Computation and Problem Solving in Undergraduate Physics
Computation and Problem Solving in Undergraduate Physics (CPSUP) is a flexible text providing instruction in the use of computer-based symbolic and numerical approaches to problems in several areas of physics. The book includes descriptions of the main capabilities and features of several computational tools (IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE, PYTHON, MAXIMA, MAPLE, MATHEMATICA, PROGRAMMING, FORTRAN, LSODE, MUDPACK, C, NUMERICAL RECIPES, LaTeX, and TGIF—though particular versions of CPSUP will typically include only a subset of these tools) and additional chapters illustrating the application of these tools to solving ordinary differential equations, evaluating integrals, finding roots, and (coming) solving partial differential equations via finite difference and finite element methods. Appendices introduce LaTeX, a sophisticated text-processing tool well adapted to preparing technical manuscripts, and TGIF, a UNIX-based program for creating elaborate two-dimensional figures. Physical examples are drawn from mechanics, electromagnetic theory, quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and several other areas.
The curricular development out of which this book has arisen has been guided since the mid 1970's by Professor David M. Cook and has been carried out in the Department of Physics at Lawrence University, a nationally-ranked liberal arts college and Conservatory of Music with about 1500 students located in Appleton, Wisconsin. A detailed description of that project can be found in Professor Cook's article "Computation in Undergraduate Physics: The Lawrence Approach," Am. J. Phys. 76, 321–326 (April–May, 2008). This theme issue of the American Journal of Physics was published in conjunction with a Gordon Conference held 8–13 June 2008 on the topic "Computation and Computer-Based Instruction."
Detailed Description of Project: Strengthening Computation in Undergraduate Physics Programs
Briefly, the primary aim of the project Strengthening Computation in Undergraduate Physics Programs is to produce flexible text materials that can be easily tailored for use in programs using a variety of different hardware platforms and software packages. To reflect the availability of a wide variety of software packages, this book can be assembled only after the user stipulates which of the available components (IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE, PYTHON, MAXIMA, MAPLE, Mathematica, Programming, FORTRAN, C, Numerical Recipes, LSODE, MUDPACK, LaTeX, and TGIF) are to be included. With 15 components, each of which can be included or not, there are technically 215 = 32,768 versions, though the vast majority of those versions makes no sense. Most commonly a version containing one numeric and graphical tool (IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE, or PYTHON) and one computer algebra system (MAXIMA, MAPLE, or Mathematica) with Programming, FORTRAN and/or C (with Numerical Recipes), and LaTeX will be specified. Within that spectrum, only 24 different versions survive.
Unfortunately, the level of customization involved poses severe problems for the publishing systems of commercial publishers. Prior to making CPSUP available for direct download, the author had endeavored to self-publish this book by receiving orders for customized assemblages of the materials, producing the required number of bound copies, and shipping them to the end user. As he has approached actual (as opposed to nominal) retirement, he has decided to provide these materials for direct download to anyone who wishes them.
A more detailed description of the history of this project and of the structure of CPSUP is contained in the 142 KB-PDF document Description of the Second Edition of CPSUP.
Preface and Table of Contents
The front matter in all assemblages of CPSUP contains
- the Preface,
- Acknowledgements,
- a Disclaimer in which the tested platform and tested versions of the software packages are identified, and
- the Table of Contents.
The first two items are the same in all assemblages of CPSUP. The third and fourth items in each version contain only those items relevant to the components of that assemblage. The two files below provide the Preface and the full Table of Contents. To examine the remaining items, visit the Download section, download whichever assemblage is of interest to you, and open the file to examine the first several pages.
The Table of Contents below includes all chapters and all sections within chapters. If only a subset of components is included in a particular assemblage, the chapters, sections and the occasional exercises related to omitted components will be omitted from the assemblage and also from the Table of Contents. Since chapter numbers, section numbers, subsection, and exercise numbers are preserved, there will then be gaps in those enumerations. Page numbers will, however, run continuously through each assemblage and equation, table, and figure numbers will run continuously through each chapter. References to different versions should be limited to chapter, section, and subsection numbers. References to pages, tables, equations, and figures will not translate accurately among assemblages.
Download Selected Assemblage
Each link in the following table will access the indicated version of CPSUP, either for viewing on a computer screen or downloading to your local storage. The linked and print versions are textually identical. In the linked versions, each internal reference (including those in the Table of Contents and Index) is hot-linked to the item to which the reference points. The print version contains no hot-links. The print versions are the better ones to download if you wish to print some or all of the version. The linked versions are better for viewing on the screen. All files are in PDF format.
