Undergraduate Course: Computational Methods (PHYS09016)
This course will be closed from 31 July 2013
Course Outline
| School | School of Physics and Astronomy |
College | College of Science and Engineering |
| Course type | Standard |
Availability | Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 9 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits | 10 |
| Home subject area | Undergraduate (School of Physics and Astronomy) |
Other subject area | None |
| Course website |
None |
Taught in Gaelic? | No |
| Course description |
**** This course is now discontinued. ****
The course is a practical introduction to computational simulation techniques in physics, using the Java programming language. The rationale behind computer simulation will be introduced and the relationship between simulation, theory and experiment discussed. The course will also cover the implementation of some common computational time-integration algorithms. Students are expected to work both individually and as part of a pair. Assessment is by a series of exercises (completed with a partner/in a group) that lead to a mini-project to write a full simulation code - with an individual marked write-up. The material is available through Learn. The first three exercises must be marked by a demonstrator during a timetabled CP Lab session. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? | No |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion it is intended that the student will be able to:
1. Explain why it is appropriate to solve certain physical problems, such as integration and modelling interacting particles by computation;
2. Appreciate the relationship between simulation, theroy and experiment as scientific techniques;
3. Understand and apply the techniques of formulating algorithms and converting them into real programs to simulate physical phenomena;
4. Explain the use of Java classes as building blocks in object-oriented programming, and differentiate the purpose of private, public and static fields and methods;
5. Use system library routines to read in data from external sources, process those data, and export results to visualisation software;
6. Explain the origin of numerical errors in computational techniques, and demonstrate understanding of their impact;
7. Use graphing and visualisation packages (XMGRACE, VMD). |
Assessment Information
Coursework, 100%
3 exercises completed by pairs of/groups of three students. Final mini-project mark based on both submitted code and individual write up. Weighting:
Exercise 1: 10%
Exercise 2: 20%
Exercise 3: 20%
Mini-project: 50% (10% on submitted code and 40% on individual written report)
Final mark is the weighted sum of the exercise and mini-project marks.
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
Coursework, 100%
3 exercises completed by pairs of students. Final mini-project mark based on both submitted code and individual write up. Weighting:
Exercise 1: 10%
Exercise 2: 20%
Exercise 3: 20%
Mini-project: 50% (10% on submitted code and 40% on individual written report)
Final mark is the weighted sum of the exercise and mini-project marks. |
Special Arrangements
| None |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
¿ Explain why it is appropriate to solve certain physical problems, such as integration and modelling interacting particles by computation;
¿ Appreciate the relationship between simulation, theroy and experiment as scientific techniques;
¿ Understand and apply the techniques of formulating algorithms and converting them into real programs to simulate physical phenomena;
¿ Explain the use of Java classes as building blocks in object-oriented programming, and differentiate the purpose of private, public and static fields and methods;
¿ Use system library routines to read in data from external sources, process those data, and export results to visualisation software;
¿ Explain the origin of numerical errors in computational techniques, and demonstrate understanding of their impact;
¿ Use graphing and visualisation packages (XMGRACE, VMD). |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords | CMeth |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Andrew Turner
Tel: (0131 6)51 3578
Email: |
Course secretary | Miss Jillian Bainbridge
Tel: (0131 6)50 7218
Email: |
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