used the time to teach myself physics. Be prepared to read the textbook and attend tutoring sessions to work through the homework problems.
The only reason I managed to do well in this class is because I took physics in high school. Lectures are almost pointless except the questions he presents can sometimes be helpful but only if you already have physics knowledge. Make sure to get good at reading the textbook and watching other teachers' videos online.
Don't take him, save yourself the struggle
His method of teaching was confusing and really wasn't great at answering questions in person, response to having a question to something was to reread the textbook.
Dr. Lewis is fine. I think most people are just used to being taught material in class, but that's not how college works. He usually does a great job at explaining the in-class participation questions, but he assumes you've already read the text; if you just read beforehand and ask questions when you're lost in class, you'll be set.
he's not a bad prof exactly but his teaching style could be so much better. don't think state has better options so I'd take him again but it'd be rlly great if he could introduce each topic himself and actually teach us rather than just quiz us and explain the q's we struggle with. Prof Lewis knows his physics but j puts it across the wrong way :/
He doesn't really do anything. His lectures are him going over like a few questions that may be similar to an exam one. You have to teach yourself all the material. Tests have no partial credit.
If you're not prepared to read the textbook, don't take it. Can't really take anything from lectures other than clarifying questions from the previous readings. Seems like a good professor other than the lackluster lectures, just make sure you read and understand the textbook and practice questions.
Dr. Lewis lectures were slow-paced, covered a few example problems with explanation. You're expected to read the textbook beforehand, but I only referenced textbook while I was doing hw and grasped major concepts from lecture. No partial credit on tests, but test questions similar to hw. Lewis is very understanding w/ extensions and absences.
Extremely mid. He dont drop nun.
If you're in his class, literally don't even go because studying yourself for 50 minutes will benefit you much more than being in his class. His explanations of example problems will make you more confused about the topic than you already were. The ONLY reason I got an A+ was because I was lucky to have covered half the portion in highschool. -9/10
I could skip every single lecture and learn the entire class by the textbook (which is quite good). Wasted my time 3 times a week.
Participation and attendance are for a grade. You have to show up to his lectures. Which consist of 2 MC questions and some rambling about how the physics department is bad and against him. The class is fine, and easy to follow, but why force people to show up if the lectures are supplementary at best... He also always goes over his allotted time.
Professor Lewis expects you to learn everything from the textbook. Attendance is required but while attending class he fails to give important formulas, spends a lot of time going at snail pace over basic information, and doesn't give many examples (misses ones he does do sometimes), avoid at all cost, go to wake tech.
After three semesters with the same course and professor (yes same professor), I can confidently say taking physics with Lewis is one of the worst decisions I made. The PY department has updated the courses to make it lightly easier for the student through the years, but you have to be ready to learn on your own and actually learn the material.
One of the worst professors that I've ever seen. Just reads off the slides and doesn't do a great job explaining the concepts. Lectures are so boring. For the people who have a hard time reading the text book, tests are gonna be a nightmare. I barely passed the course and my advice to you is to take this course in a community college.
Great teacher. Gives extra credit out by tossing you a bean bag when ask a good question. Only bad part was the homework, it had way too many parts that I didn't find too helpful on the exam. It just confused me tbh
If you can, TAKE PHYS OVER THE SUMMER. It's nothing new to say that physics at NC State can be rough, but Dr. Lewis does his best to make it doable. The homework sucks & doesn't relate to the exams, but that's not his fault. Tons of EC (even just for showing up!), helpful office hours, and MC exams over the summer make physics manageable!
Class wasn't too terrible, lectures were stretched out a bit and a little boring but the material taught in the lectures were good. He gives a lot of extra credit if you ask questions (you can ask anonymously) and he is very helpful in office hours. The homework is pretty tough but its all in the textbook. Be ready to force yourself to read alot.
Lectures were kind of useless, you could just skim through and take the formulas and it would be the same. Homework is tough and consistently went outside the scope of what we covered but it was easy to find them online and the tests were very easy in comparison. Lewis was a bit boring but he seemed to care about the students and gave extra credit.
BORINGGGG. Worst lectures ever. Really not good- you will have to teach yourself fair warning.
