Mottmann, John  

Mottman is an awesome teacher, but not for the faint of heart. He's an anarchist and a pessimist, insults everything and everybody, including himself. He's an awesome teacher if you enter the class with a sense of humor, otherwise don't even try to take his class. He deals more with concepts instead of memorizing facts and equations so make sure you know what you're doing.

Mottman-Mottman-Mottman, what can I say. If you like pesimistic sarcasm, Mottman is King Cheese. The guy has quite a personality. I took the astronomy courses from him for the fun and interest of it. There is a ton of material contained, but no worries because you can use you book, you notes, and of course your mind on the tests. He assigns two midterms which each can be replaced by a better score on the two fianl exams that you take. So it's like the best 2 out of 4. He's an interseting guy with a fidgety knack to pace the room while he lectures. I guess that keeps your eyes in constant motion. Astro 101 is of more interest than 102 and was more enjoyable, Mottman knows what he's talking about even if you tend to get lost in the lingo of quasars and neutron stars. A good hour of solid, sometimes repetitive, entertainment.

Don't get worried after first test, the average of my class was a 56. He curves, making the average a C. If you don't get atleast a C in the class your an idiot. Tests are open note open book, but he puts a lot of trick questions in there that nobody will get right. Just get a big fat astronomy text book from the library before the tests and look in the index. It helps. Good luck.

I crashed Mottman's class thinking it was at least an easy B due to his grading policy. He takes the two highest grade out of four exams possible (two midterms and two finals). He gives two 1 hr finals and each final covers about the same material as the midterms, the final replaces each midterm if you did poorly on them before. To me, his lectures were incredibly boring, uninteresting, and extremely hard to follow. During his exams, they are nothing like his lectures. Although it is open notes and open book, the average is probably a 50% (if you're lucky) I've spoken to him personally during office hours and he is a really nice guy but have no sympathy for students failing his class. He is quite the senial guy taking pleasure in seeing his students fail his exams. If you're an astronomy lover, excellent, if you're just trying to find an easy GE course to fulfil section B-something, PICK ANOTHER CLASS AND TEACHER!

Pleas NEVER EVER EVER take this class from Mottmann. His tests are on NOTHING that he lectured on and this is the first C I've ever gotten in my life. His tests are SO hard because he is NOT a good teacher. He is very unprofessional and he is very crude and I am shocked that someome like this is allowed to teach at a university of so high standards. I HATED this class and he totally turned me off to anything that has to do with astronomy--which is sad because I thought that it might be interesting at first. He doesn't do hardly any practical application (I actually never looked through a telescope) and he doesn't teach you what you need to know for the tests. Don't believe what you hear--the finals are harder than the midterms and it's early impossible to save your grade by that point. He is NOT funny and don't even think about asking him questions or going to his office hours. He'll make you feel very stupid and sorry you came. This is the first class I've actually missed without an excuse (other than the fact it was the most useless class ever) so DON'T TAKE IT WHATEVER YOU DO!

Yep... everyone's right.. he rips on his students. and the people he's lecturing about, and the school, and the dean, and anyone else he can think of. don't worry though, it's all in good fun, and makes the class fun to go to. seriously, i went to hear him babble. the tests ARE hard, but don't fret, he curves... and listen carefully! in the beginning of the quarter he assigns an extra credit project that takes about 5-10 minutes to and you can pull it out of your butt without any effort which will raise your grade a FULL 10%. everyone seemed to forget about this in my class, but at the last moment i remembered, thank God! "sports fans and astronomy lovers" is are his favorite names. take him!

Mottman is hilarious. He is a bitter man, who wishes nothing more than for the world to end by some astronomical event so he can be proved correct. Saying that, mottmans class is very interesting and i learned a whole lot. His tests are very difficult, but he makes the class average = a 75%. also he essentially lets u make your 2 tests. He gives you a test at 5 weeks, then a test at 10 weeks. the final consists of 2 1 hour tests. The first is the same material covered on the test at 5 weeks, and the 2cd the material from the week 10 test. Then he takes your best score from each of the tests. Oh yeah tests are open book, open note. Going to class is highly recomended becuase he doesnt teach out of a text book and there is no course boooklet. I enjoyed mottmans class and would recomend him, just dont expect an A i dont think he gives too many of those.

I will remember Mottman fondly. He's a funny/sarcastic/bitter guy, but I loved it. As far as teaching Astronomy, he tends to go off on tangents, but that often helped to keep me awake, since I had it in the morning. I never really read the required text, which I regret now. It was partially because he didn't assign weekly reading, just said to have half the book read by the time of the midterm. It also had something to do with me taking it my first quarter and not having the self-discipline yet. : ) He's a good guy if you ask me, and his personal stories are always interesting to listen to, even if the lectures aren't always as great.

DON'T TAKE MOTTMAN FOR THIS COURSE OR ANY OTHER COURSE!!!!! I am taking this class just as a credit/no credit BS filler course so that I can get twelve units to keep my financial aid and graduate. With that said here goes about Mottman and the class. You can tell where the Freshmen are sitting by who is laughing at his crap. It's not funny, it's just the first time they have ever heard someone in that position saying these things. Mottman is a dork and his crap is very hard to take if you are mature enough to have heard all of it before. No one laughs this much with Rush Limbaugh but Mottman says the same crap as that fat liberal ass and the little kids love it.

BEST FUCKING TEACHER!!!!!!!! No joke, take him and he might just change the way you think about, well, everything. Don

Don't take Mottman! There is no homework, no book, and no way to get a decent grade in this class. All he does is lecture and talk about politics and bogus topics. The whole class flunked the midterm exams, including me. I flunked the final too. I have never flunked an exam in my entire school career, until this class. He thinks it's funny to give unbearable exams that are bs. I thought astronomy would be easy and interesting. Mottman ruined that. This is a terrible class. The only way I passed this class is by doing the extra credit assignment of logging the sunsets for 10 weeks. Otherwise, I would've failed.

I bet if you ask this question you could get some extra credit in his class. He really is pretty cool. Is there a ring of debris around Uranus?

Wow, I really don't know what to say. I just sat in on this guy's class and dropped him about ten minutes later. He must be the most bitter, nefarious old curmudgeon in the universe he teaches about. Something seriously heinous must have happened in his past to produce one so angry at life. He needs some love, I think. So love him, just don't take his class.

LOL - crazy guy in a good way. Definitely a very opinionated man who I didn't agree with on some stuff (like the existence of extra terrestrial life), but he entertained me every single class and I appreciated his humor. I learned a great deal in the class, a lot not even relating to Astronomy, but I enjoyed it. Tests are hard (hence the open book open note policy), but there is an extra credit assign of the motion of the sun throughout the quarter which helps. Go in, give it your all, and you should be relatively happy with your outcome.

DICKHEAD. That is the best way to describe Mottmann. He's is a bitter, fat, bald old man whose wife left him and he takes it out on his students. Fuck this old fart. He could give a FUCK LESS about student difficulties. Dont waste your time, and don't was your money on his class. Hopefully if no one takes him he'll get laid off and the world will be a much better place after he goes home, cries over a bottle of his favorite booze, and shoots his brain out.

I went to class everyday because it was pure entertainment! His tests are impossible! Just submit to this fact, give it your best shot, and you won't fail MISIRABLBY. Also, DO THE EXTRA CREDIT. It bumps you up a whole grade. I've been told by others who have taken Mottmann that he's also awesome as a lab instructor because he comes up with his own labs. Take Mottmann. Not for the grade, but for the EXPERIENCE.

On the first day, I didn't think much of the teacher or this class. However, it grew on me. I thought that the teacher was pretty arrogant until I talked with him outside of class. He is actually very nice and helpful outside of the classroom. And if he did say something that is out of line to one of the students, he did apologize for it. Overall, the class is highly entertaining and I learned a lot from it. The only thing I recommend though is pay atttention in class and write down as many notes as you think are relevent. The tests aren't hard, but you have to use critical thinking not memorization to answer questions, so if you have trouble doing that then this isn't the class for you.

I've never disliked attending a science class as much as I did for this class. I had thought that a class on the solar system would be simple and easy, especially because it was a 100-level course. I was wrong. I felt like I had to be a student with an astronomy background to know anything when it came to taking his exams. The questions were too thought-provoking for the hour that we had to finish each midterm and final. I felt like my notes were really disorganized and that the professor's ideas were not coherent enough for me to understand. Mottmann displays a facade of not really caring about how the students fare in the class -- as well as not caring really for the whole of mankind. He's a nice teacher, don't get me wrong. His ideas are interesting, but I felt like I had to work way too hard to just pass his tests -- not ace them, but pass them.

Mottman is a son of a bitch first of all. Some people think he is hilarious and they attend his class because of it. I found myself being the butt of all his jokes so I missed class. Either way, I hope he gets fired. With that being said, I did get an A in the class. Although he rambles on about useless shit for the first week and at least the first 5-10 mins of class everyday after, he covers a lot of material. There is no homework for the class. The class is graded as such. It is the combined total of two tests, each comprising of 50% of your grade. One test is on the first half of the material, the second test on the second half. So there is a test the 5th week and one around the 9th week. The final are different versions of the same two tests you have already taken. So the final is like two different tests on the same day. He hands you one, you turn it in and get another. the reason he tests you twice on the same material is because you get the higher of the two scores. So to reiterate, there are 4 tests, but you get the higher of the two that cover the same shit. There is an extra credit problem he gives the first week and wants it turned in like the last week. DO IT! It really bumps up your grade. Now for the tests. The average for our tests were like 50%, so he must have curved. The problem is that simply reading the assigned sections really doesn't help. Honestly, take the first two tests as practice. Read the sections, and most of all. On every single question you missed, understand why you missed it and go and have him explain shit. If he asks you why something happened in the universe, like why pluto is on its side, the answer is because something ran into it. The answer is almost always because something ran into it. If he asks something about what kind of materials could be found on different planets, the answer is probably all planets and moons in our solar system because it all came from the same shit. This is true except for O-Zone, obviously only earth has this shit, thats why we're not living on mars you fucktard. Anyways, his tests are hard as fuck to study for because he teaches you facts, ur supposed to understand the concepts behind those facts, and then you apply those concepts to different situations. I only recommend taking this class if you think you are fairly intelligent individual. If you smoke a lot of weed, have to really work for your grades, don't take this class because working longer doesn't help understand concepts that much, take a class that is more memorization. I reiterate once again, Mottman is a piece of shit and no one should have to sit through one of his classes and be offended by him, but if you find it fun to laugh at other people then go ahead.

