Professor

Nathan Tung

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3.9
Overall Ratings
Based on 142 Users
Easiness 3.0 / 5 How easy the class is, 1 being extremely difficult and 5 being easy peasy.
Workload 3.5 / 5 How light the workload is, 1 being extremely heavy and 5 being extremely light.
Clarity 3.9 / 5 How clear the professor is, 1 being extremely unclear and 5 being very clear.
Helpfulness 3.9 / 5 How helpful the professor is, 1 being not helpful at all and 5 being extremely helpful.

Reviews (142)

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June 13, 2023
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: N/A

Either something big changed after the pandemic or the old reviews are bait. Granted, this class is packed with material and is part of the notorious 1 series. He tries to cover most of it, and goes a lot in depth behind the derivations of formulas/principles you'll use. However, he often rushes material in the last few minutes of lecture. The discussion worksheets have little relevancy to the material covered in the most recent lectures. (The TAs don't even know what has and has not been covered during disc. sections). The exams are nothing like what Kudu problems are, despite him encouraging students to study off those questions. I wish there were more practice questions he would cover in class instead of the theory.

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2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 12, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A

TAKE DR. TUNG! This class was by far the best UCLA class I can ever hope to take here. He conducts all his lectures via YT live stream, which although some may thing it is a disadvantage since students can't unmute and ask questions, we do have the YT live chat, which has worked splendidly. His tests are straightforward, and the weekly discussion worksheets are much harder than the tests, helping you to prep for the exam. If you are coming into this class with AP Physics C knowledge, this class will be essentially a walk in the park. If you don't have any prior physics knowledge, Prof. Tung will bring you up to speed quickly and with style. He assigns plentiful extra credit for attendance and also for homework done beyond the required amount, so I doubt anyone will have trouble passing this class. To Dr. Tung, if you do read this review, I truly appreciate all the hard work you put into this class, and for being a epic physics teacher that truly cares about his students. I will miss the YT intro and outro, your demos, and your personality. I can only say to say to one who has the choice to take this class with Prof. Tung: TAKE THE CHANCE. YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
Nov. 21, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: NR

This is Professor Tung's first quarter teaching 5C, he got his phd in the spring form UCLA and had TA'd here before. Despite all of that his class is impossibly hard. For the first midterm the average was 50% and he sent us an email saying if you got more than 4 pts below average you were in danger of not passing the class. In his syllabus he says that his exams are nothing like the homework or lecture so he can really test your ability to do physics. He never got mastering physics to work either so if you didn't already have it then it was a total waste of money because the homework is completely optional. The only useful thing in this class so far was the midterm 2 review session. I would completely recommend AGAINST this professor. He has no mercy even though he literally just started here

Helpful?

12 7 Please log in to provide feedback.
Dec. 10, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: N/A

Physics 5C was very interesting in regards to the information but the class was very poorly structured and taught by the professor. He derives a lot of equations but won't do example problems on the board to help students apply the concepts. The exams had questions that weren't properly reviewed in class and expectations of the students in this class did not match that of what is being taught in lecture, not to mention the class averages for midterms were really low. I strongly advise against taking this class with this professor.

Helpful?

9 5 Please log in to provide feedback.
Dec. 24, 2019
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A

I think the negative reviews here are really unfair. The first midterm I scored a few points below the average which was a 20/40. Yes that's a 50% but he scales your scores... And after receiving much complaint and concern from students he made many more resources available to us, gave us review sessions which he led himself instead of the TAs, and the second midterm and final were way easier and had questions that came straight from his lectures and review session (just changed a sign or direction of a force/field). He's super passionate, super understanding, really wants his kids to learn and understand physics. With this having been his first time teaching straight out of his PhD, I think he did really well adjusting to student feedback and comments, always encouraged us that we could still do well in the class no matter our past scores, as long as we kept working at it. Idk why y'all mad, I got a 45% midterm 1, 85% midterm 2, and landed an A in the class which I'm really happy about considering that first score.

Helpful?

8 5 Please log in to provide feedback.
Jan. 15, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-

Professor Tung is one of the best physics professor I ever had! As a person he is clearly very passionate about what he is doing and he actively tries to make his class easier for the students by alleviating any concerns they have. His class structure is essentially 2 midterms, a final and the lab component (we got full points on hw because Pearson wouldn't work).