Lectures are extremely boring and pointless, but attendance isn't graded so I recommend skipping and reading the textbook instead. For me, HW either took 30 min or 3 hours. He's good with responding to emails quickly but they can be blunt and unclear. Tests are way easier than HW, overall not a difficult class if you read the textbook
You'll struggle if you haven't taken physics before. I only found success because I took AP Physics 1&2 in high school. Lectrures are slides copied from textbook readings. Attendance is NOT mandatory. Be prepared to do lots of textbook readings as lectures are not very helpful. Posts lecture recordings. 50% midterms, 25% homework, 25% final exam.
The lectures themselves were fairly boring, I found just going off the textbook to be more effective for myself. The class was a bit challenging but definitely manageable if you make sure you take time to go through the material a bit.
His lectures were the slowest, most boring, and unproductive lectures I have ever been to. He does not explain concepts well at all. Attendance isn't mandatory and it's honestly not worth going to. It's better to use the time to read and take notes from the textbook.
Dr. Lewis is a good teacher, his lectures and PowerPoints were very helpful to learning the material. The homework assignments were the main things that helped me learn because I would always forget how to do things and doing the homework would help me figure out what I was missing. I do wish Dr. Lewis would do more practice problems, though.
All the technical details and formulas of the class are covered in very concise slides, and the lectures are mostly focused on grasping the formulas conceptually and solving example problems. Every bit of necessary knowledge was provided, and I felt 100% prepared for every exam with minimal preparation.
hes a redditor
A lot of people say he's boring, but his slow lectures made it easier for me to understand the material. He makes everything simple and goes really in-depth. He may not be super exciting, but if you pay attention you will certainly do well.
Great lecturer. Makes everything super simple, as the content should be and goes at a snail's pace which makes it impossible to miss anything. His lectures can be a bit boring, but if you stay focused you'll be fine. He's very passionate and knowledgable about what he teaches. Would definitely take again.
Make it your mission to not take him. He goes by very minimal slides that are a summarized version of the textbook, his lectures are super boring and confusing, and when we do questions in class, he overcomplicates simple problems and oversimplifies complicated problems. Also, the tests are RIDICULOUSLY difficult and homework is a pain.
Don't listen to anyone who gave him a 1, I have never taken physics before and didn't find this class too bad. Yes, the tests are difficult but every single physics student takes the same test so just do the practice problems before. 75% of the class would not show up for lectures, and anyone who was showing up never complained about him...
Lewis is a nice guy, and he explains things well in lectures. Physics is just difficult I would recommend actually going to all of the lectures if you want to get an A
DO NOT LISTEN TO ANYONE WHO GAVE HIM A 5. Zachary Lewis is AWFUL. If you end up having to take his class, I pity you. Helpful tip: Aaron Titus posts his lectures online so I would just recommend watching his. It's not even worth going to his class tbh. Watching the Titus lectures is more than sufficient.
Lewis is a nice guy and I think he really cares about students and wants to help them learn, but all that does is make it harder for me to talk about how awful a teacher he is. He is perhaps the most boring person I have never heard speak with no enthusiasm whatsoever, and he can't derive work as all equations are on slides he just reads off.
Professor Lewis cares about physics and seems like a nice person, however his class is very difficult and confusing. His lectures are hard to understand and I spend a lot of time using the textbook to teach myself the class.
Lewis gets a bad wrap but the problem with physics at NCSU is not Lewis, its the physics department in general. If you do what you are supposed to do and seek help when you need it you will be fine.
This only really applies to the online summer course, but I found Lewis to be pretty uninvolved. He posted lectures from another professor and only sent out emails on occasion. The class had a lot of extra credit which SAVED me (10 pts. per HW). You can take 1-2 pages of notes to tests and none of the questions on the final exam were surprising.
not even to the first test in this class, and I already want to drop out solely because of Zachary Lewis. lectures are unbelievably useless. He spends first 20 minutes of every class talking about the opening slide. Maybe does 1 example in class. Attendance is mandatory because he does top hat questions. Just take online and watch Titus lectures
Dr. Lewis is kind. He is also a bad teacher. Lectures can be best described as bland, with Dr. Lewis taking too much time on easy things and too little time on hard ones. It is as if he is guessing every morning as to what needs to be explained in excruciating detail and what is common knowledge.
While Professor Lewis may seem dull at times, his lectures are worth attending. The class is challenging, but with the textbook and tools like unstuck ai, you can succeed. Put in the work and you'll learn a lot.
wouldn't disagree with some of the other posts but I also wouldn't say he's as bad as some are saying. Nice guy but one of the more boring professors I've had. He wastes an incredible amount of time with attendance and waiting for people to answer tophat questions. if you can, take Titus. If not, watch his lectures during Lewis' class.
