UW-Madison PHYSICS 207: General Physics
PHYSICS 207 is UW-Madison's first-semester general physics for biological science and premed students: mechanics plus heat and sound, calculus-based, with labs and discussion sections built into the five-credit format. With PHYSICS 208 it forms the standard premed physics sequence.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with University of Wisconsin-Madison. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
Physics exams test modeling, not formula recall: choosing the right principle for an unfamiliar scenario and setting up from a diagram. Bio-track students who've avoided physics since high school often under-invest in the problem-solving reps, and the five-credit format means lab, discussion, and lecture all generate deadlines at once.
What you'll cover
- • Kinematics and Newton's laws
- • Work and energy
- • Momentum and collisions
- • Rotational motion
- • Oscillations and waves
- • Heat and thermodynamics basics
The PHYSICS 207 study guide
How to study for UW-Madison PHYSICS 207, step by step.
- 1
Train the setup phase on every problem
Draw the diagram, name the principle, justify it, all before computing. PHYSICS 207 exams grade that modeling sequence, and it's a trainable discipline most students skip in favor of formula hunting.
- 2
Do unfamiliar problems on purpose
Exam problems are designed to break homework pattern-matching. Pull problems from past exams and other textbooks weekly so you're practicing transfer, not repetition.
- 3
Keep the calculus comfortable
The course uses derivatives and integrals at a working level. If your calculus is old, a brief early refresher prevents math friction from stacking on physics reasoning.
- 4
Use discussion sections as your difficulty bar
Section problems calibrate you to exam expectations far better than end-of-chapter warm-ups. Attempt them before the session and bring your failures.
Today
Today's PHYSICS 207 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for PHYSICS 207. Yours is built from your own syllabus and adapts every day to your deadlines and progress.
First plan free, no card required. Fennie is independent and unaffiliated with your school.
FAQ
Is PHYSICS 207 at UW-Madison hard?
It's a real physics course graded in a premed-heavy room: exams test modeling unfamiliar scenarios, not plugging into formulas. Bio-track students who practice varied problem setups handle it well; formula memorizers reliably get exposed on exam one.
What's the difference between PHYSICS 207 and PHYSICS 201?
Both are calculus-based; 207 is aimed at biological science students and covers extra topics like heat and sound with bio-flavored applications, while 201's examples lean engineering. 207 leads into 208, the standard premed pair.
How much calculus does PHYSICS 207 use?
A working level: derivatives fluently, integrals conceptually. The physics reasoning is the actual challenge, but rusty calculus stacks friction on top of it, so a quick refresher before the semester pays off.