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Fall 2026
A Modern Introduction to Physics
A calculus-based, rigorous introduction to physics covering mechanics, waves, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and modern physics with computation.
Summary
1 / 7
Historical reviews of Duncan Carlsmith, Kam Arnold: The workload involves substantial homework and difficult lab reports, particularly those requiring MATLAB programming. Reviewers note that coding components are extensive and often feel disconnected from lecture content, requiring significant time to complete.
Grade history
↗ average GPA
letter grades
letter grades
A
AB
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BC
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F
All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapMATH 222 or concurrent enrollment
“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 2026No course-specific feedback yet.
No course-specific feedback yet.
No course-specific feedback yet.
Historical instructors & teaching patterns
Historical reviews for Duncan Carlsmith describe a course heavy in MATLAB programming and lab reports. Reviewers report that lectures often do not follow readings well and are considered useless, while coding assignments feel random. Reviewers reported the coding components were difficult and the instruction insufficient, leading to unfair tests and high difficulty.
DENIZ YAVUZ is recorded teaching in Fall 2017. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
DUNCAN CARLSMITH is recorded teaching in Fall 2010, Fall 2012, Fall 2016, Fall 2017, Fall 2018, Fall 2019, Fall 2020, Fall 2021. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
KAM ARNOLD is recorded teaching in Fall 2015. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
MATTHEW F HERNDON is recorded teaching in Fall 2022, Fall 2023. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
MICHAEL WINOKUR is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Fall 2013, Fall 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
PETER TIMBIE is recorded teaching in Fall 2014. 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 2026Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | Classroom Instruction | 72 / 74 | 0 |
| DIS 301 | Classroom Instruction | 23 / 24 | 0 |
| DIS 302 | Classroom Instruction | 17 / 24 | 0 |
| DIS 303 | Classroom Instruction | 19 / 24 | 0 |
| LAB 601 | Classroom Instruction | 23 / 24 | 0 |
| LAB 602 | Classroom Instruction | 17 / 24 | 0 |
| LAB 603 | Classroom Instruction | 19 / 24 | 0 |
| LAB 604 | Classroom Instruction | 13 / 24 | 0 |
| DIS 304 | Classroom Instruction | 13 / 24 | 0 |
Times are Central. Select a meeting for details; export includes recorded dates for the selected sections. Enrollment reflects scan time.
Meeting source records
Student experience
the class
Historical reviews describe a challenging course with variable lecture clarity and significant reliance on self-study and textbook reading. Students report that lectures often fail to align with assignments, making independent preparation essential for success.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.79 GPA, 93.3% A/AB (n=45 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.21 GPA, 57.4% A/AB (n=68 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.21 GPA, 62.1% A/AB (n=29 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Historical reviews of Duncan Carlsmith, Kam Arnold: The workload involves substantial homework and difficult lab reports, particularly those requiring MATLAB programming. Reviewers note that coding components are extensive and often feel disconnected from lecture content, requiring significant time to complete.
Students found historical instructors like Winokur and Herndon difficult to follow, with lectures described as disorganized or containing mathematical errors. While some instructors were helpful when asked, others provided explanations that confused students rather than clarifying concepts.
Topics
Skills
Grades
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 · 0.25 GPA average error.
Grades over time
Through Fall 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Fall 2026 in UW–Madison.
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.
Selected offering source records
A Modern Introduction to Physics
Recorded 2026-09-07Raw records
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"offering_id": "1272:754:021386",
"course_id": "PHYSICS 247",
"course_uid": "course_1666a5a286d44301d42ee8d0",
"term_id": "1272",
"source_course_id": "021386",
"source_subject_id": "754",
"title": "A Modern Introduction to Physics",
"credits_min": 5,
"credits_max": 5,
"typically_offered": "Fall"
}
]Rate My Professors
Student reviews
Original comments behind the course and instructor summaries.
Read original reviews
Madgrades
Grade history
Recorded grade distributions by term, section, and instructor.
Explore recorded gradesModel outputs & technical records
nvidia/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-NVFP4
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
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"model_revision": "1355db6a052410cfd62085d94b58866fd0f2c3c5",
"task_version": "14",
"output_id": "1f6e82f3fcf530293f59d57c0ca1f314a0653871c410db6fde27b57d7bd8fd65",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "e243353dcb7d79b7247ced91d69443ef4c2a6349",
"observed_at": "2026-09-07 15:55:43.033547+00:00"
}