I'm amazed this guy is still instructing at Cal Poly. You can't say he's teaching because all he does is rant about irrelevant crap. I took this astronomy class from Mottman back in 2003. Someone PLEASE do me a favor and ask him how his theory of popular/unpopular alternating war is going now. Back in 2003 he had a theory that every other war that the US gets into is a popular war. His theory put the Iraq invasion as a popular war. When I questioned him about it in class (I flat out asked him how he could say this war was popular) and he said "Because the majority of Americans want us to be at war." He refused to listen to me when I explained that his numbers were flawed. I'd love to hear his reasoning now.

I had read the polyratings on John Mottmann becore I added the class and knew he was going to be a tough teacher. Unfortunately, he was the only one who taught the class when I took it. The first week I was appauled by how unprofessional he was toward the class with he vulgar use of profanity and belittling us. I still remember every negative thing he said to the class. I remember when I asked if there would be study sessions to review, he responded with, "Lady, I've been here for 35 f***in years. I will get through all the s*** so calm your a** down and keep your panties dry." Then he goes on how men need to respect the ladies. Some people say that his office hours help but they didn't for me. Here I was taking the time to go seek help and he left me feeling so bad about myself because I didn't get it right away. He would raise his voice and spoke with a harsh tone asking me questions about my test. I just can't learn when someone is yelling at me. Mottmann, if you're reading this, I want you to know that you made me dread coming to your class not because I didn't want to, I actually enjoy astronomy, but because you were the one lecturing. Luckily, your class was at the end of the day so my whole day wouldn't be ruined. I seriously hope you begin to change your ways of teaching and working with people. You may find my post amusing or whatnot but I don't care. Hopefully somewhere inside you feel horrible about yourself. By the way, I tape recorded every lecture from your class and still have those tapes. I'm sure the dean of the college would be interested in knowing how you presented yourself "profesionally" in lectures. I'm thinking of stopping by.

Mottman is the best teacher i've ever had period. Also a really, really smart guy he definitely knows his shit. Ya his tests are way too hard, but I really didn't care because he teaches you to look at the world critically and that is more important than any class you can take. He made me WANT to go to class. If you like George Carlin you will love this guy

Mottmann is amazing. He rants endlessly in class; sometimes I would want to give a standing ovation at the end of the all-too-short hour. If you are a conservative christian you will hate this class, so just watch out. I ended up learning a lot of astronomy along with a bunch of other interesting stuff (Bankers rule, Kondrotiov cycles (the alternating war theory that ISN'T bullshit to the person a few under me)). His tests are hard but he ends up curving the whole thing which is why I got the A. If you like brain teasers you will love his tests. My rating would be no different even if I recieved an F. Mottmann: If you're reading this, it's the student who ran into you at Burg Eltz in Germany. That was the single most random thing ever to happen to me. Cheers

Mottman is a hilarious and passionate man. However, this does not mean that getting a good grade in his class is easy. His lectures are very interesting, especially if you're stoned which I highly recommend. But his tests are straight up impossible. The entire class will do terribly, and his distribution for grades is extremely confusing. I loved the topic, and worked hard, but could not get a good grade in his class.

I went to class every day, did all the reading and was left high and dry. The time he has in class he never teaches. I learned more from my book than anything else. It's sad how the uneducated kids in my class just eat up his bullshit he make's up.

Before entering the classroom, abandon all hope of enjoying astronomy 102. Evidently, the content is harder than 101 and that's unfortunate because any qustions or concerns were never addressed and most material on the tests was never covered in class. He was completely pig-headed, offensive, and totally disorganized throughout the quarter. He presses his liberal political views upon his students and jumps at the opportunity to insult the fool who dared to question his logic. Basically, Mottmann hates Cal Poly but is in it for the thrill of failing hundreds of his students.

Mottmann is one of a few teachers at this school who knows and acts like this school should not be considered a state school. He refuses to teach down at that level. He didn't care how many notes or books we brought to the midterms or the final because he wrote the tests in a way that required more thought than memorization. If you're ultra-conservative, you'll want to steer clear. Otherwise, don't be afraid to yell back at him during his diatribes. The grade was just two exams, then a two-part final that was basically a repeat of each of the exams, with the better scores becoming your final grades. Huge curves abound.

Mottman is a cool guy and he is funny, but don't expect a decent grade in his class. His tests are really hard, even if you study. He says they are tests that make you "think" but they actually don't cover anything he lectured on in class. Take this class credit not credit if you can. I didn't, thinking I could pull off a good grade. Forget about it. If you have the choice, don't take this class and if you are already in it, I'm really sorry.

Best teacher I ever had. If you want to learn, take this guy. If you want a good grade don't.

Any professor who starts the first day of class by reading his worst student evaluations from last quarter can't be ALL bad. At least he has a sense of humor. First off, let me tell engineers to seriously think twice before taking this class. This class requires mostly conceptual imagination work to grasp impossibly large numbers, not concrete math... as a result you will find yourself struggling. Also Mottmann will make fun of you, but that's pretty much a constant for him. I know this list is full of people that will tear Mottmann a new one for his teaching style, but let me give you my personal spin on it. Mottmann is unwilling to dumb down his material for the sake of students, and he assumes you have a level of interest equal to his own. The problem is that while HE has dedicated most of his life to astronomy, most of his students have not and will not, and are a bit shocked to find themselves in a 100-level class that is harder than some upper-divisions. A lot of the learning in Mottmann's class is done by students outside of class, and his test questions ask you to actually apply the rules he taught you. Expect at least three questions about topics you could swear he never even mentioned in class. Speaking of class, don't expect to actually learn anything about astronomy for the first week or two. The first two to four classes are learning about him and his politics, which tends to really annoy some people (I don't know why, it's not like he grades on knowledge of his dislike for republicans, and he really is quite funny sometimes.) Despite getting C's on the tests and not bothering with the extra credit, I pulled an A in the class because I was still above the class average, and actually went to class regularly. Get used to this in any Mottmann class... graduate school level tests. So yeah, he makes fun of students (a LOT), writes impossible tests, goes off on lengthy political rants mid-class, swears more than any other professor that I've had at Poly. Be ready before you walk in, but also be ready for an interesting, if not always fun, class

Mottmann seems to me like a bitter old man that likes to complain about Cal Poly and Republicans alike. It was great. I still learned a lot in his class and the work was easy. Just looking over your notes and being in class was enough to get As and Bs. The class was just as entertaining as it was fun.

mottman was not the teacher i'd signed up for to take stars and galaxies. for the first week, i thought he was hilarious, especially because he didnt teach us anything about stars or galaxies, just his view on life and everything else. he is a strange man, who isnt afraid to tell you what he thinks of you and can get reallly annoying. i didnt do the readings (except crazy cramming before the midterms and finals). I got straight F's on the first two midterms and took the final (pretty sure I failed it too) but got a C in the class. Just show up to all the tests, try hard, go to class and I'm pretty sure he will give you a C!

There was no curve when I took the class, or at least not a "crazy" one. Mottman fell behind the other classes and never caught up. "Bullshits" about obvious things and current events, occassionally drawing ridiculous conclusions from random medical studies. Also makes fun of people and uses immature language. Overall, he really wears on his title of "professor", but has entertainment value (especially if you're non-Conservative). I would only reccommend him to people who know their "damn physics".

Mr. Mottman is really easy to get along with. He seems like an old fart, but after the first day, it's not so bad. The lectures are easy to understand, and his labs are great. Pay attention to what he teaches in lecture, then do sample problems in the book for better understanding. He doesn't collect homework, so everything is based on the tests. He's always willing to help you out during office hours. The new book by Halliday, Resnick and Walker isn't that great, don't depend on it. Get a tutor no matter what for Physics.

Physics 131 is hard...very hard. If you are unfortunate enough to get stuck with this guy I would seriously consider dropping the class and taking it later. 50% of my class withdrew and 50% of the remaining flunked. Best advice is to run....far far away. Mottmon is a bald old senial fat guy.

Instead of scaring away those faint- of- heart pansies who seem to multiply exponentially every year at Poly, I would rather suggest that it is this very group of spineless individuals who needs to take Mottmann as soon as possible. Granted, he is an loudmouth activist liberal and will go on strike the minute Chancellor Reed steps on campus again, but you don't have to like his opinions to be inspired by his enthusiasm (even though his opinions are almost always right.) He knows what's up, and is the first to admit that memorization and precise lab data is crap, which means he focuses on the fundamentals. Anyway he's an astronomer at heart, and I'm taking an astronomy class with him as soon as I can. Indeed, I think perhaps his offensive demeanor is a challenge, and he is waiting for a student to have the wisdom and the balls to out-think him. Now, as for the physics instruction, it's excellent, and needs no further illustration; if you don't pass it's your fault. I never did the homework and I still got a B. But just as an education is not the only reason you are at Poly, the stunning physics is not the only reason to take Mottmann.

Dude, this guy is a joke... A clown teaching physics, thats basically what he is. none of his dumb jokes seems funny to me at all, however a few of the girls sitting behind me seems to think he's funny.. "Whatever"... his lecture are based on deriving equations with NUMBERS AND LETTERS.. makes absolutely NO SENSE... his lecture doesnt help on the homeworks nor his god-damn tests...

mottmann is an awesome professor. i never fell asleep in his class because he's hilarious. his tests are very hard, but his curve is very generous. this quarter i failed the first midterm and practically got a zero on the second one. he told us if we pass the final with the curve, we'd pass the class, and i did. a great teacher, but vulgar at times. certainly the pessimist but i'd take him again for anything.