I see so many negative reviews against him and I just want to point out several mistakes: 1) we didn't get explicit 'extra credit' but he did hint to us some of the questions on midterm 2 and the final so if that doesn't scream 'extra credit' I don't know what does (its a physics class; you ain't getting shit if you don't work for it AND its difficult to hand out extra credit for A PHYSICS CLASS as opposed to a life science or south campus class. 2) I can't see past the 5th row-> sit closer. Seriously. Tung is a really nice dude so if you can't see, raise your hand AND TELL HIM instead of choosing to be ignorant of the material. 3) his syllabus stated that the tests are nothing like the lecture or hw -> while it did say that in the syllabus, Tung has told us/hinted MULTIPLE TIMES in class to focus on certain examples or topics and if you payed attention in class, you can clearly tell which problems came from which sections once you get your test. 4) provides little examples -> absolute bullshit; he provides as many examples as he can whenever possible. 5)averages are low -> have you been to a physics class? ROFL; dude a 65% is high for a midterm score; my previous physics class were essentially at a 50% for both midterms so stop whining-.-

So in conclusion, I just want to say that Tung is one of the best professors I took for physics. I suck at physics; it is one of my worst subjects and yet I enjoyed this class. If you pay attention in class and sit closer, you will do great. And he is such a communicative professor that it is not hard to ask any question you have. Don't look at the majority of his reviews; they are absolute bull based on flimsy and stupid reasoning.

Helpful?

4 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 13, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A

Professor was fantastic. Really thorough with his lectures and even provides a large list of notes that can help you study. You are given mastering physics to do throughout the quarter, with one due date at the end of the quarter. Midterms were very fair. There was no final (only 4 midterms). I would highly recommend Tung for any physics class you may take in the future!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
March 30, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A

Prof Tung is definitely one of my favorite professors so far at UCLA. He is extremely engaging (often showed lots of cool demos) and was extremely good at answering/explaining concepts to us. He was super nice and just an overall great guy.

His class is definitely flexible with grading as he offers a shit ton of extra credit. Here is his grading scheme:
- 4 non-cumulative midterms (17.5% each)
- homework (25%)
- discussions worksheets (5%)
- Tophat questions (participation in class)/extra hw problems (extra credit)

My grades were as follows:
- Midterm 1 - 84%
- Midterm 2 - 90%
- Midterm 3 - 91.5%
- Midterm 4 - 98%
- Homework - 100%
- Discussion Worksheets - 96%
With these grades, I was in the B+ range. I didn't attend lecture much as I found watching the recording much better so I didn't earn much extra credit from lecture participation. However, I did a lot of extra homework problems. Tung only requires students to do 65% of all the homework. I did about 90% of the problems and that was able to boost me to the A range. Also a lot of the homework questions or very similar problems can be found online. All the homework is due at the end of the quarter but I highly recommend not cramming it till the end and doing at least some parts during the units.

His midterms are very reasonable and do not require more than 4 hours max (this coming from a kid who still struggles with the basics in physics). There is plenty of time to take the exams as there is a 24 hour window.

GO TO YOUR DISCUSSION SECTIONS. Quick shout out to Liz and Jonah for being some of the best TAs this past quarter. You don't have to attend discussions, but it would be dumb not to since you literally do the discussion worksheets (which were hard as shit) during discussion.

As much as I hate physics, Prof Tung and his class actually made me like physics and I HIGHLY recommend you choose Tung over any other professor.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
April 5, 2021
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: I

I'm surprised by all these good reviews. I mean, he wasn't entirely awful, but I certainly wouldn't rank him as one of the best professors ever. His lectures were somewhat confusing to follow, and there was WAY too much homework. I don't know how anybody possibly completed it all. I had to pull an all-nighter to get it done by the deadline.
Most importantly, his midterms are quite difficult. Yes, they're 24 hours, but they're NOT open internet (open notes only, if you're not a cheater). And the questions are not straightforward; they're very confusing, and often ask you to apply concepts that aren't directly from his lectures or HW, but rather some physics knowledge that we're somehow supposed to have, despite this being the first physics lecture ever for many students.

Also, the people who say he’s a genuinely good person never had any real-world issues come up during the class.

I had a genuine family emergency as one of my closest friends tried to commit suicide and I was devastated. I was inconsolable. I communicated with Professor Tung and asked him for an Incomplete, because there was no way I was going to be able to continue the classes.

Not only did he refuse my request for an incomplete, he DIDN’T BELIEVE ME at all. He asked for multiple DOCTOR’S notes reporting that I was “distressed” from what happened with one of my closest friends?? Y’all, I couldn’t even SLEEP because I was so mentally out of it. Like having nightmares and waking up in terror.

