Computational Methods in Physics
A class at Arizona State University for learning how to use Python (and some software engineering) to solve problems in physics.
Week 6 & 7 Announcement
In Week 6 we will start a long module on solving ordinary differential equations (ODEs). ODEs underpin many problems in Physics and even though we can sometimes solve them analytically, this is often not possible. Starting from numerical differentiation, we will develop discretization algorithms that allow us to solve any system of coupled ODEs (linear or non-linear) numerically.
We will then discuss different integrator algorithms and see the trade-offs in accuracy and stability and how they are related to deeper symmetries present in the physical problem.
Computational Methods in Physics is an undergraduate class run in the Department of Physics at Arizona State University. The instructor is Oliver Beckstein.
The course provides an introduction to using the computer as a tool to solve problems in physics. Students will learn to analyze problems, select appropriate numerical algorithms, implement them using Python, a programming language widely used in scientific computing, and critically evaluate their numerical results. Problems will be drawn from diverse areas of physics.
See About for further information about the class.