Current instructor
Original student reviews · all captured dates
Very nice professor compared to Duncan after doing 247-248 sequence. He cares students a lot and he does spend time on teaching and he wants his students to succeed. He might focus on deriving equations a lot in class, so reading Marion - one of the textbooks he posts would be beneficial. 311 with him was amazing experienceRate My Professors ↗
Prof. Bechtol is one of the best physics profs I have had at UW Madison: great lecturer, very responsive to student's questions, and clear expectations. This class was a lot more conceptual and takes on topics like general relativity, special relativity, cosmology, and other areas of Modern physics. Problem sets were relatively easy.Rate My Professors ↗
Professor Bechtol is an amazing teacher that is very invested in his students. His lectures, while online, were very intuitive and easy to follow. Bechtol is also a very fun person to talk to during office hours. 10/10 would absolutely recommend him againRate My Professors ↗
He's very caring and encouraging. He's always open to questions and can explain a concept in multiple ways, which is always helpful. Also did a great job planning the course, gave us a good overview of the topics in modern physics and also got us familiar with python, which is used extensively in research. Take a class with him if you can!Rate My Professors ↗
Super nice guy! If he ever messes up a problem in class, he always reaches out the whole class and fully explains it later. I think a lot of professors don't do that, but he is really specific and helpful!Rate My Professors ↗
Keith was a great guy to talk to if I was ever struggling in the class. He explains topics well, and can explain complicated topics multiple ways if you struggle in lecture. Homework takes time, but is often the same as test problems, so its worth it to spend the time on it. Final Project instead of an exam was a godsend around finals week.Rate My Professors ↗
Personal experiences, not a representative survey. Profile matching and captured coverage are shown in the source details.
A Modern Introduction to Physics is a calculus-based course covering mechanics, waves, thermodynamics, statistical mechanics, and modern physics with computation, aimed at Physics, AMEP, and Astronomy-Physics majors.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
historical GPA · grades
Fall 2022–Spring 2026Advanced-level mentored research project in physics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Mentored individual research and study for students completing Physics Honors in the Major, leading to a senior honors thesis.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Senior Honors Thesis course providing mentored individual research and study for students completing Physics Honors in the Major.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Mentored individual research and study for students completing a thesis.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Senior Thesis in Physics involves mentored individual research and study for students completing a thesis.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Research supervised by individual faculty members. Students formulate and plan original research, creating work that contributes to the field of physics.
Offering recorded · Spring 2027 · Sources
No recorded grade history
Distinct courses recorded per term
Explore courses taught by this instructor →| Term | Course | Title |
|---|---|---|
| Spring 2027 | PHYSICS 247 | A Modern Introduction to Physics |
| Spring 2027 | PHYSICS 499 | Directed Study |
| Spring 2027 | PHYSICS 681 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | PHYSICS 682 | Senior Honors Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | PHYSICS 691 | Senior Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | PHYSICS 692 | Senior Thesis |
| Spring 2027 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 691 | Senior Thesis |
| Fall 2026 | PHYSICS 990 | Research |
Teaching history may be incomplete. Course pages contain course-specific feedback and citations.
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