He spends all class time pointing at slides and maybe on a good day spends the last five minutes of class working out a problem. The first 15 mins are useless time spend on tophat. If you get him just watch Titus lectures, he works out a lot of problems similar to homework problems.
SO bad, his lectures were useless and PHY205 it's pretty much hell. A good advice is, if you have to take him, just don't go to the lectures and watch Titus's lectures. He's the one that does the exams and actually knows how to explain.
While Dr. Lewis clearly cares about the success of his students and is passionate about physics, it unfortunately doesn't transfer well into the lecture as I often find he spends too much time at the beginning of class on Tophat, and not enough time on practice problems. I would recommend watching Titus' lectures if possible.
Don't take Physics at NCSU. If you are lucky enough to get into Titus's class, you might get out with a C. To get an A in this class you would have to basically sacrifice your entire life for it. Zachary lewis is a satanist and the most boring teacher i've ever had. He spends half of the time every lecture ranting about some random useless topic.
Will spend sometimes up to of 20% of the lecture explaining useless ideas like "how to study" or "how to learn" instead of actual physics--then lectures off slides only and is surprised when he can't even finish 1 example problem in class. You should have a strong understanding of vectors and basic physics concepts (he is bad at teaching them).
You're fine if you've ever taken physics. If not, 205 IS NOT scary at all! PY205 is standardized, so everyone has the same HW and tests. His lectures aren't dense, so there's only a few new topics; rest is 1-2 problems and discussing questions with classmates. I thought he explained things well, and he was able to answer questions when I had them!
Professor Lewis is a solid professor. Tests aren't easy. Attendance was mandatory, but Professor Lewis is very nice, cares about his students, and wants us to succeed. He's a good option, a solid teacher, and a nice person who clearly care about Physics. I used crambetter also which helped to get above the class average usually, I'd recommend it
Lewis definitely knows what he is talking about, but he spends too much time doing TopHat. He spends little time doing practice questions and often crams practice questions towards end of class. Watch Titus lecture if you are struggling.
Terrible Professor
Lewis is a very boring teacher; he does a good job explaining the concepts and ideas but doesn't really engage us in the math behind physics. The test and homework are really hard and confusing, I often found myself just staring at multiple questions not really knowing where to start. I wish Lewis would go over more math questions in his lecture.
Taking a course with Dr. Lewis has been one of the highlights at NC State. He is really good at breaking down complex subjects and he cares for his students. I think people who struggle in his classes come out of high school unprepared. They don't know math. Be sure to do a remedial math course before taking physics if you need it.
Spends a lot of time in lectures doing practice problems. Does an okay job with explaining concepts, but leaves a lot of questions generally. Also he didn't know what a plastic collision was.
Dr. Lewis' class was very manageable and he gave extra credit. The homework was pretty consistent with the lectures, which did a good job of explaining an innately difficult subject. There were no surprises on the tests and they were actually a lot easier than the homeworks. Take good notes because you can bring a sheet of equations for the tests.
BRUH. He gives EC for asking questions but he spends the WHOLE lecture answering very straightforward questions. He gets distracted very easily and little time is spent on covering course material.
I took the online summer class and it was one of the best choices I made, specifically with Lewis. The fall and spring are insanely tough semesters because Titus runs the department, but Lewis gives plenty of extra credit opportunities and tests are aligned with homework and lecture examples.
My absolute goat i took 205 with him last summer and I'm taking 208 with him rn. Idk why his ratings are so low, he's a decent lecturer, he's very accessible outside of class, and his office hours are super helpful (though sometimes he'll play pokemon go while helping you). It's not hard to succeed in this class with all the extra credit he gives.
Amazing professor!! Very caring bf and knowledgeable. He makes sure that students are well prepared for exams and provides several opportunities for extra credit. I recommend taking any class with Dr. Lewis!!!
WORST PROFESSOR EVER. He assigned multiple homework assignments that are due the day of. This would be completely fine if I had a relative understanding of course material, however, no matter how long I spend I will never finish. He spends the whole lecture answering very dumbfounded questions and it's really useless. The slides don't help.
