PHYS 461 - Advanced Computational Physics

Description:
Applications of standard numerical modeling techniques to physics problems involving nonlinear and/or differential equations, including wave propagation, fluid flow, thermodynamics, electrodynamics, and particle physics. PHYS 461 and PHYS 561 are layered courses; students may not receive credit for both.

Prerequisites:
Prerequisites: MATH 376 and PHYS 361.

Credits: (4)

Learner Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to:

Characterize the mathematical equations corresponding to common types of physics problems (e.g. hyperbolic differential equations for wave propagation) and identify appropriate numerical solution methods
Use Mathematica and MATLAB to solve a variety of physics problems and to effectively display the results of computations
Implement finite-difference algorithms to solve time dependent partial differential equations using either the c or FORTRAN programming language
Implement finite-element algorithms to solve boundary condition driven problems using either the C or FORTRAN programming language
Quantify the numerical errors associated with discretization

Learner Outcomes Approval Date:
2/17/2011

Anticipated Course Offering Terms and Locations: