PHYS 233Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Physics
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Introduction to quantization, wave-particle duality and the uncertainty principle The Schroedinger equation and solvable examples. Topics will include stationary states of particle-in-a-box, harmonic oscillator, and the hydrogen atom. Quantization of angular momentum and spin. Introduction to approximation methods including time-independent perturbation theory. Modern applications of quantum mechanics.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Complete 1 of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
Corequisites
- Completed or concurrently enrolled in at least 1 of the following:
- AMATH250 - Introduction to Differential Equations (0.50)
- AMATH251 - Introduction to Differential Equations (Advanced Level) (0.50)
- ECE205 - Advanced Calculus 1 for Electrical and Computer Engineers (0.50)
- MATH211 - Advanced Calculus 1 for Electrical and Computer Engineers (0.50)
- MATH213 - Signals, Systems, and Differential Equations (0.50)
- MATH228 - Differential Equations for Physics and Chemistry (0.50)
Antirequisites
Leads to
Reviewed on UW Flow
100% liked it35% easy50% useful
From 5 ratings and 3 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Took this course purely out of interest, so I can't say it was useful, but it was an enjoyable experience.
Aug 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course is fantastic - it takes you through the world of QM with minimal math. All your need for this course is some derivatives, some integrations, matrix operations (2x2 at most), and diagonalization (ie: eigenvalues and eigenvectors). It is so fun and it really opens up your mind to the world of QM
Mar 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Robert Hill is the probably one of the best physics professors out there. He really cares and it shows.
As everyone has said on reddit, brush up on your lin alg or else you won't understand shit lol. It has been a tough course for me and several peers overall because we were lacking a strong math background.
The quantum mechanical concepts that are taught are definitely interesting.Apr 2020 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
28 posts and comments in 23 threads mention PHYS 233, January 2016 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 2023
How to get into different physics fields? 1 point, 1 comment
u/HikoryStix: “… My concern is that I have also become very interested in quantum physics, but a lot of the prerequisites to take PHYS 233, 234, etc. aren't really available to me. I did pass PHYS 121, MATH 127, and a few other from fall 2022 (barely). …”
Winter 2021
Phys 233 0 points, 0 comments
PHYS 233 2 points, 1 comment
u/Snoo_54436: “For those who have taken PHYS 233, how is the courses and what strategies can I take to get an A from those who got one”
Fall 2020
PHYS 233 vs PHYS 234 6 points, 4 comments
u/MeteorFossil: “I'm a CS Major and I was wondering which of these two quantum physics courses would be better to take. I can't really find the differences between them and was wondering which one would be better for me to take?”
Spring 2020
Anyone who’s taken Phys 242, 225 or 233 whats it like? Which would be the best to take 1 point, 5 comments
Fall 2019
ECE 3B - How is it? How do I survive? Maybe even thrive? 2 points, 12 comments
“Hey, so the schedule for Winter 2020 got posted and I was just wondering if you guys could help a man out and suggest how to survive the term. ECE 224 - Embedded Microprocessor Systems - Prof. …”
u/ece_te: “… I took my NSE in 3B (took PHYS 233) and still did well.”
Spring 2019
PHYS 233 Questions 3 points, 2 comments
u/Yinnikun: “Hi so my program (medical physics) require me to take phys 233 - intro to quantum. I heard that quantum requires much knowledge about linear alg, however, I have not done any linear alg courses at all. So does phys 233 need any linear alg in order to stay on top of the material? …”
Spring 2018
Acceptances Megathread [Fall 2018 Incoming Students] 142 points, 1,897 comments
“Hi all, This thread is specifically for those who got accepted to UW to discuss different issues (residences, courses, student life, etc.) and celebrate the hard work and efforts of those who have …”
u/GanzuraTheConsumer: “I'm going to be a first year CS student in the fall, and I want to take the physics-based calculus class. I know that means I have to take PHYS 121, but do I also have to take PHYS 121L?”
u/cabbagemeister: “… An alternate course with less prerequesites is PHYS234 (Quantum 1) or PHYS233 (quantum for non physics students). You could also try PHYS242 (E&M 1). …”
Fall 2017
Phys 233/ECE 405 -> Phys 334 1 point, 3 comments
u/RealisticCoopStudent: “… If I take Phys 233 or ECE 405 will I still be able to take Phys 334 (with an override)? Has anyone done this? …”
Course advice (ECE) Introduction to Quantum Mechanics 7 points, 8 comments
“Hi guyz If you have taken the quantum mechanics course, please leave a comment or inbox me directly. Thank you in advance. …”
u/microwavemasterrace: “ECE 405 right? It's a bird course.”
u/ece_te: “You don't need to know probability in too much detail for PHYS 233 (I assume ECE 405 will do the same, considering that they are antireqs of each other). You should know your lin alg very well, although a brief review will be given.”
u/ece_te: “I took PHYS 233 (which is the antireq to ECE 405). It's quite a bit of work if you are not familiar with linear algebra, but it's certainly doable. If it helps, I took it when I was in 3B.”
I am really stressing over course selection 0 points, 5 comments
“I feel like I am putting too much thought into having to decide between STAT341 and 340. They are anti-requisites and from what I read on here from a post 3 years ago, more than 50% of the courses …”
u/xhumptyDumptyx: “… I'm going to have to take phys 233 or ECE 405, which don't cover all the content Phys 234 covers. I'm just planning on taking phys 233/ECE 405 and then I'll teach myself the 234 content. …”
CO 481/CS 467/PHYS 467 - Quantum Info Processing 1 point, 8 comments
u/ece_te: “… I have taken PHYS 233 in Winter 2017 and towards the end we got some bonus lectures about QIP which sorta peaked my interest in this field. Has anybody taken it before, and if so how was it? …”
u/n-Category: “… I imagine PHYS 233 did not cover spin and density matrices in great detail, so you can actually expect a good portion of the quantum mechanics that you need to be new (and this will be covered in the course itself). …”
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