Main Page: Difference between revisions

From phys660
Jump to navigationJump to search
No edit summary
No edit summary
 
(9 intermediate revisions by the same user not shown)
Line 11: Line 11:
*[[Syllabus | Syllabus]]
*[[Syllabus | Syllabus]]
*[[Lectures|Lectures]]
*[[Lectures|Lectures]]
*[[Java Applets]]
*[[Hands-on Lab]]
*[[Research Projects|Research Projects]]
*[[Research Projects|Research Projects]]
*[[Code Examples|Code Examples]]
*[[Code Examples|Code Examples]]
Line 17: Line 17:
|}<!-- End Portals -->
|}<!-- End Portals -->
{|style="width:100%;background:none;margin:-.8em 0 -.7em 0"
{|style="width:100%;background:none;margin:-.8em 0 -.7em 0"
|style="font-size:95%;text-align:left;white-space:nowrap;color:#000"| [http://web.physics.udel.edu/about/directory/faculty/branislav-k-nikolic Instructor] '''·''' [http://www.physics.udel.edu/~bnikolic/teaching/teaching.html Teaching Web] '''·''' [http://web.physics.udel.edu UD Physics & Astronomy] '''·''' [http://www.udel.edu University of Delaware]  
|style="font-size:95%;text-align:left;white-space:nowrap;color:#000"| [https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=IeDlbkIAAAAJ&hl=en Instructor] '''·''' [https://wiki.physics.udel.edu/qttg/Teaching_Web Teaching Web] '''·''' [http://web.physics.udel.edu UD Physics & Astronomy] '''·''' [http://www.udel.edu University of Delaware]  
|style="font-size:95%;padding:10px 0;margin:0px;text-align:right;white-space:nowrap;color:#000"| [[Help:Contents|Help]] '''·''' [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX WikiLaTeX] '''·''' [[Special:Categories|Categories]] '''·''' [[Special:Newimages|Media]] '''·''' [[Special:Allpages|A–Z index]]
|style="font-size:95%;padding:10px 0;margin:0px;text-align:right;white-space:nowrap;color:#000"| [[Help:Contents|Help]] '''·''' [http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/LaTeX WikiLaTeX] '''·''' [[Special:Categories|Categories]] '''·''' [[Special:Newimages|Media]] '''·''' [[Special:Allpages|A–Z index]]
|}
|}
Line 27: Line 27:
|-
|-
|style="color:#000"|
|style="color:#000"|
Computational physics is physics done by means of computational methods. Computers do not enter into this tentative definition. The essential point in computational physics is not the use of machines, but the systematic application of numerical techniques and algorithms that approximate physical description of complicated systems. The usage of computational methods in place of, or in addition to, analytical methods, renders accessible to mathematical description as large a part of physical reality as possible. A number of fundamental techniques of our craft were introduced by Newton, Gauss, Jacobi, and other pioneers who lived quite some time before the invention of workable calculating machines.
'''Four Pillars of Computational Methods:'''


{| cellpadding="1" style="border:0px solid darkgray;"
{| cellpadding="1" style="border:0px solid darkgray;"
|- border=0
|- border=0
| [[Image:newton.gif|thumb|left|100px|[http://homepage.univie.ac.at/franz.vesely/cp_tut/nol2h/new/c1fd_s0fd.html Calculus of differences]]]
| [[Image:newton.gif|thumb|left|100px|[http://homepage.univie.ac.at/franz.vesely/cp_tut/nol2h/new/c1fd_s0fd.html Calculus of differences]]]


Line 36: Line 41:
| [[Image:jvn.jpeg|thumb|right|100px|[http://homepage.univie.ac.at/franz.vesely/cp_tut/nol2h/new/c3st_s0st.html Stochastic Methods]]]
| [[Image:jvn.jpeg|thumb|right|100px|[http://homepage.univie.ac.at/franz.vesely/cp_tut/nol2h/new/c3st_s0st.html Stochastic Methods]]]


| [[Image:life.gif|thumb|right|50px|Complexity]]
| [[Image:life.gif|thumb|right|100px|[http://www.math.com/students/wonders/life/life.html Complexity]]]
|}
|}
Computational physics is physics done by means of computational methods. Computers do not enter into this tentative definition. The essential point in computational physics is not the use of machines, but the systematic application of numerical techniques and algorithms that approximate physical description of complicated systems. The usage of computational methods in place of, or in addition to, analytical methods, renders accessible to mathematical description as large a part of physical reality as possible. A number of fundamental techniques of our craft were introduced by Newton, Gauss, Jacobi, and other pioneers who lived quite some time before the invention of workable calculating machines.
'''Four Pillars of Computational Methods:'''


To be sure, nobody in his right state of mind would apply stochastic methods by throwing dice, and the iterative solution of differential equations is feasible only in conjunction with the high computing speed. Nevertheless, computational physics is much more than "Physics Using Computers."
To be sure, nobody in his right state of mind would apply stochastic methods by throwing dice, and the iterative solution of differential equations is feasible only in conjunction with the high computing speed. Nevertheless, computational physics is much more than "Physics Using Computers."


