Tannenbaum is a pretty good professor, considering that he's new to teaching. I think those first few scary reviews he got were written right after his first midterm which, i agree, was way too long for the amount of time we were given, but i think that was Tannenbaum's first exam he'd ever written and he admitted that it was a bit long and made up for it in the second midterm and final, which were much easier and do-able than the first exam. Make sure you study most of the laws and theorems and be able to briefly explain their concepts [for ex. Law of Inertia: An object in motion will tend to stay in motion and if at rest, will tend to stay at rest - that's it!] You do hafta keep up with the Demos done in class, but it's not that big of a deal as the other reviews are making it out to be, just make sure that you get the name of the demo [if he forgets to announce it, just stop him and ASK!], the principle that's being demonstrated, and just be able to generally describe what the heck is going on. If you've never taken Physics before you'll hafta do a 'lil more work to understand the concepts and stuff and catch up to par with the rest of the class [about half of us have some kind of physics background from HS, which, of course, makes this course so much easier and these are the people you're competing for grades with] - just read the chapters assigned and you should be fine and, if you need to, don't be afraid to go to Office Hours or give him a quick IM - he's really nice and approachable. Oh, and try to attend his review sessions, they're pretty helpful if you ask the right questions. Take Tannenbaum, his lectures are pretty well structured and in a sort of vernacular/layman's tone, which makes it easier to understand; his exams are reasonable, just make sure you study even if you think you know the concepts; he grades on a reasonable curve; he's an interesting guy, he won't lull you to sleep if you put some effort into paying attention unlike some profs where no matter how hard you try you just can't stay awake!; and he's not too hard on the eyes - give me a break! 95% of the Profs here are pretty groady... ;D

nice guy (good-looking too =), but difficult material, especially if you have not taken physics before. going to class is highly recommended, especially paying attention to demos...he puts the grades online, which is very helpful, and is always available...the reviews were were a waste of time, a review sheet or something would have been nice. other than that, it was an interesting class, highly recommended.

This professor is really good! He always makes himself available, whether through office hours or even online!! He is always on AOL instant messaging and yahoo instant messaging, so whenever you have a question, you can always IM him and he always gets back to you. And he would take the time to explain to you whatever you do not understand. In class, he also has an effective way of teaching. He has lecture slides that pretty much sum up what you gotta know for the exams. What I like most is that he posts the slides, exam solutions, homework solutions, and your grades online so that you're updated. His tests are challenging, but if you go to all the lectures (pay special attention to the demonstrations) and study hard, you'll be fine.

great guy, great teacher, knows his stuff but forgets that we're actually still learning it.

I don't know about the other reviews, but I thought Dr. Tannenbaum was awesome. I actually took AP Physics in high school and yet I learned more in this class than I learned in the AP class. He has a cool way of explaining complicated things in a simple way so that you will understand it. And who said you're not supposed to study hard in Physics for Poets?? It's not called "Easy Physics for People Who Don't Want To Study". Anyway, I got a LOT out of this class -- I'm even going to take more physics classes now because of Professor Tannenbaum. Yes, he does move a little fast, but he has no qualms about stopping at any point to explain ANYTHING to you. He's an extremeley nice guy who's always there to answer questions or just chat with you. I highly recommend him, especially if you are worried about taking physics because you think it's too hard...JUST GO FOR IT and take it with Dr. Tannenbaum!!
P.S. KEEP TRACK OF THE DEMOS HE DOES IN CLASS - they'll come back to haunt you :)

physics for poets with tannenbaum isn't physics for poets at all. it's too hard to be conceptual physics. he's a nice guy though. but the thing is, the material whizzes by too fast, and you're kinda stuck in front of your computer going over the lectures notes online while you flip through the book and tear your hair out. the exams totally catch you off guard! i know i was. he's a totally nice guy though. really cool to talk to and easy going.

Benn seems very new to the teaching scene, and doesn't really know what he's doing yet. He lectures with powerpoint overheads, which he goes through at a VERY rapid pace, and seems to brush off most of the questions that are asked. He is a particle physicist, and knows a lot about his field, but messes up the simplest facts about other areas of physics. On one slide, he wrote that red light has a shorter wavelength than blue light, and the class had to argue with him to prove him wrong. He speaks very fast and mumbles at the ends of his sentences, and seems to be nervous throughout the the whole class. He does make an effort to teach, but its not very effective.

Well, this teacher goes over the material extremely fast. One chapter in half an hour! Well, his tests are so long that nobody could finish them. Even if you read the book, it is still hard because he does not know how to explain the material clearly.