Baker, Rich  

Apparently because I had a different class than many of the individuals below I found a very different perspective of Professor Baker. My class with him, conceptual physics, was an easy class, depending on your ability to process and comprehend... well physics. He seemed genuinely interested in helping the class understand each concept and the demonstrations and diagrams he did were very benificial. He attempted at least, to portray a non-biased opinion of topics such as energy, but his zeal for certain facets were obvious but appreciated. Extra credit was available, tests were reasonable, quizzes were almost stupid as long as you do the reading, so an A or B is easy to get. You do have to go to class for quizzes or homework and to listen to lectures to understand the material. The work load all depends on how you pick up on the subjects, and how much extra work you want to complete.

While interesting himself, Dr. Baker assigned multiple monotonous homework problems of his own design and graded them in such a haphazard manner that one can never be sure what grade is going to receive on there homework. He is not a bad guy just needs to refine his teaching methods.

I had Professor Baker for Physics 104 my first quarter of college and I thought it would be a walk in the park. If you understand physics, you can sleep through the classes and be fine. There are 3 tests, everything on the tests comes straight from homework or lecture. I had a MTWR class and we would have homework due every other day and a quiz in between the homeworks (quizzes are only 3 questions, really easy and nothing to worry about). The day hw was turned in, he just went over it, so it was a complete waste of time unless you had questions. Quiz days he actually lectured, but only got in 1 or 2 things that were actually worth taking notes on. As far as grading, he picks one question out of each hw assignment and gives a grade based half on completion and half on whether the answer was rigt or not. Toward the last 4 weeks of the quarter, a lot of people started receiving 0's or very low grades on their hw. This happened to me as well, so I just stopped trying and got my completion points and half credit for my 0's (you get half credit just for trying and hw is only 15% of the grade). He is not a very good teacher, and this class would be hard if you didn't understand physics in the first place. Don't get on his bad side though. I disagreed with him in class once and am pretty sure I got a B in the class because of it (despite pulling A's on 2 of my 3 exams and the final). I had a bad experience with Baker, and it was worse being a freshmen thinking a class would be easy. I would believe polyratings on this guy.

If you are taking Phys 104 with Dr. Baker to fulfill your B4 and you care about your GPA, don\'t do it. My biggest mistake was not taking this class Pass/Fail. Baker is an extremely nice guy who clearly has a mastery of physics, but he might not understand that most of his 104 students are just trying to meet a requirement. His tests are extremely hard, among the hardest I\'ve taken at Poly. They don\'t just rehash the book or the lectures, they build on that material and you have to apply it to a situation that you\'ve never seen before. Example: Imagine that there is a sryinge going into a metal cylinder that is sitting in a bucket of ice water. If you push down on the sryinge, what happens to the watter in the bucket? There would be 4 possible options, each around two lines long and each involving heat transfer, pressure,and change of state. The question combines three chapters worth of material and applies them to an extremely abstract situation. Now imagine 33 multiple choice questions like that, along with 5 essay questions. Homework (due every other class) and in-class quizzes (ever other day) are pretty basic, but the tests are worth the overwhelming majority of your grade and are really fucking hard to get a good grade on. There is also a paper worth a good percentage, but he seems pretty lenient as long as you apply basic phys knowledge to a general subject (i.e. hitting a baseball). I learned a lot in this class and it was actually pretty interesting, but if your not talented at science it will be an extremely difficult GE. Good luck

If your concerned about your G.P.A. do not take this guy, he has alot of work and heavy emphasis of physics is expected

