Students often find IIb more interesting than IIa
One recurring sentiment is that the optics-to-modern-physics material is more enjoyable or intuitive than the preceding mechanics/electricity sequence, even when the class remains challenging.
Rutgers catalogResearched guideSIRS history35 section records
01:750:228
Analytical Physics Iib
PHYSICS
- credits
- 3
- Core
- NS
- Typical seasons
- Fall, Spring, Summer
- Fall 2026 sections
- 4
- Open snapshot
- 0 open in snapshot
Course guide
AI-generated overview
Course fingerprint 10 AI-generated signals
Difficulty
4/5Why
Rutgers frames 228 as the analytical-physics continuation through optics, relativity, and quantum topics, and student discussion still treats it as a challenging course even when students like it more than 227.
Workload
4/5Why
The official teaching site pairs two weekly lectures with an 80-minute recitation, fifteen homework sets, textbook reading, and three major exams.
Pacing
4/5Why
The Fall 2024 schedule moves quickly across optics, relativity, quantum mechanics, condensed matter, nuclear physics, and particle physics on a near-weekly cadence.
Projects
1/5Why
Rutgers grades 228 through homework, recitation work, and exams rather than papers, labs, or multi-week projects in the lecture course.
Exams
5/5Why
The official grading breakdown gives 66 percent of the grade to two midterms and a final exam.
Math
4/5Why
As the calculus-based sequel to the analytical physics sequence, 228 still leans heavily on quantitative reasoning even while the topics become more modern and conceptual.
Memorization
2/5Why
Student advice focuses more on problem practice and understanding derivations than on memorizing isolated formulas or facts.
Abstraction
5/5Why
Relativity, wave mechanics, atomic structure, and particle physics push the course toward highly conceptual models rather than only concrete physical setups.
Prerequisites
4/5Why
This is the continuation of Rutgers' analytical physics sequence, so students are expected to arrive already comfortable with the style and math of the earlier course.
Reading
2/5Why
The textbook is recommended and tied to homework access, but the official structure suggests that recitation, homework, and exams drive the class more than heavy standalone reading.
What students tend to say
Public r/rutgers threads consistently describe 750:228 as interesting but demanding. Students often say IIb feels more engaging than the earlier analytical physics term, but they still treat it as a course where conceptual practice, recitation participation, and lots of problem solving matter more than passive review.
Practice problems are the main survival advice
Advice threads repeatedly push students toward doing many problems, checking derivations carefully, and asking questions in recitation or office hours instead of relying on lecture alone.
Exams are described as conceptual, not just plug-and-chug
Students mention that success depends on understanding how formulas are derived and when models apply, not only memorizing equations or copying worked examples.
Outside resources are a common supplement
Recent discussion includes students looking for YouTube lectures and alternate explanations, which suggests many people benefit from a second pass on the material outside class.
Topic breakdown
A practical chapter-by-chapter view from foundations to applications.
5 modules
Module 1
Light as rays and waves
The course usually opens with geometric optics and then quickly moves into wave behavior. Official Rutgers topic lists and the Fall 2024 schedule place reflection, refraction, mirrors, lenses, interference, thin films, diffraction, and polarization at the front of the semester so students can switch between ray pictures and wave pictures of light.
reflectionrefractionmirrors and imagesthin lensesinterferencediffractionpolarization
Basic concept overview
A physical model has a domain
Geometric optics, wave optics, relativity, and quantum mechanics each work because they model different regimes well. A big part of the course is learning when one description stops being enough.
Modern physics changes the meaning of common quantities
Time, position, momentum, and energy still matter, but relativity and quantum theory change how those quantities relate and how precisely they can be interpreted.
Introductory quantum mechanics is conceptual and mathematical at once
You are not just learning formulas. You are learning how probability, quantization, and wave behavior reshape atomic-scale reasoning.
Later topics are unified by structure
Atomic spectra, semiconductor behavior, radioactive decay, and particle classifications all depend on the underlying structure of matter and the allowed ways it can change.
Things to watch for
Treating formulas as interchangeable
Before calculating, identify which physical model the problem is using and what assumptions make that model valid.
Skipping the conceptual picture in optics
Draw rays, wave fronts, or interference geometry first so the algebra reflects an actual physical setup.
Memorizing relativity or quantum results without derivation logic
Study how the equations are motivated and what each variable means physically, not just the final expression.
Letting confusion compound after the first modern-physics unit
Use recitation, homework, and outside explanations early; later modules build directly on the optics, relativity, and photon foundations.
Fall 2026 sections
0 open · Busch
| Section | Status | Instructor | Meeting | Campus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0113536 | Closed | MASTBAUM | Tuesday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Friday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Thursday 10:20 AM-11:40 AM at SEC 204PHY 001SEC 204 | Busch |
| 0213537 | Closed | MASTBAUM | Tuesday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Friday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Thursday 2:00 PM-3:20 PM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
| 0313538 | Closed | MASTBAUM | Tuesday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Friday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Thursday 12:10 PM-1:30 PM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
| 0413539 | Closed | MASTBAUM | Tuesday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Friday 8:45 AM-9:40 AM at PHY 001; Wednesday 7:30 PM-8:50 PM at SEC 218PHY 001SEC 218 | Busch |
cachedSource: Checked-in Rutgers Schedule of Classes snapshotsUpdated when term datasets are refreshedMay be stale
SIRS teaching signals
Historical student surveys
Teaching
3.85
Course quality
3.71
Response rate
37.0%
Coverage
31 offerings · 2016–2025
| Instructor | Offerings | Teaching | Quality |
|---|---|---|---|
| Montalvo, Roy | 5 | 4.20 | 3.86 |
| Wugalter Ari | 3 | 2.90 | 3.20 |
| Mastbaum, Andrew | 2 | 4.25 | 4.10 |
| Montalvo Roy | 2 | 4.20 | 3.95 |
| Zimmermann F | 2 | 3.85 | 3.70 |
| Zimmermann Frank | 2 | 3.65 | 3.60 |
Course stats
Catalog and planning context
Credits
3
Current campuses
Busch
Current availability
0 open of 4
Catalog terms
Fall, Spring, Summer
Core codes
NS
Loaded terms
5
Prerequisites
((01:750:204 or 01:750:204) and (01:640:152))<em> OR </em> ((01:750:227 or 01:750:227) and (01:640:152))<em> OR </em> ((01:750:272 or 01:750:272) and (01:640:152))
Degree requirement lists
No direct degree-list membership appears in the checked-in requirement index.
