Recent recorded grades — Fall 2012: 3.15 GPA, 48.1% A/AB (n=27 letter grades); Fall 2018: 3.24 GPA, 55.8% A/AB (n=43 letter grades). Includes jointly taught sections.
Spring 2027
A Modern Introduction to Physics
Modern physics continuation covering quantum mechanics, nuclear/particle physics, condensed matter, and atomic physics with weekly lectures and discussions.
offering recorded4 credits
Recorded instructors · Spring 2027 Matthew Herndon2.8/5
Summary
1 / 6
Past student reviews · Jeffrey Schmidt
The instructor derived everything from memory and moved through the material at a very fast pace.
What you’ll be able to do
Determine time-dependent voltage changes across components and flow of alternating electric currents through circuits. Describe the foundations of modern electronics.
Determine statistical properties of gases using the ideal gas law and principles of heat transfer. Calculate changes in work, heat, entropy, and energy resulting from thermodynamic processes.
Explain the foundational concepts from modern fields of physics such as atomic physics, solid state physics, nuclear physics, particle physics, condensed matter physics, and astrophysics. Perform elementary calculations related to these fields.
Apply computational skills that are commonly used in physics research.
Source: UW Guide
Grade history
↗ average GPA
790790 letter grades
A30.8%30.8%
AB24.8%24.8%
B26.6%26.6%
BC10.3%10.3%
C5.2%5.2%
D1.5%1.5%
F0.9%0.9%
All recorded terms · compare terms & instructors
Prerequisites
Course mapPHYSICS 248
“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 2027Historical instructors & teaching patterns
DUNCAN CARLSMITH is recorded teaching in Fall 2011, Fall 2013, Fall 2014. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
JEFFREY SCHMIDT is recorded teaching in Fall 2023, Spring 2026. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
MATTHEW F HERNDON is recorded teaching in Fall 2012, Fall 2018. Recorded history may be incomplete and does not establish a future schedule.
PETER TIMBIE is recorded teaching in Fall 2015. 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 2027Schedule loads here as you scroll.
| Section | Mode | Enrolled / capacity | Waitlist |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 42 | 0 |
| DIS 302 | Classroom Instruction | 0 / 42 | 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
Past student reviews · Jeffrey Schmidt
Lectures were funny but fast-paced, and while not mandatory, skipping them caused students to fall behind.
Recent recorded grades — Spring 2025: 3.33 GPA, 60.9% A/AB (n=23 letter grades); Fall 2025: 3.39 GPA, 62.5% A/AB (n=40 letter grades); Spring 2026: 3.18 GPA, 32.0% A/AB (n=25 letter grades).
difficulty & workload
Past student reviews · Jeffrey Schmidt
The instructor derived everything from memory and moved through the material at a very fast pace.
Past student reviews · Jeffrey Schmidt
One student found that exams were unrelated to lectures or homework, requiring formula copying rather than learning.
Topics
- Quantum mechanics
- Nuclear and particle physics
- Condensed matter physics
- Atomic physics
Skills
- Analyze alternating current circuits and modern electronics foundations.
- Calculate thermodynamic properties and process changes for gases.
- Explain and perform calculations in atomic, solid state, nuclear, particle, condensed matter, and astrophysics.
- Apply computational skills used in physics research.
Grades
Latest available · Spring 2026— not enough history to project Spring 2027.
average GPA
A / AB grades
letter grades
Instructor
Grade distribution · % of letter grades
A28.0%28.0%
AB4.0%4.0%
B56.0%56.0%
BC8.0%8.0%
C0.0%0.0%
D4.0%4.0%
F0.0%0.0%
Grades over time
Through Spring 2026
More grade details Grade mix, volume & source data
Not enough comparable courses for Spring 2027 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 2026-10-14Raw records
[
{
"run_id": "20261014T203208-0851c9a1",
"semester": "1274",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00",
"offering_id": "1274:754:021497",
"course_id": "PHYSICS 249",
"course_uid": "course_e8cfa648b149ecdf80de2aa5",
"term_id": "1274",
"source_course_id": "021497",
"source_subject_id": "754",
"title": "A Modern Introduction to Physics",
"credits_min": 4,
"credits_max": 4,
"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 gradesDataset & model
View the dataset on Hugging Face Recorded 2026-10-14
Model outputs & technical records
Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B
LLM outputs across runs
Full model traces
Recorded model configuration, reasoning, and tool conversations.
Model & dataset provenance
{
"model": "Qwen/Qwen3.8-27B",
"model_revision": "1d4bf0f2ff6012fd82039f2fa52739d0dd7c60c0",
"task_version": "17",
"output_id": "fbada556e8b0d949342907d29ce570ca1c7faea06907e2b787259f5e52fe8028",
"requirements_status": "valid",
"dataset_revision": "fc1811fa52e581ea57a35c0cf3343f8740a8ffbf",
"observed_at": "2026-10-14 17:50:09.728220+00:00"
}