Boring physics? Naah. This guy actually made it pretty fun, and I actually woke up to go to every lecture. Even if you're not a 'physics lover,' you'll get a kick out of Mottmann, especially if you happen to be an anti-Republican, atheist, female, sadist, or anarchist. Now, even if you're none of the above (like me), you'll probably like this guy. He uses death and destruction to illustrate conservation of energy and momentum. How good is that? If you want to know every last debacle the US/State Goverment has gotten into over the last fifty-odd years, he's your man. I'd seriously choose him, if possible, for future classes. Please note that devoted followers of President Baker are advised to keep him at arm's length.

I took Mottmann for both lecture and lab. He is one of the most hilarious teachers I have ever seen. He is a very cynical, skeptical, sarcastic, and self-demeaning. As a result I found it impossible to fall asleep in his 8 am class. He believes that he has no effect on what grades his students get and doesn

The man is hilarious. There are no two ways about it... I was really freaked out before the final, because I did pretty badly on both of his midterms, even though I studied. But I studied A LOT for the final, and I got a B in his class. And I know my physics, too. Take him if you can.

MOTTMAN IS MY IDOL!!! He is awesome!! Very rude and obnoxious. The first day he made fun of retarded children and calls computers idiot boxes!! He preaches that exercise is bad for you and will call you PHYSICS LOVERS and SPORTS FANS 50 times in one lab...He always says the labs are "useless" and calls the school CAL-POOPY. The labs rarely took longer than an hour and little write-up was necessary...Take Mottman...its easy and he is hilarious!

This class is really hard. If you care to understand physics I would not take this class.

This guy has to be one of the most outspoken teachers I will ever have to listen to. He constantly rambles on about random topics (most his personal negative thoughts toward the univeristy administration, the CSU system, and anything else) and the rest was physics. However, he is very direct in the teaching and has well organized lectures. I was most impressed by this teacher during his office hours. He was very helpful and took the time to clarify any questions I had. Very vulgar, but entertaining none the less.

Mottmann is the most hilarious professor you will ever have!!! I am a major, and I got a C in the class. This is mostly my fault because I fell behind in the homework. His tests seem so difficult while being taken, but upon looking back, if I had known the material better, I would have come out of that class with an A or B. Mottmann definitely knows how to get the attention of the students...he jokes about us smoking marijuana, having orgies before lab, and president baker being a big dumbass. If you want an A, you should probably take someone else, but if you want a conceptual understanding, a passing grade, and many laughs every lecture, take Mottmann!

Well here it is. Mottman is great at presenting the material (he can explain things down to a tee) but the comments in-between what he was teaching kinda got annoying.. let's just put it this way, he's VERY liberal. Other than that he's ok.

mottmann is the best lab instructor of them all, he gets you in and out of there with in 1 and 1/2 hours and two hours, he is a good guy to talk to and he is very approachable. i highly recommend him. oh yeh, and you dont do the labs in the lab manual, you do mottmann labs, they are much better.

Quite possibly the best instructor I've had at Cal Poly. This guy is a really fair grader, he give you partial credit on stuff that is completely wrong. I got A's on the two midterm, but I started to slack off from being so damn confident. I learned that I got a 42% on the final and that contributed to my B. Don't listen to anyone on this board, Mottmann is a great professor, if you don't understand something, then GO TO OFFICE HOURS. He'll explain to you everything in detail until you understand. The cool thing is that h/w in not turned in and you can fail both midterms and if you get an A on the final, then he'll give you an A as your final grade. Not to mention that he's pretty funny too. I will definately try to take him for 132 and 133 if I can. Makes a very uninteresting subject very interesting.

Can be pretty brutal to students at times.

I've never had a professor like Dr. Mottmann. He's quirky and shares his liberal views on all kinds of subjects. His tangents don't last too long, though, and he teaches very clearly and effectively. His lectures are very engaging and he gives all sorts of interesting examples to aid in our comprehension. Mottmann has a knack for teaching; I could tell he puts alot into his lectures. He is great at helping during office hours. Midterms and the final are hard. If you fail the midterms, don't give up. Just do your best and you'll probably pass. Take Mottmann ifyou can. He's one of the best profs I've had. You'll especially like him if you think (like me) that George W. Bush is a "big dumbass."

Mottmann is a turd. At times a mean and nasty turd, at times a...mean..um..and nasty turd. This guy knows his shit, and he can teach it better than anyone I've seen. No homework is collected, and his tests are nowhere near easy--remember what to expect. ***he is my favorite teacher out of all the teachers I have ever encountered at calpoopy*** His childish and sometimes distasteful sense of humor has me laughing my ass off (or trying my hardest not to crack a smile). He openly professes how he wants to kill president bush and president warren baker. He does not give two shits about policital correctness. If you don't understand something, he could really give a flying fuck...BUT--if you put in the effort and/or attend his office hours, you will come away with a grade you deserve. ***No homework collected; 2 midterms (2x25%) and a final (50%). Do well on the final and you'll come out fine in the class*** I got a 72%, a 62%, and I understood the final pretty well, and somehow I ended up with an "A". Good luck.

Mottmann is a self-proclaimed turd who likes to talk and talk about how everything's wrong yet doesn't seem to do anything about it. If you're staunchly conservative, you may want to avoid his lectures, but otherwise, just sit back and enjoy the show. The class averages on the midterms were 55% and 45%. I scored 68% both times, did okay (I suppose) on the final, and walked away with an A. Do ALL of the homework, make sure you understand it, go to EVERY lab, make sure you understand those, and if Mottmann shoots a dart gun in class or does some other example, KNOW IT and you should do fine.

The best! He makes the material genuinely funny and very interesting. He is very knowledgeable and gives flawless lectures. He is also the most offensive and pessimistic professor I have ever met. It makes him even more interesting. Instead of using blocks of wood in a diagram, he uses a terrorist hijacked 747. Even if you hate physics, get Mottman for the great comedy. Don't be discouraged by his tests. The class usually averages a 40%. This will be curved at the end of the class.

Mottmann definately knows his physics. Although his tests are nothing like the examples he gives in class, if you really understand the concepts you'll do ok. And if you do fail you first midterm don't worry he curves the clas at the end. At first I hated his class, but looking back at his tests i realize that they were actually really fair and if you do well on his test than you will have a strong comand over the material. No doubt I would take him again.

I felt that this professor was very funny and intersting the first day. After hard tests and his constant ripping on students and Cal Poly I got fed up. His jokes get old and his lack to present useful examples gets even older. I'm not gonna say don't take him b/c other people have done ok, but it just wasn't my style. If you like to teach yourself and not turn in h/w this is the class for you. If not then....RUN!!

Mottmann is one hell of a character. This guy is great. I didn't have him for lecture, but his lab is probably the easiest your gonna have. He talks for about the first 30 mins then you have to do a short experiment. He doesn't make you do any kind of a lab write up, which is key, cause all the other teaches make you do a bunch of useless b.s. His personality is hilarious and he gives a shit about nothing. He loves to make fun of students, but if you just sit back and don't piss him off you'll have a hilarious quarter

Physics is incredibly hard, but at least Mottmann makes the torture humorous. He bases the class grade on two midterms and the final, all of which are extremely hard. I scored in the low 60's for the first midterm and low 30's for the second midterm, and I probably did really bad on the final too. I still earned a C- in his class, though. I don't recommend this class if you're pals with President Baker or like being a conservative Republican. Otherwise, go for it!

Now this is one funny salty bastard. He should quit and be a comedian. He is extremely entertaining to listen to, and knows his stuff. His tests are very hard, but he puts it on a FAT curve, so everyone passes. I will probably go to his classes in the future regardless of whether I am in them or not purely for the entertainment. Although slow and dangerous behind the wheel, I guess senior citizens can still serve a purpose.

Mottman is a different breed, but he knows his physics. The classes are entertaining; jokes, smart-ass comments, foul language, and anything pro-liberal/anti-Warren Baker. His goal for tests is for the lowest class average possible and more so he'll tell you that's his goal; but he does curve scores. The best part about his class is the labs; he'll do the whole thing in class for you, then you just have to punch in the numbers and turn it in. I wouldn't reccomend him, but you can make it through his class if you have too.

Mottman is a riot. His cynical humor keeps it real, but his knowledge of the subject is good, so its not just crap. His lab was super easy-we only did the planned experiment from the manual once or twice. In class write up, and he doesn't accept it until its good enough to get a good grade. Tests in Lecture were open book and open note. Couldn't have been much easier.

Mottman is very different than any other teacher I have had. There are good and bad things about his class. He presents things well, and is he is very very funny. He doesnt collect homework or give quizes. We never stayed more then 1 hour in his labs. He gives A LOT of partial credit on tests. But his tests are VERY hard, and impossible to study for. He says to practice with problems out of the book, but his test questions are totally different. Everyone fails his tests, so he curves really well. But he doesnt let you know what grade to expect, so you will have no idea what grade you will have in the class. I studied a lot, but because of his crazy tests I got a C. I guess he is not the best teacher, but I would take him again.

Funniest guy in the entire world. GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS, it will teach you enough to get an A on the test i guarantee it. I got a very, very high A on the final just by going to 2 office hours and staying after class in lab once, and that was after failing both midterms. This guy is the greatest.

Mottmann is great. His labs were an hour and a half max, and they were very easy. He usually makes up his own labs because he says the department labs are crap. His lectures were just as great too. No homework or quizzes, just 2 midterms and the final. I averaged in the 40's or 50's on his tests, but he curves generously so I got a C+. Very entertaining class, I highly recommend him.

prety psyco guy. If you are in for some amusement and fun take him. Dont expect to get an A, he gives prety hard test. If you are sensitive dont take him cuz he is mean and says nasty thing to you and about you. "Welcome to our happy home", "the only reason we are here is to keep you off the streets" he uses profanity and is verbaly abusive to everyone. But still an amusing lecture. the cursing helped keep me awake. dont take anything he says personal. I am taking him again this quater for 132 since i had so much fun last quater.

