COS 323        Fall 2008       

Computing for the Physical & Social Sciences

This course covers the basic principles of scientific computation, driven by current applications in biology, physics, economics, engineering, etc. Topics include: simulation, integration of differential equations, iterative optimization algorithms, stability and accuracy issues. Students will pursue projects in a variety of fields, writing their own computer programs. We will also use some higher-level tools, such as Matlab and Maple, and explore visualization and sonification techniques.