Clicking on the PDF icon next to an item brings up a box in which you can choose to open the identified version in an appropriate reader or to download the version.
The full version below contains all components except the (not yet ready) chapters on partial differential equations and MUDPACK. Each version labeled with two software packages contains not only the components identified in the label but also the components focusing on programming, FORTRAN (including Numerical Recipes), C (including Numerical Recipes), and LaTeX, but does not contain the LSODE chapter. Two files (linked and print) containing only the LaTeX appendix, two files containing only the TGIF appendix, and two files containing only the LSODE chapter are also provided.
Update Record
The cover page of each version includes the date on which the version was created. That date is updated with each new creation, and the new creation incorporates all updates available on the date of its creation. The versions placed on this site and dated before 1 January 2021 were replaced in mid January 2021 with versions bearing dates in mid January 2021, the latter differing substantively from the former only in the addition of a section on animation to the OCTAVE chapter. The mid-January versions were themselves replaced on 22 February 2021 with versions dated 21 February 2021. Changes made in the mid-January versions to generate the 21 February versions are listed in the file of edits that can be downloaded from the last item in the list below.
-
Download the Full version - linked (30.6 MB, 1345 pages):
-
Download the Full version - print (26.8 MB, 1345 pages):
-
Download the IDL-MAPLE version - linked (4.9 MB, 549 pages):
-
Download the IDL-MAPLE version - print (3.5 MB, 549 pages):
-
Download the IDL-MATHEMATICA version - linked (4.9 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the IDL-MATHEMATICA version - print (3.4 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the IDL-MAXIMA version - linked (4.8 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the IDL-MAXIMA version - print (3.8 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the MATLAB-MAPLE version - linked (5.8 MB, 547 pages):
-
Download the MATLAB-MAPLE version - print (4.4 MB, 547 pages):
-
Download the MATLAB-MATHEMATICA version - linked (5.7 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the MATLAB-MATHEMATICA version - print (4.3 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the MATLAB-MAXIMA version - linked (5.7 MB, 543 pages):
-
Download the MATLAB-MAXIMA version - print (4.3 MB, 543 pages):
-
Download the OCTAVE-MAPLE version - linked (12.4 MB, 551 pages):
-
Download the OCTAVE-MAPLE version - print (10.9 MB, 551 pages):
-
Download the OCTAVE-MATHEMATICA version - linked (12.3 MB, 549 pages):
-
Download the OCTAVE-MATHEMATICA version - print (10.9 MB, 549 pages):
-
Download the OCTAVE-MAXIMA version - linked (12.2 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the OCTAVE-MAXIMA version - print (10.8 MB, 545 pages):
-
Download the PYTHON-MAPLE version - linked (5.5 MB, 576 pages):
-
Download the PYTHON-MAPLE version - print (4.0 MB, 576 pages):
-
Download the PYTHON-MATHEMATICA version - linked (5.5 MB, 575 pages):
-
Download the PYTHON-MATHEMATICA version - print (3.9 MB, 575 pages):
-
Download the PYTHON-MAXIMA version - linked (5.4 MB, 571 pages):
-
Download the PYTHON-MAXIMA version - print (3.9 MB, 571 pages):
-
Download the LATEX only version - linked (890 KB, 58 pages):
-
Download the LATEX only version - print (718 KB, 58 pages):
-
Download the TGIF only version - linked (540 KB, 29 pages):
-
Download the TGIF only version - print (493 KB, 29 pages):
-
Download the LSODE Chapter only - linked (10.9 MB, 130 pages):
(includes IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE, and PYTHON graphics) -
Download the LSODE Chapter only - print (10.6 MB, 130 pages):
(includes IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE, and PYTHON graphics) -
Download the dated list of edits made in the source files:
Download Program and Data Files
This section provides access to all of the program and data files referred to at various points in CPSUP. When properly unzipped, the file with all but LSODE will create a user-specified directory that will contain a subdirectory named CPSUP. The directory CPSUP will contain (a) a single EXCEL spreadsheet listing all of the files in the distribution and (b) subdirectories named cc, data, fortran, idl, maple, mathematica, matlab, maxima, octave, python, and tex. When properly unzipped, the file containing only LSODE will add to CPSUP a subdirectory named lsode.
