Katsushi Arisaka
Department of Physics
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4.2
Overall Rating
Based on 46 Users
Easiness 2.8 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.6 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Needs Textbook
  • Engaging Lectures
  • Appropriately Priced Materials
  • Snazzy Dresser
  • Often Funny
  • Would Take Again
  • Uses Slides
  • Tolerates Tardiness
  • Is Podcasted
GRADE DISTRIBUTIONS
23.4%
19.5%
15.6%
11.7%
7.8%
3.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

17.5%
14.6%
11.7%
8.7%
5.8%
2.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

13.4%
11.2%
8.9%
6.7%
4.5%
2.2%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

18.1%
15.1%
12.0%
9.0%
6.0%
3.0%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

17.5%
14.6%
11.7%
8.8%
5.8%
2.9%
0.0%
A+
A
A-
B+
B
B-
C+
C
C-
D+
D
D-
F

Grade distributions are collected using data from the UCLA Registrar’s Office.

ENROLLMENT DISTRIBUTIONS
Clear marks

Sorry, no enrollment data is available.

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Reviews (38)

1 of 4
1 of 4
Add your review...
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: NR
March 12, 2019

This is a review for Physics 5C which is the the successor of 6B. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH ARISAKA!!!!
1. His accent is hard to understand
2. His lectures are pointless. He spends the entire time either deriving all these random equations using other random equations. P.s. He's in love with Gauss' Law, which he doesn't adequately explain
3. All his lecture slides reuse the same exact information almost every single week. He rushes through everything not explaining conceptually.
4. His exams are a direct copy of his discussion sheets with an extra "hard" problem.
5. He does not let you use a calculator, or cheat sheet with the equations.
6. His lectures do not help. His mastering physics homework does not help. In all honesty, the best thing to do is to get help from the TAs and memorize the discussion sheets.
7. On the plus side, the class was not that bad. But I had a background in physics (IBHL Physics) which kinda helped. But, if you've never taken IBHL, AP Physics B/C, good luck.
Oh, and try asking him questions. He'll go off topic and shrug it off.

Helpful?

3 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2018
Grade: B+
Dec. 21, 2019

REVIEW FOR PHYSICS 5C
Do not take this class if you are not able to focus on it and put in the work. The prof has a very hard accent to understand so basically going to lecture was not helpful at all and I had to learn the material from the TA or on my own. I will say the exams are similar to the discussion questions he gives you but always makes an effort to include "hard questions" so that if you do not get these hard ones right you wont get an A. In hindsight if I had enough time to put into this class, I probably would have done better but try to take it with another professor if you can, your life will be easier

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
March 29, 2019

(Review for 5C ). Many reviews and rumors are mixed about Arisaka. After taking the course, I'll try to give you the highlights about things that I was wondering when I signed up for his class.
This is the course breakdown (the course is weighted, so the percentages are the weight of that item in the final grade):

Midterm 1: 10% (average was 75%)
Midterm 2: 15% (average was 78%)
Lab/HW: 30%
Final Exam: 40% (average was 75%)
*Final Report*: 5%
What's the "final report?" Well, the last week of class, Arisaka lectured on his research into why life exists and how the universe came about. He sprung this report (questions about his last lectures) on us in the end of week 9, but it was based on completion.
The rest of the course is generally unremarkable. He gives weekly "workshops" on Sundays where he goes over the weekly worksheets, which are practice exam questions (he will change the problems slightly for exams). Discussion is helpful as they solve the hardest worksheet questions for you. Lab was easy, they have detailed instructions and grade entirely on completion. He provides extended office hours for struggling students, which is nice of him.
Let's talk about final exam and the final grade distribution. The final exam basically determines your grade. It's got a heavy weight, and it was harder than the midterms. Most of the final was easy, hence 75 average, but there was a chunk of it that was tough; 10% of the class was able to get above 90% on the final. Now, this is the part that I was wondering about the whole quarter; the curve. Grades in the A/high B range are essentially on a straight scale. He told us his cutoffs in his final email to us:
A+ 95 - 100
A 92 - 95
A- 89 - 92
B+ 85 - 89
B 81- 85
B- 75 - 81
C+ 70 - 75
C 65 - 70
C- 50 - 65
D+ 45 - 50
D 40 - 55
F 0 - 40
I got an 87% on the final, solid on everything else, & finished at 92% overall grade, got an A. What's interesting is that, throughout the quarter, he kept promising us that he curves to 90% as the A cutoff. From the cutoffs above, this is obviously not true and many people were upset about the misinformation. In general, he brushes people's questions off with misinformation or just not responding (especially to email). He seems nice on the surface, but I found him to be unpleasant because of how he dealt with communication.
Closing remarks: There are definitely tougher physics professors, but they probably curve more than Arisaka. If you have to take the course with him, keep in mind that the final probably won't save you, so work hard to ace the midterms. Do ALL the busy work (labs, worksheets etc.) as your buffers.

TL;DR it is a doable course, not too difficult, but teacher has bad communication.
Good luck!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
March 18, 2019

Review for 5C:
Honestly, Professor Arisaka is really hard to understand, but if you make the effort to go to his review sessions which he holds every weekend he's not too bad. His exams have nearly EXACTLY what he gives you for homework. Going to lectures isn't terribly helpful but the discussions are really nice because they basically give you homework answers there. When it comes down to it though, Arisaka is a really nice guy. He emails us every single class period reminding us of what homework we need to get done and he teaches really cool concepts about the universe at the end of the quarter. If you're gonna take him just redo the homework before an exam and it's pretty much a guaranteed A or B.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A+
June 27, 2017

Ever had a professor that cooked a hot dog in class to teach a physics concept and afterwards put it on a bun with ketchup and ate it? If you have, you probably took Professor Arisaka's class. I had the honor of taking Professor Arisaka's Physics 6B class, and I have to say his class was one of my favorites out of all the classes I have taken. He's funny, approachable, helpful, and extremely passionate about not only physics but existential ideas and C. elegans. He also uses funny metaphors to explain concepts, which I still remember and understand today. His lectures were always entertaining and never was there a dull moment. He made physics fun for me, and I'm grateful for all that I've learned from his class. He provides practice tests, which prepare you very well for his exams, and occasionally he'll switch things up and throw in something he covered in lecture (and not necessarily something he tested on before). Otherwise, as long as you try and put in some effort to learn and understand what he tells you, you'll be fine. Honestly, this class was very enjoyable, but don't take it for granted. You still have to put in effort if you want to do well. Luckily, Arisaka makes Physics 6B, known to be the hardest of the series, very manageable.

Helpful?

1 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: A+
May 30, 2017

I had the privilege of enrolling into Dr. Arisaka's Physics 6B class in the winter of 2016, and I must state one, very important thing: this man will win the Nobel Prize. The immense honor and privilege that I feel from simply basking in the presence of this man is beyond comprehension, and the knowledge that professor Arisaka imbued has remained with me to this point in my career.

Dr. Arisaka genuinely cares for the success, as well as the well-being of his students as evident in his emailing of individual students who are struggling in the class. Many of my classmates have received the email, and by the end of the quarter, they were able to exit with a profound understanding and appreciation for physics.

Electricity and magnetism are not trivial concepts; yet somehow, the professor is able to deconstruct these difficult topics into digestible, highly intuitive bites.

The professor's compassion, brilliance, and charisma most certainly strikes a cord into the hearts of all that have the privilege of taking his class, and I am so grateful to have been a disciple to this amazing man.

Helpful?

2 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: A+
May 30, 2017

I had the privilege of enrolling into Dr. Arisaka's Physics 6B class in the winter of 2016, and I must state one, very important thing: this man will win the Nobel Prize. The immense honor and privilege that I feel from simply basking in the presence of this man is beyond comprehension, and the knowledge that professor Arisaka imbued has remained with me to this point in my career.

Dr. Arisaka genuinely cares for the success, as well as the well-being of his students as evident in his emailing of individual students who are struggling in the class. Many of my classmates have received the email, and by the end of the quarter, they were able to exit with a profound understanding and appreciation for physics.

Electricity and magnetism are not trivial concepts; yet somehow, the professor is able to deconstruct these difficult topics into digestible, highly intuitive bites.

The professor's compassion, brilliance, and charisma most certainly strikes a cord into the hearts of all that have the privilege of taking his class, and I am so grateful to have been a disciple to this amazing man.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A+
May 20, 2017

When Professor Arisaka says "Sunshine", the whole world is beautiful for a moment. Need I say more?

Helpful?

1 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A
April 2, 2017

So I never really understood this guy during any of his lectures. But just study his past midterms and finals he uploads on ccle, study his midterms and finals in the test bank, study the worksheets you get in discussion, skim his slides because it'll probably clarify a few concepts. Once you kind of understand the concepts, you will realize all his tests are nearly the same. The homework is irrelevent to his tests. Just go online and copy and paste the questions on ccle and you will most likely find the right answers. I always had class during his office hours but I heard they were helpful? Anyways, I wouldn't say he was EXACTLY easy but I think for physics 6B he dumbed down the difficulty significantly for his tests compared to dorfman.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A+
April 1, 2017

I love Arisaka, 6B can be a true bitch but Arisaka simplified everything and basically told you what were going to be on his tests in class and at the review sessions. All you need to do well in this class is doing the practice tests he gives out and if you don't understand them you better be at his review sessions. The lab section is irrelevant and just a bunch of busy work but good 15% of your grade is from there. The mastering physics was just for completion and not really related that much to the class but also another chill 15%. It honestly comes down to the final that's 45% so make sure you brush up on all the practice test materials he gives out. Practice practice practice for this class

