Physics at Purdue

[Smokestack91]

With our latest Physics major announced, it reminded me that I took one Physics class at Purdue -- fall 1987, with the great Professor Van Neie. Todd Mitchell was in the class (there's my additional basketball reference). That class also received a mention in the Exponent one day that fall when audio from the McDonald's drive-thru across the street was broadcast over the PA system in the class. Good times.

 

[HarrysPostGame13]

Physics was a bear of a class. I took the easy route and knocked em out at IUPUI in the summer. My GPA thanked me.

 

[GaffneyBoiler]

I was a physics major, so spent many a days in the physics building. Remember Van Neie, but never had him as a professor.

 

[BNIBoiler]

Physics 152 did its job and knocked me into the School of Technology.

 

[hunterdogg]

Physics 152 did its job and knocked me into the School of Technology.

I remember walking out of the Physics 152 final (held in Lambert Fieldhouse) KNOWING that I got one answer correct. I had at least some bit of doubt on every other one.

 

[samcboiler]

Hear this one from Physics 152 in mid 80s where the Prof (V. Johnson) was put on probation after this semester. First exam had 20 multiple choice questions all with 5 answers. You get the question right, you get 5 points, wrong -1, leave it blank 0... High score out of 500+ kids was an 88 (18 right, 2 wrong). Low score -18. Average was between 15-20 as I recall. I got 3 right and 13 wrong. You can do the math. I cried after that one and now I think its hilarious and truly enjoy telling the story. I somehow got a D in the class and retook it only to squeak by with a C. That green physics book was better than any sleeping aid in college. Open it up and 10 minutes later, you are narcing hard... I sincerely respect all Physics majors as they have some very unique minds. GO BOILERS!!!

 

[Cthreepo]

Hear this one from Physics 152 in mid 80s where the Prof (V. Johnson) was put on probation after this semester. First exam had 20 multiple choice questions all with 5 answers. You get the question right, you get 5 points, wrong -1, leave it blank 0... High score out of 500+ kids was an 88 (18 right, 2 wrong). Low score -18. Average was between 15-20 as I recall. I got 3 right and 13 wrong. You can do the math. I cried after that one and now I think its hilarious and truly enjoy telling the story. I somehow got a D in the class and retook it only to squeak by with a C. That green physics book was better than any sleeping aid in college. Open it up and 10 minutes later, you are narcing hard... I sincerely respect all Physics majors as they have some very unique minds. GO BOILERS!!!

I was in his class also. Got 15 on that first test. Killed me.

 

[mathboy]

Physics was always a bear. I originally majored in it, that is until I met with Electromagnetic Theory - 300 level class IIRC. The radio wave strength calculations based on different configurations of transmitting towers baffled me. I still recall my utter frustration at trying to understand that part of the subject. For some reason, it just eluded me. In my time it was a required class for a Physics major. Needless to say, I found I was very close to a Math major, so I switched. I graduated with a degree in Math & Computer Science, one class short of a major in Physics.

Still have nightmares about radio towers...

 

[BoilerJS]

Hear this one from Physics 152 in mid 80s where the Prof (V. Johnson) was put on probation after this semester. First exam had 20 multiple choice questions all with 5 answers. You get the question right, you get 5 points, wrong -1, leave it blank 0... High score out of 500+ kids was an 88 (18 right, 2 wrong). Low score -18. Average was between 15-20 as I recall. I got 3 right and 13 wrong. You can do the math. I cried after that one and now I think its hilarious and truly enjoy telling the story. I somehow got a D in the class and retook it only to squeak by with a C. That green physics book was better than any sleeping aid in college. Open it up and 10 minutes later, you are narcing hard... I sincerely respect all Physics majors as they have some very unique minds. GO BOILERS!!!

Physics 242, the average was 18, the same grading scheme as you described.
I got a whopping -8. I still pulled a C out of the class.
My daughter, a Chemical Engineer major who managed 4 perfect 4.0’s, called me up balling after her 242 test. She said it was the hardest test she ever had and thought for sure she flunked it.
She ended up the curve buster with a 62.
I wish Trey luck.

 

[wallyboiler79]

I remember walking out of the Physics 152 final (held in Lambert Fieldhouse) KNOWING that I got one answer correct. I had at least some bit of doubt on every other one.

I remember my Physics 152 final in the armory in fall 1976. The sun was straight overhead shining through the glass at the top of the armory. I could'nt read my TI SR-50. Somehow I managed a B and Physics 241 seemed easier.

 

[Purdue85]

Physics was always a bear. I originally majored in it, that is until I met with Electromagnetic Theory - 300 level class IIRC. The radio wave strength calculations based on different configurations of transmitting towers baffled me. I still recall my utter frustration at trying to understand that part of the subject. For some reason, it just eluded me. In my time it was a required class for a Physics major. Needless to say, I found I was very close to a Math major, so I switched. I graduated with a degree in Math & Computer Science, one class short of a major in Physics.

Still have nightmares about radio towers...

Want nightmares about radio towers?
Watch this until the end:

 

[Purdue Grad in Texas]

With our latest Physics major announced, it reminded me that I took one Physics class at Purdue -- fall 1987, with the great Professor Van Neie. Todd Mitchell was in the class (there's my additional basketball reference). That class also received a mention in the Exponent one day that fall when audio from the McDonald's drive-thru across the street was broadcast over the PA system in the class. Good times.

