Don Luttermoser's PHYS-4007/5007 Course Web Page

Note that we will be using Version 4.1 of these course notes.

Course Syllabus for PHYS-4007/5007, Computational Physics. You can also download a PDF version of this syllabus by clicking on the appropriate link (note that the hardcopies given out in class is the PDF version.

I.	Choosing Hardware and an Operating System
II.	How to Select a Programming Language
III.	The Art of Graphics Programming
IV.	Preparing Scientific Manuscripts: A Guide to LaTeX
V.	Error Analysis and Uncertainties
VI.	Methods of Data Fitting
VII.	Methods of Differentiation and Integration
VIII.	Matrices and Solutions to Linear Equations
IX.	Numerical Solution of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODE)
X.	Trajectories and Orbits (figures not included)
XI.	Fourier Analysis and Oscillations (this section not yet included)
App. A:	Scientific Programming Using Fortran
App. B:	Scientific Programming Using C

• Project #1: Determining Hubble's Constant web page.

• Project #2: Web page containing suggestions and helpful hints.

• Web site of course textbook set up by the authors: Landau & Paez's Computational Physics.

• An extremely useful web site for Computational Physics can be found at: http://www.astro.ku.dk/comp-phys/Info/tools.shtml. As a matter of fact, some of the course notes were retrieved from information found on some of the web sites found here.

• Web site of PCTeX. Note that PCTeX is rather costly (around $300 for single-user license).

• A free version of LaTeX, called MikTeX for Microsoft Windows machines, can be downloaded from this link.

• A variety of LaTeX tools, including a Windows LaTeX editor, can be downloaded from the ToolsCenter site.

• Software (Ghostscript and Ghostview) to view and print postscript files on a Windows machine can be found at the GhostScript site.

• Web site of NetLib, which contains high-quality free-ware, software packages for Fortran.

• Web site of the Numerical Algorithms Group (NAG), which has developed various numerical libraries containing over 1000 user-callable subroutines for solving general applied math problems, including: ordinary and partial differential equations, optimization problems, FFT and other transforms, quadrature, linear algebra, non-linear equations, integral equations, and more.

• Web site of Visual Numerics, Inc., which sells the IMSL Fortran numerical library.

• Web site of GAMS (Guide to Available Mathematical Software) from the National Bureau of Standards and Technology (NIST).

• The Numerical Recipes F77, F90, and C books can be access by clicking on the link. This site contains the entire contents of all three book in PDF. The codes found in these books cannot be downloaded from this site, but a link to Cambridge University Press is given which will enable you to purchase the software of the Numerical Recipes routines online. Of course, one can type any routine in by hand from what is given in these books.

• Web site of the Digital FORTRAN compiler as sold by Intel (price in Spring 2004 was $499).

• Web site of other Fortran compilers include Google list of Fortran vendors and the free-ware GNU Program compiler.

• Web site for IDL which is sold by Research Systems, Inc. (RSI ).