Dr. Baker is a horrible teacher. He never actually teaches so if you can learn entirely from the book, it will help but you'll still struggle to get a decent grade in this class. I went to his office hours several times and each time not only was he not at all helpful, but he also made me feel like an idiot for asking for help. He gives HUGE home work assignments each week that he collects and grades. I would spend from 9am to 6 or 7 pm every saturday doing these assignments, just because he would assign a massive number of problems. His tests are insane; take the hardest book problems and multiply them by 100 and you've got the problems he puts on his tests. Even the multiple choice questions, which he says are easy, aren't. He always writes the tests too long for the class period so it is a struggle to finish. He gave reading quizzes each week that were only three questions and really easy if you read the chapter. The only saving grace in the class is that since the entire class fails all of the tests, there is a pretty generous curve at the end. The lab portion of this class is not graded except that you can get what they call an "s+" which just means you did well. You should try and get the S+ because Baker takes that into consideration when giving out final grades. Even though I did alright in the class, it was only because I read the book, did almost every problem in each chapter, and had a bunch of engineering friends who could explain concepts to me. Dr. Baker is a nice enough guy but he is by far the worst teacher I've had at Cal Poly, simply because he didn't actually teach. If you're like me and you need the teacher to go over things in class and be helpful during office hours then avoid Baker at all costs. I had Demsetz for lab and she was awesome. She lectured and gave out really helpful handouts with good practice problems every lab period.

Dr. Baker is a nice guy, but thats where its stops. He was not very helpful in class. His test are impossible because he makes up the questions that are completely different from the homework and should be given to upper-division physics/engineer students. A basic week with him involves, talking about the chapter for 10 minutes, him playing with props and telling us how fun they are, and then splitting the class into groups and giving us a problem that we cannot finish in time for the class to end. Telling us, "ok now do 30-40 assigned problems." The next meeting we turn in the homework that takes 5-7 hours, plus anytime you can manage to get into his office and get more confused, we go over any problems that we chose, with out looking at our homework, which time only permits 2 or 3 of them. Then he grades ONE of the 30-40 problems. you will never finish a test if you are lucky. the final average was ~92 of 200 pts! Stay away from him unless you are a major of physics or engineering.

This guy is the worst teacher Ive ever had because he doesn't teach. His tests are impossible, the average for our class was usually around 55%. I had a 52% going in to the final and answered 1 questoin out of 8 on the final because I had no idea how to do his impossible questions and still passed the class with a C. Overall this guy is horrible. DO NOT TAKE BAKER.

Professor Baker is a pretty good lab teacher. He strongly believes in "learn by doing." Most of the time he just gives you the materials and tells you to go for it with little instruction on how to do the lab. There is never a procedure. For the most part, you are able to understand the main point of the lab. You don't have to do any lab write ups or prep which is great, and you can usually get at least a B for each lab by just showing up.

Maybe it is because I took PHYS 122 and not 132, but I completely disagree with Baker\'s negative reviews. His tests are hard, sure - but he does this to make sure that every student is challenged, even the best ones. This means that average students will get a lower test grade, but it doesn\'t mean they will bomb the class. There is plenty of other credit, like homework, EASY reading quizzes, extra credit problems, and lab. You\'ll ACE the lab as long as you are conscious and present - and plus, you spend half the lab doing test-level practice problems in groups. If you still need more practice, you get to attend review sessions at Einstein\'s Bagels the day before the test. There, you can discuss the practice tests with other students and get one-on-one help from Baker. I cannot fathom how anyone could get through that class with less than a B, as long as they try their best and are willing to put in the time doing problems that challenege them. There\'s no reason to practice the basic homework problems if you understand basics - challenge yourself and go straight to the ones that are difficult for you!

The professor i quite hard. I physics is not your subject, do not take it with him as you will be more likely to fail as his exams are pretty hard

He is an excellent teacher if you want to learn or not. For those people who just want to pass the lab easy, he is the person! He doesn't require a written lab report,as long as you done the lab and show him, you pass the course. For those who really want to learn, he will give you hint and let you discover stuff your self, which is cool! And he know his stuff pretty well(in subject or off subject) note: he doesn't give out S+ easy.

His teaching consists of writing equations on the boards. His midterms are incredibly hard. Do not take this guy. He seems like a good guy, but he did nothing to convey this material.

