Fall 2010                         Instructor: Brad deYoung

Lectures Assignments Mathematica Tutorials Brad deYoung Physics Memorial

The goal of this course is to integrate computational techniques that are used in physics with the development of students' knowledge of classical mechanics. The course will interweave computational techniques with mechanics by having the students work with computers on mechanics problems during, and after, class. There will be a mix of regular lecture plus computer activity by the students in a workshop environment. The primary programming language will be Matlab but we will also spend some time with Mathematica so that students will have some experience with both languages. We will use Macs during class but the numerical analysis can be performed on any platform. We will meet in room C-2045 for the lectures and in C-2039 for the labs. The outline for the course is located here. Fall 2010 Lectures 1. Introduction 2. Overview of Mathematica 3. Physics of the Past 4. Projectiles 5. Numerical Integration 6. Conservative Forces 7. Drag Forces 8. Taylor Series and Differentiation 9 Numerical calculus 10. Complex Numbers 11. Harmonic decay 12. Solving ODEs 13. Forced Oscillators 14. More on Oscillators 15. Statistics 16 Runge-Kutta and Oscillators 17. Data Analysis 18. Non-Linear Oscillators 19. Transients 20. Root Finding Assignments and Projects Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Assignment 3 Assignment 4 Assignment 5 Assignment 6 To submit the assignmnet you will need to get the file onto your lab account and then drop it into the dropbox, just as you do for the lab files. To get it onto the lab computer you can transfer it with a USB key or mail it to yourself and then download it there. Whichever works for you. Mathematica Software for the course is required and is available from the Computer Purchasing Center. They are located in the temporary building next to the Science Building. To get the software first get the source, by going to this site and use the username and password provided in class. When you install the software you will get a number which you will take to the CPC. When you pay for the software they will then give you a password to activate the software, For the $35, you can get two copies of Mathematica, i.e. you can put it on more than one machine. The software will run on Windows, Mac and Linux machines. Mathematica, Computer and Matlab reference material - hopefully helpful A Course Introduction to Mathematica A Introductory Mathematica Notebook (easy to use) What is a computer? MacIntosh help Mathematica Video Tutorials These are some simple video tutorials that might be helpful in reviewing Mathematica or perhaps in learning about something that we have not yet covered. Tutorial 1 An introduction on how to manipulate algebraic functions by factoring, expanding, solving and simplifying. Tutorial 2 This tutorial will demonstrate how to solve and simplify systems of equations by eliminating variables, solving, and finding the roots. Tutorial 3 This tutorial explains how to define functions in Mathematica and how to enter built in functions. It also covers basic plotting, labelling your plot, plot options, and also it will show how to find a minimum on a graph. Tutorial 4 This tutorial will show how to combine plots in Mathematica by using different colours to distinguish between them. It will also show some more advanced graphing. Tutorial 5 This tutorial will show how to enter data into a list plot and how to characterize the plot by using different options available for list plots. It will also show how to fit data to a model. Finally it will show how to apply error bars to your data points in a list plot. Tutorial 6 This tutorial will demonstrate how to rearrange equations using Mathematica. It will also show some statistical measurements. This tutorial is also an introduction to entering matrices into Mathematica and using basic operations to manipulate the matrices. Tutorial 7 This tutorial will show how to find the determinant, transpose, and inverse of a matrix. It will also show how to find the eigenvectors and eigenvalues of a given matrix. Tutorial 8 This tutorial will show how to differentiate, integrate and how to find limits of functions using Mathematica. Tutorial 9 This tutorial will show how to solve ordinary differential equations. It will also introduce how to create a power series and how to manipulate series using basic operations.