uwloo

BME 181Physics 1: Statics

Units
0.50
Faculty
Engineering
Subject
Biomedical Engineering

When it runs

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

Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.

Introduction to the basic theory and principles of mechanics of static systems. Topics covered include statics of particles, rigid bodies and force systems, equilibrium of rigid bodies, analysis of joints and frames, distributed forces, centroids and moments of inertia, and friction. Applications of mechanical principles to musculoskeletal systems will be presented.

Prerequisites

Antirequisites

  • Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
    • SYDE181 - Physics 1: Statics (0.50)

Leads to

No course lists it as a requisite.

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 00177740 / 134TTh 10:00–11:20
LEC 70181550 / 9999Online or by arrangement
TUT 10177750 / 134F 10:30–11:20

Reviewed on UW Flow

58% liked it58% easy75% useful

From 53 ratings and 13 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.

  • This is supposed to be a fairly general introduction to physics. Its just statics, but the prof pulled some crazy ass problem on the midterm that hardly anyone could solve. The lectures were poorly taught; the textbook is your best friend. The course material not being that bad made it easy to teach yourself.

    Aug 2017 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • This course was..hmm.. prof arguing with academic reps through email and live on bongo lol. Impossible midterm got curved in a way that favoured those who were ALREADY passing...leaving those failing with barely any increase in marks. Really whackkkk. Prof seems friendly but I don't know if I learned anything more than F = 0

    Feb 2021 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • MUST BUY TEXTBOOK!!! Professor used to be a professional clown and it really comes through in his lectures. Honestly, this course isn't bad at all if you self-learn from the textbook - you won't learn anything in class. Prof is also super unclear about his expectations and you will never know what will show up on a midterm/final, though his midterm and final exam were reasonable this year.

    Dec 2019 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this

  • Costa's lectures were very slow but he was nice. The final was much harder than the quizzes and the problem sets were often not helpful. He does give a lot of detail about what will be on the quizzes/exam

    May 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

  • I had Costa for this class. He teaches slow but, he does make very fair tests and finals. Psets were always harder than the tests. Content definitely gets harder as the weeks go on, but that being said it's still very manageable. Just watch out for the last couple tests and finals, I knew people that got taken by surprise and struggled with them.

    Mar 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this

Discussed on r/uwaterloo

One post or comment in 1 thread mentions BME 181, October 2017 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 2017

Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments

“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”

u/Jackhofmann: “PSYCH 483 PSYCH 484 PSYCH 485 PSYCH 486 PSYCH 490R PSYCH 499A PSYCH 499B PSYCH 499C PSYCH 621 PSYCH 630 PSYCH 677A PSYCH 704A PSYCH 704B PSYCH 707 PSYCH 710 PSYCH 714 PSYCH 717 PSYCH 720A PSYCH 721A …”

u/Jackhofmann: “… 605 BIOL 650 BIOL 651 BIOL 669 BIOL 680 BIOL 681 BIOL 690 BME 101 BME 101L BME 121 BME 161 BME 181 BME 201 BME 213 BME 261 BME 281 BME 281L BME 285 BME 285L BME 302 BME 362 BME 364 BME 384 BME 386 BME 392 BME 392L BUS 111W BUS 127W BUS 208W BUS 223W BUS 231W BUS 233W BUS 247W …”

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Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026

Calendar versions

Undergraduate Calendar