An Introductory Guide To Computational Methods For The Solution Of Physics Problems

This monograph presents fundamental aspects of modern spectral and other computational methods, which are not generally taught in traditional courses. It emphasizes concepts as errors, convergence, stability, order and efficiency applied to the solution of physical problems. The spectral methods consist in expanding the function to be calculated into a set of appropriate basis functions (generally orthogonal polynomials) and the respective expansion coefficients are obtained via collocation equations. The main advantage of these methods is that they simultaneously take into account all available information, rather only the information available at a limited number of mesh points. They require more complicated matrix equations than those obtained in finite difference methods. However, the elegance, speed, and accuracy of the spectral methods more than compensates for any such drawbacks. During the course of the monograph, the authors examine the usually rapid convergence of the spectral expansions and the improved accuracy that results when nonequispaced support points are used, in contrast to the equispaced points used in finite difference methods. In particular, they demonstrate the enhanced accuracy obtained in the solution of integral equations. The monograph includes an informative introduction to old and new computational methods with numerous practical examples, while at the same time pointing out the errors that each of the available algorithms introduces into the specific solution. It is a valuable resource for undergraduate students as an introduction to the field and for graduate students wishing to compare the available computational methods. In addition, the work develops the criteria required for students to select the most suitable method to solve the particular scientific problem that they are confronting.

This monograph presents fundamental aspects of modern spectral and other computational methods, which are not generally taught in traditional courses. It emphasizes concepts as errors, convergence, stability, order and efficiency applied to the solution of physical problems. The spectral methods consist in expanding the function to be calculated into a set of appropriate basis functions (generally orthogonal polynomials) and the respective expansion coefficients are obtained via collocation equations. The main advantage of these methods is that they simultaneously take into account all available information, rather only the information available at a limited number of mesh points. They require more complicated matrix equations than those obtained in finite difference methods. However, the elegance, speed, and accuracy of the spectral methods more than compensates for any such drawbacks. During the course of the monograph, the authors examine the usually rapid convergence of the spectral expansions and the improved accuracy that results when nonequispaced support points are used, in contrast to the equispaced points used in finite difference methods. In particular, they demonstrate the enhanced accuracy obtained in the solutionof integral equations. The monograph includes an informative introduction to old and new computational methods with numerous practical examples, while at the same time pointing out the errors that each of the available algorithms introduces into the specific solution. It is a valuable resource for undergraduate students as an introduction to the field and for graduate students wishing to compare the available computational methods. In addition, the work develops the criteria required for students to select the most suitable method to solve the particular scientific problem that they are confronting.

Our future scientists and professionals must be conversant in computational techniques. In order to facilitate integration of computer methods into existing physics courses, this textbook offers a large number of worked examples and problems with fully guided solutions in Python as well as other languages (Mathematica, Java, C, Fortran, and Maple). It’s also intended as a self-study guide for learning how to use computer methods in physics. The authors include an introductory chapter on numerical tools and indication of computational and physics difficulty level for each problem. Readers also benefit from the following features: • Detailed explanations and solutions in various coding languages. • Problems are ranked based on computational and physics difficulty. • Basics of numerical methods covered in an introductory chapter. • Programming guidance via flowcharts and pseudocode. Rubin Landau is a Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Physics at Oregon State University in Corvallis and a Fellow of the American Physical Society (Division of Computational Physics). Manuel Jose Paez-Mejia is a Professor of Physics at Universidad de Antioquia in Medellín, Colombia.

