Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Instructor Contact Info

Office: Poly Building Suite 203, Room 205

Phone (office, voicemail): 626-396-6682

What will we be studying in this class?

From the Course of Study:

Prerequisite: Minimum grade of B in Advanced Topics and an introduction to Calculus, Honors or AP Calculus AB.

The Honors Physics course is a non-calculus, college-level physics course that covers classical mechanics during the first semester and electricity & magnetism and electronics during the second semester. This is a math-heavy, intense exploration of the fundamental natural laws that govern the universe.

How hard/fun/challenging is this course? Is it the right course for me?

This course is not what is euphemistically called a "physics for poets" class. It will provide the student with a solid understanding of the theoretical underpinnings of classical mechanics and E&M, and it will expect the student to use the mathemical models available to solve complex problems from scratch. It is a totally doable class (thousands have successfully negotiated it since I began teaching here at Poly), but it is not "easy physics."

Advantages to taking the course: It will give you the opportunity to experience a class in which "thinking on your feet" is really important (not that you don't run into that in other classes at Poly). It will provide the colleges you apply to with the assurance that you are both willing and capable of taking on a solid, math-driven, college level science class. It will enhance your transcript (Poly no longer gives a bump, but most Universities do so Honors classes get a grade bump-up similar, if not exactly comparable to, AP classes). It will give you a chance to work and frollick with your friends in a common experience. It will give you a chance to do some very fun labs, see some very fun demonstrations, meet the wabbit and generally, intellectually cavort as seniors are meant to cavort. And it will prepare you for college in a setting which is unlike college in the sense that you will have support here from people (that would be me) who care about you.

Disadvantages to taking the course: Although I have never had complaints about the homework load (even on anonymous course evaluations), you will find some of the work stressful. The class moves quickly. Physics is not a memory driven discipline. It's a "use your head" discipline. That can be both rewarding and tension producing. You can't get behind. You do so at your own peril. You may find the material confusing and difficult and you may have the thrill of experiencing your first D on a test (though grades are not something you should be worrying about, here--they will take care of themselves--there are no guarantees, but it's pretty rare that anyone gets a grade in the class below the B range).

Who is the instructor for this course?

Some say I was born before flush toilets, though given the fact that the first of those oh so delightful devices was installed at the palace at Knossos on Crete around 1500 BC, I take that as a vicious lie. We certainly had an outhouse with a flush toilet back on the farm . . . .

I grew up in San Marino, went to San Marino High and played wide receiver on a football team that won CIF when I was a junior. This all happened in the 1960's, so I was in the right era to become a hippee. That didn't exactly happen, though, as I instead went to college at Arizona State University. With the exception of that short stint, I've lived within a few miles of my childhood home my whole life.

I earned a Bachelor's degree in Electrical Engineering from Arizona State University, which was, for the record, a seriously fun place to go to school. I earned a Masters Degree in Physics from Cal State Northridge, which was also fun but in a different way (it was educational). I also managed to earn a California State Teaching Credential from Mt. St. Mary's College. I've taught at Poly for 40 years now (hugely fun), and spent five years before that teaching as a long-term substitute and home teacher in L.A. Unified School District (not so fun).

Echoing Mr. White, I love this job. Poly, for me, is teacher heaven because it houses students that are not only motivated, they are friendly, funny, easy to get along with and just plain pleasant to be around.

I've spent time in India, Egypt, Greece, Europe and a fair number of the national parks in the U.S. I like to build things with wood, and my home houses upwards of four thousand books. I enjoy writing and have written, along with physics texts, a book on Eastern philosophy. I've additionally enjoyed skiing, surfing, a tiny bit of rock climbing (courtesy of Mr White, who is the real wizard on rock faces), scuba diving, the obligatory backpacking, and white water kayaking (ah, the senior trip), though I've beaten my poor old body up considerably over time and it's beginning to talk to me in unflattering terms. That aside, I have, on the whole, lived a blessed life, and for that I am grateful.