Computational Physics : Problem Solving with Computers

Help students master real-world problems as they develop new insight into the physical sciences Problems in the physical sciences that once baffled and frustrated scientists can now be solved easily with the aid of a computer. Computers can quickly complete complex calculations, provide numerical simulations of natural systems, and explore the unknown. Computational Physics shows students how to use computers to solve scientific problems and understand systems at a level previously possible only in a research environment. Adaptable to a ten-week class or a full-year course, it provides C and Fortran programs that can be modified and rewritten as needed to implement a wide range of computational projects. Light on theory, heavy on applications, this practical, easy-to-understand guide * Presents material from a problem-oriented perspective * Integrates physics, computer science, and numerical methods and statistics * Encourages creative thinking and an object-oriented view of problem solving * Provides C and Fortran programs for implementing most of the projects * Provides samples of problems actually solved in two ten-week quarters * Includes a 3.5'' floppy disk containing the codes featured in the text * Offers multimedia demonstrations and updates on a complementary Web site With this engaging book as a guide, advanced undergraduates and first-year graduate students will gain confidence in their abilities and develop new insight into the physical sciences as they use their computers to address challenging and stimulating problems. Accompanying Disk And Two Appendixes Provide Both C And Fortran Programs As The Basic Implementation Part For Most Of The Problems. Rubin H. Landau, Manuel José Páez Mejía ; Contributors, Hans Kowallik And Henri Jansen. A Wiley-interscience Publication. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 509-513) And Index. System Requirements For Accompanying Computer Disk: Ibm Pc; Macintosh; Unix Systems; Dos-emulation Utilities. An introduction to computer methods for solving problems in the physical sciences whose difficulty or complexity places them beyond analytic solution or human endurance. This book offers detailed instruction in programming the hardware and using the program libraries of computers.Related World Wide Web material available free.-- Includes a diskette containing both FORTRAN and C programs featured in the book. Explaining how to program the hardware or use program libraries to solve specific problems occurring in the physical sciences. A floppy disk featuring all the codes in the text accompanies the book and supplementary material is posted on the World Wide Web.