Physics 102: Computational Physics in MATLAB

Professor Jessica Kintner

This is the course web page for Physics 102, Fall 2019

Jessica Kintner's Information:

  • Office: Gal 106-B
  • Office hours: TBA, and by appointment
  • email: jkintner@stmarys-ca.edu

Class Information

Recent announcements:

  • (12/6) Extra office hours Sunday (12/8) from 11:30am-1pm.
  • (11/9) Exam 2, Fri, Nov 15 will cover:
    • if/then (sec 2.8)
    • plotting stuff (9.1, plus old code)
    • structure plans (Ch 3)
    • functions (Ch 3)
    • save and load (Ch 4)
    • solving systems of linear eq.s (Ch 4)
    • matrix stuff (Ch 4)
    • least squares fitting (my notes, Ray's 5.4)
    • polyfit (my notes, book ex 14.9)
    • simulations (Ch 13)
  • (11/1) Exam 2 will be Nov 15th.
  • (9/27) Exam 1 will cover chapters 1-2.7 and 9.5--just the amount of 9.5 needed for animations. It will be open book, open your code, open any of my code that I've given you, and open web---with one exception: you may not ask another human (in any way: no texts, emails, posts in a forum, etc etc.)
  • Textbook is chosen!

Calendar

Date
Section
Topic
Homework
Due to me (by 1pm)
9/6
Ch 1
Intro and overview
HW01: Turn on diary, work Exercises 1.1, 3, 4 on p 31
9/9
Ch 1.3-2.3.7
workspace, variables, script files
my notes
HW02: Turn on diary, work Exercises 2.1-2.6 on pp36-37 and 2.2-2.6, pp52-53
9/13
Ch 2.3.8- 2.4
HW01, HW02
9/16
Ch 2.4
Physics examples
tutorial problems
Turn in figures from 11(g), HW03: problem 12 from today's worksheet
9/20

Ex. p77: 2.6, 2.12, 2.17, 2.18 (script), 2.23 (script)
HW03
9/23
9.5
Animate a particle (red circle) moving in uniform circular motion. (You don't have to solve a DE. You know the equations of motion from Phys 1.) Choose a radius of 0.2m and a period of 2s.
9/27
2.8
9.1
if/then
more graphics
HW05: Do Exercises: a-g (p65), 2.22 (p79), 1 2 (p197), 9.1, 9.2, 9.6 (pp 230-232)
HW04: scripts for 2.18 and 2.23 and circular motion animation.
9/30


10/4
1.0-2.7,9.5
Exam 1
10/11
Ch 3
Do exercises end of Ch 3
Finish all exercises from Ch 3
HW05: postponed because of power outage
10/18
Finish the first two problems from today's worksheet, we'll use them Monday
HW05: Write one big script that shows all of exercises 2.22-9.6 assigned 9/27. Keep all the figures separate (using the figure command.)
HW06: exercise 3.6, 3.7, 3.8
10/25

No Class
Fall Break!
10/28

No Class
Power out!
11/1
Ch 13
Simulations
rand, floor, histogram, clock commands
first simulation practice problems
Final Project Assignment
Finish 1-3 today's handout, HW08: Ch 13: 2, 4, 6
11/8
14.4
Finish the first two problems from today
HW08
11/11
2.8, 9.1, 3, 4, 13
11/15
2.8, 9.1, 3, 4, 13
11/18
work on final projects
11/22
work on final projects
12/9
Final Exam
1pm
12/12
No class--last day to turn things in to me.
HW09: Problems 1-2 from last handout of Runge Kutta Problems