Maarten Golterman

Prof. Golterman is a wonder for SFSU's physics department. At the start of my semester in his class, I considered dropping out. However, Dr. Golterman really tries to make the material as accessible and easy to understand as he can, which is no easy task. He goes through problems step-by-step in the lectures and explains the concepts using down-to-earth things everyone is familiar with, rather than cloaking himself in "techno-babble".

The main shortcoming (through no fault of his own) in his class is the textbook. Lea & Burke's "Physics - The Nature of Things" would be better titled as "Hey! Look How Clever We Are!" The book is horribly obscure and arcane, providing students with a high-level overview of concepts they are later expected to know inside and out for their homework assignments.

In Golterman's defense, he holds weekly help sessions to counteract some of the book's poor quality, and during those sessions, he's not afraid to work along with the students to solve the answers. He's very friendly and easy-going, and he realizes that college-level Physics is hard.

As an additional bonus, he does through a nice fat curve on his grading scale. Still, you need to do the work or even that won't save your grade.

Maarten is a great physics professor. Lectures are easy to understand, and gets the point across very smoothly. If you don't get something, ASK! he's one of those teachers that have that drive to get each student in the class to be on the same page-makes sure that everyone gets what's going on. exams are open book and notes, but don't depend on the book/notes too much, as exam time is only an hour. his exams are fair, no insanely crazy or tricky questions...straight forward and makes sure that you grasp the material.

This teacher is the best teacher to take for Phys 1. He is understanding and will take time out to explain how things work. He is not one of those teachers that has an almighty attitude. He is down to earth and will make things very clear during class. And if you still don't get it in class he will make time out of class to help you. He will make time for you besides his office hours. I suggest you take his class if you are interested in Physics. He is not like the other physics professors, and you know the kind we all have had, the high horse riding proffesors. I got a C but it was a well spent C. His tests are decent and so is his homework. He does examples that relate to the homework. If you take his class ask questions he will not ignore you or make you feel stupid. The professor still remembers how it was being a student.

I never really went to this class except for the tests. They are fairly easy, but the class usually gets a 25/50 average. The homeworks are really hard, but it's because the book is fucked up. Stupid ass Lea and Burke wrote this book and we are the only school using it. It is the worst physics book ever written. The reason I give Golterman an A is because when you think the class cant get worse, he give the fattest curve ever. I was supposed to get a C- and he gave me a B+. If it looks bad in this class, stick with it, Golterman will get you through. As long as you get an average grade on the tests(50%), you will pass.

Maarten Golterman is a great teacher. He gives 4 midterms but he repeats the material that people didn't do so well on for each exam so you get a chance to understand everything. All exams are open book ad open notes. And he curves his grades, too. He is more than willing to help with HW and any Physics question and holds help sessions every week. The only drawback to his lectures are that although he explains exaclty how everything works mathematically, the concepts are sometimes rushed over. This means that I know how (inertia, for example) behaves numerically on paper using the formulas, but it is hard to visualize...

He is a really good teacher and very friendly. His lectures are really helpful and I also sugest to attend his help sessions where you can ask help with any problem or example. Some people may think that 4 midterms is crazy, but it actually really good because the material is HARD and it is much easier to learn 3 chapters for each midterm than 6 chapters for 2 midterms. Also it is better for the grade because each midterm is only 15% of the grade. Homeworks are hard. Grading policy is pretty strict and points will be generously deducted if something in the problem is not correct. Regular homework is 7-10 problems so it is better to look at the homework in advance and come ask questions on help sessions.

Professor Golterman is a GREAT teacher. He's a rarity in my opinion - someone who's actually passionate about what he's doing. His enthusiasm for physics is contageous.

Physics 220 is a hard class - and he can't make physics easier - but Professor Golterman is friendly, patient, helpful and committed to helping his students learn the material. He's always happy to answer questions - both inside and outside of class. He *never* makes students feel dumb for not knowing something. He thanks students, in fact, for their questions.

After taking his class - I wanted to change my major to physics!