Murphy, Paul  

Excellent teacher! Do your homework (which is not collected) and come to class and you will get a good grade. He explains things clearly and his quizes and tests are straightforward. If you have any trouble, he will gladly explain more or help you after class. I definitely recommend Dr Murphy

I like this teacher very much and I recomend him for math.

Dr. Murphy presented the material in a very easy to understand way. He starts each class session with a Q&A time to answer any questions the students may have. His midterms and final were pretty difficult, but if you knew the material then there wasn't a problem. His grading was fair in that we had 3 midterms, 6 quizzes and a final. The point structure allowed me to still earn a C in the course even though I failed the first midterm. Homework is not required but if you do your nightly assignments you should have no problem with the class.

He explains the subject matter in laymen's terms excellently and knows how to clarify his explanations if a student is confused. Awesome teacher.

This is quite possibly the best teacher at Poly. I liked his teaching skills so much I took him for three consecutive quarters of math. He is super fair and explains stuff ever so simply.

I got a C plus, hoped that I would have worked harder on my finals so I wouldn't have gotten my first AP after two quarters. My advise, keep your head down, eyes wide open, mouth shut. Speak of questions only when others have spoken. Same as to every professor at Cal Poly, I guess.

Dr. Murphy was one of the best math teachers I've ever had. He doesn't collect homework but you better do it all because the test are all based on it. He explained the material very well and was really helpful during class to make sure everyone understood everything. If you're going to take calc 141 take him!

Very student friendly. Answers any and all homework questions in class. Tests can be difficult. Test problems are much harder than the homework problems. You will enjoy the class, but also be challenged.

Dr. Murphy is by far the best math teacher I have ever had. He not only creates an encouraging and friendly environment, but manages to clearly convey the information to the students. He always answers any questions in the beginning of class and always has a positive attitude. Grading is very fair, quizzes and tests are straight forward and bear a format very similar to the homework problems (which aren't collected). Do the homework and the quizzes and tests will be cake. Awesome teacher-take him if you can!

Dr. Murphy is an great teacher. He is always willing to answer your individual questions and is a very patient man. Your grade is based completely on tests and quizes, and they can be somewhat difficult, so it's not an easy class, but I don't know of any others that are. He gives homework, but you don't turn it in, it's just a tool to learn the material. From what I've heard around my dorm about other math teachers, I would definately recommend Dr. Murphy.(Note: If you took Calculus in High School and passed the AP exam, about half of the material in Calc. II is review)

I recommend this class. Murphy makes the material very easy to understand. If you do not understand it he always allows questions during class. His tests and quizzes are straight forward as he usually tells you exactly what material will be on them. He prepares you well for the tests and quizzes also. If you study it will help a lot and make the quizzes quite easy and the tests also. Murphy is very fair and keeps the class interesting. Most of the material is pretty easy(although i did take calc last year in highschool). i recommend Dr. murphy if you are going to take a math class.

Professor Murphy is a great teacher. His teaching is very easy to understand. Homework is optional but it will perpare you for the midterms and tests. His grading is straight forward.

One of the best you will ever have. Funny, intellegent, fair gradre and tester, with huge knowledge and always willing to help. I actually looked forward for class everyday, since it was so entertaining. Take him, regardless of the time.

This Man is the shit.I had him my first quarter at calpoly and my only regret is that I didnt get a better grade in his class so I could take him the next quarter.The man know how to teach and is crazy mad funny.I loved his class. Even though I had his class from 9-10 am I would never miss it.The only reason I got a D+ is because I was lazy early in the quarter and never recovered.Either way if you can get him as a teacher go ahead.This guy is cool as hell.

What can I say that others above me haven't already? He is the best professor at CalPoly. I just don't see how others could be better. He is quite entertaining, but does not trail off on a side story for long (he understands that we are all there to learn math and not talk about the failings of graduate students in basements). The homework is "optional", but you have to do it to get any grade other than a D or an F. He also expects (and please, it's not too much to ask) that you have completed the homework (or at least have arrived at a particular question which is very difficult) and that you ask intelligent questions about the problems. That means that you have to listen to his explanations and see if your question can be answered with that information, just so as to save everyone's time. He is great in office hours and I highly recommend that you go to them. A better experience for when taking Dr. Murphy is to sit in the first few rows of seats ( I know, scary thing). He will really remember your name and also any difficulties that you are having on your tests/quizzes. Well, again, he is the best professor (Math or otherwise) at CalPoly. Try to crash if you can't reg. for him!

I liked his grading system, its easy to get a decent grade if you keep up with the class. Explains the problems well. If you ask him a question, he makes you feel a little stupid sometimes, but not so much that you feel intimidated to ask questions. Great teacher, take this guy if you can.

