Undergraduate Course: Computing and Numerics (MATH08065)
Course Outline
| School | School of Mathematics | 
College | College of Science and Engineering | 
 
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) | 
Availability | Available to all students | 
 
| SCQF Credits | 10 | 
ECTS Credits | 5 | 
 
 
| Summary | This course introduces numerical methods, which are now an essential component in a diverse range of disciplines. | 
 
| Course description | 
    
    The course will cover:  
- Creation and manipulation of arrays 
- Solutions of linear systems  
- Gaussian elimination with partial pivoting 
- Numerical differentiation and integration 
- Introductory numerical differential equations 
- Root finding methods, including bisection and fixed-point iteration 
- Newton's method in one and higher dimensions 
- Functional minimization in multiple dimensions 
 
Within these topics students will be introduced to:  
- Variables and functions 
- Floating point arithmetic  
- Flow control  
- Container types  
- Plotting  
- Symbolic expressions
    
    
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Information for Visiting Students 
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students are advised to check that they have studied the material covered in the syllabus of each prerequisite course before enrolling | 
 
		| High Demand Course? | 
		Yes | 
     
 
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1) 
  
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Quota:  273 | 
 
| Course Start | 
Semester 2 | 
 
Timetable  | 
	
Timetable | 
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) | 
 
 Total Hours:
100
(
 Lecture Hours 11,
 Supervised Practical/Workshop/Studio Hours 22,
 Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
65 )
 | 
 
| Assessment (Further Info) | 
 
  Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
 | 
 
 
| Additional Information (Assessment) | 
Coursework 100% | 
 
| Feedback | 
Not entered | 
 
| No Exam Information | 
 
Learning Outcomes 
    On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
    
        - Write short programs in a professional way using Python, employing suitable tools and writing well-formatted code.
 - Explain the purpose and logic of some basic numerical algorithms;
 - Use a suitable programming language to investigate mathematical phenomena, to make conjectures, find counterexamples, etc.
 
     
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Reading List 
S. Linge and H. P. Langtangen, Programming for Computations, Python, Springer, 2016 
 
P.R. Turner, T. Arildsen, and K. Kavanagh, Applied Scientific Computing with Python, Springer, 2018 |   
 
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills | 
Not entered | 
 
| Keywords | CNu | 
 
 
Contacts 
| Course organiser | Dr James Maddison 
Tel: (0131 6)50 5036 
Email:  | 
Course secretary | Mr Martin Delaney 
Tel: (0131 6)50 6427 
Email:  | 
   
 
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