2024 Fall
ASTRON C180 001 - LEC 001
Formerly Physics C101/Astronomy C101
Order-Of-Magnitude Physics
Eugene Chiang
Class #:32613
Units: 4
Instruction Mode:
In-Person Instruction
Offered through
Astronomy
Current Enrollment
Total Open Seats:
19
Enrolled: 12
Waitlisted: 0
Capacity: 31
Waitlist Max: 5
No Reserved Seats
Also offered as:
PHYSICS C180
Hours & Workload
9 hours of outside work hours per week, 1 hours of the exchange of opinions or questions on course material per week, and 3 hours of instructor presentation of course materials per week.
Final Exam
TUE, DECEMBER 17TH
03:00 pm - 06:00 pm
Anthro/Art Practice Bldg 160
Other classes by Eugene Chiang
+ 1 Independent Study
Course Catalog Description
Learn how to understand the world around you to within a factor of 10, how to solve real-life problems from physical first principles, how to make ill-posed questions well-posed, and how to sketch solutions quickly and avoid long and formal derivations. These skills build physical intuition and are crucial for all lines of work, especially research. You will learn how to guess intelligently, how to follow your hunches while guided by the laws of physics, and how to maximize understanding from just a modicum of information --- how to reason inductively and quantitatively. All of undergraduate physics --- mechanics, E&M, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics --- will be covered in useful, memorable, and entertaining ways.
Class Notes
Mastery of Physics 7 series or Physics 5 series. Preferably at least 1 upper-division course in the physical sciences. Also suitable for Physics graduate students.
Rules & Requirements
Repeat Rules
Course is not repeatable for credit.
Reserved Seats
Current Enrollment
No Reserved Seats
Textbooks & Materials
See class syllabus or https://calstudentstore.berkeley.edu/textbooks for the most current information.
Guide to Open, Free, & Affordable Course Materials