PHYS 358Thermal Physics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Science
- Subject
- Physics
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 5 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: not on the schedule. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Temperature and thermodynamic equilibrium. Work, internal energy, and heat; first law, with examples. Kinetic theory of gases. Basic probability theory. Microscopic states and entropy. Absolute temperature, reversibility, and the second law. Thermodynamic Functions and Maxwell's relations. Phase transitions. Third Law. Other applications of thermodynamics.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
- Must have completed at least 1 of the following:
Antirequisites
Leads to
Fall 2026 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 7193 | 63 / 80 | MW 16:00–17:20 |
| TUT 101 | 8941 | 63 / 80 | Th 08:30–09:50 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
48% liked it48% easy58% useful
From 65 ratings and 18 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
I can't lie this course was so boring. Concepts are cool in theory, but I cannot, for the life of me, get myself invested in them. Especially more so, since the concepts are just annoying to actually deal with. I feel like the professor is less the problem, and the course content is just all the miserable it can offer. Actual snoozefest.
Nov 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
For detailed info read the lengthy review below- 100% accurate. 25% assignment, 25% mt (optional), 50% final. Prof Kycia is a rly nice guy so it's unfortunate this course turned out this way.
The TA (Dyuman) grades the hw. Handed 1st hw on Oct 2, got it back on Dec 10 (finals on Dec 8). ?????????? 4 out of 5 hw were released after the final. And he doesn't reply to emails.
The final exam was devastating. It's on a different level compared to hw, mt and supplementary problems. No idea how I got 80s, thank you for not ruining ChristmasDec 2023 · liked it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Would not recommend taking this with Jan if you like maths. Unfortunately, we didn't cover any of the interesting and cool parts of thermal and instead covered the boring useless parts. Also, we did not do any maths, like actually no calculus. The way the course was taught made me want to rip my hair out which is a shame because I was actually excited.
Dec 2023 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
The lectures were horribly mismanaged to the point where the prof probably spent around 20-25% of a single class correcting his own mistakes on the board. It really felt like you had no idea what was going on in the class, which made note taking extremely difficult - of course, no notes were uploaded either. On top of that, the assignments took ages to get back. We had five assignments of which I only got ONE assignment back 3 days before the final, not to mention he uploaded the solutions to the assignments rather late as well. The feedback we get in the assignment is really bad as well - if you get something wrong it gets marked with an "X" - and that's it. The midterm was super late and…
Dec 2023 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Beware of slacking post midterm! I did fairly well up to the midterm then slacked for the second half and I got wrecked... The midterm and final are both pretty difficult.
Jan 2017 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
42 posts and comments in 36 threads mention PHYS 358, August 2012 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
Does anyone know the PHYS 358 midterm 2 average? 1 point, 0 comments
u/Personal-Werewolf-26: “Did midterm 1 but skipped 2, so I don’t have a crowd mark grade for it. Did it in my own afterwards with an 80 minute timer and then checking my work with the solutions and needless to say I did pretty shit. …”
Fall 2023
Actually failing out of waterloo 💀 76 points, 25 comments
“Somehow i was convinced to take SE over CS, i just screwed up the calc midterm and now we have ece105 coming up. …”
u/AirPodGoose: “Robbins worst profe ive had. In my help session for phys 358 he only taught stuff that didnt come in the final💀💀💀”
what the hell is happening in PHYS358 12 points, 6 comments
u/kalashnikovgobrrrr: “Seriously, I don't think I ever took a course as mismanaged as this one. The lectures were already not the best and worth complaining about on their own, but the worst part by far is the assignment grading. We had 5 assignments in total, and assignments are 25% of your grade. …”
One course not showing on LEARN 1 point, 4 comments
“All the courses that I am enrolled in except one (HRM 200) are showing up on LEARN for me. Is anyone else having this issue?”
u/keep_me_up_all_night: “same for phys 358”
Spring 2023
PHYS 358 - TF is going on? 4 points, 1 comment
u/AirPodGoose: “Title”
Spring 2022
Advice for Thermal physics 0 points, 3 comments
u/Remarkable_Leg9657: “How is PHYS 358 overall? Is it a tough course? Is 80+ possible? Could someone please share their experiences about this course? Could someone please post an outline for it.”
u/neutrinorunner: “Took Phys 358 in Fall 2020 with Professor James Martin. I enjoyed the course material quite a lot but do be aware that experiences will vary depending on the professor. Very concept heavy and lighter on the math. …”
Mathematical physics Course blueprint recommendations 3 points, 21 comments
“Hey everyone, I’m going into the mathematical physics program at Waterloo next year and I was wondering if anyone had any recommendations on a sort of blueprint I could follow for courses because …”
u/Yu-Li: “… 231 PHYS 234 (go to get override request) 2B Fall: AMATH 231 AMATH 251 AMATH 271 PMATH 351 PHYS 358 3A Winter AMATH 353 AMATH 373 PMATH 352 PMATH 365 / PMATH 343 PHYS 242 First coop term Do your first research coop PHYS 342 3B Fall AMATH 473 AMATH 351 PMATH 347 PHYS 442 (get …”
Fall 2021
THE FUCK IS GOING ON IN PHYS 358? 16 points, 10 comments
u/phys358huh: “Is this meant to be an easy course because this is easy as fuck. We are going onto week 10, week 9 if you don't include reading week and we haven't even covered the first chapter of schroeder and haven't even covered a full chapter of the other textbooks. …”
Quality [Self Study] Education 46 points, 6 comments
u/Iguess_im_handsome: “What course is that?”
u/odyssey2346: “It's PHYS 358 Thermal Physics”
Spring 2021
Group for Phys358,363, and bio 359 0 points, 0 comments
u/snapcracklepog: “If anyone will be taking the below courses in fall 2021, dm to make a group. Or if there's an existing discord with them, lmk:)) Phys 358 Phys 363 Bio 359 Also, to those that have already taken the above, what were the assignments like?”
PHYS 358 and 363 2 points, 3 comments
u/123loststudent: “To those who have taken this course, how was it with the prof you had? What was the grade breakdown?”
u/neutrinorunner: “I'll give my two cents Took Phys 358 last year in the fall term with professor James Martin. Taking in the difficulty to material presented ratio into consideration it is one of my favorite physics courses so far. …”
Winter 2020
PHYS 358? 1 point, 4 comments
u/thetheoryofthetides: “I'm taking PHYS 358 (thermal physics) this spring, and idk what to expect. For anyone who's taken this course before, how did you find it? Does anyone have any resources for where to learn some of the material beforehand?”
Check it elsewhere for Fall 2026
- Undergraduate Calendar, 2026–27The official 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