Course for international guest/part time students

Faculty

Faculty of Science

Organization

TTK Department of the Physics of Complex Systems

Code

compsimf20em

Title

Computer Simulations

Usual semester

Autumn

Published semester

2026/27/1

ECTS

3

Language

en

Learning outcomes

The goal of the course is to present an overview of computational physics through examples in various fields. a) Knowledge: He/she has an overview of the simulation approach of processes, systems, and scientific problems of physics. He/she is aware of the current possibilities, development directions and limits of modern physical simulations. b) Abilities: Able to recognize the physical principles of natural phenomena, to study with simulations and interpret the results and compare to theoretical expectations. c) Attitude: He/she is constantly striving to expand his/her knowledge and acquire new skills. d) Autonomy and responsibility: He/she is aware of the importance of scientific thinking and accurate conception, and he/she formulates his/her opinion taking these into account.

Course content

Topics: Numerical and analytical modeling. Model, algorithm, code. Machine precision. Serial and parallel architectures. Classical mechanics simulation. Complex dynamics, chaos, growth processes. Simulating thermodynamic systems. The role of randomness in simulations. Numerical optimization. Molecular dynamics, Verlet-algorithm. N-body simulations. Diffusion, flows, waves. Finite element method.

Assessment method

Simulation projects during the semester, written reports and presentation of the results and acquired knowledge at the end of the semester.

Bibliography

Rubin H Landau, Manuel J Paez, & Cristian Bordeianu: A Survey of Computational Physics -introductory computational science , Princeton University Press, 2008

Recommended bibliography

Computational Physics by J.M. Thijssen , (Cambridge University Press, 1999)

Programmes of the course