For 131 lab, Mottman was the easiest teacher EVER. But I didn't learn much. He was so easy that you really don't learn much in the class. But he was funny and offensive and such. Take him if you need an easy lab, don't take him if you want to learn physics well.

Cal POly Most have!!!!!!!!! No HW!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 midterms and 1 final !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Mottman is one of the funniest professor's at Poly, although most of his material isn't p/c so beware. His lectures were pretty easy to follow, but the exams looked nothing like what he covered in lecture. There is a homework sheet that he stole from some other professor that he gives you, but doesn't make you do. He has two mid-terms and a final, and even though he won't talk about it, he has a very generous curve. The class was entertaining, but don't expect to get much out of it unless you already understand physics.

He was by far the funniest teacher I've ever had. Instead of doing the LONG BORING lab, he'd make something else for us to do. So instead of being in that lab room for 3 hours, we'd be there for 2 hours or less. He explains the lat which takes up more than half the time you're there and then tells you what he wants you to do and how he wants you to do it. That's the biggest time saver. He writes the full experiment on the board with the equations and pictures. So in the end, all you have to do is find the data and plug it into the equation he has set up. He makes fun of the students that play with the lab equipment while he's talking. If you don't want to be poked fun off as he says, "put your hands down your pants and play with your balls." That and other jokes and random conversations keep the class awake and laughing.

Mottmann is awesome (unless you're a Republican)!!! He's okay at teaching the course material (helps if you have some friends to study with). But his classes are never boring. I could listen to him rip on Bush for hours. Mottmann is just one of those teachers you have to get while you're at Calpoly, just for the experience. He is the crankiest old fart I've ever met: I love him.

I'll give you the low down on this crazy guy. He is hilarious, you will have a good time in class every day and you will not dread physics. However, he is not that good of a teacher and you will have trouble learning the material based on his instructions alone. He has demanding tests and unless you put a great amount of effort in its hard to do well. So weigh out your priorities.

For all you "poor little shits" that have to know about this guy: Mottman is one of the "oldest bastards" you will ever meet, and he'll tell you that on the first day. Despite his rantings about Bush, Mottman IS a good teacher. His tests may be extremely difficult, but who cares? It's difficult for everyone and the class is on a major curve. My C = 31%. Here's the story (which is the exact same as what others have said): Mottman will give ridiculously difficult tests, but their open notes (he says only one page but he really wouldn't care if you had 10). Also, the questions on the tests come straight from the book or worked examples in class. I got my 'C' for not going to a few classes and I just missed him working out the problems. Take good notes and go to class, and I don't see how you wouldn't get an 'A' with him. Get past his political BS, and he isn't that bad of a teacher.

I wouldn't advise this class for someone who relies on clear and concise explanations, hates being degraded (however inadvertantly)in class, and/or doesn't have a study method that works really well for them. He wastes lecture time ranting about republicans, women being stupid, and calling his students "fucking idiots." He doesn't allow calculators or equation sheets on his tests, and he doesn't give you any of the equations and requires that you do a lot of rounding...so if you are a perfectionist and hate approximation and/or rely heavily on a calculator and/or have trouble retaining equations, take someone else. The only good thing about this class was the lack of workload. The only reason I didn't fail this class was because of my study methods, though he does curve a lot! His midterm class average was always an F, which became a C...so that's one other good thing.

Mottman is very funny. I loved his dirty sense of humor. But he CANT teach. The first half hour of class he babbles about irrelevant subjects such as politics. Then for the next 20 minutes, he'll briefly explain about a quarter of one problem and expect you to know how to do everything else. He also does not follow the "learn by doing" motto, and he even admits it. I would not recommend Mottman for phys 131 unless you are good at reading the textbook. I personally learn better when someone explains it to me, and he definitely failed in that area. Also, his tests are veeeeeery hard and he says he like averages in the 40s and 50s. That doesn't make sense if you expect anyone to learn anything.

He's an ass by his own admittance. If you know your physics well from high school you will do okay. But he just whines and talks about stuff unrelated to physics for the first 10 to 20 minutes of class before beginning lecture. He is helpful and nicer during his office hours. The average on his tests are in the 50% range. While he doesn't collect homework, it is beneficial to do it and read the book because he has pulled a few problems directly from there. Some of the problems are from lecture, but with the numbers changed. He is funny to listen to, much like an adult college student that lectures. His language and jokes aren't always professional. Take if you're good at physics and figuring some stuff out on your own.

Mottman is a horrible teacher. He even tells you to take a different professor, so if you are waitlisted and you don't get in, LUCKY YOU! A typical lecture involves him walking in and bitching about the state of the economy, the campus, former students, basically anything other than physics. After about half an hour of tangents, he will get into some physics, which he presents bluntly and quickly. If you ask a question, expect to be grilled and most likely humiliated. His labs are a joke and very similar to his lectures. The funny part is that he knows we are 2 weeks behind other classes but only lectures for about 20 minutes each day! If you know your high school physics and are looking for an easy C (his tests are ridiculous) take this class, but if you are looking for a solid base for physics, do NOT take him.

Mottman is a raging sex-crazed lunatic who's greatest pleasure in life (other than masturbation) is insulting the government, the health system, and most of all, his students. Yet the class that fails together passes together. If you want to learn nothing yet have a chance at passing, take him. P.S. Don't yawn in class!! He throws a bitch fit.

This guy is a nightmare. He's funny(ish), but he rants for a half-hour every class about the state of the world, etc. -- no physics. His tests are hard, and his lectures are not clear at all. Class average was around 50. However, he is very helpful during office hours. I also recommend downloading the solution manual for the Physics book -- very helpful on the homework problems (not collected, by the way).

If you're easily insulted, don't take Mottman. Throughout the course of the quarter, expect either yourself, or something you like to be insulted. But in a way it's all partly an act. He does really think the world is going to hell, but he exaggerates because he wants you to think about what he says. In terms of the class though, make sure you do the book work. Also, whenever solving for stuff on tests, make sure you start with the basic equations and set it up for whatever you need to solve for before plugging in any numbers. Honestly, after getting 10 points below the class average on the first test, I worked my ass off to do better, and ended up getting 20 points above the class average on the next test. I really feel like I learned a lot more in his class then if I had taken an easy teacher where I would have gotten a better grade. Also, if you are having trouble, go to his office hours, he is always willing to help.

You will not learn anything about physics in this class. Most lectures involve more about what is in the daily news than anything related to physics. The labs are a waste of time. I would not recommend even considering taking this class unless it is a last resort. On the plus side there is no homework but this means that the two midterms and the final make up your entire grade. Also, Mr. Mottmann does not tell you what grade you have until after the final so you will not have any idea what how you are doing.

Mottman was great. He may have been highly opinionated and had a dirty mouth, but I never fell asleep in class. The only reason that the class average was 50% was because nobody ever tried any homework. Although no homework is assigned, you'll be fine on the tests if you do some. He's also helpful outside of class. Just make sure your sense of humor is fully functional before enrolling in his class.

Honestly, Mottmann is ONE OF THE ABSOLUTE BEST TEACHERS AT CAL POLY and one of the top 3 that I've had, EVER. Yes, he is crude and has a somewhat "inappropriate" sense of humor, but he isn't offensive unless you are soft and take things personally. If you can realize that he uses his humor and cussing to make points and keep your attention, then you'll be fine. He doesn't teach "things" he teaches the meaning of things, which is the way physics should be taught. Mottmann is also perhaps the most knowledgeable teacher at Cal Poly and as a result, his "irrelevant rants" though politically slanted, are extremely eye opening and interesting (not to mention maybe more relevant to real life than any of the physics you learn). As far as tests, Mottmann gives two very hard tests and a final. You will never know what your grade is because it all depends on "how sh*tty you do in comparison to everyone else." The mid-terms are, like I said, very hard (class averages of 42 and 52 percent and 4 people got 0% on the second one...yes they took the test and got a zero...). The final I studied really hard for, preparing to fail miserably, but it was surprisingly not as bad as the mid terms. If you do the homework and go to his extremely helpful office hours, you'll do fine. If I could take Mottmann for all of my Physics classes, I definately would. In fact, if you have the chance to take him for Physics OR Astronomy, I would highly recommend it. Overall, Mottmann is a great teacher, hilarious, and a great man! Take him!!!

What a horrible twist of fate taking mottman turned out to be. I got an F the first quarter and was scared shitless, having never even gotten Cs in high school. I retook the class for a C- which was perplexing because I look back on it and wonder how he could have made the simple stuff he was teaching seem so obscure and tricky!!!!!! I don't care about his demeanor in class, I just didn't learn any of the material under his poor instruction.

tuh-huh-huh-uh...where to start with dr. john mottmann. right off the bat he let you know how much he hated cal poly, especially physics 131. he would always tell us we're wasting our times taking this class and how we should be taking 141. he's a little odd (ok maybe more than just a little) and he definitely has a unique sense of humor. he always referred to us as "sports fans" and "physics lovers," and i'm not quite sure why (i kept a tally of how many times he called us sports fans, and after about 5 weeks the total was over 75). he would always come in a few minutes late, often reading the NY Times. he's very cynical and pessimistic and he hates everything under the sun (and probably the sun too) including anti lock brakes, republicans, nalgene bottles, warren baker, everyone taking his physics class, the ME and AERO departments, and every american car company. as for his class, it was hard. i studied my ass off and the bastard only gave me a C. he gives 2 midterms, and the class average was awful. the final was just as hard, and much longer. i thought i did really well on the final, but i ended up getting a C on it so i guess not... overall he was a decent professor, he actually taught me how to think about what i'm trying to do rather than just plugging numbers into a formula and getting a numerical answer. most of his test questions don't even have numbers, they're all variables and you have to solve in terms of one variable. he doesn't care what your answer is, as long as you took the right steps to get there. and he is VERY helpful in office hours, i strongly recommend going to his office hours if you run into trouble, and don't worry you will. i left that class with a strong understanding of physics thanks to my studying, not his lectures. i also left his class with tons of hilarious stories about his lectures, his lame jokes, his attire, his attitude, and his pictures. by the way, his pictures are hilarious. disclaimer: don't take him if: you live in alaska, can't take a joke, drive a truck with big tires, think balloons fly forward when you slam on the brakes in a car, think anti lock brakes work, are a republican, you like warren baker, are easily offended, like nascar, or like to put salt on your french fries without tasting them first.

here's a little treat for those of you who have had mottmann. if you haven't had him and you're taking him, just wait and you'll get what this picture means. (i'm sure he goes off on this rant in all of his classes... if not, then only those who had him spring 2008 will get it) http://img516.imageshack.us/img516/2756/mottmanntrucklq8.jpg

Mottman is fucking awesome. If you are easily offended, you seriously should not take this class. I, however, am not and I loved it. I learned a fair bit about physics too. When he isn't rambling he actually does present the material well if you're paying attention. I was the only girl in my section of 131 but Mottman rarely singled me out for it. Despite what others are saying, Mottman is not sexist racist, etc. He hates everyone fairly equally, except Republicans.

