What is Computational: Definition and 318 Discussions

Computation is any type of calculation that includes both arithmetical and non-arithmetical steps and which follows a well-defined model (e.g. an algorithm).
Mechanical or electronic devices (or, historically, people) that perform computations are known as computers. An especially well-known discipline of the study of computation is computer science.

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  1. D

    How is computational complexity determined?

    like for any algorithm? On wikipedia it lists for multiplication it's O(n^2) but some of them have decimals like O(5/2n^2.2342) or something so how would you determine that? Just use a computer and make a graph of input in bytes vs time in seconds and fit a curve to it? Like I understand for...
  2. G

    Is there anyone who is good at computational physics?

    Homework Statement I tried to solve mechanical system of particles. I first tried with two particles rotating with respect to each other. Of course, i solved this using computer with Runge kutta 4th order method. Here's the problem. I used the same method in C and Mathematica. In mathematica it...
  3. B

    Will Pure Mathematics Benefit My Physics Studies?

    I've been interested in math and physics, and I already have a pretty good list of pure math books I'm going to read. (I'm about to start Spivak's "Calculus".) However, I also want to learn about physics, so I would like some recommendations for math books that are more "computational". I'm not...
  4. K

    Computational neuroscience & neuroinformatics

    Hi all, i'm finishing my master studies this year (physics) and I'm planning to go into grad school next year. Does anybody know which US universities have strong programs & research in computational neuroscience and neuroinformatics? my current theme of research is brain funcional connectivity...
  5. L

    What is Computational Astrophysics and How Can It Benefit My Future in Research?

    I know roughly what Computational Astrophysics is but if someone would like to explain it in depth it would be appreciated. To me this seems like a cool field of study and I want to consider doing graduate research on this. Are there are particular classes I MUST take as an undergrad to...
  6. E

    Computational Physics MATLAB

    Using Matlab to solve for the satellite motion in a central gravitational field F=-GmM r/r2. Motion is in a plane.Variables are position(x,y),velocity(vx,vy) and accelration (ax,ay). Apply the leapfrog method.I need the theoretical solution alone to input into Matlab. Thanks.
  7. L

    Computational Geometry - 3D Point-in-Polygon Algorithm

    Hi all, I am in the middle of writing a piece of scientific software which needs to know where a particle at (x,y,z) is in relation to a 3-D model. This part of the code needs to know what object (x,y,z) is inside, and which objects are next to that object containing the particle for when...
  8. N

    Computational Physics Courses for Engineering Students

    Hi All. I'm an engineering student switching over to physics. I was wondering what would be some of the courses that I would have to take if I wanted to get proficient at crudely modeling physical phenomenon...e.g collapse of a proto solar disk...formation of planets, impacts of comets etc...
  9. L

    Help me come up with a computational physics project

    Homework Statement I am taking a computational physics course right now and we have to do a project for the semester. I have been trying to think of a project to do. It can be a pretty wide range of things. So far we have been doing various numerical approximations with different...
  10. W

    Exploring Computational Physics with Python

    Hello, I have recently become interested in computational physics. I know a good deal of Mathematica. Recently I have heard great things about Python. My questions are: 1) How useful is Python in computation? 2) Would there be a better program to learn instead of Python for computation? Any...
  11. W

    Programs in Computational Physics

    Hi all. This question has been asked previously on this forum but there was no reply I think. Which are the good programs for computational physics? I did (am doing) my Bachelor's and Master's in Aerospace Engineering from IIT Bombay. I got interested in CFD at first, but then my senior thesis...
  12. B

    Physics Computational Physics: Careers & Demand - Brin

    I *think* I am interested in Computational Physics, from what I have seen around from Googling the topic, as well as from some YouTube videos. I was wondering what kind of careers are available for someone interested in Computational Physics (I want to do something in research) and are...
  13. Z

    Math Prospects for computational math majors

    Recently I was asking myself this question too often: who would realistically hire a candidate with B.S. in computational mathematics alone w/o any experience? I understand that there is a math major and there is a computer science major. Computational math seems to be something in between...
  14. A

    AI vs. Computational Neuroscience

    I'm thinking about taking either one of these. What's your opinion on both of them, and which one will have a greater impact on the world? I know that's a vague question, but I'll explain: AI is rife with false-starts and disillusionments along the way. I guess neuroscience might be "safer"...
  15. Cincinnatus

    Key papers in computational neuroscience

    The following email was sent out via the computational neuroscience mailing list [Comp-neuro]. Since Comp-neuro is a public list I think it is fine to repost this here (I am not the author). Perhaps someone will find this useful... -Cincinnatus...
  16. L

    Computational math vs. computer science

    i want to get into computers but i want to major in math some schools I'm interested in offer things like computational math for example, a school i might attend offers a few math majors pure math applied math math-computer science and math-scientific computation the latter...
  17. M

