ECE 108Discrete Mathematics and Logic 1
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Introduction to discrete mathematics, including propositional/Boolean logic, syntax and semantics, proof theory, and model theory; set theory, relations and functions, combinatorics (counting techniques, permutations, and combinations), graph theory. Applications in electrical, computing, and software engineering.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- Students must be in level 1B or higher
- Enrolled in H-Computer Engineering, H-Electrical Engineering, or H-Software Engineering
Antirequisites
- Complete all of the following
Leads to
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4741 | 0 / 144 | M 13:30–14:20 TTh 13:30–14:20 M 13:30–14:20 TTh 13:30–14:20 Jan 21 15:30–16:20 Feb 11 15:30–16:20 Mar 25 15:30–16:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1913 | 0 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| TUT 101 | 4742 | 0 / 48 | W 15:30–16:20 W 15:30–16:20 |
| TUT 102 | 4743 | 0 / 48 | W 15:30–16:20 W 15:30–16:20 |
| TUT 103 | 4744 | 0 / 48 | W 15:30–16:20 W 15:30–16:20 |
| TST 201 | 5117 | 0 / 144 | Feb 25 12:30–14:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
62% liked it49% easy55% useful
From 164 ratings and 35 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Pre-midterm stuff is very bland and boring, but very easy. If you do assignments on your own you should be good for the midterm. Post midterm, content is still relatively bland, but more enjoyable and harder. If you are in EE this course likely wont be fun at all, as it has a lot of applications for CE (post midterm). Exams were relatively fair, Prof. Harris likes to keep his averages around 70 form what I've seen. Prof. Harris tries to keep his lectures entertaining by putting memes in them. although unfortunately they are often extremely difficult to follow as he only reads off of his slides and goes through them fast. This course will likely be all self taught
Sep 2024 · didn’t like it · 2 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
for Marmie the cat!
Jul 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
An interesting course ruined by a terrible prof. Lectures notes were unorganized and difficult to follow. Lectures did not reflect material seen on midterm/final. An excessive amount of assignment questions assigned every week (>100 questions/week on average). Many people in my year agreed they spent all their time struggling to finish assignments for this course while not learning a thing. Student feedback was definitely ignored on multiple occasions for this course. Could have been a lot of people's favorite course if not for the prof.
Apr 2021 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
This is the first time they offered the course - terrible experience for everyone all around. Everything in 1B seems to fit together except for this course. Not useful at all and not enjoyable in the least.
Apr 2018 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
What do engineering students hate the most? proof questions. What is this course about? proof questions. Remember ece 150? Now you have to prove how those algorithms worked. Good luck, but if you get mahesh then you are safe.
Sep 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
160 posts and comments in 130 threads mention ECE 108, May 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.
Spring 2024
What are the fun profs/courses that you are currently taking and would recommend for future terms? 4 points, 9 comments
u/Intelligent_View_374: “ECE 108 with Matthew Harris. He makes it so fun and interesting 😻 the meme breaks 🫶🏻”
Winter 2024
I'm dying 4 points, 2 comments
“ECE124's final exam is too hard..... ECE106 is not very hard but also challenging.... I may only get 60 on this two course.”
u/Range_Early: “60 is 10 more than 50, good pass”
u/wozirut: “Except for ECE108 and MATH119( which I'm good at), I'm dead.”
SLC night Study 1 point, 0 comments
u/SeaSatisfaction8337: “Anybody wants to do a night study in slc together, I usually study at night over there, I specifically Study ECE 108 Discrete mathematics and logic. Ping me back. lets prepare for finals”
ece 108 book and notes 3 points, 0 comments
u/SeaSatisfaction8337: “Hi does anyone has ece-108 book Thistle & Tripunitara - discrete maths and logic book and notes for that.... highly appreciate if someone can send a link as could not find a git link mentioned in the course outline. Thanks”
Life of ECE Student In a Nutshell (Source: A random ECE108 Problem Set) 12 points, 0 comments
I got the lowest mark in the course on my Math 119 midterm (ECE 1B) 25 points, 10 comments
“It was worth 35%, I don't think I'm gonna be able to even pass the term as the rest of my ECE courses are extremely difficult as well. I don't think I got more than 25% on 106 and 15% on 108. …”
u/VeryGood-667: “… where midterm counts less or a good finals could compensate for bad midterms (ECE 124, ECE 108) while focus on courses you are more good at (which will vary between person.) You could choose to give up some course that you know it is impossible to pass to ensure the remain ones …”
ECE 108 Course Notes 2 points, 2 comments
u/Intelligent_View_374: “Does anyone have the course notes for ECE 108? Please send em over if you do”
u/ehhthing: “Note: apparently ECE 108 has gotten much harder over the past year, so if you have notes from 2022 or before, you might want to find a newer version. Although I'm not sure if the notes have actually changed (maybe Harris just made the assignments harder).”
It's past 9pm, I'm at home working on ECE108 on Valentine's Day and.... 25 points, 6 comments
u/dechair5: “I'm perfectly fine. There is a fear that some people have, that some of their thoughts are not their own. That someone else has engineered an idea, a concept, a meme and placed it into the most important 1.2 cubic centimeters of flesh that your body contains. …”
ECE 106 and ECE 108 7 points, 12 comments
u/GardenArtistic3481: “Im in ECE 2b right now and not gonna lie I am struggling with 106 and 108. I always learned better self teaching with notes and textbook however I have been trying to attend 106 and 108 lectures as they are the hardest courses. …”
Fall 2023
there is no solace 184 points, 24 comments
u/FireMaster1294: “Ah yes, i love taking Math 119 from 12:30-1:20 at 4:30pm I also love taking ECE 108 5 times a week from 12:30-1:20, curiously also at 4:30pm”
Chance a domestic student for Computer Engineering 1 point, 13 comments
“I am a domestic grade 12 IB Diploma student from Atlantic Canada, taking Math, Physics and Chem at HL, with English and Economics at SL. I completed French SL last year, also. …”
u/davidlu6476: “50/50. You either get in or you dont”
u/Remarkable-Dot-4951: “You are assuming an uniform pmf which could be not the case... Sorry, can't get ECE108 out of my head now”
Did anyone here transfer into Engineering 2nd year? 1 point, 1 comment
“I'm at UofT and I plan to transfer to UW CompE. I had already been admitted as a freshman but I now realise that I made a huge mistake selecting UofT over UW. So I'm going to apply for a transfer. …”
u/Lemonade3223: “Hi! I’m in a similar position. I was admitted to the mechatronics engineering program and took the offer. …”
u/uwthrowaway111111: “… The courses I needed to make up were ECE 222, ECE 108, and ECE 106 (I think?). I was taking 222 and 108 over my co-op term and ended up WDing them when I decided not to go ahead with the transfer. …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
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