The separately downloadable README document explains how to install the files of the distribution.
Download Solutions to Selected Exercises
Each link in the following table will access the available solutions for the indicated version of CPSUP, either for viewing on a computer screen or downloading to your local storage. The linked and print versions are textually identical. In the linked versions, each internal reference (including those in the Table of Contents) is hot-linked to the item to which the reference points. The print version contains no hot-links. The print versions are the better ones to download if you wish to print some or all of the version. The linked versions are better for viewing on the screen. All files are in PDF format.
Clicking on the PDF icon next to an item brings up a box in which you can choose to open the identified version in an appropriate reader or to download the version.
The full version below contains all available solutions except those for the (not yet ready) chapters on partial differential equations and MUDPACK. Each version labeled with two software packages contains not only the solutions for the components identified in the label but also the solutions for the components focusing on programming, FORTRAN (including Numerical Recipes), C (including Numerical Recipes), and LaTeX, but does not contain solutions for the LSODE chapter. The available solutions for that Chapter are included in separate files identified with LSODE in the label.
The files below were created on 24 and 25 May 2021 and uploaded to this site on 26 May 2021.
-
Download the available solutions for full version - linked (22.0 MB, 1641 pages):
-
Download the available solutions for full version - print (21.2 MB, 1641 pages):
-
Download the available IDL-MAPLE solutions - linked (4.4 MB, 507 pages):
-
Download the available IDL-MAPLE solutions - print (4.1 MB, 507 pages):
-
Download the available IDL-MATHEMATICA solutions - linked (4.5 MB, 509 pages):
-
Download the available IDL-MATHEMATICA solutions - print (4.2 MB, 509 pages):
-
Download the available IDL-MAXIMA solutions - linked (4.4 MB, 509 pages):
-
Download the available IDL MAXIMA solutions - print (4.2 MB, 509 pages):
-
Download the available LSODE solutions - linked (2.2 MB, 286 pages):
(includes IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE, and PYTHON graphics) -
Download the available LSODE aolutions - print (2.1 MB, 286 pages):
(includes IDL, MATLAB, OCTAVE, and PYTHON graphics) -
Download the available MATLAB-MAPLE solutions - linked (5.5 MB, 515 pages):
-
Download the available MATLAB-MAPLE solutions - print (5.3 MB, 515 pages):
-
Download the available MATLAB-MATHEMATICA solutions - linked (5.6 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available MATLAB-MATHEMATICA solutions - print (5.4 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available MATLAB-MAXIMA solutions - linked (5.6 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available MATLAB-MAXIMA soloutions -print (5.3 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available OCTAVE-MAPLE solutions - linked (5.5 MB, 515 pages):
-
Download the available OCTAVE-MAPLE solutions - print (5.3 MB, 515 pages):
-
Download the available OCTAVE-MATHEMATICA solutions - linked (5.6 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available OCTAVE-MATHEMATICA solutions - print (5.4 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available OCTAVE-MAXIMA solutions - linked (9.6 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available OCTAVE-MAXIMA solutions - print (9.4 MB, 519 pages):
-
Download the available PYTHON-MAPLE solutions -linked (5.7 MB, 513 pages):
-
Download the available PYTHON-MAPLE solutions - print (5.4 MB, 513 pages):
-
Download the available PYTHON-MATHEMATICA solutions - linked (5.8 MB, 517 pages):
-
Download the available PYTHON-MATHEMATICA solutions - print (5.5 MB, 517 pages):
-
Download the available PYTHON-MAXIMA solutions - linked (5.7 MB, 517 pages):
-
Download the available PYTHON-MAXIMA solutions - print (5.5 MB, 517 pages):
The Local Guide
This section provides links to the Local Guide used at Lawrence in the recent past as well as a link to a zipped file containing
- the source code for the Lawrence version of the Local Guide and
- a README file explaining how to use the source files to create a version appropriate for your site.
The described procedure assumes that you have a reasonably updated version of LaTeX installed in your system.
The linked and print versions are textually identical. In the linked versions, each internal reference (including those in the Table of Contents and Index) is hot-linked to the item to which the reference points. The print version contains no hot-links. The print versions are the better ones to download if you wish to print some or all of the version. The linked versions are better for viewing on the screen. All files are in PDF format.
Clicking on the icon next to an item brings up a box in which you can select either to open the file in an appropriate reader or download the file.
Other contributions by Professor Cook:
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.