The lack of respect and empathy for my situation will always stick with me. He could’ve chosen to give me the benefit of the doubt, but instead he made my situation arguably worse and more stressful during what was literally the lowest point in my life.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 5A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Dec. 17, 2020
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A

Professor Tung is a great lecturer, his exams are easy if you understand his lectures. This class has 4 exams which are conceptual. Before each exams, he holds a review session where he solves problems which are similar to the problems you see on the exams. So definitely attend the review sessions.
Overall this class is easy A.
4 Midterms each worths 15%
Mastering Physics 20%
Discussion 5%
Lab 15%
Attendance: extra credit

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1C
Quarter: Spring 2023
Grade: N/A
June 13, 2023

Either something big changed after the pandemic or the old reviews are bait. Granted, this class is packed with material and is part of the notorious 1 series. He tries to cover most of it, and goes a lot in depth behind the derivations of formulas/principles you'll use. However, he often rushes material in the last few minutes of lecture. The discussion worksheets have little relevancy to the material covered in the most recent lectures. (The TAs don't even know what has and has not been covered during disc. sections). The exams are nothing like what Kudu problems are, despite him encouraging students to study off those questions. I wish there were more practice questions he would cover in class instead of the theory.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
March 12, 2021

TAKE DR. TUNG! This class was by far the best UCLA class I can ever hope to take here. He conducts all his lectures via YT live stream, which although some may thing it is a disadvantage since students can't unmute and ask questions, we do have the YT live chat, which has worked splendidly. His tests are straightforward, and the weekly discussion worksheets are much harder than the tests, helping you to prep for the exam. If you are coming into this class with AP Physics C knowledge, this class will be essentially a walk in the park. If you don't have any prior physics knowledge, Prof. Tung will bring you up to speed quickly and with style. He assigns plentiful extra credit for attendance and also for homework done beyond the required amount, so I doubt anyone will have trouble passing this class. To Dr. Tung, if you do read this review, I truly appreciate all the hard work you put into this class, and for being a epic physics teacher that truly cares about his students. I will miss the YT intro and outro, your demos, and your personality. I can only say to say to one who has the choice to take this class with Prof. Tung: TAKE THE CHANCE. YOU WON'T REGRET IT.

Helpful?

2 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 5C
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: NR
Nov. 21, 2019

This is Professor Tung's first quarter teaching 5C, he got his phd in the spring form UCLA and had TA'd here before. Despite all of that his class is impossibly hard. For the first midterm the average was 50% and he sent us an email saying if you got more than 4 pts below average you were in danger of not passing the class. In his syllabus he says that his exams are nothing like the homework or lecture so he can really test your ability to do physics. He never got mastering physics to work either so if you didn't already have it then it was a total waste of money because the homework is completely optional. The only useful thing in this class so far was the midterm 2 review session. I would completely recommend AGAINST this professor. He has no mercy even though he literally just started here

Helpful?

12 7 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 5C
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: N/A
Dec. 10, 2019

Physics 5C was very interesting in regards to the information but the class was very poorly structured and taught by the professor. He derives a lot of equations but won't do example problems on the board to help students apply the concepts. The exams had questions that weren't properly reviewed in class and expectations of the students in this class did not match that of what is being taught in lecture, not to mention the class averages for midterms were really low. I strongly advise against taking this class with this professor.

Helpful?

9 5 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 5C
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A
Dec. 24, 2019

I think the negative reviews here are really unfair. The first midterm I scored a few points below the average which was a 20/40. Yes that's a 50% but he scales your scores... And after receiving much complaint and concern from students he made many more resources available to us, gave us review sessions which he led himself instead of the TAs, and the second midterm and final were way easier and had questions that came straight from his lectures and review session (just changed a sign or direction of a force/field). He's super passionate, super understanding, really wants his kids to learn and understand physics. With this having been his first time teaching straight out of his PhD, I think he did really well adjusting to student feedback and comments, always encouraged us that we could still do well in the class no matter our past scores, as long as we kept working at it. Idk why y'all mad, I got a 45% midterm 1, 85% midterm 2, and landed an A in the class which I'm really happy about considering that first score.

Helpful?

8 5 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 5C
Quarter: Fall 2019
Grade: A-
Jan. 15, 2020

Professor Tung is one of the best physics professor I ever had! As a person he is clearly very passionate about what he is doing and he actively tries to make his class easier for the students by alleviating any concerns they have. His class structure is essentially 2 midterms, a final and the lab component (we got full points on hw because Pearson wouldn't work).

I see so many negative reviews against him and I just want to point out several mistakes: 1) we didn't get explicit 'extra credit' but he did hint to us some of the questions on midterm 2 and the final so if that doesn't scream 'extra credit' I don't know what does (its a physics class; you ain't getting shit if you don't work for it AND its difficult to hand out extra credit for A PHYSICS CLASS as opposed to a life science or south campus class. 2) I can't see past the 5th row-> sit closer. Seriously. Tung is a really nice dude so if you can't see, raise your hand AND TELL HIM instead of choosing to be ignorant of the material. 3) his syllabus stated that the tests are nothing like the lecture or hw -> while it did say that in the syllabus, Tung has told us/hinted MULTIPLE TIMES in class to focus on certain examples or topics and if you payed attention in class, you can clearly tell which problems came from which sections once you get your test. 4) provides little examples -> absolute bullshit; he provides as many examples as he can whenever possible. 5)averages are low -> have you been to a physics class? ROFL; dude a 65% is high for a midterm score; my previous physics class were essentially at a 50% for both midterms so stop whining-.-

So in conclusion, I just want to say that Tung is one of the best professors I took for physics. I suck at physics; it is one of my worst subjects and yet I enjoyed this class. If you pay attention in class and sit closer, you will do great. And he is such a communicative professor that it is not hard to ask any question you have. Don't look at the majority of his reviews; they are absolute bull based on flimsy and stupid reasoning.

