Physics 303/503 : Computational Physics

Fall 2009
Instructor Prof. Ch. Elster
Office 265 Clippinger
e-mail elster@ohiou.edu
URL www.phy.ohiou.edu/~elster/phys503/
Class MT 12:10-1:00 pm, Clip 132A,
W 10:10-12:00 am, Clip 255
Office Hours F 12:10-1:00 pm and by appointment
TA Binay Prasai Clip 163 (e-mail: prasai@phy.ohiou.edu) (Ph: 802-0785)
Fixed Help Sessions: W 3-5 pm, F 1-3 pm, Th by appointment

Textbook
Computational Physics, 1st Ed. by Rubin H. Landau, Manuel J. Paez
e-book library Ohio University
Computational Physics, 2nd Ed. by Rubin H. Landau, Manuel J. Paez, Cristian C. Bordeianu
Numerical Recipes 2nd Edition, W.H. Press, et al., in Fortran 77 , and Fortran 90. (Follow the instruction for installing the plugin for your Adobe Reader)

Additional References
Fortran 90/95 for Scientists and Engineers, Stephen J. Chapman , McGraw-Hill 1998
Abramovitz and Stegun, Handbook of Mathematical Functions: Table of Contents
Maple, An Introduction and Reference, M. Kofler, Addison-Wesley 1997

Grading

Problem sets and small projects worth 10 (or 20) points each. Passing the class requires more than 50% of the total points.
Letter grades will be given according to the following general guide:
A > 90%, B > 75%, C > 60%, D > 50%.

Homework and small projects

Homework will be assigned on average once per week. Homework turned in later than the printed due date will lead to a loss of 1 point per day of delay. Homework is to be prepared and turned in electronically.

Course Content

Computational physics is now widely accepted as a `third' discipline in physics, equally valid and complementary to the traditional experimental and theoretical approaches to physics.

The course intends to show how numerical methods are used to solve the problems physicists face.

The students are introduced to the process of approaching problems from a computational point of view:

  • Understanding the physics and
  • describing it in mathematical terms,
  • manipulating the mathematics to the point where a numerical method can be applied,
  • obtaining a numerical solution, and
  • understanding the physical problem in term of the numerical solution that has been generated.

During the course the students will be introduced to the different computational facilities available in the department and learn their elementary use.

Additional Remarks
  • Homework and help material are available on-line. It is expected that students will review the relevant sections in the textbook or the additional references.
  • Please arrange to obtain computer access either on helios, plato or the PC lab.
  • Please familiarize yourself with access to e-books at www.netlibrary.org, and gain access to the textbook. You will need to create an account for yourself.

Useful References:

Basic Unix, Workshop given at OSC (3 hours)
Summary of Basic Unix Commands
Unix Help and Information, Collection Department of Physics
Makefile - Getting Started , GNU Manual for Make
Short Reference for the vi editor
Short Reference for the emacs editor
Portland Group Documents
Sun Studio Compilers and Tools
Short Xmgrace Tutorial
Grace User Guide
Gnuplot Info , Gnuplot Tutorial, Demos

Class & Homework


Charlotte Elster
Mon Aug 10 10:50 EST 2009