Computational Methods (PHYS 2030)
York University
Winter 2017 - Course Website
Basic Information
- Course Description: The symbolic and numeric computing environments provided by Matlab are used to solve problems. in mechanics and electromagnetism. Two lectures (1.5 hours each) and three laboratory hours every week. One term. Three credits. Prerequisites: SC/PHYS 1010 6.00 or a minimum grade of C in SC/PHYS 1410 6.00 or SC/PHYS 1420 6.00; One of LE/CSE 1020 3.00, LE/CSE 1540 3.00; SC/MATH 1014 3.00 or equivalent. Co-requisite: SC/MATH 2015 3.00 or equivalent, SC/MATH 2271.
- Location & Time: MWF 11:30-12:30 (CLH J) AND M or W 2:30-5:30 (TBD)
- Course Syllabus (includes course logistics): here (pdf)
- Instructor: Christopher Bergevin
Office: Petrie 240
Email: cberge [AT] yorku.ca
Office Hours: TBD and by appointment
Phone: 416-736-2100 ext.33730
- TAs: See syllabus
- Text Basic Concepts in Computational Physics by Stickler BA and & Schachinger E (Springer, 2014)
→ Via YorkU, you can download a softcopy of this text via this link
Updates and useful bits
- [03.31.17] Group project presentations will take place on the afternoon of Monday 4/3 in the computer lab used for the lab session.
- [03.01.17] Midterm exams have been graded and will be handed back soon. Some basic stats are available here
- [02.28.17] The overview for the class project can be accessed here. Groups will be assigned at next Monday's lab session (3/6), so it will be important to be in attendance.
- [02.08.17] Sorry for the delay re handing back HW. There is a cabinet outside Prof. Storry's office (Petrie 253). Graded assignments will be left on the bottom shelf.
- [02.07.17] Keep in mind that we have an upcoming midterm exam on Friday 2/17. In short, any material covered in the class notes below is fair game for the exam. To help prepare and give you a flavor for the exams, here is the W16 midterm. Note that topics were rearranged a bit between 2016 and 2017, so the overlap is not exact. But at least you have a sense for the style/flavor of the exam. Also note that there are topics relevant to the exam that have come up since HW4 (and there will not be a HW5 before the exam). Will aim to post a list of problems along those lines next week to help you prepare.
- [02.01.17] Our class rep for PHYS 2030 Winter 2017 is Tiffany Joseph (tjoseph@my.yorku.ca).
- [01.16.17] Notes/files for the lab sessions can be accessed here
- [01.13.17] Labs will officially start on Monday Jan.16. We have only one TA (Hugh Podmore). There will only be a Monday lab (i.e., no Wednesday session). It will take place in DB 2032 from 2:30-5:30. The room only holds 39 seats, so please bring your own laptop if you have one. As noted in class, technically, only students whose last names start w/ A-L can "ask questions" from 2:30-3:30, while M-Z from 3:30-4:30. ;-)
- [01.05.17] First day of class. Welcome to PHYS 2030! There will be no lab this first week (i.e., the first lab is Monday 1/16/17).
- Note that for all assignments, you should write (and hand in a copy of) your own code. It is okay to look at and utilize the example codes provided here (or from fellow students), but you must write your own version of code (as indicated in the course syllabus). Also in order to receive full credit, you must provide sufficient (but concise) explanation as to how you arrived at your answer.
- Here are some links to resources that might be useful:
- Cody
- Lecture notes from a NYU Polytechnic course
- Coursera class on scientific computing
- Lecture notes from YorkU CSE 1541 (W14, courtesy of Prof. Burton Ma)
- Guide to get Matlab running remotely (via York's internal server). Guide to help get you started with plotting in Matlab. Lastly, here is link to archived materials from EECS 1541 W2014 (thanks to Prof. Burton Ma).