He's a jerk. Get over it and you'll be alright. If he pisses you off, let that be your motivation to study hard and do well on his test. I had a phenomenal physics teacher in high school, so I had seen the phys 131 curriculum before, which made the class much easier for me than others. But regardless, do the homework, understand it, pay attention in lecture, and get over his personality. Do this and you'll be fine. If you need help, don't be afraid of going to him. I never did, but I witnessed one guy ask for help after lab one day, and he was actually very helpful and instructive. Just don't be fake. Class averages on his tests were 51% and 55%. He curves at the end of the quarter. Getting an A on a midterm is not impossible though. I got a 99% on my first midterm and he wrote at the top, "Rats, I have failed." You will learn a lot in his class if you apply yourself. Lastly, if he seems very cynical and opinionated and etc, no matter how much you hate him for it, there's usually some nugget of truth behind what he's saying. And that's worth listening to.

This teacher is the bomb! Although he is really pessimistic and he puts down everyone, he knows his stuff and he makes it so you want to go to his class. You will learn more than physics in his class. He does real life examples and he talks a lot about what is happening to the world. There is no homework in his class and there is 3 tests (including the final) + 2 random extra credit problems in the first 3 weeks. The midterms are average if you do not think too hard and his final is a little harder. He basically takes questions from the textbook and changes the numbers or makes it easier. But if you are having trouble he will be more than happy to help you during his office hours (but get ready for some criticisms). I would totally recommend his class if you are willing to have a fun time and not get offended by his rants.

Get over the fact that he's crazy and hes not that bad. In fact he is actually really cool to talk to. As for his grading; its crazy! I got a 34 on the first test and a 37 on the second. I dont know my final grade but somehow I passed with a C! So in other words, dont get discouraged by his tests. Study hard and long for the midterms!!!! As for going to his class twice a week, that takes no effort at all, cuz he is actually funny in a weird sexual crazy sort of way. BUT you will probably hate him through the quarter but once you get your grade, you will feel fine about him.

I had to fill out one of these because the last 5 or so reviews were actually POSITIVE reviews. I can't believe ANYBODY thinks this man is a good teacher. He's a funny guy and has lots of awesome rants in the middle of the class but the physics gets lost in his senile speeches. The tests are in fact impossible. The averages were always in the 40's. The only plus is that by the time you fail the 2nd midterm you'll figure out you have to learn the whole course by yourself from the book. You'll study for 2 straight weeks before the final and get a good enough grade to barely pass the class. You'll probably learn physics in his class but it CERTAINLY won't be from him.

Everybody should have this character for at least one Physics lab. He is entertaining and informative, and above all, he doesn't give a flying fuck what you think about him (and will tell you so in the same words). He talks for 30-45 minutes at the beginning of lab, and some one in your group should write down what he does, because that's the lab procedure (only one of the labs actually came from the lab manual). Keep significant digits to a minimum, he enjoys loudly ripping into people that don't ("All this precision equipment and you can calculate the width of that slit to one ten-thousandth of a millimeter!?! Give me a fucking break. Try again, kids."). Each group turns in one page of results, no lab reports at all. His grading consists of underlining the name of the person from the group who hands him the sheet, so make sure you do it two or three times, otherwise you may not pass. Oh yes, only once did the lab ever take more than 90 minutes.

this guys is totally the guy to take for lab, usually we were out of there in an hour and a half, and he is so entertaining, likes to dis all over cal poly, and everything else, take him for lab if you can.

Allow me, for a moment, to rate Mottmann in the style and tone that he speaks with in class daily: "What a goddamn dumb fuck. I can't believe that he's allowed to teach physics at this piece of shit school run by assholes like Warren Baker. All the asshole does is complain about SUVs, Republican engineers, and how the dumbshit students shouldn't have approved the fee increase." If you don't believe me, come to the first day of his class, even if you don't need to take a physics course; it's actually fun to watch. In all fairness, I started out the quarter hating Mottmann, mostly from what I read here. But if you can get into his paradigm, he's actually a pretty good physics teacher. He's very helpful and clear in office hours, and he insults himself as much as he insults everyone and everything else. He doesn't collect homework; it's 2 midterms and one final, straight up. They were doable if you kept up with the homework, talked to him in office hours, and took some responsibility to do the work. Now if Mottmann could just shuttup the frat-boy assholes in the back of the room who talked the entire quarter, I'd be able to recommend him. Last word on Mottmann: his bark is WAYY worse than his bite; he's definitely survivable.

Mottman is HILARIOUS. i had him for both lecture and lab, and every class period he made me bust up laughing. i'd recommend taking him for lab before lecture. lab is rediculously easy. i never had a lab longer than 2 hours. the first half of lab he just yabbers on about crap, insults students and cal poly administration and whatever is on his mind, then he goes over the lab, you do it and leave. no write up or anything. lecture is VERY tough. the final was the hardest i've ever taken. there was 12 questions that take 15 min to do each but he only gives you 2 hours. the class averages on the midterms were 56. he beats you down all quarter then curves it at the end. but take him anyway. you learn and laugh.

I have never met anyone with more Physics knoledge then Mottmann, he was great at explaining things and he dosen't collect homework. If you take his lab class there are no write ups, easiest labs ever. He is also hilarious unless you are easily offended by sexist and lewd jokes. If you go in with an open mind you will love it. The tests are very hard but he grades of a scale. The class average was usually in the 40's but that was equal to a C.

Mottmann is great, does a lot of theory so you learn actually what you are doing. His liberal rantings always shake up class and make it a lot of fun to be in there. If you are conservative, christian, republican or anything similar you won't agree with any of his ideas and he makes sure everyone knows his ideas, but he is a great prof. You have no idea what your grade is until the end of the class but it's all done on a curve.

Mottman was a good teacher. His lectures are always interesting because he fills them with political opinions. I think the only reason he didn't go into political science was because of his strong opinions. His tests are based mainly off the examples he gives in class, with a few curve balls. You have to have a lot of ingenuity to do good on the tests. He has no quizzes or homework. And he knows what the class should be: it's not about the material, its about working with questions and sovling problems to get an answer. Not bad.

mottman explained the material well and is definitely entertaining. never felt like skipping the class. no hw, no quizzes, just 2 midterms and a final. not too bad though.

He is great. Go to class and take good notes and then bring those notes to the test.

Mottman is a professor, not a teacher. This is a univeristy, not a school. The course follows suit. If you want to learn physics and are willing to put in the effort, you will learn physics from mottman far better than anyone else. If you want to be babied, go elsewhere. Office hours are a huge help since so much material is covered and he doesn't allow for questions during lecture. Homework is minimal and not turned in, which is most peoples downfall. You must do homework problems in order to pass. Most of his ranting and picking on people will be offensive, so be prepared for that. The class averages about low 50's on most midterms, but he curves like none other, but don't ask about it.

DO THE HOMEWORK! If you do the homework problems and take down all the example problems and bring them to the mid terms you will do fine. Mottman can make some harsh comments about Cal Poly and conservative politics, but is is well hummored. If you don't understand something GO TO HIS OFFICE HOURS, he will be totally serious and help you out no matter what he says in Lecture about his office hours. Don't worry about the tests the class averages are below 50 percent and he CURVES like Crazy. Just don't expect to know what your grade is EVER in this class. Good Luck!

THIS GUYS LAB IS A JOKE. you are out in no more than an hour and a half and he just looks over the lab. Watch out for those sig figs and it will be painless, unless your lecture teacher expects you to get something out of lab.

Motmann is very humorous in class and keeps you awake. He is very organized and teaches the material very clearly and in a way easy to understand.

Funny guy. Very entertaining to listen to. Too bad he doesn't care too much about teaching the stuff. Class usually consists of him ranting for about 15 minutes about random news tidbits or so and then he'll lecture AT you for the rest of the period. He confesses that he doesn't look at the book and that he hates physics. You might find yourself falling asleep in his class because he's got one of those soft voices that just lull you into passing out. If you know your physics, you'll probably be okay. If you put forth a lot of study time, you might be okay. There's a WICKED curve on this class. I mean class average 59% curve. I would've never earned an A any other way.

This dude hates life and is bad at getting students to stay interested and understand the material. Don't worry about him ruining your gpa though because I practically failed the final and got an a. Just go to office hours a few times and he'll help you and like you. tuhtuh tuhtuh (that's what he says).

