SYDE 312Applied Linear Algebra
- Units
- 0.50
- Faculty
- Engineering
- Subject
- Systems Design Engineering
When it runs
- F24
- W25
- S25
- F25
- W26
- S26
- F26
- W27
- S27
Ran in 4 of the last 7 terms. Winter 2027: scheduled, 2 lecture sections. Spring 2027: schedule not out yet.
Vector spaces, linear independence, linear maps and matrix representations. Inner product spaces and orthogonality. Gramm-Schmidt algorithm and orthogonal projection. Interpolation and curve-fitting. Eigenvalues and eigenvectors, diagonalization, singular value decomposition. Applications and numerical methods.
Prerequisites
- Complete all of the following
- Students must be in level 3A or higher
- Enrolled in H-Systems Design Engineering
Antirequisites
None listed.
Leads to
No course lists it as a requisite.
Winter 2027 sections
| Section | Class | Enrolled | Meets |
|---|---|---|---|
| LEC 001 | 4350 | 0 / 110 | TTh 10:30–11:50 |
| LEC 701 | 1756 | 66 / 9999 | Online or by arrangement |
| TUT 101 | 4351 | 0 / 110 | Th 12:30–13:20 |
Reviewed on UW Flow
42% liked it13% easy63% useful
From 31 ratings and 10 comments on UW Flow. The most helpful comments, quoted as written, without names. Read them all on UW Flow.
For an "applied" course. This was just linear alg from 1b all over again..........
May 2026 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Nothing sums up this course better than the fact Birkett says he doesn't give out part/process marks (i.e. he'll just put zero for the rest of the question if you make a numerical error at the beginning) because you should "always be checking over your work", only for him to give the TAs incorrect midterm solutions and going ghost without stating what the resolution will be for the marking when the final is in a week.
Apr 2024 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
The midterm was fair, the final was out of nowhere. Birkett dropped so many hints for what would be on the final exam for none of it to show up whatsoever. My best advice is, be prepared to be tested on anything because you never know what he's gonna do. A lot of success in both midterm and final hinged on being able to do matrix multiplication, inverses, row-reduce, determinants etc. really quickly- felt like we were being tested on that way more than actual course concepts. The course applications are interesting but pretty much ignored, I wish we could have covered some of that at least.
Apr 2023 · didn’t like itOn UW FlowRemove this
Go to class!! Midterm and final grade distributions are binomial, and the students who don't go to class generally make up the lower peak in the binomial.
Mar 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
This course was really easy for the first two-thirds of the course, mostly covering concepts we already knew from earlier lin alg. Then, it picked up a huge amount in the last third of the course and took a lot of work, but had really interesting concepts.
Birkett said we would cover lots of topics in the final, but then slapped us with mostly all QR-factorization questions and my grade went down 15%.
Go to class! Birkett loves giving tips for the final to students who show up.Mar 2023 · liked itOn UW FlowRemove this
Discussed on r/uwaterloo
5 posts and comments in 5 threads mention SYDE 312, April 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 2022
Undergrad courses I've taken tier list (details in comments) 161 points, 13 comments
u/MindTheGap9: “… 3B - SYDE312 - This course was full of material that should have been 1A/1B linear algebra. Typical Birkett stuff with a dumb project shoved in for no reason. At least we got a timed exam this time. Too bad I'm too dumb to actually understand the material. …”
Winter 2021
Happy Weekend Everyone! What's your preferred finals format? 10 points, 3 comments
“I feel like I've been missing for a while so in celebration of getting close to the end of finals what's been your favorite final assessment format? Also I've missed you guys and I love you! …”
u/tendstofortytwo: “Glad to have you back, it's been a while! :D Wait, what's that third one?”
u/kori21: “A magical course called SYDE312 where you can write and fail your own exam with your own solution manual 🤪”
Winter 2016
M136 Drama Intensifies 99 points, 189 comments
u/DeferredToSE: “For those interested, here is the leak in question. Disclaimer: Got this picture off a friend in first year.”
u/Victawr: “TIL math 136 is syde 312”
Winter 2015
What (if any) course has an exam where the max 2.5 hrs given wasn't enough? 0 points, 28 comments
“Is there a course with an exam where practically all the students stayed for the whole exam duration bc of how long, tedious, etc it was? Having finished my last exam I have yet to experience this”
u/Victawr: “Lol yeah. Syde 162, Msci 311 -- essays on essays on essays on essays. Syde 312, Syde 311, so much goddamn math and not enough time. Syde 211 - Casual 5x5 determinants.”
Free Talk Friday 9 points, 69 comments
“Welcome to Free Talk Friday, where you are able to talk about whatever you want. Please keep it respectful and remember that subreddit rules still apply.”
u/Victawr: “What the actual fuck is a cubic spline holy shit save me from SYDE 312. Edit: Didn't need to know. Still fucked up on the final :(”
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