Class Notes
- 04.05.17 - Course summary, Harmonic oscillator revisted
- 04.03.17 - Monte Carlo III -
- 03.31.17 - Monte carlo II
- 03.29.17 - Monte carlo I
- Slides
- Example codes: EXestimatePI.m (demonstrates how to estimate pi using a random # generator), EXrandomNum1.m and EXrandomNum2.m (two simple/clunky/underachieving random # generator algorithms), EXintegrateMC1.m (demonstrates integration using two different Monte carlo approaches), and EXgaussian1 (demonstrates how to build up a Gaussian distribution from a uniform distribution; also allows for a nonlinear regression to fit the appropriate function, but also requires this and this)
- 03.27.17 - Averaging -
- 03.24.17 - Convolutions II -
- 03.22.17 - Convolutions I -
- Slides
- Example codes: EXconvolution1.m (demonstrates how two simple waveforms are convolved; you’ll also need this), EXconvolution2.m (demonstrates convolving a sampled sinusoid with an impulse), EXsharpenImage.m (simple code to demonstrate 2-D convolution in spatial domain within context of image processing)
- 03.20.17 - Fourier VI - Discrete (1-D) Transforms
- 03.17.17 - Fourier V - Computational intuition, Discrete Transforms
- Slides
- Link to a webpage describing one means to make 'photo mosaics'
- Example codes: EXquantizeF.m (demonstrates windowing and the effects of ‘quantizing’ frequency)
- 03.15.17 - Fourier IV - Computational intuition
- Slides
- Example codes: EXbuildImpulse (zipped folder containing relevant pieces to build up an impulse from the Fourier components) and EXspecREP3 (zipped folder containing relevant pieces to to fiddle with a variety of 1-D discrete Fourier transform properties)
- 03.13.17 - Fourier III - Mathematical background
- 03.10.17 - Fourier II - Further motivations....
- Slides
- Example codes: EXspectrogram.m (makes a spectrogram of a .wav file; the two .wav files used in the slides can be downloaded here and here) and 2D_Fourier (zipped folder containing relevant pieces for 2-D Fourier demonstration)
- 03.08.17 - Fourier I - Introduction
- 03.06.17 - Nonlinear systems III - Chaos, Period doubling
- 03.03.17 - Nonlinear systems II - Fractals, Complex #s
- 03.01.17 - Nonlinear systems I - Intro
- 02.27.17 - Regression IV - Non-paramteric Regression
- 02.17.17 - Midterm
- 02.15.17 - Regression III - Nonlinear Regression
- 02.13.17 - Regression II - Multiple Regression
- 02.10.17 - Regression I - Linear Regression
- 02.08.17 - Linear systems III - Linearizing nonlinear systems; Deplot
- Slides (re linear systems analysis)
- Slides (re deplot)
- A zipped folder containing the files relevant for deplot can be found here
- 02.06.17 - Linear systems II - Eigenvalues and Eigenvectors
- 02.03.17 - Linear systems I - Introduction and Motivations
- 02.01.17 - Visualization
- 01.30.17 - DAQ
- Reading: This link has some helpful general background
- Slides
- 01.27.17 - ODEs IV - Built-in solvers, Higher order systems
- 01.25.17 - ODEs III - Runge-Kutta
- 01.23.17 - NO CLASS
- Apologies for the suddenly cancelled class. HW2 should be handed in on Wednesday in class (and note the new HW3 below). Below are the relevant notes, which we will discuss briefly and then move on come 1/25.
- Slides
- 01.20.17 - ODEs II - Euler's method
- 01.18.17 - ODEs I - Overview
- Book reading: Stickler ch.4.1-4.3, 5.1
- Slides
- 01.16.17 - Numerical integration
- 01.13.17 - Numerical differentiation
- 01.11.17 - NO CLASS
- Due to class cancellation (apologies!), HW1 (originally slated to be due on 1/13) will now be due on 1/16
- 01.09.17 - Harmonic oscillator, Intro. to Numerical differentiation
- Book reading: Stickler ch.2.1-2.5
- Slides
- Reminder: Labs will not start until next week.
- 01.06.17 - Introduction and review
- Book reading: Stickler ch.1.1-1.5
- Slides
HW Assignments
Homework should be handed in as a hard copy before the start of class.