Reviews for David M. Hammer
Average Rating:| kvizzle321 Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: A January 27, 2011, 11:20 am | I got a 5 on the AP Physics exam in high school but was forced to take Physics again freshman year for the engineering program. Dr. Hammer is EXTREMELY annoying. He does curve his tests a lot but never really explains most of the questions on the test ahead of time. He does not use any examples with numbers and seems to want you to get the questions wrong. The worst part of all, you are forced to go to lectures to hear his annoying voice because of the pointless clicker questions he requires you to do. |
| James Pritts Jr. Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: A December 29, 2010, 7:52 am | I really miss David Hammer. I took him for 161 and learned more about physics than in two years of high school and probably the rest of my college career combined. It's not very useful to review him now seeing as how he moved to a different school. But just saying, after taking him, I realize just how hard every other Physics professor at UMD sucks. |
| zhangsta Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: B December 17, 2010, 1:58 pm | His lectures did not have very much substance to them beyond the basic amount of physics. The impression I got from him was that he expected us to learn physics on our own through the homework problems. Make sure you go to lecture because he uses clickers, which are easy points to get because his exams are hard unless you took AP Physics. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: B+ May 26, 2010, 7:13 am | Good Teacher. Really wants his students to think and question their reasoning. The only thing I have against him is he doesn't go beyond the basic understanding of a concept and thinks that you will figure it out in the homework. This might confuse someone who didn't take AP Physics in high school. Anyway he is a fair grader and his lectures aren't bad either. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: May 20, 2010, 1:15 pm | Take this class if you feel like you are a physics whiz and want to challenge yourself. Otherwise, take at your own discretion. Definetly don't take this class if you have never taken physics before. He'll say "you can totally take this class if you've never taken physics before!", but that's not true. I get why he emphasizes thinking about what is going on and caring less about numbers. I see the reasons behind that- to get you to think. However, the hw's were a pain, and I can't say they helped me learn anything. They take hours to do, and most of the time you just focus on doing them and getting a good grade on them and not learning what you are supposed to learn. On the other hand, Dr. Hammer is a nice guy, he'll always answer your questions in class or in email or on the discussion board. So don't be afraid to ask. Attendance is necessary cuz he asks a lot of clicker questions. His class was interesting, but it was too hard. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: A- May 14, 2010, 8:47 am | Other reviews will whine and complain about his class - but if you pay attention in lecture and really do the homework problems so you're confident you know the material, you will come out of the course with a better understanding of physics than if you take other 161 with another professor. Right now its finals week and each PHYS161 professor writes a portion of the final. People who took physics with a different professor are freaking out because Hammer doesn't give you simple "box on a ramp" problems. Hammer sets up a problem, asks you if you've been given enough information, and then tells you to explain why your answers make sense. A typical exam question would give you an scenario that could have a few possible outcomes. He'll ask you to argue in favor of one outcome, then argue in favor of another. Then you pick which one you believe is right and asks you to find the flaws in the opposing argument. This whole process really helps you get your physics down pat without memorizing equations. You don't want to memorize anything, in fact, because he'll word questions well enough that a memorized answer will be wrong. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: May 3, 2010, 11:15 am | Okay, so first off i just want to say that alot of the things people say about Dr. Hammer are true. His tests are hard. His clicker questions can be a bit tedious/irritating. His voice isn't exactly the most pleasant thing to listen to. His homework is challenging and takes more time that homework in other physics teacher's classes. If all you are concerned about is an easy A, don't take his class. It will NOT be easy. But, it isn't impossible. What I think alot of the previous reviewers on here fail to realize is the fact that the reason they apparently got a 5 on the AP exam and then a C in Hammer's class is simply because they DIDN'T LISTEN TO HIM. He tells you to go over the homework problems and think about them critically as a way to study for the test... I can almost guarantee you that the people who complain about getting C's in his class didn't do that. I am in no way a genius, but i actually listened to what the professor had to say and followed his advise, so my grades in his class were alot higher than most of my friends. As long as you aren't lazy, you should do fine. The other half of the bad reviewing is just due to cockiness. I don't think I've ever been forced to question my own reasoning as much as I have in this class. That, I think, is another reason people don't really like it; they want to think that they know everything about physics just because they passed the AP exam. Really, if you'd just swallow your pride and actually listen, you'd probably learn alot from Dr. Hammer, and be a better engineer/physicist/ whatever because of it; cause in real life, you have to know more than just plugging into equations. You have to actually comprehend what you're doing, and thats what he strives for from his students. He wants you to actually understand physics. And for that, I think he should be applauded, not torn apart on some review website by a bunch of people who are just looking for an easy grade. GREAT professor, seriously. Take his class, you'll be alot smarter for it. