A Survey of Computational Physics

Computational physics is a rapidly growing subfield of computational science, in large part because computers can solve previously intractable problems or simulate natural processes that do not have analytic solutions. The next step beyond Landau'sFirst Course in Scientific Computingand a follow-up to Landau and Páez'sComputational Physics, this text presents a broad survey of key topics in computational physics for advanced undergraduates and beginning graduate students, including new discussions of visualization tools, wavelet analysis, molecular dynamics, and computational fluid dynamics. By treating science, applied mathematics, and computer science together, the book reveals how this knowledge base can be applied to a wider range of real-world problems than computational physics texts normally address. Designed for a one- or two-semester course,A Survey of Computational Physicswill also interest anyone who wants a reference on or practical experience in the basics of computational physics. The text includes a CD-ROM with supplementary materials, including Java, Fortran, and C programs; animations; visualizations; color figures; interactive Java applets; codes for MPI, PVM, and OpenDX; and a PVM tutorial. Accessible to advanced undergraduates Real-world problem-solving approach Java codes and applets integrated with text Accompanying CD-ROM contains codes, applets, animations, and visualization files Companion Web site includes videos of lectures

Rubin H. Landau is professor of physics and director of the computational physics program at Oregon State University. Manuel Jose Paez is professor of physics at Universidad de Antioquia in Colombia. Cristian C. Bordeianu, a PhD candidate at University of Bucharest, is vice principal at Technological High School 1 in Suceava, Romania.

Preface xxiii
Computational Science Basics	p. 1
Computational Physics and Science	p. 1
How to Read and Use This Book	p. 3
Making Computers Obey; Languages (Theory)	p. 6
Programming Warmup	p. 8
Structured Program Design	p. 10
Shells, Editors, and Execution	p. 11
Java I/O, Scanner Class with printf	p. 12
I/O Redirection	p. 12
Command-Line Input	p. 13
I/O Exceptions: FileCatchThrow.java	p. 14
Automatic Code Documentation	p. 16
Computer Number Representations (Theory)	p. 17
IEEE Floating-Point Numbers	p. 18
Over/Underflows Exercises	p. 24
Machine Precision (Model)	p. 25
Determine Your Machine Precision	p. 27
Problem: Summing Series	p. 27
Numerical Summation (Method)	p. 28
Implementation and Assessment	p. 29
Errors & Uncertainties in Computations	p. 30
Types of Errors (Theory)	p. 30
Model for Disaster: Subtractive Cancellation	p. 32
Subtractive Cancellation Exercises	p. 33
Round-off Error in a Single Step	p. 34
Round-off Error Accumulation After Many Steps	p. 35
Errors in Spherical Bessel Functions (Problem)	p. 36
Numerical Recursion Relations (Method)	p. 36
Implementation and Assessment: Recursion Relations	p. 38
Experimental Error Investigation (Problem)	p. 39
Error Assessment	p. 43
Visualization Tools	p. 45
Data Visualization	p. 45
PtPlot: 2-D Graphs Within Java	p. 46
Grace/ACE: Superb 2-D Graphs for Unix/Linux	p. 51
Grace Basics	p. 51
Gnuplot: Reliable 2-D and 3-D Plots	p. 56
Gnuplot Input Data Format	p. 58
Printing Plots	p. 59
Gnuplot Surface (3-D) Plots	p. 60
Gnuplot Vector Fields	p. 62
Animations from a Plotting Program (Gnuplot)	p. 64
OpenDX for Dicing and Slicing	p. 65
Texturing and 3-D Imaging	p. 65
Object-Oriented Programs: Impedance & Batons	p. 67
Unit I. Basic Objects: Complex Impedance	p. 67
Complex Numbers (Math)	p. 67
Resistance Becomes Impedance (Theory)	p. 70
Abstract Data Structures, Objects (CS)	p. 70
Object Declaration and Construction	p. 72
Implementation in Java	p. 73
Static and Nonstatic Methods	p. 76
Nonstatic Methods	p. 77
Complex Currents (Solution)	p. 79
OOP Worked Examples	p. 80
OOP Beats	p. 80
OOP Planet	p. 82
Unit II. Advanced Objects: Baton Projectiles	p. 85
Trajectory of a Thrown Baton (Problem)	p. 86
Combined Translation and Rotation (Theory)	p. 86
OOP Design Concepts (CS)	p. 89
Including Multiple Classes	p. 90
Ball and Path Class Implementation	p. 92
Composition, Objects Within Objects	p. 93
Baton Class Implementation	p. 94
Composition Exercise	p. 95
Calculating the Baton's Energy (Extension)	p. 96
Examples of Inheritance and Object Hierarchies	p. 98
Baton with a Lead Weight (Application)	p. 99
Encapsulation to Protect Classes	p. 100
Encapsulation Exercise	p. 101
Complex Object Interface (Extension)	p. 102
Polymorphism, Variable Multityping	p. 104
Supplementary Exercises	p. 105
OOP Example: Superposition of Motions	p. 105
Newton's Laws of Motion (Theory)	p. 106
OOP Class Structure (Method)	p. 106
Java Implementation	p. 107
Monte Carlo Simulations (Nonthermal)	p. 109
Unit I. Deterministic Randomness	p. 109
Random Sequences (Theory)	p. 109
Random-Number Generation (Algorithm)	p. 110
Implementation: Random Sequence	p. 113
Assessing Randomness and Uniformity	p. 114
Unit II. Monte Carlo Applications	p. 116
A Random Walk (Problem)	p. 116
Random-Walk Simulation	p. 116
Implementation: Random Walk	p. 117
Radioactive Decay (Problem)	p. 119
Discrete Decay (Model)	p. 119
Continuous Decay (Model)	p. 120
Decay Simulation	p. 121
Decay Implementation and
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A Survey of Computational Physics

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