Dr. Murphy is a great teacher. His lectures are easy to follow and straightforward. During class, he answers any questions on homework and lectures in an easier way than the book does. There is no homework collected, but you still have to do it in order not to bomb the tests and quizzes. Your grade is based on three tests, six quizzes with the lowest score dropped, and the final. The grading system is very fair. If you want to really gain a great understanding of Calculus, he is the man. I got an A because I aced the AP Calculus exam and I am so good in math. If you are a great math student, take him by all means. He will prepare you well for the exams. If you passed AP Calculus AB, the first third of the quarter is review and the rest of the class should be no problem. To do well on his exams, do your homework and ask questions. His tests are tough becuase the problems are tricky, an hour goes by really fast, and no calculators are allowed (Then again, there isn't a professor who allows them, I think). But by doing the homework and studying the quizzes, they'll be cake. They are fair since he teaches us how to handle those kinds of problems. Dr. Murphy understands the subject so well that any problem is no problem to solve. So if you have any trouble, he will always help you understand. I recommend him all the way. His knowledge, friendliness, personality and are too much to pass up. Do whatever it takes to get him whether it is signing up for the workshop or crashing. You will not regret it. Your grades may suffer, but you will learn an awful lot from him.

Murphy is a nice guy. He clearly lays out the assignments for you. But if you aren't one for learning it on your own, be wary. He does not explain things in more than one way, so if you don't understand it in class, then you won't get much help from his office hours. He doesn't like you to spend too much time in there, but if you can learn it on your own you won't need to. The test problems are not impossible, but he'll rape your grade for algebra mistakes, or really simple errors. No partial credit and he doesn't talk to you much about your test after you've taken it. If you take his class, good luck.

Murphy is one of the better math professors I've had. He worried me at first, but I soon got used to him. I seemed to do worse on his tests than other math classes I've had before. But I would recommend him.

I had Professor Murphy for Calculus 2 and 3, simply because he is such an informative and humorous teacher. His tests are pretty tough at first, but after a couple of them, you get used to his style and it's not that bad. I recommend him for any math class, no matter what time of the day. Great professor.

The tests in this class are pretty impossible. He twists the problems so you have no idea how to do them. Also, he goes so fast through the lecture material that you really don't have time to think about it. If you want to learn the material on your own, the take Murphy.

Murphy is not "the shit" as a previous student had suggested. Although it is true i feel i learned more in this class than any previoius math class, i felt his examinations were much more difficult than they should have been. Homework is recomended and not collected, and his quizes were more depressing than encouraging. I dont recomend him although he wasn't terrible (just difficult), just try to get a better prof. if possible.

I've only been here a year, but so far Murphy is the best teacher I've had. He makes sure that you understand the material. Before every class he answers any questions that you have from the hw (but you don't turn the hw in). If you want an A, yo might want to take another teacher, but f you want to learn definately take him.

I had Dr. Murphy for 142 and 143. He explains the material in a very understandable way. This class is for those who are focused and willing to learn calculus. The tests are difficult, but they are easy for an excellent math student like me. This class is not for everyone. If you want to really learn Calculus, this is the guy. Lectures are clear and to the point. If you want to get an A, take someone else.

Dr. Murphy may be old, but he's good... very good. If you want to learn something, go to his lectures and take notes. It's also expected you'll do homework, although you don't really have to do the harder problems he assigns. The quizzes are very fair and test your basic understanding of the material (read: no crazy problems). The exams are also quite basic, especially the final. You won't be expected to know obscure things or anything that isn't covered in lecture. To help a bit more, the lowest quiz grade is dropped. One word of warning- although he does give partial credit, making stupid little mistakes seems to irk him to no end. Check for that missing minus sign or algebra/arithmetic errors, or you'll get a hefty chunk of credit hacked off. Also, unless there's an obvious addition mistake, grades are largely non-negotiable.

Sometimes his drawings on the bored are a little small and get cluttered. But besides that he is a great teacher. He enjoys teaching and is really funny. One of the best math teachers I have had.

He doesn't collect Homework, but it definitely pays off to KEEP UP AND ASK QUESTIONS. He is very good at catching mistakes and expoiting them to help the rest of the class. Try not to make silly mistakes or he might make an ass out of you. It's nothing to be scared of, I thought it was funny. His lectures are not all mindless note copying because he includes the homework problems in the material. He is a bit of a perfectionist when it comes to organizing solutions, but don't worry about that either because he tells you exactly what he expects and all you have to do is follow instructions to get the full points. It's actually quite helpful to be organized. If you do well on the quizes, then you will do well on the exams because they are the same format and types of problems. He also drops the lowest quiz to help you out. It's a hard class, but if you stay on task and study regularly, it will save you a lot of anguish, I promise. If you want to learn, take him. If you want an "easy A" without trying, you shouldn't be here in the first place.

BOYCOTT!!!