UW-Madison PHYSICS 208: General Physics
PHYSICS 208 continues the sequence for biological science and premed students: electricity and magnetism, circuits, optics, and an introduction to modern physics, with labs and discussions in the same five-credit format as 207.
Fennie is independent and not affiliated with University of Wisconsin-Madison. This is an unofficial study guide.
What makes it hard
E&M is more abstract than mechanics: fields can't be seen, and the reasoning runs through invisible quantities related by vector geometry. Students who survived 207 on partial understanding hit a wall here, and optics adds a geometry-heavy unit with its own sign conventions that punish sloppy setup habits.
What you'll cover
- • Electric fields and potential
- • DC circuits
- • Magnetic fields and forces
- • Electromagnetic induction
- • Geometric and wave optics
- • Modern physics introduction
The PHYSICS 208 study guide
How to study for UW-Madison PHYSICS 208, step by step.
- 1
Make field diagrams non-negotiable
Every E&M problem starts with drawing charges, fields, and forces. The abstraction only becomes workable through pictures; pushing symbols without a diagram is how exam points vanish.
- 2
Build circuit fluency through volume
Series-parallel reduction, Kirchhoff's laws, RC behavior: circuit problems are pattern-rich and reward reps. Practice until the analysis sequence is automatic.
- 3
Treat sign conventions as part of the physics
Optics and induction problems die to sign errors more than concept errors. Write the convention you're using on every problem and apply it mechanically.
- 4
Connect each new quantity to something concrete
Potential, flux, induced EMF: for each abstraction, anchor a physical picture and a unit check. Concrete anchors are what keep the invisible quantities manipulable under exam pressure.
Today
Today's PHYSICS 208 plan
What a Fennie Daily Plan looks like for PHYSICS 208. 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 208 harder than PHYSICS 207?
Most students say yes. E&M's abstraction is a step up from mechanics, and the reasoning runs through quantities you can't see. Diagram-first habits and steady circuit practice are what separate outcomes.
Do I need PHYSICS 208 for medical school?
Standard premed requirements include two semesters of physics with lab, which 207/208 satisfies. Its E&M and optics content also maps directly onto MCAT physics, so genuine understanding here pays twice.
How do I study for PHYSICS 208 exams?
Draw the field or circuit diagram on every practice problem, do high volume on circuits, and practice unfamiliar configurations from past exams under time. Track sign conventions explicitly; they're where E&M and optics points quietly disappear.