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Learner Reviews & Feedback for How Things Work: An Introduction to Physics by University of Virginia

4.8
stars
2,843 ratings

About the Course

An introduction to physics in the context of everyday objects....

Top reviews

E

Sep 25, 2023

Wonderful course, I enjoyed every second. It opened my eyes to get insight and understand many topics on which I wasn't clear. Completely different to all previous experiences. Would highly recommend.

IP

Mar 29, 2022

Loved this course I thought it was a great course for the Introduction to Physics. It was easy enough to understand and Lu had a strong passion for what he was teaching. All in all great course. 10/10

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26 - 50 of 867 Reviews for How Things Work: An Introduction to Physics

By Amy G

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Sep 12, 2017

The course was utilized as a template for teaching physics in an after school program. I enjoyed taking the class and obtained some creative ideas for teaching basic physics principles.

By Zaid B K

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Jun 4, 2020

Great teaching. The instructor created a really friendly environment which kept my eyes and interest focused on the course.

By EMMANUEL M

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Jun 2, 2020

I would appreciate it if in the forums the teacher/facilitator would also answer the questions we raised.

By Jon M

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Apr 21, 2018

It was fun material to learn, but this course lacks the mathematical understanding to complement the conceptual that should exist in physics. Some of the problems on the quizzes were unclear, but not in the sense that they were tricky. More so, the reader likely had no clear idea as to what the question was asking. Nevertheless, Professor Bloomfield put a good effort into the course and it had its fun moments.

By Josue R

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Oct 20, 2017

se ve interesante, pero cuesta mucho con los cuestionarios en ingles y las traducciones al español; deberían mejor la traducción general al español latino :)

By ron r

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Feb 14, 2016

it so boring

By RAVINDRA D S

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Aug 31, 2015

Thank you very much Mr. Bloomfield ... !!!

Great presentation, excellent demonstrations, indoor and outdoors and very assuring oratory skills. Appreciate all your efforts and looking forward to yet another opportunity to meet you virtually.

One small area of disagreement though ... I refer to your video "Week 3, Falling Balls I" (time frame 5:12) (How Things Work) topic on "Weight and Mass" of an object where you point out two items from the grocery store, namely the Chocolate Bar and the bag of Cookies.

Following information from US FDA regarding Food Labeling Guide, Net quantity of Contents Statement.

>>>>>>>

3. Should the net quantity of contents be stated in both grams and ounces?

Answer: Food labels printed must show the net contents in both metric (grams, kilograms, milliliters, liters) and U.S. Customary System (ounces, pounds, fluid ounces) terms. The metric statement may be placed either before or after the U.S. Customary statement, or above or below it. Each of the following examples is correct (additional examples appear in the regulations):

Net wt 1 lb 8 oz (680g)

Net wt 1 lb 8 oz 680 g

500 ml (1 pt 0.9 fl oz)

Net contents 1 gal (3.79 L)

<<<<<<<<<<

For additional info, please refer to the following link for detailed info on what US FDA agrees to : http://www.fda.gov/Food/GuidanceRegulation/GuidanceDocumentsRegulatoryInformation/LabelingNutrition/ucm064877.htm#included

View above, I presume that the value of the grocery contents shown in Metric system is its Net Weight (not mass) and makes it easier to understand for people from countries that follow Metric system.

Let me know if I am wrong.

Warm Regards,

Ravi Sudame.

By David R

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Aug 1, 2020

Professor Bloomfield is full of enthusiasm and it's clear that he loves his work and his field. The course is highly accessible and explains physics in ways that most people can easily grasp. There are no equations, formulas, cryptic symbols or technical jargon to interfere with the learning process. Anyone can learn the principles conveyed in this course. My one suggestion is that I'd like to see a glossary that defines terms such as energy, force, momentum, weight, velocity etc. with the specific meanings that apply to the course and the distinctions between them. In everyday life, all of these words are interchangeable. Is there another word for synonym? Thanks to everyone involved, this was a very worthwhile program of study.

By Ronak A

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Jun 8, 2020

A very useful course in the context of physics and with the guidence of professor Lou Bloomfield. Thank you very much for this course is was really informative.