Whatever you do, do NOT take physics with Lewis. He does not teach anything. Lectures are literally pointless and everything else is unnecessary. SAVE YOURSELF.
Such a bad professor. If you are taking physics,, find anyone else to teach. He literally does NOT teach a thing and you are left to struggle on the homework. I literally have to resort to using outside sources because I don't know how to do any hw problems and he doesn't prepare us to solve them. DO NOT RECOMMEND.
I would HIGHLY recommend taking his class during the summer, as he gives you a LOT of extra credit opportunities to do well in this class. My GOAT. The only complaint is that the homework is "due" the day it is assigned, with only a 1-day extension without penalty. So technically, 2 days to finish the HW the day it is assigned.
I DO NOT RECOMMEND TAKING THIS COURSE. Dr. Lewis' lectures are not helpful in the slightest. In fact, they're a waste of time. The exams are all multiple choice and there is no practice problems that will expose you to the material being tested.
If you can't learn from a textbook don't sign up with Lewis. Lectures are hard to follow (he's always talking about random material that isn't part of the class) and are frequently missing important information on the exam. He never got through a single practice problem in class because he spends most of lecture "waiting" for questions.
Dr. Lewis is great if you want to take physics over the summer! He gives lots of opportunities for extra credit which is always super helpful bc they don't do that during the year. You also get a sheet of notes which makes studying a lot better. Highly recommend to take physics over the summer - a lot easier to pass
What the professor lacks in passion, is made up in his casual attitude. Tests were easier than homework. Many free points given in class. Just read the textbook and make sure to understand the homework- you will be okay. Physics is hard! Lewis is not the most engaging prof but he doesn't make physics harder.
ONLY APPLIES TO SUMMER COURSE. Lewis provided extra credit to compensate for the pace of the five week course. Exams are easier than in the school year. You have to take them at Delta on campus or a remote testing location (i.e not at home). Highly recommend the summer course if you can stay on top of the fast pace of assignments and coursework.
I took this class over the summer and it was my first experience with PY II. Lewis has extra credit for attendance and completing homework on time. The tests and final were much easier than normal semester's. It is a lot of homework to do in a short time, but read the textbook first.
I took PY 208 online over the summer with Zachary Lewis, all of the learning was done out of the textbook. The tests were easy and the final exam consisted mostly of repeat questions from previous tests.
Its not like Dr. Lewis is a terrible professor or anything; its just that physics is terribly difficult. Lewis' lectures aren't the most exciting, but he knows his stuff and is a nice person willing to help and answer questions. A bad professor is rude, hard-to-reach, and gives no practice material. Dr Lewis isn't any of those; 205 is just hard.
Dr. Lewis is nothing special, but at least the material in lecture, homework, and tests is all aligned. He always posts a relevant practice test, and the textbook is actually quite helpful, though it can be time consuming to read through. As long as you are ok putting a good bit of time outside class into his class, you'll be fine.
Honestly, he's not that bad, especially if you're decent at math and maybe have some physics knowledge. Test questions follow a similar level of difficulty as the practice questions given (tests are the same for all classes, btw). Yeah, he does ramble a lot, but he knows a fair bit and is a decent guy. Not the end of the world if you have him imo.
Dr. Lewis is a nice professor, he is also not a great professor. It's clear he knows what he is doing, however he is unable to effectively communicate the ideas necessary for students to pass the class. He often goes on rambles about concepts that don't help you pass the class. I recommend watching Aaron Titus and his lectures, as it's more related
Dr. Lewis is a much better professor than his ratings would have you believe. He genuinely cares about your understanding of the material, and his lectures are quite informative when combined with the textbook and the homework problems. Physics tends to be difficult, and he does his best with the standardized nature of this course.
Dr Lewis was a way better professor than his rating at the time of writing. He has plenty of practice problems in class, is an interesting and decently engaging lecturer, and explains things quite well. My one complaint was that he's not super accessible outside class, but no one in the physics department really is.
Professor Lewis was fine. He's not as bad as some of the reviews make him out to be, physics is naturally just going to require a lot of work. That being said, Lewis's lectures are not great and most of my learning came from the textbook and homework. All the tests come from the textbook, so lectures are supplementary.
For the content he taught, Dr. Lewis is exceptional at drawing models and explaining the concepts with his drawings. He may have gone on a tangent once in a while but he maintained fun lectures and the interactive questions were very probing!
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