MIT Subject Evaluations

8.04 Quantum Physics I
Fall 1998 Summary

Lecturer: Professor Samir Mathur
Recitation Instructor: Professor Earle Lomon

Enrollment: 24
Number of students commneting: 10

8.04 is an introduction to the experimental basis for quantum physics.

Suggestions for improvement included being more enthusiastic and being more organized in blackboard usage. One respondent asked that Lomon spend more time on examples in recitation, rather than spending most of the time on obscure derivations that do not help with homework problems.

Students were divided in their opinions about the subject content of 8.04. Some felt that the subject tried to cover too much and should have stopped before discussing the hydrogen atom. Others felt the class should have moved faster and covered more, acting as more of a preparatory class for 8.05. Students did agree that the text was difficult; containing few helpful examples and little additional information for the course. Others suggested the class needed a syllabus, so that holidays would be taken into account before term started. Students reported that scheduling mistakes left them with two problem sets due in one week and problem sets due during exam weeks.

Most students suggested that 8.04 obtain a new textbook with more relevant example problems. Students also recommended that a TA teach recitations, going over homework solutions, as this was rarely done in class. Homework received much of the brunt of negative feedback. Respondents complained that the problem sets tested their math knowledge more than their physics knowledge, and several mentioned that homework would routinely deal with material that hadn't yet been covered in class. One student suggested that a course web page with old exams and solutions would be helpful. Overall, students had mixed to negative feeling about the class, although one student described it as "the most interesting things I've ever learned."

Most respondents felt Professor Mathur gave well organized, clear, and coherent lectures. However, a couple of students remarked that his accent made it nearly impossible for them to understand anything in lecture. Students praised his helpful summaries at the beginning of lecture, his clear explanations of the material, and his good blackboard technique. One student suggested that the examples worked in lecture need to be simplified, while another couple felt that the pace of lecture was too fast.

There was a general agreement that Professor Lomon did a poor job of teaching recitations. Students felt that his board technique was poor - he would cover the board as he wrote, then erase the board before people had an opportunity to copy the material. Professor Lomon was also described as unenthusiastic;his recitations being described by one student as "The ultimate cure for insomnia."