Cates is a very smart man and a good scientist, which is helpful because you know that he actually thinks about what stats he puts in his slides, and if there's any doubt, he'll state the caveats. If you want a relatively painless experience by which you will be forced to become well-versed about most energy-related issues, this course is for you. If you are a science major, this is an absolute cakewalk. My only major complaint is the annoyingly slow turnaround for exams and problem sets, the worst I have seen at UVA; it really shouldn't take 5 weeks to process a 10 question scantron.

Cates is a great professor, the course itself is interesting and not too difficult. Meant for non-science majors.

Cates is a great professor and really cares about his students. He personally went out of his way to get me into his class. If you go to class every day and study for the finals this class is an easy A. There are 3 problems sets which are the only hard part of the class, but they are do-able. The quizzes and exams are pretty easy. He also gives clicker questions at every class to make sure you go, but as long as you answer you get the points. I would recommend this class. Cates is great and it's a pretty easy class.

really interesting and pretty easy if you need a science class, especially if you are interested in renewable energy

This is the best class UVA. It has a very interesting topic and Cates does some cool demos. Its not rigorous by math standards but is mentally stimulating.

Kinda boring but easy

Cates is the man! He is so "up there" in the physics world, yet totally approachable. He will help any students troubled by the math, albeit there isn't much. He works really hard to make lecture fun, and succeeds.

This class is an easy class for anyone interested in learning about energy while learning some basic physics. Cates is an engaging professor who gets you excited about what he's teaching.

Cates is a great teacher. VERY enthusiastic. has some great demos. Barely any reading. only 4 problem sets that do require some work. His midterm and final are definitely tricky though but if you read his readings and do the HW you should get an A- in the class.

This class has been awesome. There is hardly any reading and that assigned is easy to read and has almost no fluff at all, and thus requires no sifting. The homework problem sets, of which there are 4 a semester, require a bit of work but there are office hours he sets aside that are extremely helpful. We were allowed to have a cheat sheet on the midterm and it was already pretty easy. Gordon is a great professor with a ton of enthusiasm for his subject and a great deal of interest in making sure everyone understands the subject matter. Not to mention his visual aids really help and can be very amusing.