A&O SCI 101
Fundamentals of Atmospheric Dynamics and Thermodynamics
Description: Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Mathematics 3B or 31B, Physics 1B or 6B. Recommended: course 3. Introduction to atmospheric environment, with emphasis on thermodynamics, dynamics, and structure of atmosphere. Laws of thermodynamics; work, heat, and cyclic processes. Adiabatic processes, moisture, and atmospheric stability. Hydrostatic balance. Fundamental equations of motion, with applications to atmospheric flow. Circulation and vorticity. Letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Overall good professor. He's a fast lecturer so make sure to write quickly. Although he speaks fast, he is constantly asking "does it make sense?" so if you aren't keeping up, make sure to let him know and he will repeat it. Not many people raised their hand to clarify things, but I think everyone kind of just went with his teaching style. Homework sets are relatively easy. They usually refer back to the material presented in lecture so just go back to your notes. Midterm wasn't too hard either. He gives you a sample midterm and questions were similar to homework questions, just a little more challenging. As long as you understand the material, it's not hard. Final was not too bad either. Fovell makes the topic as interesting as possible, which isn't the easy task considering it's thermodynamics. He's a great professor and really cares about his students actually learning the material. Never went to office hours, but it wouldn't hurt.
Overall good professor. He's a fast lecturer so make sure to write quickly. Although he speaks fast, he is constantly asking "does it make sense?" so if you aren't keeping up, make sure to let him know and he will repeat it. Not many people raised their hand to clarify things, but I think everyone kind of just went with his teaching style. Homework sets are relatively easy. They usually refer back to the material presented in lecture so just go back to your notes. Midterm wasn't too hard either. He gives you a sample midterm and questions were similar to homework questions, just a little more challenging. As long as you understand the material, it's not hard. Final was not too bad either. Fovell makes the topic as interesting as possible, which isn't the easy task considering it's thermodynamics. He's a great professor and really cares about his students actually learning the material. Never went to office hours, but it wouldn't hurt.
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Most Helpful Review
Fall 2025 - This class was a good introduction to atmospheric thermodynamics. It was quite a lot of work and sometimes the problems on homework and exams could be pretty tough. Attendance is required and lectures are not typically recorded, but the lecture slides are posted and are pretty comprehensive. Overall I would take it again!
Fall 2025 - This class was a good introduction to atmospheric thermodynamics. It was quite a lot of work and sometimes the problems on homework and exams could be pretty tough. Attendance is required and lectures are not typically recorded, but the lecture slides are posted and are pretty comprehensive. Overall I would take it again!
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