He is not a bad teacher as long as you have enough time to completely learn the material by yourself...he assigns homework weekly for each chapter (he only grades 1 homework problem but you don't know which one) and gives a reading quiz and a chapter quiz each week. The reading quiz is just three stupid multiple choice questions to prove you read though the next week's chapter and the chapter quiz is a 2 multiple choice and 1 multiple step problem on the previous week's chapter. His lectures are completely useless and the only reason you will end up going to them are to turn in your homework and take the quizes. His lectures consist of going over really really basic ideas on the chapter or answering homework questions (after he collects the homework...so you cant cheat!). It is possible to get an A in his class but it requires a lot of time which I did not have because of my other classes so if you are taking an easier load he would not be that bad.

Baker wants everyone to appreciate physics as much as he does and also work hard to understand it. If you don't already have a good physics background you will indeed have to work hard to succeed in this class. Just make sure you get full credit for all the homework (use the solutions manual to make sure you get them all since only one problem counts for each homework) and get perfect scores on all the very easy reading quizzes. Weekly quizzes can be quite challenging if you don't have an intuitive mind for physics and/or slack on the homework, but you get a notecard for each. The final is also very difficult and abstract compared to other teachers' finals (ie knowledge building upon knowledge......) If you want an easy time, don't take Baker, but it's truly not that bad (my class average was around a C and he doesn't curve). But all physics majors (of which I am not one) should take Baker or someone like him because he actually gets through ALL the material in a quarter and encourages actually learning and understanding it. (And as said before, he really does need to spend less time talking about succeeding in the real world and more on physics, he should really realize no one gives a fuck what he has to say that doesn't relate to physics)

While it's true that the class is difficult, you will be hard-pressed to find a better professor if you actually want to learn the material. Needless to say, if you're only after the grade, this class is probably not the best choice for you. There was a lot of material to cover in the class and Dr. Baker did a pretty good job fitting it all into 10 weeks. This does mean that there was a fairly quick pace throughout the quarter and you will definitely need to stay on top of the material if you plan on doing well. Even though this took a lot of time, I actually feel like I learned a lot through the class instead of just mindlessly plugging and chugging my way through problems. I can see where many of these reviews are coming from but I think Dr. Baker deserves a little more credit than what you see here. I would definitely take Dr. Baker again if I had the chance.

He said flat out of the first day of class, "I am not a teacher, I don't know how to teach. I am here to guide you." Guide he did not do. Guiding does not consist of assigning even-numbered homework problems, having difficult quizzes every week, and writing the equations from the book on the board. I could have learned more if i didn't have to waste the 1.5 hours in that room twice a week. His grading policy isn't the worst, but isn't the greatest. Avoid him if you can, but if you have to take him, prepare to work your tail off. If you aren't a physics major, he's going to destroy much-needed time that you need for more important projects.

Um...... well his class was alright for the part minus him taking the stance of "I'm not here to teach you, I'm here to guide you in your learning" as someone stated earlier. That and the part where he puts trick questions on his quizzes. However he did allow extra credit (if you do extra problems on top of the 15 that is already assigned which takes at least 2 hours to do, plus reading the chapter ahead). There is also the ridiculously hard problem he assigns every other lecture while we're suppose to be doing textbook/workbook work, in which you can get 1 extra point of credit (out of 300 for the entire quarter). Then again that is actually bad since it takes away from actually learning about the chapter. I probably wouldn't take him again unless it was a last resort (short on units). This class requires a lot of time and work.

as the ones below he says "im not here to teach" well why the fuck did you become a professor !! he is seriously the worst i have ever had in my life he wont finish problems all the way and if you go to office hours for help he still will not finish the problem even if you ask and say you don't know and says "it's basic arithmatic" he is horrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrible will never take him again no questions asked although as below he does give extra credit but still he sucks dont take him unless your a physics genius and don't need a teacher.

