Notice the room
change from MPHY107 -> MPHY213 starting with lecture-2
Be sure to be familiar
with FORTRAN and GNUPLOT within one week after the
semester start (see links below)
Homework will be assigned on a near
weekly basis, accounts for 65% of the course grade
For supplementary
information on previous semesters, click here.
For previous years' final
exams, click 2006 or 2009
Lectures
Tue+Thu
05:30-06:45pm ,Room: MPHY-213
(1st class: Tue
Jan 17, last class: Thu Apr 26; Spring Break: Mar 12-16, Reading Day:
Good Friday Apr 06)
Course Instructor Dr.
Ralf Rapp
Office : Cyclotron
(CYCL) Room 211, Mitchell Physics Building
(MPHY) Room 313
Office-Hrs : Mon+Fri
10:00-11:00am, Thu 3-4pm and by appointment in CYCL-211 (for now)
Phone : 845-1411 (ext. 226)
E-mail : rapp@comp.tamu.edu
Teaching Assistant (Homework
Grader)
TBA
Required
Material and Prerequisite 1.) TEXTBOOK:
The course will be based on the book
"Computational Physics", 2nd edition, by Nicholas N. Giardano and Hisao
Nakanishi
homepage (including
sample programs etc.):
click here 2.) Prerequisites:
- MATH 311 or 409 (or registration therein)
- Basic knowledge to program in
Fortran (or registration in CPSC
203) and use Gnuplot
- University-issued computer account 3.) Links to Fortran Tutorials/Guides:
e.g.: - User Notes on
Fortran Programming
- Professional
Programmer's Guide to Fortran77
- Clive Page's page
update
Scope and Objectives The course will cover an
introduction to, and more advanced applications of, computational
(numerical) methods in theoretical physics. In
particular, the student will learn to develop
algorithms for numerical solutions to a wide range of
physical systems which are not (easily)
amenable to analytic treatments, including drag forces,
oscillatory and planetary motion,
electromagnetic potential boundary problems, waves,
random systems, statistical mechanics
with phase transitions, and quantum mechanics. The
student will learn to convert the algorithms
into codes to obtain quantitative results, and to assess
their reliability and accuracy.
The detailed SYLLABUS for
the lectures can be found here.
Course Grade
The total course grade is decomposed as follows:
homework assignments (every ~10
days): 65%
midterm exam (chapters 1-6 on syllabus): 15% (Tue, Mar 20,
in class)
final exam (comprehensive): 20% (Wed, May 09, 01:00-03:00pm)
Notes on Lectures Attendance in the
lectures, as well as taking notes of the material presented, is mandatory. In particular,
the midterm and final exams will be heavily based on the
material discussed in the lectures. Furthermore,
you are responsible for all announcements made in class (including the regular
homework assignments).
The
material discussed in the lectures defines the scope of the homework
problems and exams.
Note on Homework
For the weekly
assignment of homework problems (usually given as handout in class),
click here.
Unless otherwise noted, homework is assigned in class and
due in class approx. 7-10 days later.
Late hand-in will be penalized by subtracting 25% of the
score per day late.
Personal computers to program and run source code are
available in room MPHY-152 (your TAMU ID
card should be activated for access; if you encounter
problems check with the Physics computing office).
Cooperative work and discussions
are encouraged, but every student must generate and hand in his/her
individual solution set by the due date. Questions can be
addressed to your course instructor
or teaching
assistant, who will be happy to help you (preferably
during, but not restricted to, office hours).
Strategy To pass the course, you will have to keep up
with the material of the course by attending the lectures
and thoroughly working through the near-weekly
homework assignments. The course material
subsequently builds on earlier chapters.
AGGIE Honor Code
An Aggie does not lie, cheat, or steal or tolerate those who do. Also see http://aggiehonor.tamu.edu/
Any type of
cheating (e.g., copying homework or during the exams) is strictly prohibited and
seriously penalized.
ADA Statement The Americans with
Disabilities Act (ADA) is a federal anti-discrimination statute
that provides
comprehensive civil rights protection for persons with
disabilities. Among other things, this legislation
requires that all students with disabilities be guaranteed a learning environment that
provides for
reasonable accommodation of their disabilities. If you believe
you have a disability requiring an
accommodation, please contact the Department of Student Life,
Services for Students with Disabilities,
in Cain Hall, Room B118 or call 845-1637; for more
info see also here. Department of Student Life,
SSD, will review your concerns and determine, with you, what accommodations are
necessary and
appropriate. All information and documentation concerning
disability is kept confidential.