    Schools Advice on Applying to a PhD Program in Computational Biology

    Hello everyone, I'm in my 4th year of college as a Biological Science major with a minor in Mathematics and am ready to apply to a PhD program in Computational Biology and Molecular Biophysics at my current institution. Overall, I have about 3.6 with a lot of basic sciences at a Community...
  18. S

    Help in Python for Computational Physics

    Hi, I am in a computational physics class and we are programming projectile motion in python. I do not know why I am having such a hard time at this, but I cannot get my programs to work. Homework Statement Calculate the effect of backspin on a fastball. How much does an angular velocity of...
  19. K

    Skills to study computational biology?

    Hi. I just finished medical school and I want to start studying computational biology (and maybe pursue a PhD at systems biology). I have a very good level of physiology knowledge but, as most medical students, I am not good at mathematics. So every time I start reading a book, I mess it up when...
  20. M

    How important is computational skill to become a mathematician?

    I love doing proofs, but hate doing computational questions. If I become very good with proofs but remain just so-so with calculational problems, can I still become a good mathematician? My favourite subject is topology.
  21. I

    Computational project in quantum physics

    The professor of my undergrad quantum course said that I could get some extra credit if I did some sort of outside project and presented it to the class (for example, for my E&M Professor I built a Tesla Coil). Since it will be somewhat difficult to do something physical/hands on for quantum...
  22. Greg Bernhardt

    Introduction to Computational Physics

    A complete set of lecture notes for an upper-division computational physics course. Topics covered include scientific programming in C, the numerical solution of ordinary and partial differential equations, particle-in-cell codes, and Montecarlo methods...
  23. T

    Selectivity of computational physics vs. theoretical vs. experimental?

    Pretty much every professor in my physics department has said that it when it comes to American physics graduate school, it is harder to get in as a theory student than as an experimentalist. Do graduate programs consider computational physics, numerical material sciences, etc... essentially...
  24. Astronuc

    CFD - Computational Fluid Dynamics

    There are a few threads in this forum about CFD, but I thought I'd establish one for a general discussion of CFD methods and applications and tie it in with others as appropriate. In the December '07 issue of Aerospace America in the Aerospace Sciences section is a short article on the recent...
  25. C

    How to find computational complexity?

    If i have a program, how can i find the computational complexity? is there some other program i can run in the background?
  26. S

    Java Java and other high level languages for computational science

    Hi, I'm interested in pursuing a career in computational science and numerical computing and so on. I'm looking for some fairly general advice on how to direct my studies. I started learning programming in java, which I very much prefer to program in these days, having had some exposure to...
  27. R

    Biophysics? Computational Neuroscience? M-Theory?

    Ok here's the scoop. I'm fresh out of high school and starting my first year at college. Before I get too deep into one particular area and get stuck I was hoping I could get some help here and some useful advice from you guys. Bottomline: I love math and I love physics and as of right now I...
  28. B

    Computational Fluid Dynamics - Introduction

    Hi, hope this is the right area for this. I'm currently doing preliminary research for my computer science dissertation. I'm thinking of doing something in CFD...either representing the effects of wind on fur, or simulating a river flowing. Most CFD 'googles' have resulted in me finding...
  29. Astronuc

    Introductory Course in Computational Physics/Engineering

    Computational Physics: http://farside.ph.utexas.edu/teaching/329/lectures/lectures.html An introductory course Integration of ODEs The chaotic pendulum Poisson's equation The diffusion equation The wave equation Particle-in-cell codes Monte-Carlo methods All very...
  30. K

    Computational Science: Job Security & Salary for Students

    How is the job security, and/or salary for a student studying computational science?
  31. S

    Computational Physics Project Ideas

    I am in need of a project that needs to be based around "computational physics" firstly, can someone define "computational physics" for me? My best understanding is that it's the physics that have more to do with math and equations versus physical exploitations. secondly, does anyone have...
  32. C

    Programs Computational Physics degree: what do you guys think?

    On the surface, Computational Physics appeals to me a lot. I'm very interested in physics, computer programming, creating simulations of mechanical systems, and games programming. However, I don't really know what Computational Physics is. What would I learn? How attractive would I be to...
  33. B

    Computational problems in Fluids and Fields

    Hi there - I'm new to the forum... I need help! I have to research an interesting problem in the topic of fluids and fields which can be solved/investigated through Computational methods. To do this we're supposed to use google - but it's just not coming up with anything. Any suggestions...
  34. G

    Understanding the Importance of Hessian in Computational Chemistry Simulations

    Hi, First I hope it is okay to post the problem here(?). I have some general questions regarding the use of software for chemistry simulations - my questions are more fundamental than software specific. I would like to simulate a chemical reaction - so I should be searching for the saddle...
  35. I

    Can Randomness Improve Computational Power for Turing Machines?