Great!

i'm about 4/5's of the way through the quarter and i wish i had never signed up for this class. both of the midterms were incredibly difficult. the questions he asks are straight from his ass and completely obscure. he's got such a negative attitude towards pretty much everything. once in awhile he'll say something that measures lightly on the funny scale, but the rest of the shit that comes out of his mouth is political banter, sexist jokes, anti-Poly remarks, hatred for the world, hatred for physics...i could go on. he's a bitter old bastard who got divorced and now he takes it out every quarter on a fresh batch of victims. he's quick to slay you with his sharp tongue, and he doesn't give a rat's ass because he's got tenure. he knows it and he abuses it. Cal Poly fails in hiring this guy, i don't know what the fuck they were thinking. for the students, if you want to do all the homework and understand concepts, but then get to the test and sit there like a brick, then this is your man. he's a pitiful teacher. end.

Mottman is an interesting character. The first day he had me scared off my ass, especially after reading these ratings! But he does get better, and he's really helpful when you talk to him one-on-one. I had him for lecture and lab. For lab he was terrific. I enjoyed his non-structured labs, being able to get them done fast and understand the material as well. He is relatively easy in that regard. Definitely take him for lab! You won't regret it! Lecture... is another thing. There are two midterms. The first one the average was a 60% and the second was a 56%... his examples in class really do relate to a lot of the test questions. He lets you have a cheat sheet for the exam, so definitely do that but make sure you know everything that's on it. His final exam he allows a three page cheat sheet... but the questions I found almost impossible to do! He does do some crazy curving though :) The homework is not mandatory but I would still suggest doing it. As well as looking over your notes after the lecture to make sure you understand it. Go to his office hours if you don't get something. I know it's hard with him, but his bark is much worse than his bite. Also a lot of the people in the class started really hating him for his jokes. You can't take it seriously. He is a college professor and we aren't in 3rd grade anymore. As innapropriate as they may be, he doesn't have intentions to hurt anyone. If you take it with a grain of salt, you're bound to not let him get to you. Although he might have hard exams, i feel like i actually did learn a great amount, more than with any other physics professor I've had at this school. So don't be intimidated. It'll be fine!

After taking this guy for PHYS 133, and getting a C without ever having to do any studying, I couldn't resist him for 132. His 132 labs are much, much simpler than his 133 ones; he "blabber"ed for 40-60 minutes, then you spent anywhere from 5-20 minutes taking some measurements, plugging them into formulas, solving for some values, and comparing them to expected values. You'd write down your results on paper (make sure to label all of your units!), slap your name on it, and show it to him.. and you're done. He looks over it and makes sure you have all your units labeled.. and that's about it. He'll scold you for having too many decimal places.. heck, he'll make fun of people for anything. You don't have to do any of that "crazy garbage" that other lab sections have to do (you don't even need the lab manual, don't waste your money there). I did what I did for PHYS 133 - didn't study/read shit or do homework ever, except the days before a midterm, and got slightly below average (an "unusually high" 62). The common final was pretty killer. I'm glad to be done with the course and this guy, though.

RUN AWAY!!!!!!!!! RUN FAR FAR AWAY FROM MOTTMAN. i tried my ass of in this class and didnt get anything out of it. i went to class, did all of the homework and always did the labs with ease. If you want a teacher that gives really easy lab assignments and homework and then RAPES you on a test then go ahead and take him. you most likely won't get above a 50% on his tests. the average on our first test was 52% and he said that he was going to make the next one harder because we did too well on the first one. AVOID THIS TEACHER AT ALL COST, he is just a senial old man who is angry at the world. It will benefit mankind if he retires

Hehehem Mottmann is AWESOME. He is really funny when presenting material... some people say he crosses the line but I find it very amusing. I was actually his first target at an insult in our class, I took 3 insults to the face on our first lecture; but that's to teach us something and I was sitting right in front of him. Mottmann: "Here's 5 bucks go to the caffeteria and get 7!" Me takes $5: "7 what?" Mottmann: "I would've knocked you out if you walked out that door with my $5, exactly '7 what!' many people lose their jobs over units" Then he went on an hour tangent on NASA and how they're dumb by not using untis and lost a 20+ million dollar satellite.His tests are rape but their open notes. Just make a good study sheet and your set, HW is not required but encouraged... ALOT. Go to office hours his a lot nicer there DID YOU KNOW HE SENT AN APOLOGY LETTER? I was like whoa....

Alright i had mottman for a phys 131 lecture and a phys 132 lab. try and avoid him for lecture, his tests are horrible. our class average on both midterms was a 52%. He likes to make rude but funny comments about the gov/cal poly/republicans, but it makes the class interesting. For the lab, try and get him. His labs are a easy, only using up about an hour to an hour and a half instead of the whole 3 hours. He just checks your lab and lets you go. Easiest lab professor ever.

Mottmann is one of the smartest and best professors at Cal Poly. Anybody who is offended by his humor is a softie.

In his own words, "Mottman is a shit". That being said, he's also a very good teacher. He's an absolute hardass on tests, and will not cut you any slack for making mistakes. However, he does account for the fact that the class average on his tests will be somewhere around a 50, so don't get discouraged by the tests. He's hilarious to listen to, just don't get easily offended because he will tear you apart. No homework is required, but he gives you a sheet of problems to do for practice, which you SHOULD do, especially the last few in each set because they're similar to the test problems. If you want to learn physics, and get punished severely for mistakes on tests to the point where you'll never make the same mistake twice, the Mottman is who you should take. If you're looking for an easy A, look elsewhere.

This teacher is such a dumbass I can't even explain. Yes, he knows his stuff and is a good teacher, but he writes his tests so everyone fails and then gives everyone a C anyway. He has some bullshit grading how it's 25% for each midterm and then 50% for the final, but he just gives you what you get on the final anyways. The only way i learned anything was by doing the homework problems and then kind of sort of remembering what he said in lecture. I only really learned it by reading the book, and I don't even think it mattered. Good luck with this guy he's a shit head as the person below me said.

I never thought physics would be fun,but with Mottmann it\'s a different story. first day of class, coming in straight up cussing at you. pretty bad impression. He would talks about breast cancer, autism and all the random facts about anything. He seems to be unapproachable sometimes, but HE IS NOT. He is the BEST professor if you go to his office hours. SOOOO NICE and SOOO Patient. Just know when to take him seriously would help you like the course and the teacher. ONE MORE thing!!! his lab is so easy, a 5 year old can do it and He doesn\'t grade them. Overall, I really enjoyed his class. Strongly recommend if you don\'t want to fall asleep in a physics class.

I'm just going to copy and paste my evaluation for Mottmann: " Well. Professor Mottmann frequently (every single day) brings in some article or study he found that interests him. For example, his opinions on nutrition around the world. I don't really see any correlation to this and oscillations. Since I realized this was a common occurrence, I've been tracking to the minute when he decides to start his PHYSICS lecture. To this date, he has wasted 6 hours and 12 minutes. As an out of state student, I pay $248.00 per unit here at Poly. This means, I paid $922.00 for Professor Mottmanns class, at a rate of $43 per hour (around 25 50 minute lectures after holidays and exams). Since he has wasted 6 hours and 12 minutes of time that I paid for a PHYSICS lecture, I will take my $272.21 check at your earliest convenience. I apologize for your mistake in tenure. "

Very funny guy with some great/interesting ideas and views, but he doesn't actually spend much time teaching. Passing requires doing almost all of the optional homework and rewriting your notes. The two midterms count as 25% each and the final as 50%. Expect to derive and integrate on the tests. I wouldn't recommend him (unless you're looking for a great challenge and a laugh, of course).

NC 17 Sensitive Souls should abstain from taking him HE IS GREAT AND REALLY INTERSTING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

first of all let me say that mottman teaches physics right down to what you really need to know which makes him a great teacher. i failed both midterms and studied my ass off to get a C in his class. overall i wouldn't mind taking him again.

I had this professor for lab. There were no lab write ups like other classes, and we usually got out class in less than two hours. If you're just looking to pass the lab, you will, but if you want a S+, you'll have to work hard.

I could've passed any other teacher's physics 133 final. All this guy tests on is theoritical BS that is not at all practical (proving laws with calculus etc) and not in the homework. I haven't taken calculus in 3 years, how the fuck can I prove these stupid laws... that not physics it's math you retard Mottmann. I could do 80% of the HW problems, but still failed his final... and I had to sit all quarter to listen to him bitch about the f-ing school, and politics, and more crap. Maybe if he actually taught some physics, this guy is a huge joke, don't take him.. ever.

Those of you who were in my class might refer to me as "Mr. Republican" as Mottmann (two N's) repeatedly scolded me for my political beliefs. It's all good because the guy really is one of the funniest professors I've ever met and is fun to talk with. If you take his class you will laugh your ass off. From lectures about his dissatisfaction with milk to his utter hatred for President Baker and Bush to his bitch of an ex-wife, I thought I was watching a standup comedy act during some of his lectures. I took 133 and 132 at the same time which I would not suggest to anyone who would like to keep their sanity. 132 is alright course material, but I wanted to strangle myself in 133 because the material was so irrelevant(to a CSC Major), and so boring. You got to love his curves on his test. Usually the average is around 50%, but he'll normally distribute it, or should I say Poison distribute it. Most teachers are pretty tight about giving partial credit for having the slightest idea about how to approach a problem you've never seen, but this Larry King does not give a shit when it comes to partial credit. Beware of that. He has 2 tests and a final, but if you pass his final, you will pass the class. Go to his office hours because they help, and good luck. I hate physics.

I would say the key to doing well in Mottman's class is to use his office hours. His lectures are relatively clear, but they do bounce around and sometimes it is hard to discern what is important and what isnt. But, he is amazing in office hours. Everyone knows his tests are ridiculously hard, so no one really cares. You dont have to do good on them, you just have to do better than the average, which is very low. I "aced" both midterms with a 65% and an 88%. Also, Mottman is hilarous in his lectures, as long as you understand that his is a bitter old man and dont take things personally.

This professor is the absolute best for Physics Lab. Routinely walked up in 1:30 or less. No formal lab reports needed. His explanation of the lab was generally the longest part, but it was at least somewhat entertaining. Lecture, however, is a different matter. I would highly recommend taking anyone BUT Mottman for lecture, but you can't go wrong with taking him for lab.

