Spring 2027

General Physics

General Physics is an introductory non-calculus course covering mechanics, heat, and waves, with applications to various fields including the life sciences.

offering recorded4 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Benjamin Spike3.6/5Yibin Pan2.6/5

Summary

1 / 6

Past student reviews · Benjamin Spike

Exams were described as tough because no points were awarded for showing work. Students indicated that if they could complete quizzes and homework on their own, they would likely do well in the class.

What you’ll be able to do

  • Describe an object's motion using position, velocity, acceleration. Predict changes in motion using kinematic equations.

  • Sum forces on an object (mathematically and graphically) to solve for equilibrium and/or predict the object’s acceleration and motion using Newton's laws.

  • Predict changes in motion of multi-object systems using conserved quantities (e.g. momentum, energy).

  • Describe the periodic (repeating) phenomena using amplitude, frequency, period, and wavelength to predict system behavior.

  • Calculate equilibrium pressure, velocity, and flow rate fluids using Newton's laws and conservation principles.

  • Determine physical properties of gases using the ideal gas law and principles of heat transfer. Calculate changes in work, heat, and energy resulting from thermodynamic processes and heat engines.

  • Design and analyze laboratory experiments using concepts from this course.

  • Connect concepts from this course to underlying physical phenomena in other fields, particularly the life sciences.

Source: UW Guide

Grade history

↗
average GPA
letter grades
A
AB
B
BC
C
D
F

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

MATH 112, 113, 114, 171, placement into MATH 211 or 221, or special student standing. Not open to students with credit forPHYSICS 201, 207, or 247.

PHYSICS 103 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

Spring 2027

Benjamin Spike

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 3.59/5 from 29 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: 3.4/5 raw quality · 3.0/5 difficulty · 5 reviews

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

Past student reviews · Benjamin Spike

Benjamin Spike’s lectures were described as clear and concise by some, but monotone or confusing by others. Students noted he was kind and fair, though the class structure was sometimes disorganized with poor communication about grades. Exams were generally difficult, with one reviewer noting that showing work did not earn points. Several students recommended using the help desk, pre-class videos, or PLCs to succeed in the course.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2024: 3.08 GPA, 43.2% A/AB (n=405 letter grades); Spring 2025: 3.05 GPA, 44.0% A/AB (n=423 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.95 GPA, 36.6% A/AB (n=456 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Adjusted rating
RMP difficulty
captured reviews
About this rating

Raw average: 2.53/5 from 182 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: 2.0/5 raw quality · 5.0/5 difficulty · 1 reviews

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

Past student reviews · Yibin Pan

Yibin Pan was described as hard to understand and not good at explaining the material, leading one student to suggest taking the course with someone else. Exams consisted of 20 multiple choice questions that were reported to be hard to finish in time.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2016: 3.04 GPA, 43.0% A/AB (n=668 letter grades); Fall 2017: 3.04 GPA, 44.0% A/AB (n=686 letter grades); Fall 2019: 3.12 GPA, 45.2% A/AB (n=657 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Past student reviews · Albrecht Karle, Mitch McNanna

Albrecht Karle’s lectures were described as confusing and mumbled, with students learning primarily from pre-lecture videos and TAs. Mitch McNanna was praised for making the course easy to understand and for his genuine care in wanting students to succeed, with one student stating they would take another physics course just to have him as a professor.

ALBRECHT KARLE is recorded teaching in Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

BENJAMIN SPIKE is recorded teaching in Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024, Spring 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

DANIEL THURS is recorded teaching in Spring 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021, Fall 2022, Fall 2023, Fall 2024, Fall 2025. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

LAWRENCE WATSON is recorded teaching in Spring 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

PETER TIMBIE is recorded teaching in Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Spring 2018, Spring 2020. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

VICTOR BRAR is recorded teaching in Fall 2017, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Spring 2022, Fall 2023, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

WESLEY SMITH is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2007, Fall 2010, Fall 2011, Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014, Fall 2015, Fall 2016, Fall 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

YIBIN PAN is recorded teaching in Spring 2010, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2019. 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

Spring 2027

Schedule loads here as you scroll.

SectionModeEnrolled / capacityWaitlist
LEC 001Classroom Instruction0 / 2600
DIS 303Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 306Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 307Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 308Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 310Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 313Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 314Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 603Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 606Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 607Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 608Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 610Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 613Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 614Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 311Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 611Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LEC 002Classroom Instruction0 / 2600
DIS 318Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 319Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 320Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 618Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 619Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 620Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 309Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 609Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 304Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 604Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 312Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 612Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 315Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 615Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 321Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 621Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 322Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 622Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 317Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 617Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 323Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 623Classroom Instruction0 / 240
DIS 324Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 624Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 633Classroom Instruction0 / 00
DIS 333Classroom Instruction0 / 00

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

Past student reviews · Benjamin Spike

Students had mixed opinions on Benjamin Spike's teaching style, with some describing his lectures as monotone while others found him straightforward and effective. One student noted that discussion TAs and pre-class videos did most of the teaching in the course.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.05 GPA, 44.0% A/AB (n=423 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.09 GPA, 44.6% A/AB (n=691 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.95 GPA, 36.6% A/AB (n=456 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Past student reviews · Benjamin Spike

Exams were described as tough because no points were awarded for showing work. Students indicated that if they could complete quizzes and homework on their own, they would likely do well in the class.

Past student reviews · Benjamin Spike

Some students complained about poor communication regarding grades and a disorganized class structure. Others reported that the instructor often disappeared for weeks, leaving Piazza questions unanswered, which was frustrating.

Topics

  • Mechanics, heat, and waves
  • Applications to life sciences
  • Fluid dynamics

Skills

  • Predict motion using kinematic equations
  • Apply Newton's laws to solve force problems
  • Use conservation of momentum and energy
  • Analyze thermodynamic processes and heat engines
  • Design and analyze laboratory experiments

Grades

Historical instructor

Spring 2027 · Projected

Before grades are released

– average GPA

Approximate 80% prediction interval

About this estimate

The course’s semester-average GPA, not an individual student’s grade. The center uses 5 same-season terms, weighted toward recent results.

The range uses the finite-sample 80th-percentile rank of absolute errors from earlier same-season forecasts. Each forecast uses only records from earlier terms. At least four forecasts are required; bounds are rounded outward and limited to 0–4. This is an empirical estimate: changing instructors or grading policies can reduce its coverage.

8 earlier forecasts · 0.08 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Spring 2027

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

1280 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.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
PHYSICS 103 · Spring 2027

General Physics

Recorded 2026-10-14
Raw records 
[
  {
    "run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
    "semester": "1274",
    "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
    "offering_id": "1274:754:015589",
    "course_id": "PHYSICS 103",
    "course_uid": "course_0102faba3a6a173105857f06",
    "term_id": "1274",
    "source_course_id": "015589",
    "source_subject_id": "754",
    "title": "General Physics",
    "credits_min": 4,
    "credits_max": 4,
    "typically_offered": "Fall, Spring, Summer"
  }
]
Rate My Professors

Student reviews

Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.

Read original reviews
Download part 1
Madgrades

Grade history

Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.

Explore recorded grades
Dataset & model

Recorded 2026-10-14

View the dataset on Hugging Face
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Download part 1
Full model traces

Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.

Download part 1Download part 2Download part 3
Model & dataset provenance 
{
  "model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
  "model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
  "task_version": "17",
  "output_id": "5f4cd442f1c8cd81e85d6f6b0f578853e604e98399c847fe3b3fa5b5c6b0a7cd",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
  "observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}