SYDE 283Physics 3: Electricity, Magnetism and Optics
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Systems Design Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 2 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Introduction to the fundamental laws of electricity, magnetism, and optics; electric fields, voltage, resistance, current, properties of conductors and semiconductors, capacitance, properties of dielectrics, magnetic fields, Faraday's Law and inductance, properties of magnetic materials; electromagnetic waves and the nature of light, geometrical optics; reflection and refraction, physical optics; interference and diffraction.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 2A
- Enrolled in H-Systems Design Engineering
Antirequisites
- Not completed nor concurrently enrolled in any of the following:
- BME386 - The Physics of Medical Imaging (0.50)
Leads to
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4347 | 0 / 110 | M 12:30–14:20 F 12:30–13:20 |
| LEC 701 | 1754 | 106 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| TUT 101 | 4348 | 0 / 110 | F 13:30–14:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
33% liked it18% easy61% useful
From 70 ratings and 8 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
Was only saved because Rob gave us 30 percent in free marks
Sep 2025 · didn’t like it · 1 found this helpfulOn UW FlowRemove this
Heavy physics course. Learned a lot!
Sep 2024 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course is really dependent on who you are as a person. If you like stuff about circuits and wires and magnetism stuff, it's a decent course. But if that's not up your alley, exams and the whole course, in general, are just hell. Lots of ideas were discussed, but they all lead to the use of only a few important ones. Try to make a sheet that lists question types and formulas used with them. Also, practice deriving formulas, since there are about 109209384029384 formulas to know otherwise.
Apr 2022 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Easily the toughest course of the term. You will definitely fall behind the pace. The lack of marked assignments makes it even easier to procrastinate (trust me, DON'T). The problems are challenging and require lots of practice and cramming. But once you get past your frustrations with the course, you might end up seeing the beauty and elegance in those succinct equations Maxwell came up with all those years ago that perfectly describe a major part of our reality.
Jul 2015 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
No points in going to lectures at all. Essentially ended up cramming for midterms in 1-2 days and final in 2-3 days and did fine. Memorizing past exams gets you through this course more than anything else.
Jul 2014 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
10 posts and comments in 7 threads mention SYDE 283, 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.
Winter 2023
Which electromag course should I take? ECE106, MTE120, or SYDE283? 2 points, 3 comments
Spring 2022
SYDE Difficulty (Upper Year) 2 points, 3 comments
“How hard is SYDE in second and third year, compared to first year. Any difficult terms in particular or courses?”
u/Poomon: “… Personally, I'd watch out for electromagnetism (SYDE 283) and digital systems (SYDE 192), while the content for both were interesting, the profs I had for those were abysmal. …”
Winter 2022
Undergrad courses I've taken tier list (details in comments) 161 points, 13 comments
u/MindTheGap9: “… - SYDE223 - Igor <3 but also this course was good - SYDE261 - Only reason this course wasn't F was that it at least satisfied my list A requirement - SYDE283- Plus side: we didn't have Savage. Down side: We had Zelek. …”
u/1hour7years: “I liked SYDE 283 :(”
u/ArticleAny7907: “SYDE 283 in the trash where it belongs”
Fall 2017
Any way to disable UWCourseLinker from posting? 16 points, 26 comments
“posting a reply to my comment I find the bot annoying.”
u/Jackhofmann: “… SYDE 111 SYDE 113 SYDE 121 SYDE 161 SYDE 181 SYDE 182 SYDE 202 SYDE 212 SYDE 252 SYDE 262 SYDE 283 SYDE 286 SYDE 292 SYDE 292L SYDE 401 SYDE 411 SYDE 461 SYDE 533 SYDE 543 SYDE 553 SYDE 575 SYDE 631 SYDE 677 SYDE 682 SYDE 740 SYDE 750 SYDE 770 SYDE 780 TAX 600 TAX 614 TAX 616 …”
Spring 2017
Help! Looking to transfer out of ECE 1B into SYDE. 4 points, 14 comments
“Has anyone ever done something similar before? Ive passed the term just barely (even though I failed ECE 124 and ECE 106). Would a transfer still be possible without retaking courses? …”
u/Some-_-: “I know someone who did this transfer. You will start in 1A. You might skip couple of courses like Phys/Math but you'll be re-taking everything else. …”
u/mokabrown97: “LOL SYDE 283 fmu”
Winter 2017
If you could ask Mr Goose to curve one (and only one) course this term, which one would it be? 16 points, 38 comments
“PD”
u/Eviticous: “SYDE 283 Savage please don't savage us”
Fall 2015
Hi, I am a bot. 75 points, 98 comments
“Hey everyone! After some discussion with mods, I think I am ready to be pushed live. I am a bot designed to provide relevant course information upon request. …”
u/jassmall: “[[CHE 102 -S]]”
u/jassmall: “[[SYDE 283]]”
u/UWRedditBot: “SYDE 283 LEC,TUT 0.5 | Physics 3 (Electricity, Magnetism and Optics) | Course ID: 008950 Introduction to the fundamental laws of electricity, magnetism and optics; electric fields, voltage, resistance, current, properties of conductors and semiconductors, capacitance, properties …”
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
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