His class is impossible he wont teah anything not give any sample problems at all and not helpful. H e got me dismissed from cal poly and had to take the class somewhere else. I rettok the class somewhere else and received an A. None of his material helped in the class since there was no material at all that he would teah. horrble professor stay away from this fucking asshole. He has got a son that looks like his stupid dumbass as well, Cal Poly fire this guy. He needs to keep reaplying everywhere to cal poly because they wont give him a full time job and only reason they give him a job is because they are understaffed. Take my word avoid him

If you like learning out of the book, rambling and hard to follow lectures, having to do +100 extra homework problems for credit, and having needless complicated problems, and having pointlessly complicated problems on exams (such as speakers on springs) . . . then he's the guy for you. Otherwise, don't waste your time. He is dismissive, condescending, and unhelpful to students who ask questions in class. I may have gotten an A in the class, but that was through me teaching myself and working through the problems. Baker would manage to make something I already knew confusing. Seriously, don't bother with this guy.

A lot of people complain about Baker, but I don't quite understand why. He is very helpful and kind. He has taught enough times to know how students learn. He teaches with the intent that you'll learn the material, night study the night before and forget it the moment you walk out the classroom. I didn't have him for lecture, but I wish I did. My friends who had him were the ones helping me to understand what my professor didn't make clear.

Try to take another Physics teacher. Baker was not the worst I've ever had, bad he was close. He's not bad at actually teaching physics, but he's horrible at recognizing student's difficulty. He assigns a ton of homework, has dumb reading quizzes for each chapter, and has problems that you do in class for points. He admittedly makes his tests hard "for those student's who complain when the test is too easy." Unless you're a physics major, or are willing to spend more time on his class than any class, I would recommend finding someone else. The one positive I would say is all the homework, problems and quizzes he assigns can pretty much guarantee you get an C at the least, but you have to make sure you do them all and get them right. If you're stuck with him, it's not the end of the world, but don't take his class lightly.

Baker is pretty legit. Yes, he is hard, but get used to it, it\'s college physics. And he teaches at the level he tests at so if you put in the work, you\'ll do all right. He goes the extra mile as far as review sessions and handing out practice exams. Furthermore, although his tests are challenging (probably a little too hard), he gives a lot of points for homework, his silly reading quizes, and lab, so you\'ve got plenty of chances in his class to do well. Overall, I think his polyrating should be more like a 2.5 or 3ish. Oh yah, and he\'s not a boring old geezer either. Definetly fun to listen to in class and hilarious sometimes.

Well if you would like to not learn anything from Dr. B then you should take him. He doesn\'t teach the class. My notes from the quarter did not have one problem in them. We do lecture questions but he doesn\'t teach you how to do those either. Then once he talks about the easy problems he pulls out problems on the test that he has never covered. I really like phys 141 and understood it really well and then I got to 132 and now I dislike it.

He is a pretty good teacher. Sometimes he expects you to just understand what he\'s talking about and will fly through examples but he will slow down and explain if you have questions. His tests are very difficult and he has a lot of in class work. You\'re going to have to do a lot of work to get a decent grade in his class.

Richard Baker is a very intelligent man who knows his stuff very very well. Your grade in the class was based on 6 items. 1) Reading Quizzes for every chapter which were out of 3 points, a point a question. 2) The Homework from the University Physics book. 3) Midterm 1. 4) Midterm 2. 5) Lab. 6) Final Exam. There were opportunities for extra credit which include using the blackboard discussion board for his class, doing extra homework/study problems which you would turn in to him, and participation in class. His tests, as I hear from everyone else, as well as from my own experience, are going to stretch your mind. They are hard. Take advantage of the extra credit, not only will it bump up your grade, but you\'ll get the practice needed as well. I personally did not do well in this class because I suck at physics. I heard Baker was an amazing Lab Professor though, but I wasn\'t able to get him for that, just lecture. Get into study groups with other people in your class, and make it a weekly thing. You get to have index cards on your tests, so take advantage of that as well. Goodluck to all of you taking Rich Baker here at Cal Poly.

Dr. Baker is incredibly enthusiastic about the class and helping students. Before the midterms and finals he has study sessions on his own time that really help. Homework and other grading is about standard and there are a number of spots for some extra credit. His tests are tough but he is good about giving partial credit. He puts a variety of problems on the test, some which are simple and some that are very difficult and really require an understanding of the material not just knowing the equations but he gives you old exams so you know what to expect. For lab he has no lab procedure and no lab reports which is cool and really encourages thinking through it more like an experiment instead of just trying to get the results. His class might be hard but I would definitely recommend Dr. Baker.