Helpful?

4 2 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
March 13, 2021

Professor was fantastic. Really thorough with his lectures and even provides a large list of notes that can help you study. You are given mastering physics to do throughout the quarter, with one due date at the end of the quarter. Midterms were very fair. There was no final (only 4 midterms). I would highly recommend Tung for any physics class you may take in the future!

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: A
March 30, 2021

Prof Tung is definitely one of my favorite professors so far at UCLA. He is extremely engaging (often showed lots of cool demos) and was extremely good at answering/explaining concepts to us. He was super nice and just an overall great guy.

His class is definitely flexible with grading as he offers a shit ton of extra credit. Here is his grading scheme:
- 4 non-cumulative midterms (17.5% each)
- homework (25%)
- discussions worksheets (5%)
- Tophat questions (participation in class)/extra hw problems (extra credit)

My grades were as follows:
- Midterm 1 - 84%
- Midterm 2 - 90%
- Midterm 3 - 91.5%
- Midterm 4 - 98%
- Homework - 100%
- Discussion Worksheets - 96%
With these grades, I was in the B+ range. I didn't attend lecture much as I found watching the recording much better so I didn't earn much extra credit from lecture participation. However, I did a lot of extra homework problems. Tung only requires students to do 65% of all the homework. I did about 90% of the problems and that was able to boost me to the A range. Also a lot of the homework questions or very similar problems can be found online. All the homework is due at the end of the quarter but I highly recommend not cramming it till the end and doing at least some parts during the units.

His midterms are very reasonable and do not require more than 4 hours max (this coming from a kid who still struggles with the basics in physics). There is plenty of time to take the exams as there is a 24 hour window.

GO TO YOUR DISCUSSION SECTIONS. Quick shout out to Liz and Jonah for being some of the best TAs this past quarter. You don't have to attend discussions, but it would be dumb not to since you literally do the discussion worksheets (which were hard as shit) during discussion.

As much as I hate physics, Prof Tung and his class actually made me like physics and I HIGHLY recommend you choose Tung over any other professor.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 1A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Winter 2021
Grade: I
April 5, 2021

I'm surprised by all these good reviews. I mean, he wasn't entirely awful, but I certainly wouldn't rank him as one of the best professors ever. His lectures were somewhat confusing to follow, and there was WAY too much homework. I don't know how anybody possibly completed it all. I had to pull an all-nighter to get it done by the deadline.
Most importantly, his midterms are quite difficult. Yes, they're 24 hours, but they're NOT open internet (open notes only, if you're not a cheater). And the questions are not straightforward; they're very confusing, and often ask you to apply concepts that aren't directly from his lectures or HW, but rather some physics knowledge that we're somehow supposed to have, despite this being the first physics lecture ever for many students.

Also, the people who say he’s a genuinely good person never had any real-world issues come up during the class.

I had a genuine family emergency as one of my closest friends tried to commit suicide and I was devastated. I was inconsolable. I communicated with Professor Tung and asked him for an Incomplete, because there was no way I was going to be able to continue the classes.

Not only did he refuse my request for an incomplete, he DIDN’T BELIEVE ME at all. He asked for multiple DOCTOR’S notes reporting that I was “distressed” from what happened with one of my closest friends?? Y’all, I couldn’t even SLEEP because I was so mentally out of it. Like having nightmares and waking up in terror.

The lack of respect and empathy for my situation will always stick with me. He could’ve chosen to give me the benefit of the doubt, but instead he made my situation arguably worse and more stressful during what was literally the lowest point in my life.

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
PHYSICS 5A
COVID-19 This review was submitted during the COVID-19 pandemic. Your experience may vary.
Quarter: Fall 2020
Grade: A
Dec. 17, 2020

Professor Tung is a great lecturer, his exams are easy if you understand his lectures. This class has 4 exams which are conceptual. Before each exams, he holds a review session where he solves problems which are similar to the problems you see on the exams. So definitely attend the review sessions.
Overall this class is easy A.
4 Midterms each worths 15%
Mastering Physics 20%
Discussion 5%
Lab 15%
Attendance: extra credit

Helpful?

1 0 Please log in to provide feedback.
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