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: A December 31, 2009, 5:45 pm | Dr. Hammer is an amazing teacher. He teaches the concepts in a broad nature and teaches you how to be resourceful with your knowledge and make sense of the world around you, true physics. He grades based on your ability to do this - to figure out physically what is going on in a situation, what factors are present, how forces interact to create motion. I highly recommend taking 161 with Hammer as he will teach you how to *learn* and *think* Physics, not just do the problems. I ended up not getting the correct answer several times on his exams, and STILL getting full credit for problems, because he grades you on your approach and your reasoning, not your answer. If you show correct work, you WILL get 100% on the problem, and hard work on homeworks and class participation are rewarded greatly in this class. This is the first teacher I have had who grades based on true understanding of the material and not on problems. Best professor at UM, hands down. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: B- May 22, 2009, 2:27 pm | Dr. Hammer's teaching method is devised in a way that is supposed to make his students learn physics better. His class really does get you to think more about what is going on physically. However, this man cannot explain anything clearly to save his life. I learned more physics from my friend who took AP Physics than I did from Dr. Hammer. I believe that he should not be teaching the way he is because if he could teach in a way that his students can truly understand the material, the average for his exams would not be in the 50's. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: B May 18, 2009, 2:02 pm | He is a really good professor. He wants you to know and understand the material. That is why his HW's and tests are so hard. But don't be scared, most people get 14ish out of 15 on his HW's and there is always a curve of his exams. So if you score like 60 on each exam you will have a B for sure. He wants to challenge your physical understanding of the world, a quick way to get any problem is to forget everything that was ever taught to you and just imagine what would really happen in the situation. His lectures are easy to follow and are interesting every time. He taught so well that I never cracked my book open (just Google). So overall he is an excellent lecturer, his tests are meant to be challenging, and if you put effort in this class you will have a B. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: C April 30, 2009, 5:51 pm | Pros: His lectures are interesting. He's an enthusiastic teacher that likes to explain topics to death and even brings in models to demonstrate some of his concepts. Cons: Uses clickers every class so attending lectures is mandatory. Spends too much time on 1 subject. Not just some broad subject like energy or momentum, but he will spend almost the entire 75 minute lecture on one specific topic like what happens to a ball when it is launched from a moving cart. For our third exam, he didn't put out any practice problems because he believes they don't help. Instead, he gave out a 3 page summary that defined momentum and energy and the equations involved. This in NO way prepared us for the problems we witnessed on the test; the entire test just felt like a series of trick problems. He expects us to "make the connections on our own" to truly understand physics. I'll be lucky just to pass with a C. I will probably end up retaking PHYS161 again this summer because I left this class feeling frustrated at how I couldn't learn anything. |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS161 Grade Expected: December 21, 2008, 11:53 am | Dr. Hammer is a very interesting professor. The class is always engaging, and he has a lot of enthusiasm. You can tell he loves to teach and that he really cares about it. In fact, he takes part of a research study on teaching styles and learning and is open to any suggestions in his teaching style (check out his website in the physics department for more information). His grading style is unique in that about 50% of the grade is homework/participation, and the other 50% is tests (3-5 a semester, including a final). He purposely makes his tests "hard" in order to make up for the "easy" participation points. The homework is graded on effort more than accuracy, so it's easy to get a high grade, but don't let this allow you to become complacent and not understand the material. Don't be afraid to ask questions in class, especially if you are confused. It's definitely recommended that you go to discussion sections. He doesn't require a textbook (it's optional), and he provides his own readings online, which are generally very helpful. He does use a clicker in class, which is fun and gets students to discussion the questions he asks, but his explanations to concepts can be a little confusing to the students, especially in terms of what the real answer to a question is (sometimes he assumes you understand something!). He does focus a lot on being able to explain your reasoning behind your answer and two of his favorite quotes are "now explain that to an 8th grader" and "Physics is just a refinement of everyday thinking." Another great aspect of the class is that he posts the homework online (Blackboard), along with the solutions (and test solutions too). There is also a discussion board too, which can be helpful. I took two years of Physics in HS, and right now my grade is a B (although it probably could be higher since I've made some silly mistakes on the exams), but then again, this is my first semester in college. He has a curve on the exams, as he shoots for the average being a 65. Hope this helps...good luck :) |
| Anonymous Course: PHYS122 Grade Expected: C November 5, 2007, 8:14 pm | Terrible teaching style that many students not used to. Forced to come to class to click away at questions and leave without any real understanding. Stress really comes from his grading which he does not like to discuss with you initially. There will be one difficult curve that will bite at your GPA guaranteed. With a choice between a C and a W- I actually completed and retook during the summer to get an A as a final. |