Current instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Absolutely phenomenal professor. He taught in a way that made the concepts extremely interesting and incredibly easy to learn (which is saying something from a 400 level physics course). Lecture notes are well-crafted and his assigned homework is really interesting, applicable and fun to solve. Over all, he is the best professor I have ever had.Rate My Professors ↗
One of the few physics professors here at UW that I've actually liked. Very organized and helpful. I wouldn't say lectures are required because of the textbook, but he definitely helped explain concepts I didn't understand initially from the text. Good guy.Rate My Professors ↗
The most engaging, well-spoken, and approachable professor I have had the pleasure of meeting. His passion for the content and high level of organization make it a joy to attend his lectures. He's always accessible by email and his office hours were extremely helpful. Despite the difficulty of the content, you will walk away feeling accomplished.Rate My Professors ↗
Ilya is a fairly new professor and already outshines the many professors I've already had. He is extremely talented and is always open to questions. His lectures are extremely organized and clear. He posts lecture notes, but I still recommend showing up to every lecture since he is such a joy to learn from.Rate My Professors ↗
Ilya is an excellent professor. His lectures are clear and concise and he closely follows Goldstein as well as Landau. He provides resources for the class and posts his lecture notes online. His class is not attendance-mandatory but it is strongly encouraged. Plus, his lectures are awesome so you don't want to miss them anyway. Highly recommend.Rate My Professors ↗
Dr. Esterlis is one of the best professors I've ever had. His lectures are absolutely fantastic. He speaks clearly, explains things well, and manages to communicate the profundity of, for example, symmetry and conservation laws. The class was very tough, but homework counts for a lot of your grade, and it's more than worth the challenge.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
Covers the origin and development of classical mechanics, including vector analysis, conservation laws, and Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formalisms.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
Ilya Esterlis is praised for clear explanations, deep knowledge, and willingness to answer questions. Reviewers highlight his fantastic lectures and modesty. However, the course content based on Landau mechanics is described as very tough and not easy.
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026PHYSICS 499 is an advanced-level mentored research project in physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2022 · limited samplePHYSICS 681 is a mentored individual research and study course for students completing Physics Honors in the Major.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
PHYSICS 799 is a graduate-level independent study course focused on conducting mentored research projects in physics.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
historical GPA · grades
Spring 2022–Spring 2026 · limited samplePHYSICS 990 is a research course where students conduct supervised research projects with individual faculty members.
Offering recorded · Fall 2026
No recorded grade history
| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 311 | Mechanics |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 499 | Directed Study |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 799 | Independent Study |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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