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Learner Reviews & Feedback for How Things Work: An Introduction to Physics by University of Virginia

4.8
stars
2,953 ratings

About the Course

An introduction to physics in the context of everyday objects....

Top reviews

IP

Mar 29, 2022

Loved this course I thought it was a great course for the Introduction to Physics. It was easy enough to understand and Lu had a strong passion for what he was teaching. All in all great course. 10/10

E

Sep 25, 2023

Wonderful course, I enjoyed every second. It opened my eyes to get insight and understand many topics on which I wasn't clear. Completely different to all previous experiences. Would highly recommend.

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1 - 25 of 896 Reviews for How Things Work: An Introduction to Physics

By Will Y

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Jun 22, 2017

Great introduction to Physics. I use the concepts taught in this course frequently in everyday life. Professor Bloomfield explains concepts very clearly without getting overly mathematical.

By Harish R

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May 30, 2020

Excellent Course for someone who seeks to learn Physics and its applications. Professor Bloomfield is Exceptional as he explains concepts with practical examples. Definitely a highly worthy course!!!

By Kris c

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Jun 18, 2017

I am a homeschool mom to an 11 yr old boy. He took this course and really enjoyed it. The demonstrations of physics at work made the information very intersting and accessible to him.

By Yu L

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Mar 29, 2018

Love the course. Energetic and brilliant instructor! Easy to understand, even for me, someone who learned Eng as the third language, someone who currently has a 15mo, and someone who had never paid attention in Physics classes growing up. (Hmm, musician, just typical!) I, however, do have two suggestions, if I may:

I would suggest to unlock the quiz. I know that it's a paid content. But, isn't Coursera a place that encourages learning instead of learning for a certificate? Those who want the certificate could pay for it after they are done with the class.

Forgive me if someone else has already mentioned this: In the early class, there was a video showing Lou running up stairs and stops. I think it would be fair, if we also considered the very beginning moment(still) to start running. (I think the options started from "already" moving instead of from no movement to movement)

I certainly hope to take more classes by Louis from now on. (Yes, feel free to quote me in the petition!)

By Abhay V

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May 10, 2020

It is a fabulous course.During the Entire Course I feel A Great Enthusiasm in my own.I loved this course..Thanks to profesor Louis A. Bloomfield & University of Virginia For there great contribution.

By Manjot S

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May 7, 2020

Mind blowing.. excellent study by Prof. Bloomfield. Hatsoff to you sir. Very excellent representation of physics concepts by taking interesting examples. Good Pesonalited Professor i have ever seen .

By Corrie

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Oct 27, 2018

The course was simple and easy to follow! I enjoyed Professor Bloomfield's teaching very much! I definitely would recommend it for anyone who is curious about the basic principles of science!

By Margaret R

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Jan 7, 2016

This course is brilliant, because it has the potential to reach the masses of individuals that would otherwise be left out of the world of physics. I'm talking about students that think they are too busy, too slow, too old, not smart enough, etc. This is an 'at your own pace' class, which I really appreciated for learning concepts in physics. The way this course accomplishes this amazing feat is by presenting everyday physical actions like dropped balls out of three story windows, or manned wheeled carts gliding across the floor, or bumper car physics explained with air hockey games, and then explaining the laws of physics that are behind the 'actions'. Knowing the physics behind what we see everyday is so enriching, and my eyes are much wider now. This course, taught by Dr. Louis Bloomfield, is also amusing and entertaining, as Dr. Bloomfield races up and down the steps of the empty University of Virginia Physics building for the dropped ball gravity experiments, or crashes himself (standing on a wheeled cart) into the wall to illustrate energy and momentum transfer. (he has really good balance and stamina!) I really hope there is a 'How MORE Things Work' soon! My appetite is whetted.

By Muhammad F Z

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Jul 3, 2020

This course was exceptional, outstanding, and unprecedented. This course truly deserves appreciation. Professor Louis Bloomfield has left me in awe of his exceptional work. His hard work, dedication, commitment towards the course and to deliver knowledge voluntarily for the benefit of students is highly commendable. I am an Engineer and have taken a number of Physics courses in school, college, and university, this one is way ahead of them. I have also done a few courses on Coursera and have found this course the best till now. It is highly recommended to anyone who genuinely wants to learn Physics and loves it. The people who have no prior knowledge of Physics can also take this course to learn its basic concepts in an amusing way. Believe me! you will not find a better Physics professor than Professor Louis Bloomfield.

By Chaitali S

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Apr 30, 2020

This is among the most fun courses that I have come across, that is not only entertaining, but also highly informative. The professor's enthusiasm is infectious and it makes the subject all the more exciting. This perspective into the study of physics is highly needed in fundamental courses taught at college and university level. I must say that I have become a fan of Prof. Bloomsfield and would definitely enroll in any further courses provided by him. The video editing is amazing as it helps in envisioning concepts involved in the working of things. I am glad I took this course as it improved my understanding of the fundamental laws of the world.