Mottmann was great for PHYS 133. I'm sure he's a lot tougher for 132 and 141, but since he isn't a fan of electricity and magnetism he didn't make 133 that hard. Test questions came almost entirely from lectures, so take good notes and review them before the test. Mottman's 133 lab is a complete joke, but his in-lab recitation is excellent and material from it can appear on tests too. Mottman has a loose grading style, so your grade is a question mark until the end of the quarter. I got a C on the first midterm and a B on the second, but after the final I came out with an A. Mottman doesn't like Republicans, cell phones, and life in general. So don't take his insults personally (which are humorous even for the insulted student) and don't mind his pessimistic new of the world. Do these things and you'll find him entertaining. Mottman may be bitter about life but he doesn't take it out on his students. Good professor. Some advice to those who posted below: don't expect easy A's with high school study habits and your college career will be fulfilling.

Mottman is one hilarious dude. Half the time he just mumbles on about Bush and republicans and the stupid things they do, but it's all in good fun. Labs are actually interesting because he just talks about what we were suppose to do and makes fun of all the other kids that had other lab teachers and stayed the full 3 hours. Take decent notes, do the homework, and it shouldn't be too tough. Only person I wouldn't recommend this class to is someone who doesn't have a sense of humor... especially if you're republican, hardcore christian, or like to wear overalls and wifebeaters to class; otherwise, you'll be just fine.

Everyone agrees that Mottman is a cynical, pessimistic, fat, bald, angry old bastard. He rants about irrelevant topics and many times cites "scientific studies" to draw rediculous conclusions. He hates cell phones, TVs, computers, iPods, gatorade, Republicans, vegetarians, Religion, and people who come late to his lecture. He will make inappropriate, profanity-saturated comments about all of the above. He refers to his students as "poor little shits" and assumes that if you are late to class you were either masturbating or smoking a joint in the bathroom. He will embarass and humiliate students in front of the class, often calling them "shit heads" and making borderline-sexual-harassment comments about them. Many people find him funny and entertaining until they are personally offended. As far as actual lecture material goes, he is actually pretty good at explaining the concepts and often presents interesting ideas that you might not find elsewhere. However, his lectures are still littered with profanity and pornographic references. He doesn't really do labs, and makes fun of the students in the other labs who are forced to work diligently for 3 hours. His labs are useful, however, because he presents interesting material (after his obligatory 20-minute irrelevant rant), and doesn't make anyone turn in anything except their names to verify that they attended lab. Overall, Mottman has some redeeming qualities. I feel like I'm actually learning stuff in this class, even though I have to sift through all the bullshit. I just wish he wouldn't waste so much time on his endless rants. I agree with the student who said he is actually much nicer if you visit him in his office or talk to him 1-on-1. In conclusion, Mottman is proof that the tenure system is fucked up. I'm sure he would clean up his act a little if his job was on the line.

awesome

This guy likes to strut his opinions about everything, not caring if he offends you or not. He bashes on literally everything he sees, and every lecture included some random rant about some random thing .. and bashing on Republicans. He doesn't collect homework, and 50-55% is average (curving to a C - a 75%) on midterms. Open note midterms (and final) made us go from completely clueless to actually being able to calculate things for test questions. For lab.. he doesn't even do labs. All he does is lecture a bit (since class was 2 days a week instead of 3), and talk about what we would have done, and what the "poor little shits" in the other sections had to do for the entire grueling 3 hours. We were always out within 1.5 hours, with the exception of one of the labs where we actually did two things (after a grueling lecture) and we got out in 2.5 hours. Sure, I didn't really learn anything in his class, but hey, if I can get Physics 133 (and 132 next quarter) passed with little effort, fine by me. I'd rather get a poor grade without learning much than to go through all the trouble of actually learning the systematic process of setting up problems, drawing pictures, setting equations, and solving. We never had to do any of that. I hope that his 132 class will be just as "easy".

HAHAHAH ohhhhh mottman. Probably the most unprofessional professor I've ever met. What a character

Best. Teacher. Ever. One of the funniest old bastards I've ever met. He keeps his classes interesting and contrary to what a lot of these reviews say, he isn't a bad teacher. He teaches you everything you need to know. The tests might be hard, but come on people we go to a damn engineering school; I would be worried if the physics classes weren't challenging. This guy deserves a medal.

So he is not very good when it comes to testing. He'll teach you a lot, but when it comes down to the exams, you'll find yourself at a dead end. I think the averages were 52% on the first midterm, and stayed about the same for the second. The class is curved, but you don't know your standing in the curve so I don't know where I am at all in the class. He'll go on about a lot of non physics related stuff, but he will teach you a ton, just pay attention and wait out his weird side stories. Also don't complain to the physics chair because someone did this quarter and he would not shut up about it all quarter...

Cal Poly lost one of their best professors this last Spring 2014 quarter, John Mottmann. (He retired people, not died) calm down). I was privileged enough to have Dr. Mottmann for physics 133 this spring quarter and oh was I scared. Before the course even began, I sent Mottmann an email and boy did he come off as an arrogant old ba*stard. Going into class the first day, I was uncomfortable and not prepared for what was to come. The reviews underneath me are 100% in every way shape or form. Mottmann is a stubborn old man who really don't give or have to give a fuck what anyone thinks. The man has experienced so much over his life, why would he care about a bunch of 19 year olds. His class is difficult beyond belief, but he teaches flawlessly. He can give full lectures without looking at his notes as well as keep the class engaged and participating. You're going have to study a lot outside of class and if you think that's unfair, i'd suggest dropping out of Cal Poly as a whole. That being said, Mottmann is a professor that teaches you life lessons and values one can't read/seek out anywhere. He is so incredibly wise that i'd go to office hours just to chat and bullshit with him. BTW, his office hours are awesome for help. Anyways, Mottmann has retired but I just had to write this review because he's changed me so much as an individual. Not only a great professor, but one of the greatest human beings that I have met to date.

Don't believe the masses, before this guy, my gpa was a 3.56. Now it's more like a 2.85. He is incredibly hard in grading and in understanding. Don't even try to take notes in his class, you can't. And don't even try to get a good grade on his tests, they are impossible. I hope I never see this man again in my career here and I would suggest that any students who are not geniuses in physics stay far, far from his classroom.

Horrible teacher. I learned almost nothing by attending his lectures. I had to teach myself everything. Although, he is very entertaining and funny. I went to all the classes just to hear him talk about interesting stuff.

Mottman's lectures are decent, and he honestly tries to be helpful during office hours. His tests, however, are killer, and there's really no good way to get prepared for them. Even if you understand what's in the book, you might still have no clue on a test. I think the reason I failed the class was because I was taking 18 units and working 2 jobs for the CSC department, and I think I could have definitely done better, had I had more time to study. When I retake the class, odds are it will be with Mottman, because I like his teaching style and I'm comfortable with the way he works.

The most important thing to know about this class is that the tests are near impossible to pass. The first one, which was the easy one, actually had some problems that resembled what he taught in class but the second one was almost completely different from anything we've done in class. His test questions are sometimes confusing and he grades his tests really hard. Like the other people have said below his lectures are interesting and keep you entertained through the whole the class but they do not involve a lot of physics. There were several times where he would just talk literally half the class time about something unrelated to physics. There are two tests, a final, no quizes, two extra credit homework problems that I highly suggest you do. He can't explain the material well in class and the book isn't that great either. I would definitely not recommend this professor because although the class is not impossible it is very difficult.

His tests are hard. So what? He grades on a ridiculous curve, so as long as you do as well as the average (often in the 40s and 50s), you'll pass the class. The man knows physics, and will explain it and keep explaining it as long as people still have questions. He is more than happy to clarify anything students can think of, and office hours are extremely helpful. Mottman forces you to actually *THINK* (god forbid that happen at a university) when answering those test questions that everyone complains about. Such complainers just want to see plug-and-chug problems. Sorry, that's not how the real world works. Whiners aside, Mottman is a class act. Absolutely great demonstrations, explanations, and examples, all while being a laugh riot. You may not get the grade you want, but you sure as hell will learn something. It may pay to get A's, but C's get degrees.

He's fun to listen to. Even if you disagree with his political views or his ideas, he can be pretty funny at times as he swears and sighs throughout the whole class. Looking back, the material wasn't as tough as I thought it was, but it took me the whole quarter to get on the right track with it. He's a good guy and he'll do whatever he can in office hours to help you out. He'll unofficially disregard a low exam if your other ones are much better. He's pretty fair, though.

Worst professor I have had ever. He doesnt teach anything. Avoid him at all costs. During the final he actually said "I don't expect any of you to finish, and few of you will pass." He tries to be funny in class, but he just comes across as bitter and obnoxious. His final grading is completely arbitrary. He will spend all lecture doing examples, which are hard to follow bc he is always changing everything in the problem, and the stuff on the test never resembles anything that he teaches. Don't take him.

Ok, so here's the deal with Mottmann. He's a good teacher, he presents the material well, and the class is very straight-forward. His tests are ridiculous, I've never been so thankful for a 76% in my life, because he curves it really well. He knows his stuff and tries to be clear with the material, I will give him that, his ability is good. However, I hated the class, I sat there glaring at him the entire length of the lecture every day, and I really wanted to just leave but it was my first quarter in college and I didn't have the guts. He has a really sadistic sense of humor and he spends most of the day ripping on the government and the school. He hates Cal Poly, California, and the United States in general, or so it would seem from how he talks. I really think he needs to move to France because then he could whine all he wanted. Don't even consider taking his class if you have any sort of conservative or Christian convictions, because he will make you want to cry every day, I know I did. If you don't mind that, then you'll probably really like the class.

Mottman knows what he is talking about, but if you are in this class purely to learn, then take another one. He takes 10-20 min every day to bitch about something or other. Watch out if you are consrevative or easily offended. He also hates young people for no real reason. Other than that, do the homework and go to the lectures and you will get a good grade.

