PHYS 236Computational Physics 1
- Faculty
- Science
- Last listed
- Spring 2022
No longer offered. It was in Waterloo’s course catalog since at least Winter 2020 (as far back as Open Data goes) to Spring 2022 and last ran in Fall 2021. It isn’t in the 2024–25 or later calendars.
When it ran
- F20
- F21
Ran in 2 terms, Fall 2020 to Fall 2021.
Introduction to scientific computer programming techniques as applied to problem solving in physics, with examples from first year mechanics. Procedural programs, control structures, functions, and data storage. Numerical differentiation, integration, and solution of linear equation systems. Data analysis and visualization. [Offered: F]
Requirements, as last listed
Prereq: PHYS 111 or 121; Not open to students in Mathematics. Antireq: GENE 121, NE 113, SYDE 121
In today’s calendar
- CS 105 lists it as an antirequisite
- CS 114 lists it as an antirequisite
- CS 116 lists it as an antirequisite
- CS 135 lists it as an antirequisite
- PHYS 349 lists it in its requisites
- PHYS 359 lists it in its requisites
- PHYS 363 lists it in its requisites
- PHYS 364 lists it in its requisites
- PHYS 375 lists it in its requisites
Reviewed on UW Flow
80% liked it58% easy91% useful
From 45 ratings and 13 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
For someone who has no programing experience, I struggle with the quizzes a lot. Assignments are a bit tough . Labs are very helpful. Overall, it could have been easier for an introduction course to programing. Also, I just want to say that Prof. Brenda rocks! She is very helpful and attentive. Makes this course somewhat doable.
Oct 2020 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
could be so useful... if it were taught well.
Mar 2017 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Learn Python before you take this course or you will struggle.
Apr 2016 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Very useful for coops, but it was horribly taught and very difficult for no legitimate reason... Some assignments were literally impossible and the prof only realized on the day it was due... after we had wasted many hours
Mar 2016 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
If you have any basic programming knowledge, you'll be fine.
Dec 2015 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
55 posts and comments in 47 threads mention PHYS 236, October 2015 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
PHYS 249 Advice/Notes 1 point, 3 comments
“I'm taking PHYS 249 in the fall and I heard it's a pretty tough course. Anyone wanna share their notes with me, or some advice to do well?”
u/Illustrious_Sea39: “… If you did well on PHYS 236, or if you have taken any CS course ( not including CS 100) you should be fine if you go to class/read the Jupyter notebooks. As long as you do the assignments on time you’ll get 85+. Source: Graduating Honours Phys student. …”
Spring 2021
Computational physics (phys 236) or modeling life physics (phys 225) 2 points, 0 comments
u/rjln: “I need to pick between these courses. Has anyone taken them online and can talk about how they were? The workload doesn’t matter to me, but I need to be able to get a high mark”
PHYS 256 vs PHYS 236 2 points, 2 comments
u/sin_cos_tan_: “I know these are very different physics courses, just trying to see what might be easier workload wise as I already have some heavy courses picked. If anyone has taken either of these courses and can share some info on the workload/difficulty I’d appreciate it!!”
Winter 2021
Best professors at UW? 38 points, 88 comments
“Who in your opinion were/are the best profs at UW? Not just in terms of lecturing or grading only, but helpfulness, knowledgeability, and actually caring about whether or not the students succeeded? …”
u/alyssnya: “Josh Neufeld (BIOL240) is my personal pick but I also really like Brenda Lee (PHYS236 and PHYS280).”
Fall 2020
Which CS should I take? 1 point, 6 comments
“I’m in physics and I want to take a CS course because it seems a lot of co op jobs require experience in CS... I was looking at 105, 115, or 135. …”
u/TheRealArjun: “… And make sure your Phys 236 credit is all sorted out since it antireqs with 135.”
Good prof appreciation thread 61 points, 89 comments
“This term sucks a lot and a lot of people are having some shitty experiences, especially with certain profs/TAs/instructors. But there’s a lot of profs who are not that shitty. …”
u/zyxwvu28: “… - Richard Epp, Phys 121 (already talked about in another comment) - Brenda Lee, Phys 236 (already talked about in another comment) - Conrad Hewitt, Math 114, he may be a strict prof, but he's an amazing lecturer and gets his students to think critically about the content their …”
Physics antireq 2 points, 6 comments
“I’m currently in physics111 and maybe want to minor in physics, but I just read that 111 is an antireq of 121. …”
u/Neowhite0987: “You’ll be fine if you email an advisor. I took Phys 236 which is an antireq to cs 115 but i needed 115 to start a computing minor so all they did is let me take the course but cs115 won’t count towards my phys degree but it still counts towards the minor.”
PHYS236 Free textbook 0 points, 4 comments
Spring 2020
CS116 or PHYS236? 1 point, 8 comments
u/nikki9879: “So I'm trying to fill my math/sci electives for the fall, and can't decide between CS116 or PHYS236. I want to take one of the two so I can learn python. I have a little bit of coding experience but not much (I took CS115 and know R). …”
u/aflockofhawks: “learning python in a cs class will always be better than a phys class. I took phys 236 and we did a whole unit on statistics, nothing to do with python or coding. take cs 116”
u/TheRealArjun: “Definitely CS 116, you don’t really learn a lot python in Phys 236 other than basic syntax and the latter half of 236 has a decent amount of statistics.”
Winter 2020
Should I learn Python prior to taking PHYS236? 8 points, 7 comments
u/bravopapa10: “Might as well make quarantine season worthwhile if I’m planning to take this in my 2A.. Any thoughts?”
Good place to learn Python 6 points, 10 comments
u/DARKSC0UR: “As we are all stuck inside I decided to learn some Python as its a good skill and helpful for PHYS 236. Can someone recommend me a good website or youtube channel to try out? Thanks!”
Who are the livesaver profs? 10 points, 25 comments
“Name them!”
u/FlyGuy3000: “Brenda Yasie Lee, Math 128,Phys 224, and Phys 236. Very algorithmic in teaching leaving no room for question; albeit, it was some easy courses but still.”
Check it elsewhere
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2021–22Its last calendar entry, on uwloo
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them
In the scanned calendars
How it read in each calendar from 1966–67 to 1972–73, newest first. The text is OCR of the scanned pages; years whose wording matches are shown once, from the clearest scan. Each year links to its page on uwloo and to that page of the scanned PDF.
1971–72 to 1972–73 2 calendars
Reflection and refraction. Huygen’s principle. Image forming properties of a plane surface, spherical surface, thin lens. The thick lens and lens systems. Cardinal points. The matrix treatment of geometrical optics. Aberrations. Principles of optical instruments. Wave nature of light. Dispersion. Interference. Newton’s rings. Colours of thin films. Interference filters. Fresnel and Fraunhofer diffraction. The diffraction grating. Resolving power. Principles of high resolving power instruments. Polarization. Prerequisites: Physics 121* and 122* or equivalent, and Mathematics 125 or 130 This course is intended primarily for students registered in the Optometry programme. “ 3 lectures, 3 hours laboratory on alternate weeks, fall term.
Not in the 1970–71 calendar.
1966–67 to 1969–70 4 calendars
Reflection and refraction at plane and curved surfaces; thin and thick lenses, optical instruments. The wave nature of light, interference, diffraction, slits and gratings, resolution. Polarization, optical activity, photometry.
3 lectures, first term. (3 hours laboratory alternate weeks for students not taking Physics 233).