    I would like to start a discussion that summarizes the main computational challenges regarding Turing machines, so my question is: what are the current computational problems which are widely recognized do not have any efficient solution in a probabilistic turing machine. Maybe you can answer...
  36. S

    MATLAB Exploring Resources and Differences in Computational Physics -MATLAB vs C++

    Hello, I have to write a MATLAB program for a problem that utilizes a M-function. I was curious if you guys knew of any good websites that have some sample code for such problems. Also, I am somewhat familiar with programming in C++. How much does MATLAB differ from this language? Any help is...
  37. C

    What is the lowest known complexity for multiplication?

    'Schoolbook' multiplication takes O(n^2) operations. Karatsuba multiplication takes O(n^{\lg 3})\approx O(n^{1.59}) operations. The best method I know of (which is only practical for very large numbers) is O(n \log n \log\log n). Is there a known nontrivial lower bound on the complexity of...
  38. F

    Computational Physics can be frustrating sometimes

    Computational Physics can be frustrating sometimes... Just realized that my past eleven weeks of work has been entirely invalidated due to single error in my simulation inputs. Arrrg. :grumpy: :grumpy: :grumpy: :grumpy: On the upside, I think I've got the process down now, so its just a...
  39. N

    Medical JC #6: Computational Neuroscience Papers

    M&B Journal Club: I hope this will be thread #6, if not please rename it appropriately. Date: First week of Sept 06. Topic: Computational Neuroscience Papers Papers: I will attempt to present 2(maybe 3 papers) on the topic above, all models using Neural nets. The first Paper deals with...
  40. Q

    Programs Computational Simulations and a Phyiscs Phd

    I will be applying to graduate school this coming winter, and I'm having difficulty deciding what field I should be directing my effort towards. My background: I have a bachelor's a physics, and my senior project was to write an N-body program that simulated galaxy collisions with the inclusion...
  41. D

    What Can Computational Physics do besides Numerical Integration?

    Are there many interesting computational physics problems out there? Are there any comet trajectories that will deviate from a standard ellipse? For some reason plotting the path of a baseball just doesn't spark my interest.
  42. P

    Can a Large Matrix Allocation Cause a Windows Error in Circuit Simulation?

    Hey, In doing a circuit simulation i want to allocate a matrix like this (c++) double S1store[3][steps+1] i get no compiling errors, but if i make steps greater then 28000 the program gives me a windows error and crashes, it runs fine on a unix system. is there a limit to the amount of...
  43. Astronuc

    Computational Material Science

    The Computational Materials Science Group at NREL performs state-of-the-art theoretical calculations to develop the scientific basis for selection and optimization of the materials used in modern optoelectronic device applications. http://www.nrel.gov/basic_sciences/technology.cfm/tech=7...
  44. S

    Possible job opportunities for those with a Computational Math degree?

    I'm currently a second-semester student at a Penn State branch campus and am kind of at a crossroads as far as my major is concerned. I consider myself pretty talented in mathematics and am very interested in math in general (and possibly teaching at the high school level or maybe at the college...
  45. JasonJo

    Computational Geometry Help

    Why is a Milk Carton an example of a nonconvex polyhedron such that the sum of the face angles around each vertex is no more than 360 degrees. - I don't know how a milk carton qualifies as a nonconvex polyhedron. isn't every face a convex polygon? Is it possible to have a polyhedron with 7...
  46. Astronuc

    Computational Science and Engineering

    I found this of interest at Cornell. It's worth checking out! http://www.cis.cornell.edu/cse/overview.htm and one of the readings Graduate Education for Computational Science and Engineering from the Society of Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)...
  47. J

    Good graduate computational physics programs?

    Hi everyone! I'm currently searching for good graduate computational physics programs, so if anyone can name a few, I'd greatly appreciate it. Thanks!
  48. C

    Jobs for Comp. Physics: Computational Science

    What kind of jobs would someone focused in computational science (or more specifically comp. physics) be able to fill?
  49. G

    Any computational chemists have any advice?

    I am trying to do a QST2 calculation on two geometry optimized structures that I obtained by doing DFT calcs. The QST2 calc runs fine and finds 1 imaginary frequency resulting in a transition state that appears reasonable. However, when I pick points to the "left" and "right" of the transition...
  50. S

    Learn Computational Physics: Best Language & Packages for Computer Simulations

    Perhaps this isn't in the right section, although I couldn't think of a better one. If I wanted to start working on computer simulations, what language and packages should I pursue? I know the blog highlighted Python, but after a point, it has its limits. I was thinking C++ or Java, as I already...
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