MIT Subject Evaluations

8.513: Many-body Techniques in Condensed Matter Physics
Fall 1998 Summary

Lecturer: Professor Xiao-Gang Wen

Enrollment: 11
Number of students commenting: 8

8.513 is a graduate course on many-body techniques used in condensed matter physics.

Students sang the praises of Professor Wen. Adjectives like "great", "stimulating", and "enthusiastic" covered their comment sheets. There were a few negative comments, stating that the pace was too fast and that students "sometimes felt unclear as to what we were trying to solve," Most described Professor Wen as well-prepared, both in lecture and office hours, with a refreshing angle of presentation. One student called Professor Wen "My favorite teacher." The only suggestion of improvement given for Professor Wen was to erase the blackboards before beginning lecture.

The subject content also garnered many positive comments. Students thought that 8.513 was a great complement to traditional solid state classes, giving a good picture of current research in condensed matter theory, covering material which is often impossible to find in books. Students also felt the lecture notes were well written and helpful. The only complaints about subject content were that the course seemed to try to cover too much, with one student stating that he "would have liked to have seen FQH a bit earlier,"

Respondents suggested that the pace of 8.513 could be reduced, with more introductory material included. A few others felt that it would be better to do a few complete derivations instead of many incomplete ones, and asked for frequent reminders about the physics of the problems that are solved in class. Overall, students felt that 8.513 was a good class that delivered what it promised.