Fall 2026

General Physics

Calculus-based physics for engineering students covering mechanics, energy, and momentum.

offering recorded5 credits
Recorded instructors · Fall 2026 Josh Weber4.4/5Yibin Pan2.6/5Alisha Roberts +3 more

Summary

1 / 7

Exams frequently mirror homework and discussion questions, making practice essential. The material is inherently difficult, requiring substantial effort to grasp conceptual physics and problem-solving techniques.

Grade history

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

All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors

Prerequisites

Course map

MATH 217 or 221. Not open to students with credit forPHYSICS 207 or 247.

PHYSICS 201 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

Josh Weber

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

Raw average: 4.70/5 from 43 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: 4.8/5 raw quality · 3.6/5 difficulty · 20 reviews

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

Josh Weber is praised for making difficult physics concepts understandable through clear lectures and entertaining demonstrations. Reviewers highlight his accessibility and compassion, often calling him a saving grace in a hard course. While the material is inherently difficult, his thorough explanations make it bearable, though some note he is frequently paired with less effective instructors.

Recent recorded grades — Fall 2024: 2.77 GPA, 27.6% A/AB (n=145 letter grades); Fall 2025: 2.82 GPA, 27.6% A/AB (n=163 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.98 GPA, 38.2% A/AB (n=466 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

/5Adjusted rating
/5RMP 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: 2.9/5 raw quality · 2.7/5 difficulty · 19 reviews

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

Yibin Pan is praised for clear lectures, engaging demos, and exam preparation that aligns closely with homework. Reviewers note that understanding concepts and completing homework is key to success, with exams often featuring multiple-choice questions derived from class material.

Critics describe Pan as unorganized, difficult to understand due to his accent, and ineffective at lecturing. Some find his slides cluttered and his teaching style frustrating, advising students to rely on homework and discussion sections rather than attending lectures.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2022: 2.90 GPA, 36.4% A/AB (n=354 letter grades); Fall 2022: 2.89 GPA, 39.5% A/AB (n=152 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.98 GPA, 38.2% A/AB (n=466 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.

Historical instructors & teaching patterns

Historical reviews of Jeffrey Schmidt, Sridhara Dasu: Josh Weber co-taught the course and was credited with making it go well despite his co-instructor's lack of organization and confusing materials. Reviewers noted that Weber provided necessary support when other instructors failed to post notes or explain concepts clearly.

CARY FOREST is recorded teaching in Spring 2007. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JEFFREY SCHMIDT is recorded teaching in Spring 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

JOSHUA WEBER is recorded teaching in Fall 2022, Spring 2023, Fall 2023, Spring 2024, Fall 2024, Fall 2025, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

RALF WEHLITZ is recorded teaching in Spring 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SRIDHARA DASU is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Spring 2024. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

SUSAN COPPERSMITH is recorded teaching in Fall 2006, Fall 2009. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.

YIBIN PAN is recorded teaching in Fall 2011, Spring 2013, Fall 2013, Spring 2014, Fall 2014, Spring 2015, Fall 2015, Spring 2016, Spring 2017, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Spring 2019, Fall 2019, Spring 2020, Fall 2021, Spring 2022, Fall 2022, Spring 2026. 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
DIS 306Classroom Instruction23 / 240
DIS 309Classroom Instruction0 / 00
DIS 310Classroom Instruction24 / 240
LAB 606Classroom Instruction23 / 240
LAB 609Classroom Instruction0 / 240
LAB 610Classroom Instruction24 / 240
DIS 302Classroom Instruction24 / 240
DIS 307Classroom Instruction25 / 240
LAB 602Classroom Instruction24 / 240
LAB 607Classroom Instruction25 / 240
DIS 303Classroom Instruction24 / 240
LAB 603Classroom Instruction24 / 240
DIS 313Classroom Instruction24 / 240
LAB 613Classroom Instruction24 / 240
LEC 002Classroom Instruction168 / 1920
LAB 604Classroom Instruction24 / 240
DIS 304Classroom Instruction24 / 240

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

Meeting source records
Download part 1

Student experience

the class

Students describe the course as challenging but manageable with consistent homework practice. Lectures vary significantly by instructor, ranging from highly engaging and clear to disorganized and difficult to follow.

Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 2.89 GPA, 36.8% A/AB (n=419 letter grades); Fall 2025: 2.82 GPA, 27.6% A/AB (n=163 letter grades); Spring 2026: 2.98 GPA, 38.2% A/AB (n=466 letter grades).

difficulty & workload

Exams frequently mirror homework and discussion questions, making practice essential. The material is inherently difficult, requiring substantial effort to grasp conceptual physics and problem-solving techniques.

Weber's compassionate teaching style and clear explanations are highly valued. Pan's lectures and slides are polarizing, with students either finding them useful or frustratingly cluttered and hard to understand.

Topics

  • Mechanics, energy, momentum

Skills

  • Mechanics, kinematics, statics, dynamics, energy, momentum

Grades

Historical instructor

Fall 2026 · 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 · 0.06 GPA average error.

Grades over time

Through Fall 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.

Download part 1
Selected offering source records
PHYSICS 201 · Fall 2026

General Physics

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": "1272:754:015599",
    "course_id": "PHYSICS 201",
    "course_uid": "course_3d31f8f280d8571385be79ba",
    "term_id": "1272",
    "source_course_id": "015599",
    "source_subject_id": "754",
    "title": "General Physics",
    "credits_min": 5,
    "credits_max": 5,
    "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 2026-09-07

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 1Download part 2
Model & dataset provenance
{
  "model": "nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4",
  "model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
  "task_version": "14",
  "output_id": "7a73036e939bd26881624c7f5f874cfa720b6ef4fb63face6e4e49c136ff79c1",
  "requirements_status": "needs_review",
  "dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
  "observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}