Well, if you would like to go to class and not learn a single thing, then take this idiot. He\'s a fuckin retard. Basically during lecture he gives you equations, then says do the problems. He believes in an \"interactive environment,\" but no one knows what they\'re doing during lecture. His tests are ridiculously hard -- basically the hardest possible problems from each chapter. He\'s quite a weird man. If you can avoid this freak, don\'t take him!

Dont take this guy if u cannot teach yourself. very bad professor. They should fire him.

It seemed like he made some things more difficult by making us apply more than just the concepts he taught us to problems on tests (combining momentum problems with spring problems). Tests were difficult, but not impossible. Overall, I thought he explained the concepts pretty well and was a good teacher. Makes things very logical to understand. Also willing to help by study sessions the day before major tests. Recommend if you\'re willing to put some work in and use your brain. Not if you\'re looking for an easy A though

Baker teaches the material well, and he takes time to explain difficulties. Every class is spent doing problems that are turned in for points. He\'s slightly odd. If you want an A, you have to WORK for it! Out of the 600 points, 250 of them are fairly easy to get, but the other 350 points (2 tests and the final) are very challenging to get. The average on the tests was about a D, so you need to prepare. Bottom line: class is a easy C, doable B, but the A requires a miracle (which i thankfully got)!

he will try to assist u but, doesnt do a good job doing it.

The class part is actually fairly easy. Baker presents the material in a way that does make sense and he does a lot of practice problems during the lecture. The homework is pretty easy, too. My only complaint was that his tests were HARD. I definitely reccommend studying the past exams online, they are a good study guide because guarenteed you will have never seen the test problems anywhere else. So go to the office hours right before each midterm. The lab section is SO EASY. No lab reports, he thinks they are pointless, which they are. So good professor, just difficult tests.

Being a physics major I would of thought this class would be great. In reality it was a nightmare with this guy. He tries to help but just doesnt know how else to teach other than his own way. Good luck to those who take him, u will need it

If you want to pass this class dont take him. he doesnt teach just talks in the class. The whole quarter all i had was 5 pages of notes which he figures was the most important thing to learn. He teaches the concept material and expects u to apply it. To pass his class u have to read the book. Take benzahra instead, he is best professor

Take someone else. Enough said

Not a great professor. U have to teach the whole class to urself and read the whole book. He does not writeanything on the board and just talks about physics so he is not helpful

I don't think Dr. Baker has made the transition from being a physicist to being a professor. There was more lecture time spent on "how to be a successful student" than on the course material. Anyone who did well in this section was a self taught student who knew how to learn from the text. The final exam was cruel, and demanded that students have mastery and understanding of material not presented in physics 133. Your tuition money is better spent on a different physics instructor who will actually teach the material and fairly assess your learning.

Professor Baker is a Nice Guy, but I can't believe Cal Poly hired him as a teacher! He obviously "isn't here to teach" because all I have learned in his class is how to fail miserably and watch him play with his little toys! I have basically tried to teach myself physics which has not worked! And if you take him, get ready for the worst jokes I have ever heard! He sucks as a Teacher so DONT TAKE HIM AS LONG AS YOU HAVE A CHOICE Because I would rrather be castrated than take him again!

He goes over the bare minimum to do problems in class, which is a problem. He is rather straightforward in his teaching style and makes an effort to help you do well. Before each test he holds a several hour study session. His curve ends up being that if you are above the average you will beg a B- or higher. You could do a lot worse for Physics 132.

So many people complain about how Dr. Baker is not a good teacher. I COMPLETELY disagree. Dr. Baker makes himself very available to help you understand the material. He has 3 hour study parties at Einsteins before each major test and 6 hour study parties before the final! He knows physics so well and is able to answer every question. His class style is interesting because he gives you so many free points that he hardly has to curve the class. However, this method also makes it extremely hard to get an A. Please trust me that he is an AMAZING professor and you will learn so much physics from taking him!!!

Business majors: A degree for the intellectually impaired, HA HA.