General Information

PHYS 2208 follows PHYS 2207 in the two-semester introduction to physics intended for students majoring in biological science, physical science, or mathematics. PHYS 2208 provides a rich exposure to the methods of physics and to the basic analytical and scientific skills required by all scientists. Lectures are highly interactive and illustrated with applications from the sciences, medicine, and everyday life. Labs highlight lecture topics via a hands-on environment. Recitation sections reinforce the lecture topics via cooperative problem-solving.

Prerequisites

Topics Covered

  • Electricity and magnetism
  • Optics
  • Topics from quantum mechanics
  • Topics from nuclear physics
  • Topics from particle physics

Workload

This class looked like a lot on scheduler since we would meet so many times a week. The workload didn’t end up being terribly stressful though since a portion of it was based on participation. Overall very doable for those without high school physics experience and close to no calculus knowledge was really needed. [Spring 2024]

General Advice

Simply showing up to every lecture, discussion, and lab will get you far. The rest consists of making the effort to complete all practice they give you. Put in the work and the results will follow. [Spring 2024]

Testimonials

“I really liked this class and I think a big part of it was because of Professor Liepe! He explained concepts clearly and gave lots of opportunities for practice. The course meeting 5-6 times a week worked well for me since the constant exposure meant you wouldn’t be as stressed attempting to prepare for the prelim.

Though the class is not curved in the traditional sense, Prof Liepe would make sure to adjust prelim scores (add points to everyone’s grades) if the exam was harder than he had meant to make it. Super fair!” Rating: 5/5. [Spring 2024]

Resources

Past Offerings

Semester Professor Median Grade Syllabus
Spring 2021 Matthias Liepe A- —
Spring 2022 Matthias Liepe B+ PHYS2208_SP22.pdf
Spring 2024 Matthias Liepe N/A PHYS2208_SP24.pdf