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: NR
March 12, 2019

This is a review for Physics 5C which is the the successor of 6B. DO NOT TAKE THIS CLASS WITH ARISAKA!!!!
1. His accent is hard to understand
2. His lectures are pointless. He spends the entire time either deriving all these random equations using other random equations. P.s. He's in love with Gauss' Law, which he doesn't adequately explain
3. All his lecture slides reuse the same exact information almost every single week. He rushes through everything not explaining conceptually.
4. His exams are a direct copy of his discussion sheets with an extra "hard" problem.
5. He does not let you use a calculator, or cheat sheet with the equations.
6. His lectures do not help. His mastering physics homework does not help. In all honesty, the best thing to do is to get help from the TAs and memorize the discussion sheets.
7. On the plus side, the class was not that bad. But I had a background in physics (IBHL Physics) which kinda helped. But, if you've never taken IBHL, AP Physics B/C, good luck.
Oh, and try asking him questions. He'll go off topic and shrug it off.

Helpful?

3 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2018
Grade: B+
Dec. 21, 2019

REVIEW FOR PHYSICS 5C
Do not take this class if you are not able to focus on it and put in the work. The prof has a very hard accent to understand so basically going to lecture was not helpful at all and I had to learn the material from the TA or on my own. I will say the exams are similar to the discussion questions he gives you but always makes an effort to include "hard questions" so that if you do not get these hard ones right you wont get an A. In hindsight if I had enough time to put into this class, I probably would have done better but try to take it with another professor if you can, your life will be easier

Helpful?

0 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
March 29, 2019

(Review for 5C ). Many reviews and rumors are mixed about Arisaka. After taking the course, I'll try to give you the highlights about things that I was wondering when I signed up for his class.
This is the course breakdown (the course is weighted, so the percentages are the weight of that item in the final grade):

Midterm 1: 10% (average was 75%)
Midterm 2: 15% (average was 78%)
Lab/HW: 30%
Final Exam: 40% (average was 75%)
*Final Report*: 5%
What's the "final report?" Well, the last week of class, Arisaka lectured on his research into why life exists and how the universe came about. He sprung this report (questions about his last lectures) on us in the end of week 9, but it was based on completion.
The rest of the course is generally unremarkable. He gives weekly "workshops" on Sundays where he goes over the weekly worksheets, which are practice exam questions (he will change the problems slightly for exams). Discussion is helpful as they solve the hardest worksheet questions for you. Lab was easy, they have detailed instructions and grade entirely on completion. He provides extended office hours for struggling students, which is nice of him.
Let's talk about final exam and the final grade distribution. The final exam basically determines your grade. It's got a heavy weight, and it was harder than the midterms. Most of the final was easy, hence 75 average, but there was a chunk of it that was tough; 10% of the class was able to get above 90% on the final. Now, this is the part that I was wondering about the whole quarter; the curve. Grades in the A/high B range are essentially on a straight scale. He told us his cutoffs in his final email to us:
A+ 95 - 100
A 92 - 95
A- 89 - 92
B+ 85 - 89
B 81- 85
B- 75 - 81
C+ 70 - 75
C 65 - 70
C- 50 - 65
D+ 45 - 50
D 40 - 55
F 0 - 40
I got an 87% on the final, solid on everything else, & finished at 92% overall grade, got an A. What's interesting is that, throughout the quarter, he kept promising us that he curves to 90% as the A cutoff. From the cutoffs above, this is obviously not true and many people were upset about the misinformation. In general, he brushes people's questions off with misinformation or just not responding (especially to email). He seems nice on the surface, but I found him to be unpleasant because of how he dealt with communication.
Closing remarks: There are definitely tougher physics professors, but they probably curve more than Arisaka. If you have to take the course with him, keep in mind that the final probably won't save you, so work hard to ace the midterms. Do ALL the busy work (labs, worksheets etc.) as your buffers.

TL;DR it is a doable course, not too difficult, but teacher has bad communication.
Good luck!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2019
Grade: A
March 18, 2019

Review for 5C:
Honestly, Professor Arisaka is really hard to understand, but if you make the effort to go to his review sessions which he holds every weekend he's not too bad. His exams have nearly EXACTLY what he gives you for homework. Going to lectures isn't terribly helpful but the discussions are really nice because they basically give you homework answers there. When it comes down to it though, Arisaka is a really nice guy. He emails us every single class period reminding us of what homework we need to get done and he teaches really cool concepts about the universe at the end of the quarter. If you're gonna take him just redo the homework before an exam and it's pretty much a guaranteed A or B.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A+
June 27, 2017