By Sudhaharan T

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May 31, 2020

It is an Amazing course to understand the physics in our everyday life. The professor has done an extremely good job!. A Great course!

By Chandrakiran c c

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May 29, 2020

It was really interesting to study all these concepts of physics by prof.lou bloomfield. thanyou for making these sessions amazing

By Chaima N

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May 29, 2020

C'est un excellent cours merci énormément notre cher professeur , vous êtes vraiment.

un grand respect

By ASAD K

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Jun 2, 2020

it is so much excited and lot of fun that i learned from Prof louis. Thanks sir love you sir.

By Rachana S

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May 31, 2020

very practical and enjoyable course while learning

By Dr. M D

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Jun 4, 2020

EXCELLENT TUTORIALS PROVIDED

By Rohan M R

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Jun 1, 2020

Good course nice explanation

By Rajendra D

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Jun 1, 2020

it was very good experience

By AJAY J

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Jun 6, 2020

Very Good Teacher

By Dr. P H K

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Jun 3, 2020

EXCELLENT COURSE

By Ms. H V

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Jun 3, 2020

excellent

By R V

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Jun 4, 2020

Nice

By Victoria C

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Jun 29, 2023

I had a lot of problems with the quiz/assessment platform. When I did a retake, the correct answers changed to the point that after multiple retakes all options at one point came up as incorrect, for some questions. Therefore, I left the course not knowing if I had a proper understanding of the material, where clarity should have come from the assessments. My original choice may or may not have been correct. I don't know. I was disappointed in this respect. I took the course to have a better understanding of the application of some of the laws of physics, although I did not do this for a grade, but for knowledge, I have no idea if my time was well spent on some of the material. This may be a platform problem, or a hacking violation, but there was no one to speak to, in order to get this rectified. It is the first course that I encountered that had this issue.

I presume the content was correct. I liked the instructors' examples. I give a 4 out of 5, only because of the numerous and frustrating platform/ hacking issues. Unfortunately, the issue in this case minimizes the effectiveness of instructor's hard work and the time of the learner, whether the material matches, is below, or above the students' instructional level, for this subject matter. Regardless, there should have been clarity for the questions asked and "answered".

By Wee L N

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Oct 11, 2015

It is good that the professor was able to connect physical laws to day-to-day events and phenomena and help laymen like myself understand them through simple, less technical explanations.

However, it would be better if the questions in the quizzes can be explained after attempts. Though I could retake the tests, sometimes, it is through sheer trial and error that I got some answers correct. In this way, true learning is not achieved.

It would be good if the answers to the quizzes could be re-explained with parts of the lesson vides to draw the links. Sometimes, that link is not obvious. It is not immediately clear which part of the lesson pertained to which quiz questions and that made reviewing the lessons after getting answers wrong not helpful.

I speak from a perspective of a student who has not taken physics since 14th grade.

By Alexandra B

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Dec 31, 2015

This course was very informative and I loved how enthusiastically everything was presented but one thing that put me off was the length of the videos. I understand that you need to cover all the information but when I look at an upcoming video that is 30 minutes long, I don't feel as encouraged to start it. Maybe if you could separate those type of videos into smaller sections of 5-10 minute videos.

Another thing that bothered me was when I took a quiz and got something wrong but couldn't figure out why because it doesn't have an explanation and I didn't know which video to watch. Maybe they should give the video name and start time of explanation (e.g. How Would a Ball Fall on the Moon? (5:36)). If they did that, it would be easier to find an explanation to a question.

By Julie C

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Jul 1, 2018

I think this is a very good introductory class for physics. The explanations are clear, detailed, and examples shown in the videos are very useful. I genuinely recommend this class. However, one thing that must be improved: after each quizzes, there are no correct answers or explanations given. One only knows which question was correct, without the details of which answers was accurate and why. This caused me troubles in understanding some parts of the class that I did not understand at first: I had hoped that a correction of the quizzes would be given to truly master the contents of the class, but it was not the case, and it is something that would have tremendously helped me.