Physics 251 with Professor Klontz, RIP. Retired in '92 and lived until age 96, passing recently a couple of years ago. One of my fond recollections of this class involved one of our fellow students who adamantly maintained that the optimum temperature for learning was 37 degrees Fahrenheit.....when he insisted that the examination site conditions provide for this, Professor Klontz "politely declined" his request.

 

[3generboiler]

Physics 152 did its job and knocked me into the School of Technology.

and me into Krannert! It turned out to be a blessing but every once in a while..a bad dream of a 22 out of 100.. and I wake to remember it’s true! The average was 29 but that didn’t help!

It does make sense for Physics to be a major at Purdue.. as I recall, many of the problems started with ..”two trains are traveling ...” oh good lord

 

[buffboiler]

Hear this one from Physics 152 in mid 80s where the Prof (V. Johnson) was put on probation after this semester. First exam had 20 multiple choice questions all with 5 answers. You get the question right, you get 5 points, wrong -1, leave it blank 0... High score out of 500+ kids was an 88 (18 right, 2 wrong). Low score -18. Average was between 15-20 as I recall.

Professor Fox was the Mech Engineering Dean then. So many ME majors failing Physics, Dr Fox went to talk to Physics Dean that only Mech Engineering Dept has the right to flunk its own students. Things got better after that for ME majors taking Physics..

 

[Darren579]

Want nightmares about radio towers?
Watch this until the end:

View embedded media

You couldn’t pay me enough money to do that radio tower repair job. I got uneasy just watching the video.

 

[purduepat1969]

I can't remember the names of the physics courses I took in the fall of '87 and the spring of '88 as part of freshman engineering. The fall course was relatively easy. The spring course was a bear and as some said earlier in the thread, it was graded on a curve. The other crazy course graded on a curve was the metallurgical engineering course required for mechanical engineers. The professor was too intelligent to be a teacher...

 

[buffboiler]

The other crazy course graded on a curve was the metallurgical engineering course required for mechanical engineers. The professor was too intelligent to be a teacher...

Like my first Metallurgy exam was a thick 12 to 15 page booklet, problems worth 1 to 2 pts each until last couple pages. If you did not glanced the last few pages where problems were worth 5 pts or more, students were screwed. I remember the average was so bad, its score was diluted with an additional exam for the semester..

What crazy memories..

 

[boilertrm]

Thanks to everyone for all the nightmare memories of being an engineering major in 1968-1972 taking Physics 151, 152, 251, 252. Plus 4 semesters of Calculus and 2 semesters of Chemistry. They do their best to make students change their major. Fortunately, I barely made it with my BS degree.

 

[TopSecretBoiler]

How has no one mentioned C.H.I.P. was i the only one that had to deal with that??

 

[CoBo]

Hear this one from Physics 152 in mid 80s where the Prof (V. Johnson) was put on probation after this semester. First exam had 20 multiple choice questions all with 5 answers. You get the question right, you get 5 points, wrong -1, leave it blank 0... High score out of 500+ kids was an 88 (18 right, 2 wrong). Low score -18. Average was between 15-20 as I recall. I got 3 right and 13 wrong. You can do the math. I cried after that one and now I think its hilarious and truly enjoy telling the story. I somehow got a D in the class and retook it only to squeak by with a C. That green physics book was better than any sleeping aid in college. Open it up and 10 minutes later, you are narcing hard... I sincerely respect all Physics majors as they have some very unique minds. GO BOILERS!!!

I was in high school (WLHS) in the mid-80s. A friend of mine took that physics class at Purdue (don't remember which year) and got the highest score in the class. He said that he didn't need to study for that class because he would just "derive the equation" he needed to answer the question. He went to MIT and graduated in 3 years with a double major in math and computer science.

I surprised myself when I graduated from college and had a minor in math. Now I can't even help my teenage son with his math homework.

RDP and Boiler Up!

CoBo

 

[clbndgm]

Want nightmares about radio towers?
Watch this until the end:

View embedded media

OMG! That was painful. I skipped to the end but could not take 7+ minutes of that. The hourly rate for that job is too low- whatever it is. My respect and admiration to those that can do this- but you are all crazy, man!!

 

[mathboy]

Want nightmares about radio towers?
Watch this until the end:

View embedded media

Nope! That was worse than calculating the signal strength 5 miles out. No way would I ever do that job.

 

[DrEss]

Physics 152 did its job and knocked me into the School of Technology.

Man, this thread is giving me the DTs. In the spring of 80 I took this course’s midterm and filled out a CODO the next day towards the School of Mgmt. Graduated In 83 with a BSIM with a minor in Construction Engineering. 37+ years later, cannot complain at all. Very blessed.

 

[3generboiler]

Man, this thread is giving me the DTs. In the spring of 80 I took this course’s midterm and filled out a CODO the next day towards the School of Mgmt. Graduated In 83 with a BSIM with a minor in Construction Engineering. 37+ years later, cannot complain at all. Very blessed.

love this story! I took the famous 1985 exam and CODO’d after the semester from engineering to Krannert .. BSIM/IE and also very blessed by what turned out to be a great change .. although it took a semester or 3 to get my confidence back lol

 

[seminolesboilers]

I remember taking a campus visit to Purdue when I was deciding on a meteorology school. Knowing I would have to take calculus based physics and hearing how hard physics classes were at Purdue...I made a visit to the Physics building . When I arrived at the building and upon entering...staring me in the face in a glass case was a PHY 152 (Mechanics and Motion) exam w/scores. Needless to say...all the low scores "scared" me off to Miami of Ohio in Oxford for my physics classes before arriving on the Purdue campus. Good Luck...Trey!