Why is computation becoming so important in physics? One reason is that most of analytical tools, such as differential calculus, are best suited to the analysis of linear problems. However, many natural phenomena are nonlinear and are, therefore, extremely sensitive to small changes in variables. Another incentive to employ computational methods are systems with many degrees of freedom. Moreover, asking questions like "How can I formulate the problem on a computer?" has led to new formulation of scientific laws as rules for a computer rather being expressed in terms of differential equations (thus, viewing computer as a physical systems one can try to develop novel computer architectures that would model physical systems in nature more efficiently).
Why is computation becoming so important in physics? One reason is that most of analytical tools, such as differential calculus, are best suited to the analysis of linear problems. However, many natural phenomena are nonlinear and are, therefore, extremely sensitive to small changes in variables. Another incentive to employ computational methods are systems with many degrees of freedom. Moreover, asking questions like "How can I formulate the problem on a computer?" has led to new formulation of scientific laws as rules for a computer rather being expressed in terms of differential equations (thus, viewing computer as a physical systems one can try to develop novel computer architectures that would model physical systems in nature more efficiently).


|}<!-- Start of right-column -->
|}<!-- Start of right-column -->
Line 58: Line 58:
|-  
|-  
|style="color:#000"|{{Lecture in Progress}}
|style="color:#000"|{{Lecture in Progress}}
|-
! <h2 style="margin:0;background:#FFE680;font-size:120%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Quick Links</h2>
|-
|style="color:#000"|{{Quick Links}}
|-
|-
! <h2 style="margin:0;background:#FFE680;font-size:120%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Course Motto</h2>
! <h2 style="margin:0;background:#FFE680;font-size:120%;font-weight:bold;border:1px solid #a3b0bf;text-align:left;color:#000;padding:0.2em 0.4em;">Course Motto</h2>

Latest revision as of 09:16, 27 October 2022

UDcoaCweb.jpg
PHYS 460/660: Computational Methods of Physics
Instructor · Teaching Web · UD Physics & Astronomy · University of Delaware Help · WikiLaTeX · Categories · Media · A–Z index

What is Computational Physics?

Computational physics is physics done by means of computational methods. Computers do not enter into this tentative definition. The essential point in computational physics is not the use of machines, but the systematic application of numerical techniques and algorithms that approximate physical description of complicated systems. The usage of computational methods in place of, or in addition to, analytical methods, renders accessible to mathematical description as large a part of physical reality as possible. A number of fundamental techniques of our craft were introduced by Newton, Gauss, Jacobi, and other pioneers who lived quite some time before the invention of workable calculating machines.

Four Pillars of Computational Methods:

Calculus of differences
Linear Algebra
Stochastic Methods
Complexity

To be sure, nobody in his right state of mind would apply stochastic methods by throwing dice, and the iterative solution of differential equations is feasible only in conjunction with the high computing speed. Nevertheless, computational physics is much more than "Physics Using Computers."

Why is computation becoming so important in physics? One reason is that most of analytical tools, such as differential calculus, are best suited to the analysis of linear problems. However, many natural phenomena are nonlinear and are, therefore, extremely sensitive to small changes in variables. Another incentive to employ computational methods are systems with many degrees of freedom. Moreover, asking questions like "How can I formulate the problem on a computer?" has led to new formulation of scientific laws as rules for a computer rather being expressed in terms of differential equations (thus, viewing computer as a physical systems one can try to develop novel computer architectures that would model physical systems in nature more efficiently).

News

  • Project 6 is posted and it is due on 05/27 by midnight.

Lecture in Progress

  • Ex Cathedra: Lecture 7: Interdisciplinary Topics in Complex Systems
  • Hands-on Lab: Code development for Project 6.

Course Motto

  • In teaching, writing, and research, there is no greater clarifier than a well-chosen example.
  • Formalism should not be introduced for its own sake, but only when it is needed for some particular problem.


Wiki Getting Started

Consult User's Guide for information on using the wiki software.

Retrieved from "https://wiki.physics.udel.edu/wiki_phys660/index.php?title=Main_Page&oldid=659"