Hey i am going to take physics 1B03 next year. It is available with both Hughes and Yavin, does anyone have any insight onto which of these profs is better? Or are they similar?

Anyone who has had them for 1B03 and could tell me anything, it would be greatly appreciated

Thanks!

They were both amazing profs. A lot of people really liked Yavin especially, because he'd talk alot about his interesting research in class (dark matter or something). Despite that, when Yavin/Hughes taught first term, people were given less time on their midterms (second term got 30 minutes more than first term) and they also omitted a lot of equations for the midterm/final exam, while second term got every equation (even some that aren't even covered in the course).

I had Dr. Yavin for 1B03 last year(he was a new prof) and he is one of my favorite profs at mac. Dr. Yavin genuinly cares about his students and he goes out of his way to explain concepts to students (during and after class). He had office hours very often and was very quick to respond to emails. Prior to midterms and the exam he held extra review sessions(which is something not many first year profs tend to do.). He also makes physics more "fun" by playing youtube videos relating to the lecture topics.



Here is his website (he still has the past lecture notes for physics 1b03 posted up):
http://www.physics.mcmaster. ca/~ya...03/past-weeks/

I had Hughes. Lectures started with ~3 questions of iClickers based off textbook readings, which counted to your mark. Some people didn't like her style because she had no notes - just some scribbles and drawings on the board, and she liked picking on people to answer questions ... i.e. "you, in the orange shirt..." She really encouraged discussing questions and more iClickers (different from the first; these were not for marks) by having you "turn to your neighbour" and talk it out. You definitely don't get sleepy at her lectures, because she keeps you thinking with lots of focus on application-based questions and demos. She definitely knows her material and she's evidently very into it. She's also welcoming to mobs of students that have questions after class.

The second midterm was a little easier than the first, but both were tough, as was the exam.

Also, Hughes and Yavin used different textbooks but I think most people preferred the one Hughes used (Physics for Scientists and Engineers). Of course, that's pretty minor, but good to know.

Hughes teaches you all the tricks in 1B03. I hear Yavin is great too, haven't had him personally. I know Hughes is a great prof, but very informal.

I had Yavin for Physics 1B03 last year, and Hughes subbed in for him once. He is definitely the more likeable one; he really is a great prof. Classes were always interesting and funny. He shows videos, gives problems in class to let you think about the answers, and really cares about his students. That being said, I didn't like his textbook as much (it was very cheap but was mostly just problems and answers). I found myself enjoying class a lot but not learning as much as maybe in Hughes' classes. She taught us once, she was definitely more scary as she asked random people questions in class, but I have a feeling that maybe her students learned more because of that. If you do choose to take Yavin, remember that classes will give you the interest and the passion to do physics, but at the end of the day you will do most of the learning by yourself doing practice questions and CAPA. He tries to hep you as much as he can though, so choosing between the profs is just a matter of your learning style and preferences.

Yavin for sure! He has only taught once before (the first being when I took it with him) but he is an awesome prof. His teaching style is great and is very approachable if you have any questions.

YAVIN !!!!!!!