This book is intended to help advanced undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral students in their daily work by offering them a compendium of numerical methods. The choice of methods pays significant attention to error estimates, stability and convergence issues, as well as optimization of program execution speeds. Numerous examples are given throughout the chapters, followed by comprehensive end-of-chapter problems with a more pronounced physics background, while less stress is given to the explanation of individual algorithms. The readers are encouraged to develop a certain amount of skepticism and scrutiny instead of blindly following readily available commercial tools. The second edition has been enriched by a chapter on inverse problems dealing with the solution of integral equations, inverse Sturm-Liouville problems, as well as retrospective and recovery problems for partial differential equations. The revised text now includes an introduction to sparse matrix methods, the solution of matrix equations, and pseudospectra of matrices; it discusses the sparse Fourier, non-uniform Fourier and discrete wavelet transformations, the basics of non-linear regression and the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test; it demonstrates the key concepts in solving stiff differential equations and the asymptotics of Sturm-Liouville eigenvalues and eigenfunctions. Among other updates, it also presents the techniques of state-space reconstruction, methods to calculate the matrix exponential, generate random permutations and compute stable derivatives.

Personal Computers Have Become An Essential Part Of The Physics Curricula And Is Becoming An Increasingly Important Tool In The Training Of Students. The Present Book Is An Effort To Provide A Quality And Classroom Tested Resource Material.Salient Features * Topics Have Been Carefully Selected To Give A Flavour Of Computational Techniques In The Context Of A Wide Range Of Physics Problems. * Style Of Presentation Emphasis The Pedagogic Approach, Assuming No Previous Knowledge Of Either Programming In High-Level Language Or Numerical Techniques. * Profusely Illustrated With Diagrams, Graphic Outputs, Programming Hints, Algorithms And Source Codes. * Ideally Suited For Self-Study With A Pc On Desktop. * Accompanied With A Cd Rom With Source Codes Of Selected Problems Saving The User From Typing In The Source Code. * Can Be Adopted As A Two-Semester Course In Universities Running Courses Such As Computer Applications In Physics, Numerical Methods In Physics Or As An Additional Optional Paper In Nodal Centres Of Computer Applications Provided By Ugc In Different Universities. * Meets The Requirements Of Students Of Physics At Undergraduate And Post-Graduate Level In Particular And Physical Sciences, Engineering And Mathematics Students In General.This Book Is An Outcome Of A Book Project Granted By University Grants Commission New Delhi (India).

Author Franz J. Vesely offers students an introductory text on computational physics, providing them with the important basic numerical/computational techniques. His unique text sets itself apart from others by focusing on specific problems of computational physics. The author also provides a selection of modern fields of research. Students will benefit from the appendixes which offer a short description of some properties of computing and machines and outline the technique of 'Fast Fourier Transformation.'

This book highlights a major advance in low-energy scattering theory: the Multi-Channel Algebraic Scattering (MCAS) theory, which represents an attempt to unify structure and reaction theory. It solves the Lippmann–Schwinger equations for low-energy nucleon-nucleus and alpha-nucleus scattering in momentum space, allowing both the bound and scattering states in the compound nucleus formed to be described. Results of various cases are presented and discussed.

The use of computers to solve modern scientific problems is very widespread. The impact of the improvement of our techniques for the solution of complex problems is difficult to overstate. Even our approach to most problems has been changed. Solutions to problems once thought intractable are being routinely secured. Instead of using oversimplified models, as has been the practice for the treatment of scientific systems in the past, the entire problem can now be attacked. The second edition of Computation in Modern Physics develops and presents algorithms for the solution of many types of mathematical systems, some dating as far as the last few centuries, but also quite a number that have been developed within the last 10-50 years. In this last category, close attention is paid to the rapidly developing area of Monte Carlo techniques where new conceptual views of physics problems are being brought into play. With this method, problems in a large number of dimensions can be solved through the introduction of a modern method for the representation of multidimensional functions. This book is suitable for two different levels in computational physics. The first part is an advanced introductory level and is appropriate for good students with no previous experience in computational methods or any student with some experience. Here the student is introduced to integral and differential techniques, Monte Carlo integration, basic computer architecture, methods of linear algebra, finite element techniques, digital signal processing and chaos. The second part of the book is more specialized for problems in strong interaction with emphasis on solutions to many-body scattering problems andseveral-body bound state calculations with Monte Carlo techniques. It also contains a chapter dealing with techniques for the summation of divergent series.