uwloo

AMATH 250Introduction to Differential Equations

Units
0.50
Faculty
Mathematics
Subject
Applied Mathematics

When it runs

  1. F24
  2. W25
  3. S25
  4. F25
  5. W26
  6. S26
  7. F26
  8. W27
  9. S27

Ran in 7 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 4 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Physical systems which lead to differential equations (examples include mechanical vibrations, population dynamics, and mixing processes). Dimensional analysis and dimensionless variables. Solving linear differential equations: first- and second-order scalar equations and first-order vector equations. Laplace transform methods of solving differential equations. Introduction to series solutions and special functions.

Prerequisites

  • Complete all of the following
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • MATH106 - Applied Linear Algebra 1 (0.50)
      • MATH114 - Linear Algebra for Science (0.50)
      • MATH115 - Linear Algebra for Engineering (0.50)
      • MATH136 - Linear Algebra 1 for Honours Mathematics (0.50)
      • MATH146 - Linear Algebra 1 (Advanced Level) (0.50)
      • NE112 - Linear Algebra for Nanotechnology Engineers (0.50)
    • Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
      • MATH118 - Calculus 2 for Engineering (0.50)
      • MATH119 - Calculus 2 for Engineering (0.50)
      • MATH128 - Calculus 2 for the Sciences (0.50)
      • MATH138 - Calculus 2 for Honours Mathematics (0.50)
      • MATH148 - Calculus 2 (Advanced Level) (0.50)

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • AMATH251 - Introduction to Differential Equations (Advanced Level) (0.50)
    • AMATH350 - Differential Equations for Business and Economics (0.50)
    • MATH218 - Differential Equations for Engineers (0.50)
    • MATH228 - Differential Equations for Physics and Chemistry (0.50)

Leads to

Fall 2026 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 001595975 / 120MW 14:30–15:50
LEC 0026277111 / 112MWF 11:30–12:20
LEC 081643289 / 100Online or by arrangement
TUT 1015960106 / 112T 10:30–11:20
TUT 102628680 / 120T 10:30–11:20
TST 2016287186 / 232Oct 22 16:30–17:50

Winter 2027 sections

Enrolment from UW Open Data, which can trail Quest by up to two days. Instructors and rooms: Schedule of Classes.
SectionClassEnrolledMeets
LEC 00156920 / 125MWF 11:30–12:20
LEC 08160580 / 100Online or by arrangement
LEC 7012263128 / 9999Online or by arrangement
LEC 702236135 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10156930 / 125M 16:30–17:20
TST 20159010 / 125Feb 26 16:30–18:00

Reviewed on UW Flow

65% liked it71% easy78% useful

From 213 ratings and 50 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • God awful course. If voices were punchable, the person who lectures the online modules has the most punchable voice where she enunciates every syllable. Hardest part was giving a rat's ass and keeping up with the weekly content.

    Apr 2025 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Online was very easy. The quizzes can be a pain but you get 5 attempts. Assignments were simplistic and so was the final exam (compared to the in class version). 95% of the questions were reused from previous terms.

    Apr 2020 · liked it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • tedious course, lots of methods with no real explanation or motivation for what we were doing. required course, and not terrible, but definitely wouldn't take it of my own volition

    Dec 2022 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • took it in S26. weekly quizzes, midterm was heavily weighted, and final was about 15% during the last week. enjoyed the class- exams were fair, found the final slightly difficult but did well overall. take it with Joe West.

    Sep 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Took it online, very easy. First half of the course was not interesting, but second was pretty cool.

    Jul 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

580 posts and comments in 405 threads mention AMATH 250, February 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

Taking Math 128 as Math Major? 4 points, 5 comments

“I was wondering if taking math 128 as a math major would negatively impact me for my future courses. I heard it's fine for cs majors but didn't find much info for Math majors. …”

u/Laeriana: “It depends WHICH major you're considering in Math, and whether or not you feel you can get the 70 required in MATH 128 to move forward to MATH 237 which is required for MOST non-CS programs (one …”

u/Laeriana: “… AMATH 250 especially (which is often a pre-req for upper level AMATH classes) felt very much like review of 138 almost exactly in the first few weeks and continued on expanding from there (but I will caveat it's been ages since I personally took the course so take my experience …”

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Courses to take if I enjoyed AMATH 250 and AMATH 351 2 points, 5 comments

u/jokerwithnojokes: “title. need to take a few math courses and just wanted to know if any courses would use the material from these courses or build upon it.”

u/surker512: “I've taken the equivalent of AMATH 250 and I just finished AMATH 271. I'd say DEs show up in 2/3 of the course, though most of them are separable ODEs. There's a small unit on oscillations/springs, just a review of the oscillations/springs unit in AMATH 250/251. …”

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CO331 vs. AMath 250 for Co-op Term? 9 points, 6 comments

u/Silly-Airline-6049: “Hi, I need to take an online course during my co-op term and can’t decide between CO331 (Coding Theory) and AMath 250 (Intro to Differential Equations). CO331’s outline says the final exam is in-person and worth 50%, which might be tough during co-op. …”

u/sharkleaf70: “AMATH 250 online I believe is manageable as long as you really make sure to stay on top of things. …”

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Choosing a math major: CO/AMATH/AMATH with Scientific Computing/STATS/Data Science/CompMath 5 points, 3 comments

“To upper year math students, graduates and graduated math alumni: I'm in 2A math right now and it's about time to pick one direction to go for the rest of my undergrad and potentially graduate …”

u/surker512: “… Try AMATH 250 & 231, STAT 230 & 231. STAT 230 is a friendly stat course. It’s foundational content and you’ll use it in any future stat course you take. I haven’t taken AMATH 231 but plan to. …”

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Math 138 assgts/course materials? 1 point, 3 comments

“Not sure if I'm allowed to ask since it's been a while since I've been in uni. I'm taking a differential equations course this term as a mature undergrad student, but the last time I took proper …”

u/Far_Bookkeeper6488: “look up pauls online notes and do that, or stewarts calculus. amath250 is all computation”

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Spring 2024

AMATH 250 2 points, 3 comments

u/joeshiesty1013: “Hi guys. I haven't taken a math course since 2022, is AMATH 250 gonna be awful? I tried taking MATH 228 online but couldn't stand it because mobius sucks so I dropped it.”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

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