Ever had a professor that cooked a hot dog in class to teach a physics concept and afterwards put it on a bun with ketchup and ate it? If you have, you probably took Professor Arisaka's class. I had the honor of taking Professor Arisaka's Physics 6B class, and I have to say his class was one of my favorites out of all the classes I have taken. He's funny, approachable, helpful, and extremely passionate about not only physics but existential ideas and C. elegans. He also uses funny metaphors to explain concepts, which I still remember and understand today. His lectures were always entertaining and never was there a dull moment. He made physics fun for me, and I'm grateful for all that I've learned from his class. He provides practice tests, which prepare you very well for his exams, and occasionally he'll switch things up and throw in something he covered in lecture (and not necessarily something he tested on before). Otherwise, as long as you try and put in some effort to learn and understand what he tells you, you'll be fine. Honestly, this class was very enjoyable, but don't take it for granted. You still have to put in effort if you want to do well. Luckily, Arisaka makes Physics 6B, known to be the hardest of the series, very manageable.

Helpful?

1 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: A+
May 30, 2017

I had the privilege of enrolling into Dr. Arisaka's Physics 6B class in the winter of 2016, and I must state one, very important thing: this man will win the Nobel Prize. The immense honor and privilege that I feel from simply basking in the presence of this man is beyond comprehension, and the knowledge that professor Arisaka imbued has remained with me to this point in my career.

Dr. Arisaka genuinely cares for the success, as well as the well-being of his students as evident in his emailing of individual students who are struggling in the class. Many of my classmates have received the email, and by the end of the quarter, they were able to exit with a profound understanding and appreciation for physics.

Electricity and magnetism are not trivial concepts; yet somehow, the professor is able to deconstruct these difficult topics into digestible, highly intuitive bites.

The professor's compassion, brilliance, and charisma most certainly strikes a cord into the hearts of all that have the privilege of taking his class, and I am so grateful to have been a disciple to this amazing man.

Helpful?

2 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2016
Grade: A+
May 30, 2017

I had the privilege of enrolling into Dr. Arisaka's Physics 6B class in the winter of 2016, and I must state one, very important thing: this man will win the Nobel Prize. The immense honor and privilege that I feel from simply basking in the presence of this man is beyond comprehension, and the knowledge that professor Arisaka imbued has remained with me to this point in my career.

Dr. Arisaka genuinely cares for the success, as well as the well-being of his students as evident in his emailing of individual students who are struggling in the class. Many of my classmates have received the email, and by the end of the quarter, they were able to exit with a profound understanding and appreciation for physics.

Electricity and magnetism are not trivial concepts; yet somehow, the professor is able to deconstruct these difficult topics into digestible, highly intuitive bites.

The professor's compassion, brilliance, and charisma most certainly strikes a cord into the hearts of all that have the privilege of taking his class, and I am so grateful to have been a disciple to this amazing man.

Helpful?

2 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A+
May 20, 2017

When Professor Arisaka says "Sunshine", the whole world is beautiful for a moment. Need I say more?

Helpful?

1 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A
April 2, 2017

So I never really understood this guy during any of his lectures. But just study his past midterms and finals he uploads on ccle, study his midterms and finals in the test bank, study the worksheets you get in discussion, skim his slides because it'll probably clarify a few concepts. Once you kind of understand the concepts, you will realize all his tests are nearly the same. The homework is irrelevent to his tests. Just go online and copy and paste the questions on ccle and you will most likely find the right answers. I always had class during his office hours but I heard they were helpful? Anyways, I wouldn't say he was EXACTLY easy but I think for physics 6B he dumbed down the difficulty significantly for his tests compared to dorfman.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Quarter: Winter 2017
Grade: A+
April 1, 2017

I love Arisaka, 6B can be a true bitch but Arisaka simplified everything and basically told you what were going to be on his tests in class and at the review sessions. All you need to do well in this class is doing the practice tests he gives out and if you don't understand them you better be at his review sessions. The lab section is irrelevant and just a bunch of busy work but good 15% of your grade is from there. The mastering physics was just for completion and not really related that much to the class but also another chill 15%. It honestly comes down to the final that's 45% so make sure you brush up on all the practice test materials he gives out. Practice practice practice for this class

Helpful?

0 1 Please log in to provide feedback.
1 of 4
4.2
Overall Rating
Based on 46 Users
Easiness 2.8 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Clarity 3.5 / 5 How clear the class is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Workload 2.6 / 5 How much workload the class is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Helpfulness 4.1 / 5 How helpful the class is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

TOP TAGS

  • Needs Textbook
    (8)
  • Engaging Lectures
    (8)
  • Appropriately Priced Materials
    (8)
  • Snazzy Dresser
    (8)
  • Often Funny
    (8)
  • Would Take Again
    (8)
  • Uses Slides
    (7)
  • Tolerates Tardiness
    (6)
  • Is Podcasted
    (7)
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