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EJS CSM Textbook Chapter 1: Introduction to modeling Documents

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Main Document

CSM Textbook Chapter 1: Introduction to modeling 

written by Wolfgang Christian

We introduce the Easy Java Simulations (EJS) edition of An
Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods
and discuss the importance of computers in physics and the nature of computer simulation. Various computer languages are considered and we show how the EJS modeling and authoring tool allows us to separate the model into logical parts and to separate the model from the view. Students learn the logic of computer modeling using loops and control  structures as they study algorithms used in professional practice. Students are also introduced to object-oriented programming concepts by using object properties and methods when they create user interfaces. However, little user-interface coding is required because the user interface is created automatically by EJS.

Easy Java Simulations is built  using the Open Source Physics code library and produces XML-based source code. The use of XML is important because it enables users to describe and store the model at a high level of abstraction,  thereby leaving the Java implementation to EJS. A tutorial at the end of Chapter 1 describes this process.

Last Modified January 18, 2012

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Supplemental Documents

CSM Textbook Chapter 1: Tutorial example 

The ready-to-run Mass and Spring model shows the motion of a mass m situated at the end of a spring of length L and negligible mass. The motion is restricted to the horizontal dimension with a coordinate system in the plane with origin at the fixed end of the spring and with the X-axis along the direction of the spring.

Last Modified June 4, 2014

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Source Code Documents

CSM Textbook Chapter 1: Tutorial example source code 

The source code zip archive contains an XML representation of the EJS Mass and Spring model.   Unzip this archive in your EJS workspace to compile and run this model using EJS.

Last Modified August 21, 2009

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