Well, what is there to say about good old Mottman that hasn't already been said....the guys a pathetic old piece of shit but hes a decent teacher. He's been a physics prof for 30+ years so he knows what he's talking about. His tests are a nightmare and he gives very little partial credit. He'll call you dumb shits and complain about his life because hell if i was him i'd complain too. He said he was going to retire soon tho which is good. Mottman is a reallllllly difficult teacher....in more ways than one. He hates milk, anti lock brakes, republicans(a lot) and a lot of other shit that he will make sure to tell you about. Bottom line is if you understand physics enough and dont mind teachers wasting a shitload of time, take mottman, if not find someone else.

Yeah I got an F, but that's 'cause I hardly showed up to class. THAT and Mottmann gives you extremely hard tests. Word to the wise: if you're going to choose him, you better do the non-required homework. Otherwise I'd recommend a professor who actually gives two shits in teaching his students. 90% of the time Mottmann just dicks around. All this guy does is Republican bash. Not to mention he bashes anything that he doesn't see as good enough (which is basically everything). But I think his sarcasm is all in good fun, though. I just rather learn Physics, naw means?

As a teacher, Mottmann is a great. He makes the lectures very clear, and from what I saw, was very understanding to kids who were struggling. Physics is a hard class though, even if you had a good one in highschool. Prepare for scary test scores, but just be above the average, and you are set. Now, his philosophy is something else. He is one of those extremists, who I have trouble calling a liberal (eventhough he is one) and is a "devout atheist." He is the most pessamistic person I have ever met. His attitude is very intimidating, and it has it's pros and cons when it comes to the class. He likes to keep things simple, so homework has no class value, but you should do it to pass his hard tests. There are two exams, and one final, and that is it. So do your homework and study. He loves propaganda and is always whining about our "terrible world" but just ignore the junk science statistics he gives to you, and watch the show. Wether you agree with him or not, he is also very funny.

Unfortunatley, for a class that is so important for the rest of my major, I felt like that although the material was covered, it wasn't suffeciently explained. Of course, the obvious reason for this blunder is the fact that John Mottmann uses his authority as a tenured professor in the classroom for political monolouges. Political views aside, it only seems common sense (at least to me) that using a physics classroom as a political soapbox is not only counter-productive, but unfair. IF the quality of this country's education system is plummiting, undoubtedly it is teachers like Mottmann who are contributing to its demise. He will have questions on midterms and exams of which you cannot solve because the material was not covered, and he admits to it. The averages are failing grades, and although I earned midterm grades which were above the class average, I only managed to gain a C in the class. It's a rough course, and I wish those good luck who must take him.

I am on of the least PC people you will ever meet. But afetr being in Mottmanns class for two weeks i was even feling offended. hes an old man angry at the world, and on a daily basis offended atleast half the class. His lectures are boring and the students only listen to hear what kind of crazy fact or prejudice he will bring up next. I would never take him agian and found his tests to be ridiculous. If you dont have a choice good luck, youll need it.

Alright, take Lewis Black's ranting and attitude and mix him with a little George Carlin's lewd behavior and sense of humor. You've got this guy. If you can't stomach Lewis Black or George Carlin, he's probably not for you. Oh, and he curses just like the comedians too, although probably a bit excessively. He's an example. He was doing the lecture on force in the radial direction. You know, how generally we see everything we stand on as flat, but in reality you're on a sphere (the earth) rather than a flat surface. Anyway, he sets up this problem in this sort of way while drawing it out on the board: "So I wake up in the morning, do my line of coke, eat my cereal, get all hopped up on painkillers, and get in my car in the garage." At this point he has a garage drawn with a driveway. "Now let's say someone left a baby on my driveway for whatever reason." He draws the baby. "Well my eyes are all bleary from being so coked up and tired that I don't see the baby, and I hit it." And he draws a line from the garage over the baby and back again. "Now you see, the baby provided a force upward in the radial direction from the earth on my car." That's right. He dead baby joked the lecture. The reaction from the class was priceless. It was fantastic. I wish I had the balls to applaud at that moment. This guy is overqualified for teaching this class. He's hilarious (or blatantly offensive to some) and he knows his stuff. He has no issue quarreling with students in class over trivial things such as the effectiveness of anti-brake locking systems because he honestly doesn't care. He's trying to make his day and your day more interesting and that's probably the only reason why. He presents the material in a straight-forward manner on the board with a little humor to keep you awake and paying attention. The obscure examples he gives in class to demonstrate a property of physics? Yeah, they're obscure for a reason. He's trying to get you to think. Pay attention and write it down, because he's going to put it on the test. My biggest mistake was to not take notes in the class. Those obscure problems are the only reason you'd completely bomb one of his tests so just memorize how to approach them and you should do fine. Oh yeah, and his tests are hard. He curves his grading ridiculously to the class's standard, which is almost always 50% or less. So don't expect to get a great grade unless you write everything down, do all the homework, and go to his office hours to discuss test material. Like a guy said earlier below me, he's really to be taken for the experience rather than the grade you'll receive. His tests are simply too hard to realistically aim for an A in the class.

Save yourself the unnecessary stress and avoid this teacher. Being a freshmen, I was required to take Physics 141 and I began the class with no prior physics knowledge and I am ending a quarter full of hard work and effort with little to no physics knowledge. 1/2 of your grade is 2 midterms and the other 1/2 is a final. He didn\'t even make the list of practice questions on his own syllabus and tells you to do them, however uses different questions on his midterms and final. So basically your hard work really doesn\'t pay off. Just because others say he\'s funny and is a good laugh he teaches the material in a very poor fashion and you will not learn the material and probably fail the class. All I learned from the class was that Toyota has bad anti-lock brakes.

Terrible teacher. Absolutely hilarious, but can\'t teach you shit. If you learn on your own, then take the class. Otherwise don\'t, he is literally the craziest most retarded person to walk the earth.

what a crotchety old bastard. the first day of class he came in slammed his notebook on the desk and started accusing kids of wasting his time because they were non engineers in his \"rigorous\" physics class. don\'t get me wrong he is very entertaining but he should not be allowed to act like that as a university level professor. i got a 27% and 61% on his two midterms and still passed his class so don\'t let bad scores scare you. my roommate had this same class and finally stopped going because he doesn\'t ever teach in his class. he instead read the book and did a crapload of problems and got a B. this is probably the better approach but who wants a teacher that makes you teach yourself the material? overall an entertaining teacher with never a dull moment but not a good one in the end. take at your own risk

His class, contrary to most opinions, is actually quite entertaining and helpful. Read the text and do the homework along with the lectures and you'll do fine. Homework isn't collected, but don't neglect it. I made that mistake and ended up failing my 2nd midterm (31%). In his class, your grade consists of 2 midterms and a final, weighed at 25%, 25%, and 50%. Entering the final I had a 50% average, and in the end, I got an A. Just show to him that you understand physics in the end, and you'll pass. To pass his class, I advise about 45 minutes a day of reading/practice problems and you'll be fine.

Mottman is a genius! I feel like you either love him or hate him; I loved him! He's hilarious. His class was amazing and I would definitely recommend him. His tests are hard and take lots and lots of studying but he really forces you to learn physics. If you have the determinination and discipline, you will do well in his class. I walked away actually have learned tons of things and I love physics now! There's only 2 midterms and a final but don't stress about "failing" a test, all you need to do is do better than the class average and you'll pass. He says it's not his job to teach us, and he's right, that's our job. He teaches us a lesson we should know from the beginning: it takes lots of studying and effort in college and it's the students' job to make sure we know everything and never to blame the teacher.

He is a interesting teacher, he will spend most of the time going over examples, homework was never due, there was extra credit, you should REALLY REALLY do the hw though, physics you have to be able to do your self, not just be able to watch someone else do physics. his midterms and finals are really pressured for time, but at the end of the day if you learned your physics and he can see it, you will get a decent grade, he doesn't care as much about the final answer as you would think, he tells you to round everything to good numbers. In the end, he will curve, all i can say is expect to spend alot of time on practice problems.

I had to work insanely hard for my grade in this class. I ended up learning most of the material from the textbook by spending hours and hours in the library. Mottman's ability to present the subject matter was below average. He spent most of the class time ranting about irrelevant topics and only a fraction on actual example problems. I would not recommend taking him-find a better professor that won't waste class time.

I am not ripping on Mottman because I failed his class. I do not believe he was a good teacher. He spent hours lecturing us on completely irrelevant topics. One such topic was how running is bad for your health. He advised the class to sit around and never exercise, rather than run. He is a very very odd man. His tests were unbelievably hard. One of the questions asked you to estimate the size of your fingernail and the size of the Atlantic Ocean to figure out a problem. I thought that was pretty unnecessary, as many students missed the PHYSICS of the question due to not knowing how big the ocean is. I would not recommend taking Mottman for physics 141.

Don't expect to be able to mutter a word in his class. It's his class and he takes the time he is given to talk about whatever he wants. Not very clear on the explanations, and I had trouble understanding where everything was coming from. I got a 94 on the first midterm and a 72 on the second, and that's with just bullshitting. The averages were 54 and 55, so with the curve I should be in good shape. The finals today and I just started looking at the book for the first time two days before, and it all makes sense now. I would suggest this class if you can teach yourself things and if you want a little humor in your life. If I could do it again I would go to class, figure out what the midterms are going to cover, and then just sit there and enjoy him. Don't even take notes because they are somewhat worthless. Then go home and read the chapters and do some problems. You don't really need to go to class if you have a friend going, just ask them what he covered. It should be on the homework sheet anyways. And don't fret about going to class; hell, I wouldn't go whenever you don't feel like it. But whenever you're having a bad day, you always have Mottman to cheer you up. Enjoy taking him

I learned that if I were to take up hunting, I should shoot deer, not bears, because a bear will hunt me back if I successfully wound it. Fascinating! I didnt know that the key to production and operations management was so brutally simple!