Quantum Mechanics for Everyone

This class wasn't what I expected it to be. It was way better. I expected it to be a lot more like the popular books/audiobooks on quantum mechanics that I've consumed over the past few years. These were the kinds of books that start by introducing a simplified version of the double-slit experiment, and then use that mainly as just a jumping-off point to various philosophical speculations about life, the universe and everything. Don't get me wrong, I personally love philosophical speculation in the right context—but something is greatly lacking when you try to speculate about the implications of a theory without first taking the time to really understand that theory. I recognized this deficiency, but at the same time I just assumed that this was the kind of thing I was stuck with—unless I ever finally got the time to brush up on my college calculus and physics, which I took over 12 years ago (I've actually attempted this a handful of times, but life is busy).

Enter Quantum Mechanics for Everyone. Not a philosophy class—no speculations—you will actually be learning the nuts and bolts of the theory itself. And what I found is that the quantum mysteries are actually even more astonishing when you learn quantum mechanics in this way—it turns out to be even more entertaining than the popular books whose first goal is to entertain.

The best thing about this course IMO: the tutorials. This kind of interactive learning is something you just can't get from a book, even Feynman's QED (which I haven't read yet). I actually paid for the verified track just so I could continue to have access to those amazing tutorials.

Many of the practice problems do involve calculations and you definitely have to turn on your "math mind" and maybe dust out some cobwebs. When I first realized this, I was excited but also momentarily felt wary—would this take more effort than I could give right now? But I dove in anyway, and I'm so glad I did. The level of math was not too high, and each time I answered a mathematical problem correctly on the first try my confidence and excitement for the subject grew and grew.

The practice problems were occasionally challenging, but I thought they served as really good checkpoints to make sure I didn't move on without really understanding the current material first. No, not every answer is laid out for you in plain sight—sometimes you need to go back to redo a tutorial, or re-watch a video, until your brain makes a necessary connection between things—but I really appreciated this, because it kept the course from being boring and boosted my confidence by allowing me to figure some things out on my own. Although the professor does offer his time to answer questions and is very responsive, I'd encourage anyone with a question to first try reviewing the material a second and even a third time, because I found that when I did this, the material already had everything I needed.

Yes, there were a handful of problems that I (and others) thought could have been worded better—but the professor is actively working on improving the course and takes feedback along those lines. I finished the course with a 96%, and I'd estimate that out of the 4% I missed, roughly 2% was due to confusion over the wording of a question or its multiple-choice answers. So, really not a big deal unless you're trying to be perfect, which… well don't try to be perfect when learning a new subject, anyway!

This course provides a good example of how to bridge the gap between science and the general public. These kinds of efforts really need to continue from scientific disciplines and I appreciate the professor and his team for taking the time to make this possible in their field. Now my scientific literacy is higher, and I look forward to eventually raising kids with a more accurate understanding of the world than what I was raised with.

I took this course last year because I wanted to have a better understanding of Quantum Mechanics and to measure its content to what I thought I knew about it. First off, the course is extremely well made. The videos and step by step didactic lessons are exactly what I needed for the type of brain I have. I understand things when I can visualize and or at least bring abstraction into applied experiments. This course is full of that. It gave me a basic, but clear and strong understanding of what quantum physics is and how it serves many purposes in our everyday life. It is no longer this sort of mysterious but cool thing I thought it was. Going in, I was afraid the level of math would be over my head, since I hadn't studied for over 30 years, although I had studied math and physics in my college years, but it was at a level that was very accessible to anyone with a high school degree. Pf. Freericks was constantly and systematically available on the chat to answer questions and to help with the few bumps on the road I encountered, always trying to explain in a different way, if I did get it the first time, or even the 2nd time around. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed taking this class and was very happy to pass with a 95% grade! I recommend highly.

An outstanding course. The instructor guaranteed that there would be no lies about QM, that there would be no over-simplifications, and he lived up to that guarantee. This course is not the usual mathematical, bra-ket approach. Instead, it takes a physical approach. Magnetic and light phenomena are discussed, mostly in the context of the two-slit experiment. The math content is not at all difficult yet it employs the Feynman approach of looking at all the ways that an outcome can occur and then combining them coherently, squaring the length, and getting a probability for the event. The subtleties of how the presence/absence/partial presence of which-way info affects the analysis of outcomes and probabilities is treated in an accurate yet intuitive way. The course clearly explains quite sophisticated QM phenomena while still using elementary ideas. A remarkable feat!

Because I have only reached middle school and a high school diploma, and speak English fairly poorly, I have had great doubts about completing this course. Now I have made it, with 97% success. I'm also about 97% sure (I've learned a lot about probabilities) that this is mainly due to the fantastic work of Prof. Freericks and his team. The tutorials were absolutely perfect, all very understandable, logical, phased. Not a word too little, and no unnecessary too much. The simulations are not only incredibly helpful in understanding problems but also elegant and simply chic. So that I - after I had already understood what was to be understood - out of sheer joy had looked at the simulations a few more times.
Thank you for your work, that was a fascinating and impressive experience!

I highly recommend this course for those who either are just beginning to learn and want to have a thorough, no nonsense introduction to QM without higher level math beyond some basic algebra and trigonometry, or also to those who have had higher level QM classes requiring calculus and linear algebra.

I come from the latter camp, having taken or followed a few relatively advanced QM courses, and I am very glad that I did not pass over this course.
I found it very valuable for building my intuition and knowledge, especially in relation to the many extremely important QM experiments explaining the deeper mysteries of QM.

The breadth and detail of the experiments described, in conjunction with the many software graphics based simulation tutorials are invaluable. I learned about additional important experiments in this class that I had never come across in my other QM courses.

In short, I feel strongly that this class has filled an essential gap in my QM education.

I worked in depth with this course as a reviewer for almost 6 months and have continued to work with similar material since... Dr. Freericks' pedagogical skills are evident, as he presents material clearly and by enlightening or unconventional means. Despite being taught without calculus or higher mathematics, the course material is rigorous and tightly crafted; the presentation is lucid; and the motivation and scale are compelling. I would very highly recommend this course to almost any learner who is willing to spend more than a trivial amount of time getting into the weeds but doesn't want to become too involved in the mathematical prerequisites.

Succinctly: This course doesn't have exhaustive prerequisites and, consequently, requires a curious, astute student. It is, however, very rewarding to a motivated learner.

Because I have only reached middle school and a high school diploma, and speak English fairly poorly, I have had great doubts about completing this course. Now I have made it, with 97% success. I'm also about 97% sure (I've learned a lot about probabilities) that this is mainly due to the fantastic work of Prof. Freericks and his team. The tutorials were absolutely perfect, all very understandable, logical, phased. Not a word too little, and no unnecessary too much. The simulations are not only incredibly helpful in understanding problems but also elegant and simply chic. So that I - after I had already understood what was to be understood - out of sheer joy had looked at the simulations a few more times.
Thank you for your work, that was a fascinating and impressive experience!