This material has 23 associated documents. Select a document title to view a document's information.
written by
Harvey Gould, Jan Tobochnik, and Wolfgang Christian
The complete revised Third Edition for An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods Third Edition by Harvey Gould, Jan Tobochnik, and Wolfgang Christian.
Last Modified September 15, 2016
This file is included in the full-text index.
This file has previous versions.
Frontmatter for an Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods.
Last Modified September 15, 2016
The importance of computers in physics and the nature of
computer simulation is discussed. The nature of object-oriented
programming and various computer languages also is considered.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
This file has previous versions.
We introduce some of the core syntax of Java in the context of
simulating the motion of falling particles near the Earth's surface. A
simple algorithm for solving first-order differential equations numerically
also is discussed.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We discuss several numerical methods needed to simulate the motion of particles using Newton's laws and introduce interfaces, an important Java construct that makes it possible for unrelated objects to declare that they perform the same methods.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We explore the behavior of oscillatory systems, including the simple harmonic oscillator, a simple pendulum, electrical circuits, and introduce the concept of phase space.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We apply Newton's laws of motion to planetary motion and other systems of a few particles and explore some of the counter-intuitive consequences of Newton's laws.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We study simple nonlinear deterministic models that exhibit chaotic behavior. We will find that the use of the computer to do numerical experiments will help us gain insight into the nature of chaos.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
Random processes are introduced in the context of several simple physical systems, including random walks on a lattice, polymers, and diffusion controlled chemical reactions. The generation of random number sequences also is discussed.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We simulate the dynamical behavior of many particle systems such as dense gases, liquids, and solids and observe their qualitative features. Some of the basic ideas of equilibrium statistical mechanics and kinetic theory are introduced.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We discuss the physics of wave phenomena and the motivation and use of Fourier transforms.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We compute the electric fields due to static and moving charges, describe methods for computing the electric potential in boundary value problems, and solve Maxwell's equations numerically.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
Simple classical and Monte Carlo methods including importance sampling are illustrated in the context of the numerical evaluation of definite integrals.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We introduce several geometrical concepts associated with percolation, including the percolation threshold, clusters, and cluster finding algorithms. We also introduce the ideas of critical phenomena in the context of the percolation transition, including critical exponents, scaling relations, and the renormalization group.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We introduce the concept of fractal dimension and discuss several processes that generate fractal objects.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We introduce cellular automata, neural networks, genetic algorithms, and growing networks to explore the concepts of self-organization and complexity. Applications to sandpiles, fluids, earthquakes, and other areas are discussed.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We discuss how to simulate thermal systems using a variety of Monte Carlo methods including the traditional Metropolis
algorithm. Applications to the Ising model and various particle systems are discussed and more efficient Monte Carlo algorithms are introduced.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We discuss numerical solutions of the time-independent and time-dependent Schroedinger equation and describe several Monte Carlo methods for estimating the ground state of quantum systems.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We study affine transformations in order to visualize objects in three dimensions. We then solve Euler's equation of motion for rigid body dynamics using the quaternion representation of rotations.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We compute how objects appear at relativistic speeds and in the vicinity of a large spherically symmetric mass.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
We emphasize that the methods we have discussed can be applied to a wide variety of natural phenomena and contexts.
Last Modified February 11, 2011
This file is included in the full-text index.
Updates and errata to An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods Third Edition.
Last Modified November 24, 2013
This file is included in the full-text index.
This file has previous versions.
Computing in Science and Engineering book review of An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods.
Last Modified February 11, 2011