AMATH 242Introduction to Computational Mathematics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Mathematics
- Subject
- Applied Mathematics
- Cross-listed
- CS 371
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 3 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
A rigorous introduction to the field of computational mathematics. The focus is on the interplay between continuous models and their solution via discrete processes. Topics include pitfalls in computation, solution of linear systems, interpolation, discrete Fourier transforms, and numerical integration. Applications are used as motivation.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Complete 1 of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Earned a minimum grade of 60% in each of the following:
- CS114 - Principles of Computing for Science (0.50)
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Complete 1 of the following
Antirequisites
Leads to
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 6026 | 0 / 40 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
| LEC 002 | 6306 | 0 / 40 | MW 14:30–15:50 |
| LEC 701 | 2364 | 56 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| TST 101 | 6427 | 0 / 80 | Mar 4 18:30–20:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
38% liked it69% easy52% useful
From 39 ratings and 15 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
The topics are sort of all over the place and quite disjoint. But many of the topics are useful for being able to compute a wide range of math ideas from approximating integrals to DFT. The reason for my dislike was the quality and organization of lectures. I'm sure will a different prof this course could be really fun to take.
May 2018 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The first bit of the course was really boring, involving the floating point arithmetic. Some of the root finding and Fourier stuff was cool however.
Oct 2017 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Can get a little bland since it's an intro course but if you're able to see the application of its contents, it's pretty interesting
Aug 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Introduces some of the fundamental techniques and subfields of computational math and numerical analysis. most of these are fairly straightforward and intuitive, but interesting! the workload is quite light compared to other math/CS classes of a similar level.
Aug 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Assessments included 4 assignments worth 8% each, midterm 28%, final 40%. The assignments included both written and coding components (in Matlab) and all assessments were pretty fair. One of the assignments included a Matlab project, but it wasn't so bad. We were allowed to bring a cheat sheet to the midterm and final but it was hard to study for since we were not given any extra practice problems. Also, the material is very dry (especially the floating point number stuff) and doesn't seem very useful. Didn't really attend lectures since the prof tended to mumble to herself and went so fast that I couldn't follow what she was saying, but all lecture notes were provided on Learn. The TAs…
May 2023 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
104 posts and comments in 85 threads mention AMATH 242, December 2011 to December 2024. Quoted word for word, newest first; each reply sits under the post and the comment that started its branch. Search r/uwaterloo for newer posts.
Fall 2024
any 2nd year cs courses that you can take with cs 116? 5 points, 6 comments
“Is there any 200 CS courses that are direct successors of 116? or do I need to take 136 no matter what?”
u/fisherfam: “There are no CS major courses (CS 24X) that are direct successors of CS 116. There are however the non-CS major courses (CS 23X) that have only 116 as a requirement.”
u/cubing_starwars: “There’s also AMATH 242 which is cross listed with CS 371”
Spring 2024
Question for CM/math majors 1 point, 3 comments
u/rjdnl: “cs230 was chill for me. I liked it a lot. amath242 was boring and exams a bit unnecessarily hard.”
Online Math Classes 2 points, 1 comment
u/Maremesscamm: “I am looking for a course to fulfill the any math class requirement that I could take over coop. I know there is: PMATH330, CO250, AMATH242, CS231, can anyone else share ones that I might be missing? Thank you,”
u/zenkuny: “where is online AMATH242?”
Winter 2024
The difference between AMATH 242 and CS 371 2 points, 1 comment
u/gooseatwaterloo: “I am a bit confused what's the difference in terms of exams/assignments for these 2 courses? If exactly the same, why people don't just take CS 371 as it's 3xx compared to 2xx? Thanks.”
u/ARedditLegend: “Major requirements, that’s all. If you’re in AMATH, you’d need that to count in your amath credits, so on your transcript you’d take AMATH 242 instead of wanting CS 371 to show up. You could double count them as well. They’re the exact same course it’s just cross listed.”
cs 371 / amath 242 advice 2 points, 2 comments
Fall 2023
Easiest 300-400 Math Course? 1 point, 4 comments
“Better if I can take it online. Math course includes ACTSC, AMATH, CO, CS, MATBUS, MATH, PMATH, and STAT.”
u/Kassaking777: “CS371/AMATH242 if you are good at high school math and still know how to take derivatives and do integration. STAT331 if you remember stuff in STAT231, overall easy, no proof in exams. …”
Spring 2023
Differences AMath 242 vs CS 371 1 point, 5 comments
u/gooseatwaterloo: “Hi, may I know what are the differences in terms of topics learned and workloads ? What program languages are used in these courses? Thanks”
u/ClarkeVice: “They’re cross-listed and taught together with the same grading scheme. The course uses Matlab as it’s programming language.”
u/Rak1t1n: “It was Prof Zima, and yes, DFT is taught. The course material is physical - the AMATH 242 textbook issued by UW. You could go to WStore and take a look at the textbook once the fall term started.”
Which one’s easier - math239/amath250/amath242 1 point, 1 comment
u/applepie2200: “Title.”
amath242/cs371 crying thread 1 point, 4 comments
u/mehangal: “the only thing in my brain is the DVD logo bouncing around”
Winter 2023
AMath242 3 points, 3 comments
u/Skyfriendkarim: “… m239 and I can either take a differential equations course(which ik I’d hate), amath231 or amath242. (Please correct me if I’m wrong) Anyways, I wanted to ask, is amath242(/Cs371) a good course to take? …”
The break isn't even over yet 275 points, 26 comments
u/v1v2v3vv55: “Even tho you might not like her right now, I took her AMATH 242 imma tell you she’s one of the most responsible and kind prof that I ever seen throughout my whole undergrad, definitely one of the best prof. So I guess, be nice to her.”
Fall 2022
Questions about AMATH program 1 point, 4 comments
“So I have recently decided to go for AMATH as a 2nd major (my first is STAT). There is just a couple of questions that I hope some familiar with this program could answer for me. Thanks in advanced! …”
u/cabinet_eater: “… weekly assignments can be a lot of work but the content is actually very interesting - amath 242 - only downside is they expect you to know MATLAB that’s all i can think of for now”
u/luizloo: “I took amath 250 and 242 in previous terms. Sounds like AMATH 271 is worth a shot! Thanks!”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
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- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
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