By Deleted A

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Jun 2, 2020

Excellent course which explains basic physics in an enjoyable and entertaining manner. The professor teaches excellently and with the highest enthusiasm to impart and involve you in the subject.

By Sylvia Q

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Sep 7, 2019

Really enjoyed this course! I'm in my 50s and just started exploring courses in my spare time for fun. Physics in my high school was poorly taught, so when I saw this course's reviews, including several thumbs up from other grateful physics teachers, I gave it a go - and promptly got hooked. Bloomfield is wonderfully animated and clear, his demonstrations are illuminating and frequently humorous (how often do you find THAT in a course!), and his lessons explain the mechanics of things we observe every day without going into overly advanced, technical discussions. Highly recommend!

By Pierangela M

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Feb 4, 2019

I enrolled me in these course after having bought the book "How thing work". I found this course great, because all the example made during the course make the concepts easy to be understood, and my insight about mechanics has enhanced a lot. It has been not only interesting but even funny to watch the videos. I have a degree in Physics and I teach Physics in a high school in Italy. After having followed these course I will use in the classroom many of the suggestion, the course gave me, to make the concepts more affordable for young people that have many difficulties with physics and math.

How thing work make Physics simple and interesting for everybody! I hope that these course will have other section about thermodynamics, electromagnetism and so on, because for me is a source of inspiration for my job and a wonderful method to revise all the topics, discovering always new insight. Dear Louis thank a lot for your work!!

By Haad A

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Jun 3, 2020

This course is wonderfully designed to understand the basic concepts of physics by relating it with the practical examples of our daily life. This course will help me to revise physics concepts which i learn a long time ago. But, the most interesting thing is that, I have never learn the thing from that prospective what this course has conveyed. Besides, the live view from the universities of Virginia and performing the examples practically by interacting with volunteering audience make it more excited. Professor has presented the hidden aspects in a very beautiful graphical manner. Highly Recommended for the engineers and science lover.

By Nanci A

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Oct 9, 2015

What a wonderful class! The instructor, Louis Bloomfield, made so many concepts of physics understandable. His continual use of visual aids and moving objects was extremely helpful. The class was both fun and challenging. The quizzes are not simple; you really have to think about what you were taught and apply the concepts to new situations, but they were fair and achievable. I had never taken a physic class before and am so glad that I chose this one! I highly recommend it.

By Nehir K

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Jun 1, 2020

This course really helped me understand the basiz of physics. Lou's way to teach really entartaining. And also with the experiments he did really helped. I recommend this course to everybody interested in science, not in jusy physics.

By Supriya C

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May 31, 2020

Very interesting and joyful course full of demonstrations. I could learn the basics of mechanical physics in a very joyful manner. The instructor is full of positive energy and huge enthusiasm towards teaching and does it meticulously

By Anabel C

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Jun 3, 2020

The course is fun, and Professor explains the topics well. He helped me see Physics in the real world, and better understand it. There is a quiz every week and a final exam. Super fun, you should definitely take this course.

By Jan R S

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Dec 9, 2015

I wouldnt want it any other way. Im in week 2 so far, and while I have some questions wrong occaisonally, thats mostly because I get confused with the words since im not a native english speaker (and a guy that thinks in weird, complicated ways) .

The Professor takes his time, gives many, thought out and easygoing examples and seems to really enjoy what hes doing. He wants you to learn, he wants you to know, he even wants you to have fun and hes does everything in his power to make you really get a feel for physics and its basic concepts.

This is learning of the future right here, online, for everyone.

Thank you so much for putting this up!

By Jeanette O

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Oct 22, 2017

This course is a great introduction to the laws of motion, particularly for individuals without much math background or with rusty math skills. The content is well structured, and Dr. Bloomfield's use of relatable, real world examples facilitates learning of the concepts, which one starts to notice and think about in every day life. Further, Dr. Bloomfield's delivery is engaging and personable, making the videos enjoyable to watch. I would love to see the rest of How Things Work turned into online courses, and would definitely enroll in them.

By Saddam T

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Jun 14, 2020

I really enjoyed this course. Thank you so much for offering such an amazing course. In this course learned how real world things work and the physics behind them. I am waiting for season 2 of this course.

Thanking you in anticipation

( Saddam Tamboli )

By Isaiah P

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Mar 30, 2022

Loved this course I thought it was a great course for the Introduction to Physics. It was easy enough to understand and Lu had a strong passion for what he was teaching. All in all great course. 10/10

By Dr.Jitendra K

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Jun 27, 2020

tremendous efforts done by the Professor, not only for students but also for the parent who really wish to impart the practical knowledge of basics of physics to their children!!!

Thanks a lot.

By Prajwal D P

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Jun 1, 2020

This course is awesome and professor is very good at explaining all concepts. I have learned slot in this course. And suggest everyone who wants to wash up their concepts related to physics.

By Parikh I

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Apr 12, 2020

i learnt a lot from this course, things I never wondered about, I thank Mr.Bloomfield and encourage him to continue teaching physics. I am waiting for another season for how things work.