.. Physics - 4B Spring 2026
University of California San Diego, Department of Physics
Spring 2026 Physics 4B Webpage

Welcome to Physics 4B, Waves, Fluids, and Heat, Spring 2026

You will learn about waves, fluids, and thermodynamics in this course (in that order).

To do well in this course it is important to attend all lectures and discussion sections, pay attention during them, ask questions when you don't understand, answer clicker questions, and take notes. Also, to work on the homework assignments every week, to go to office hours especially if you are falling behind, and to read the textbooks before and after the lectures where the topics are covered.

Announcements

Course Materials:

Course Information:

Lectures: TuTh 12:30-1:50pm, York 2622; Wed 11:00-11:50am PCYNH 106
Quizzes: some Wednesday, 11:00-11:50am PCYNH 106 (see Course and Quiz Schedule above)
Discussion: Wednesdays 12:00p-12:50p or 1:00p-1:50p or 2:00p-2:50p or 3:00p-3:50p, at CSB 005

Course Texts:
(1) Fundamental of Physics, by R. Shankar
(2) University Physics, Volume 1, Volume 2

Course Description: See General Catalog
Final exam: Monday June 8, 11:30 am. – 2:30 pm, location tba

Instructor and TA Information -

Instructor: Jorge E. Hirsch, 5310 Mayer Hall, Ext. 4-3931, e-mail: jhirsch@ucsd.edu
                     Office Hours: In person or for zoom click here : Monday 1:30 - 2:30 pm, Friday 1:30 - 2:30 pm
                     5310 Mayer Hall is near southwest corner of building, outside balcony
                    
Teaching Assistants:
Jake McCool, jmccool@ucsd.edu, Discussion W 12:12:50, Office hours Monday 10:30-12:30pm, Mayer Hall 2218
Aniket Zodage, azodage@ucsd.edu Discussion W 1:1:50, Office hours Tuesday and Thursday 10-11am, Urey Hall 6258
Michael Skripalsh, mskripalsh@ucsd.edu, Discussion W 2:2:50, Office hours Thursday 3-4pm, Friday 12-1pm, Mayer Hall 5712
Jiashu Han, jih178@ucsd.edu, Discussion W 3:3:50, Office hours Monday and Friday 3-4pm, Mayer Hall 4238

Course Format

HOMEWORK ASSIGNMENTS: Problems from the textbooks will be assigned every week, solutions will be posted on the web page. To fully understand the material, you should work out the problems on your own without help from the solution key nor AI. Homeworks will not be graded.
QUIZZES: Closed-book quizzes will be given on alternate Wednesdays, the first one on April 8th. There will be lectures on the other Wednesdays. There will be no make-up quizzes.
CLICKERS and ATTENDANCE: To get full credit for attendance (10% of grade), you need to attend 80% or more of the lectures and answer 50% or more of clicker questions during the lecture. Less than that gives you partial credit. Correct answers to clicker questions gives you extra credit (up to 5% of grade).
FINAL EXAM: There will be an in-class final exam (closed book).
COURSE GRADE: best of following options:
  • 50% quizzes (5 quizzes), 40% final, 10% attendance.
  • 40% quizzes (4 quizzes), 50% final, 10% attendance.
Grading scale: A: >85 %, B: >65%, C: >45%, D: >30%

Other Information















    This page was visited times since the beginning of the quarter.