A&O SCI 101
Fundamentals of Atmospheric Dynamics and Thermodynamics
Description: Lecture, four hours; discussion, one hour. Requisites: Mathematics 3B or 31B or Life Sciences 30B, Physics 1B or 5B or 5C or 6B. Introduction to thermodynamics (flows of heat, energy, and work) and dynamics (winds) of atmosphere. Topics covered include hydrostatic balance, first law of thermodynamics, dry and moist adiabatic processes, atmospheric stability, and fundamental equations of motion of atmosphere, with applications to geostrophic, gradient, and thermal winds. Letter grading.
Units: 5.0
Units: 5.0
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Most Helpful Review
Overall good professor. He's a fast lecturer so make sure to write quickly. Although he speaks fast, he is constantly asking "does it make sense?" so if you aren't keeping up, make sure to let him know and he will repeat it. Not many people raised their hand to clarify things, but I think everyone kind of just went with his teaching style. Homework sets are relatively easy. They usually refer back to the material presented in lecture so just go back to your notes. Midterm wasn't too hard either. He gives you a sample midterm and questions were similar to homework questions, just a little more challenging. As long as you understand the material, it's not hard. Final was not too bad either. Fovell makes the topic as interesting as possible, which isn't the easy task considering it's thermodynamics. He's a great professor and really cares about his students actually learning the material. Never went to office hours, but it wouldn't hurt.
Overall good professor. He's a fast lecturer so make sure to write quickly. Although he speaks fast, he is constantly asking "does it make sense?" so if you aren't keeping up, make sure to let him know and he will repeat it. Not many people raised their hand to clarify things, but I think everyone kind of just went with his teaching style. Homework sets are relatively easy. They usually refer back to the material presented in lecture so just go back to your notes. Midterm wasn't too hard either. He gives you a sample midterm and questions were similar to homework questions, just a little more challenging. As long as you understand the material, it's not hard. Final was not too bad either. Fovell makes the topic as interesting as possible, which isn't the easy task considering it's thermodynamics. He's a great professor and really cares about his students actually learning the material. Never went to office hours, but it wouldn't hurt.
Most Helpful Review
Fall 2017 - I could not recommend Professor Kok more. He really wants to see you do well and is committed to making the class the best learning experience possible. The material can be tough and the textbooks rather dense but he has a ton of resources to help you do well. The homework is a really good way to prepare for the tests. Kok is also just a really nice guy so go to his office hours, he'll explain anything as many times as you need.
Fall 2017 - I could not recommend Professor Kok more. He really wants to see you do well and is committed to making the class the best learning experience possible. The material can be tough and the textbooks rather dense but he has a ton of resources to help you do well. The homework is a really good way to prepare for the tests. Kok is also just a really nice guy so go to his office hours, he'll explain anything as many times as you need.
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