Module Information
Module Identifier
PH15700
Module Title
INTRODUCTION TO COMPUTATIONAL AND EXPERIMENTAL PHYSICS
Academic Year
2010/2011
Co-ordinator
Semester
Semester 1 (Taught over 2 semesters)
Other Staff
Course Delivery
| Delivery Type | Delivery length / details |
|---|---|
| Practical |
Assessment
| Assessment Type | Assessment length / details | Proportion |
|---|
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this module students should be able to:
Brief description
Experimentation is a fundamental part of the physical sciences process. It allows us to understand the world around us, to develop theories and to test those theories. However, in recent years, computational physics has added a new dimension to this area because the power of modern computers and software has made realistic simulations of complex phenomena possible. This has widened the areas that are accessible to physicsits as well as introducing a new discipline, computational physics, into the curriculum. The widespread use of computer modelling in industrial, financial and managerial areas has meant that students with these skills are in very demand. This module will, over two semesters, introduce physics undergraduates to the key areas of computational physics and experimentation which can be used to understand the world around us, and learn how to use the power of computational physics to enhance the design and interpretation of experimental results.
Module Skills
| Skills Type | Skills details |
|---|---|
| Application of Number | In essence, physics is based on the use of mathematics and experimental physics on the manipulation of number. Application of number is a central part of this module |
| Communication | Students will keep laboratory diaries and write reports on experiments |
| Improving own Learning and Performance | Students will generally do experiments in groups of two and we would encourage co-operation in the solution of modeling problems |
| Information Technology | Mathematical modeling is depent on the use of computers. In the experimental physics, students use Excel and Easyplot to analyse data and will be expected to word precess their lab reports |
| Personal Development and Career planning | Students will be exposed to an area of application that they will have only encountered as demonstrate. In this module the goal is to develop the experimental discipline, enquiring mind and academic rigour neccessary for succesful completion of the physics courses, |
| Problem solving | This is developed in the computational physics side of the module. Students will attend weekly problem solving workshops |
| Research skills | Students will be expected to research the background to experiments. |
| Subject Specific Skills | Design and performance of experiments and analysis of experimental uncertainty. |
Notes
This module is at CQFW Level 4