Introduction to Scientific Computation

This is an introductory course in computer programming for students interested in numerical and scientific computation. Emphasis will be placed on problems drawn from the sciences. Many mathematical models of the behavior of complex natural systems have no closed-form solution, and computational modeling is needed for data exploration and to obtain approximate solutions. The course discusses different models and approximation methods, how to implement them as computer programs, and the factors that influence approximation quality. Topics include computer representation of floating-point numbers and data, computer program design and control flow, data visualization, nonlinear equations, systems of linear equations and least-squares, and Fourier analysis, with additional topics as time allows. Students will write programs in the Python programming language, primarily.

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