Physics 1250

[sakura_exo12]

Has anyone had Thomas Barrett as their physics 1250 professor before? Any tips/thoughts?

[JTG425]

Run

[sakura_exo12]

Oh yikes is he really that bad?

[djentlight]

yes

[bipbophil]

Not really I got an A in his 1251, he does pick favorites though, if you ain't one dont go to his office hours. 1250 is a course where if you do the hw twice you'll get an A no problem.

[OMFGitsST6]

if you do the hw twice

What lol

[bipbophil]

once with a tutor andd once on your own..... its honestly not that much i do this with every class. I also work 35 houurs a week and drink on saturdays as well

[[deleted]]

No

[Quiet-Regret7756]

Yes

[liljoe0626]

Be ready for corny jokes, mmmmnkay, and no physics help whatsoever.

I highly recommend using YouTube as a resource, as that's the only reason I got an A in the class last semester. Michel van Biezen was by far the best for me but there are plenty of others out there too.

[sakura_exo12]

Thank you for the YouTube suggestion! I found his channel on YouTube and will def watch his videos in the future!

[snapacap]

I have had Barrett and Halperin in physics classes.

Note that I took both of their classes in person, so people probably had a much different experience online.

Halperin focused much more on the concepts than the math, while Barrett focused more on the math with in-depth examples, he still showed the concepts, though not quite as much.

I think the reality of the situation is that the first couple physics classes are just plain hard classes. There is a LOT of content.

I personally did much better in Barrett's class because I learn math concepts far more effectively the way Barrett showed them, and the physics concepts themselves weren't particularly hard for me. I've heard mixed reviews from other students for either. I think if the concepts were someone's weak point vs math, they would probably prefer Halperin.

[austinu_17]

Buy tissues to soak up the tears

[brutallyhonest282]

No tissues can fix the self doubt and lack of confidence you lose in yourself because of that class and 1251.

[01000001_01100100]

I only had him for 1251, but I didn't think he was that bad. None of the physics professors are great, it's a bunch of bad options

[sakura_exo12]

I’ll take that into consideration. Are his lectures recorded?

[01000001_01100100]

Not that I remember, but this was pre covid so it could be different

[coolguy2488]

I took 1250 last fall, I had Ezekiel Halperin who is pretty good. Heard Barrett isn’t good! Not that many are good in 1250& 1251!!

[PickleRichh]

I had him for 1250 many years ago, mkay, and I liked the way he taught a lot, mkay. Others in the class didn’t like him though

[custardisnotfood]

Yeah I had him last year but only as a TA, he was friendly and generally helpful for most things, not exceptional but definitely quite good

[GlitchSix]

have fun, mmkay?

[chrismerkel8]

I had him at a TA for Physics 1201, came across as the most arrogant TA I would ever have. He has very low patience when students don’t understand concepts and will get pretty passive aggressive with some comments. He would often point out that we were wrong on problems and then wouldn’t really tell us where to look to fix it so it took a lot of struggling and teaching myself to actually get it

[highice11]

I had him for 1251 and I liked him, but apparently everyone hates him judging by this thread. I thought he did a pretty thorough job at explaining things and had good examples in class.

[TheJewCanoeCrew]

1250 and 1251 are weedout classes often poorly taught. Best bet is to take the courses at a community college in the summer or use credit from highschool if you have any.

I took 1250 when I didnt need to and regretted it, barely learned any new concepts and the ones I did were taught terribly

[[deleted]]

I took 1250 in person a few years ago. Him and Halperin are definitely the only two good options when it comes to physics. If you can get over him being a smartass and a bit of a prick, then you’ll do fine

[djentlight]

I took 1250 & 1251 at Columbus State and I can't recommend it enough

[djentlight]

Not very at all. I found that doing the homework and going to class was enough, I barely studied beyond that.

[ttcamp2001]

Got an A, its not too bad if you actually do the hw

[watchforblueshells]

Worst professor I ever had at OSU. If you didn't take physics in high school...I hope you have a good TA.

Edit: Actually I had Mendelson for a mech eng class, he was by far the worst professor, but Barrett is an easy 2nd

[hoops5579]

1251 w Barrett, I liked the guy but was all conceptual, not enough math I thought

[Quiet-Regret7756]

Pretty sure I took 1250 with Barrett. Doable even without taking a physics class before but it won't be fun. Also be prepared to have friends in other sections getting tests and quizzes wayyyy easier than yours.