Reviews of professor Benjamin Spike

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
I loved Dr Spike! I was not disappointed. Some reviews here says he's difficult, which I think is only true if this is the only science course you need for your entire degree. 103 is really not that bad if you've experienced the hells of ochem and calculus. I recommend taking either this or chem 103 first since the content overlaps

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Dr. Spike is a clear and concise lecturer and his tests reflect example questions given in discussion and lecture. Very solid professor for physics 103 and 104. Would recommend to anyone taking this course at UW-Madison

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 4.0/5
Many people on here said no notes or partial credit but thats not the case anymore. You are allowed an entire page (front and back) of notes on the first exam, 2 for the second, 3 for the third, and 4 for the final. Before going online (COVID) you could get partial credit on some questions but most are multiple choice (so the answer is there!)

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
He was pretty nice and a good lecturer. The best way to prepare for exams would be the examples in the textbook and practice exams. Fairly average class.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 1.0/5
Physics 103 was quite easy and Ben was the best lecturer. He is straightforward and gave applicable examples.

Rating: 5.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Explains physics concepts extremely clearly and prepares you well for exams. While the class is hard, he is an amazing professor for it!

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Dr. Spike is a great guy, his lectures are much better than other physics professors. He's the best you will get at UW. He is very nice and helpful during office hours. Class has lots of points outside of exams, but exams are tough, I mean it is physics.

Rating: 4.0/5, difficulty: 3.0/5
Ben Spike is overall a fine professor, his lectures are just very monotone. Your discussion TA and the pre-class videos will do most of the teaching in this course. If you want an A in this class I would definitely recommended going to the help desk once a week and signing up for the PLC.