PHYS 335Condensed Matter Physics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Physics
Not in the current Undergraduate Calendar. Shown as it appeared in 2025–26.
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.
An introduction to condensed matter physics, including their lattice, electronic and thermodynamic properties. Crystalline lattices in solids. Reciprocal lattices. Diffraction from crystals. Lattice vibrations and phonons. Properties of a free electron gas. Electrons in a periodic potential and band-structure. Metals, insulators and semiconductors. Electrical transport in materials. Introduction to semiconductor physics.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed the following:
- PHYS358 - Thermal Physics (0.50)
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Students must be in level 3A
- Enrolled in a program offered by the Faculties of Engineering, Mathematics, or Science
- Must have completed the following:
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
Reviewed on UW Flow
79% liked it14% easy72% useful
From 14 ratings and 1 comment on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
It's not difficult, especially at the start. Though it does pick up slightly, it was overall a very well balanced course if you did decently and learnt from the prereq courses.
Aug 2026 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
9 posts and comments in 9 threads mention PHYS 335, September 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 2022
Advice for PHYS 335 0 points, 0 comments
u/Remarkable_Leg9657: “How was PHYS 335 this time with David Hawthorn? Was anyone able to do well? I have heard that usually this course is really hard with Gingras.”
Winter 2022
How Useful of a course is PHYS 467? 5 points, 0 comments
u/Transcript_: “… If this course is mainly theoretical, I think I might just take either PHYS 335 or AMATH 382 or some other shit instead. Very open to suggestions! …”
Winter 2020
Phys 335 midterm 0 points, 0 comments
Winter 2019
Which concept in a course made you say go fuck this shit? 19 points, 32 comments
u/walmartyrdom: “PHYS335, all of it”
Fall 2018
Need advice on taking PHYS 335 (Condensed matter physics) 3 points, 1 comment
u/lichking786: “… This has made me curious to know what these concepts exactly mean so I decided to enroll in PHYS 335 for next term since it covers these topics. …”
Winter 2018
USE THIS POST TO UPDATE ALL THE COURSES THAT RELEASED THEIR MARKS ON QUEST. 45 points, 56 comments
“SO WE DON'T LOGIN TO QUEST EVERY 0.0001 SECONDS AND CHECK FOR UPDATES.”
u/Kakateo: “[ ] AMATH 373 [✓] PHYS 335 - rip not much a curve [✓] PHYS 359 [ ] PHYS 375 [ ] PMATH 352 - Final Exam Grades on Learn [✓] PMATH 365”
PHYS 335 Crying Thread 9 points, 7 comments
u/zelda_redditer: “Like dis if u cri. Also, /u/realmichelgingras please take my tears.”
Abysmal Midterm 3 points, 12 comments
“I just wrote a midterm last week...I knew i wasnt gonna do amazing, but i got a much lower score than expected...over 30% below the average and idk how...Im trying my best not to have a full on panic …”
u/throwawayuwaterloo33: “Was it Phys335?”
Fall 2015
Upper year physics syllabi and course material 7 points, 2 comments
u/phyzled: “… PHYS 370L Astronomy Laboratory - PHYS 375 Stars - PHYS 474 Galaxies - PHYS 475 Cosmology - PHYS 335 Condensed Matter Physics - PHYS 360A/B Modern Physics Laboratory - PHYS 392 Scientific Measurement and Control - PHYS 444 Introduction to Particle Physics - PHYS 460A/B Advanced …”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2025–26The archived entry
- Requirements for Fall 2026Waterloo’s requisite checker
- Schedule of Classes, Fall 2026Instructors, rooms, live seats
- Quest Class SearchWhere you enrol
- Course outlinesSyllabi from past terms (UW login)
- UW FlowStudent ratings and reviews
- WClassesPast sections back to 2004, and who taught them
Calendar versions
Undergraduate Calendar
- 2020–21
- 2021–22
- 2024–25
- 2025–26 requisites changed (shown here)
- 2019–20 and earlier on ucalendar