SPRING 2012: PHY 277

Computation for Physics and Astronomy Majors

The class will meet in the Math SINC Site Room SL-235
(in the Sub-level of the MATH Tower) , MWF 8:30-9:25 am

Scope of the Course

This course is designed to provide sophomore Physics and Astronomy majors with computational resources and algorithmic thinking. Computational physics has become the third cornerstone of modern physics, sitting in between experimental and theoretical physics and serving as a bridge in between and complement to both of these areas. the purpose of this course is to introduce students to programming in fortran and to provide them with computational resources in order to make the numerical solution of physics problems a natural and alternative way to the analytical methods that students learn throughout their majors.
The course will focus on developing the skills needed carry out core tasks on modern computers running linux or Unix-based operating systems. This course will cover the following core topics:



In complement to the programing language learning we will also focus on :



A brief outline for each lecture will be published on this web page before each lecture. The programming assignments will be graded on the basis of accuracy, completeness, originality and programming style.

What to Expect

This course will require you to carry out numerous programming or other computing tasks on the MATHLAB linux machines located in S235 of the math tower. It is likely you will have to spend a substantial amount of time writing and debugging programs in this laboratory setting. It may be possible in some cases for you to carry out some assignments on other computers however the Instructor and Teaching Assistants for this course will not offer any formal support for such efforts. The bottom line is that you should plan to carry out your work on the MATHLAB machines or other machines specified by the instructor. The instructor may require you to turn in your assignments electronically, via web pages that you develop, or in the form of hardcopy. The course T.A. will hold office hours in the MATHLAB in order to assist you with problems that you may encounter in carrying out your assignments. Lecture outlines will be provided via the course web site.

Required Texts



Course Grading

This course requires important continuous work and dedication. The majority of the grade weight in this course will be put on the homework assignments rather than on the exams. If you work on these assignments and finish them on time every week you will certainly pass the course without problems. There will be a a midterm and a final exam. The grading policy will be:



The course T.A. will hold office hours in the MATHLAB in order to assist you with problems that you may encounter in carrying out your assignments. Lecture outlines will be provided via the course web site.

Important University Policies If you have a physical, psychological, medical or learning disability that may impact your ability to carry out assigned course work, contact the staff in the Disabled Student Services office (DSS), 128 Educational Communications Center, 632-6748/9. DSS will review your concerns and determine with you what accommodations are necessary and DSS will advise me. All information and documentation of disability is confidential.

Stony Brook University expects students to maintain standards of personal integrity that are in harmony with the educational goals of the institution; to observe national, state, and local laws and University regulations; and to respect the rights, privileges, and property of other people. Faculty are required to report to the Office of Judicial Affairs any disruptive behavior that interrupts their ability to teach, compromises the safety of the learning environment, and/or inhibits students' ability to learn.

Each student must pursue his or her academic goals honestly and be personally accountable for all submitted work. Representing another person's work as your own is always wrong. Any suspected instance of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Academic Judiciary. For more comprehensive information on academic integrity, including categories of academic dishonesty, please refer to the academic judiciary website.

SPECIAL NOTE REGARDING PLAGIARISM AND DISHONESTY: All instances of plagiarised work or academic dishonesty will be brought before the Academic Judiciary Committee. All parties involved (both the copier and the person who produced the original work) will be held accountable for any instance of plagarism or dishonesty. You are responsible for protecting the security of your programming assignments by making sure that your directories are not world readable. If you are unsure how to secure your home directory see the instructor immediately.

Additional Course Policies


Lecturer contact information: Prof. Marivi Fernandez-Serra

Email :mvfernandez at ms.cc.sunysb.edu
Office :Room B-139, Physics Building.
Office Hours : M,W,F 9:30-10:30AM or by appt.
Phone :631-632-8244

Teaching Assistant contact information: TBA

Email : TBA at stonybrook.edu
Office Hours : W 1:00-2:00 (Math SINC site) and by appt.

Useful Links :



Useful Linux files :

Dislpay vi editor with colors: save this file in you home directory (with the same name, including the period . at the beginning).
.vimrc

Useful Tutorials :



Acknowledgments

Special thanks are due to Prof. Dough Swesty, much of the contents of this course have been developed by him.