Fall 2026

Physical Chemistry I

CHEM 561 covers macroscopic theory including thermodynamics, chemical and phase equilibria, and kinetic theory of gases.

offering recorded3 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Zoe Todd4.4/5Olivia Cassara

Summary

1 / 7

The course is described as difficult with hard homework assignments that are intended to set students up for success on exams.

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
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AB
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All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

(CHEM 116, 327, or 329),MATH 222, and (PHYSICS 201, 207, or 247), or graduate/professional standing. Not open to students with credit for CHEM 565 or 665.

CHEM 561 used by

“Used by” includes alternatives; linked courses may have other requirements. This is a best-effort interpretation; check the catalog requirements above.

Prerequisite text tree

Professors

Fall 2026

Zoe Todd

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 5.00/5 from 27 quality ratings. The adjusted rating blends this with the UW review average (3.66/5), weighted as 20 additional ratings. Smaller samples stay closer to that average. Each captured review is counted once in the prior; this does not correct who chooses to leave a review.

For this course: 5.0/5 raw quality · 2.9/5 difficulty · 12 reviews

RMP profile ↗ · All captured review dates; profile matched by name.

Zoe Todd is described as a clear lecturer who respects students and prioritizes their success through frequent check-ins and review sessions. Reviewers note her ability to break down complex math and her high accessibility via office hours. While the course is difficult, her supportive approach and fair grading are reported to help students succeed.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2023: 3.67 GPA, 75.8% A/AB (n=33 letter grades); Fall 2024: 3.53 GPA, 72.9% A/AB (n=48 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.38 GPA, 61.5% A/AB (n=26 letter grades).

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Mark Ediger: Mark Ediger is consistently praised for making difficult material easier and lectures fun. Reviewers highlight his clear expectations, helpful office hours, and effective teaching style. However, the course material remains challenging, requiring consistent effort on weekly problem sets to succeed on exams.

ARUN YETHIRAJ is recorded teaching in Spring 2011, Fall 2021, Fall 2022. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

GILBERT NATHANSON is recorded teaching in Fall 2007, Fall 2008, Fall 2009, Fall 2016, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MAHESH MAHANTHAPPA is recorded teaching in Spring 2012, Spring 2013. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

MARK EDIGER is recorded teaching in Spring 2008, Spring 2009, Spring 2010, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SILVIA CAVAGNERO is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Spring 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

ZOE TODD is recorded teaching in Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

Calendar & sections

Fall 2026

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction46 / 600
DIS 301Classroom Instruction28 / 280
DIS 302Classroom Instruction18 / 280

Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.

Meeting source records
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Student experience

the class

Zoe Todd is reported as a clear lecturer who prioritizes student success through accessible support and fair grading. Reviewers highlight her respect for students and ability to break down complex thermodynamic math.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.23 GPA, 50.0% A/AB (n=26 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.38 GPA, 61.5% A/AB (n=26 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.27 GPA, 54.8% A/AB (n=42 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

The course is described as difficult with hard homework assignments that are intended to set students up for success on exams.

Students find the frequent office hours and review sessions extremely helpful for understanding material and getting guidance when stuck.

Topics

  • Thermodynamics laws and equations
  • Chemical equilibria
  • Phase equilibria
  • Kinetic theory of gases

Skills

  • Apply laws and equations of thermodynamics
  • Analyze chemical and phase equilibria
  • Apply kinetic theory to gases

Grades

Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Fall 2026.

average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor

Grade distribution · % of letter grades

A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

Grades over time

Through Spring 2026

More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data

Where this course fits relative to

Latest available grades · Spring 2026 · all course levels

GPA

Higher than % of other courses in this group.

Course GPAs · red marks this course’s range

letter grades

More recorded grades than % of other courses in this group.

Typical course in this group: letter grades.

About this comparison

1283 courses over the same term, each with at least 30 recorded letter grades. Cross-listed courses count once. GPA is not a measure of difficulty or teaching quality. The typical course is the median by recorded grade count; tied values are not counted as lower. Grade counts describe course scale, not unique students or typical section size.

Descriptions compare GPA with this group’s average: at least 0.20 higher or lower; otherwise close to average. Section size uses median recorded enrollment: small up to 30, mid-sized 31–99, large 100+. Lectures and discussion/lab sections are described separately.

Sources & history

UW–Madison

Catalog & offerings

Descriptions, prerequisites, and recorded course offerings.

Catalog observation history

Observations at scan time; dates do not imply when a catalog change took effect.

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Selected offering source records
CHEM 561 · Fall 2026

Physical Chemistry I

Recorded 2026-09-07
Raw records
[
  {
    "run_id": "20260907T155543-ce3781c4",
    "semester": "1272",
    "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1272:224:002780",
    "course_id": "CHEM 561",
    "course_uid": "course_6c23abb86fb1851e6a100c80",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "002780",
    "source_subject_id": "224",
    "title": "Physical Chemistry I",
    "credits_min": 3,
    "credits_max": 3,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
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Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-09-07

Download the original dataset
Model outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "1d7d18ff257a9f36e46aad0b6a4cdf5d7d4188e6aed88330af56cfcd025cec30",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}