Looking for ideas for a physics related application

[LizR]

Hi! I am a computer science student and I want to program an application to improve my programming skills.
I am interested in physics and have taken 3 physics courses at University, and would like to look deeper into a specific area during this project. It can be an extensive project, as I have a one month break now and not many courses in my next semester.

I haven't come up with an idea and would be happy if anybody has some inspiration, or even a specific project they would like to be realized but haven't had the chance to do it yet!
I am interested in quantum physics and astrophysics, but open to any topic.
Thanks!

 

[berkeman]

Welcome to the PF.

Do you want to include a GUI interface and maybe some computer graphics? Maybe a Moon Lander type program?

 

[LizR]

Welcome to the PF.

Do you want to include a GUI interface and maybe some computer graphics? Maybe a Moon Lander type program?

Hi, thanks! :)
Do you mean this Moon Lander? http://moonlander.seb.ly

I think I'm more interested in something involving computing rather than a visual simulation, but I don't know much about what kind of physics related programs there are.. Maybe its mostly simulation?

 

[berkeman]

What math classes have you completed so far? Have you completed the first or second Differential Equations class? Have you learned anything about writing numerical simulation programs yet? Things like Numerical Methods and related subjects?

Have you taken a class in compilers yet? How about data structures? I found my compiler class in undergrad very interesting and challenging (we even wrote a small compiler -- what an eye-opener!).

 

[LizR]

We solved first order differential equations in our Analysis class, and I took a Numeric Algorithms class, in that we wrote a program that displays the Mandelbrot set. I've not taken a class on compilers, our school doesn't offer classes that go very deep into informatics because its a mixed course (its computer science + environmental studies)

What math classes have you completed so far? Have you completed the first or second Differential Equations class? Have you learned anything about writing numerical simulation programs yet? Things like Numerical Methods and related subjects?

Have you taken a class in compilers yet? How about data structures? I found my compiler class in undergrad very interesting and challenging (we even wrote a small compiler -- what an eye-opener!).

 

[anorlunda]

we wrote a program that displays the Mandelbrot set.

Wow. That would be fun to have on my phone. Modern phones have great screens able to show many colors.

 

[LizR]

Wow. That would be fun to have on my phone. Modern phones have great screens able to show many colors.

When I am home later I'll see if i still have it on my computer! But it doesn't run on the phone tho, its an .exe file

 

[anorlunda]

When I am home later I'll see if i still have it on my computer! But it doesn't run on the phone tho, its an .exe file

But you know how to write a new one. It would also need a GUI for controlling it on the phone. You could learn a lot by making that app.

 

[LizR]

But you know how to write a new one. It would also need a GUI for controlling it on the phone. You could learn a lot by making that app.

Thats a cool idea actually I think ill do that! I've always wanted to learn how to write an app!

 

[QuantumQuest]

Hi! I am a computer science student and I want to program an application to improve my programming skills.
I am interested in physics and have taken 3 physics courses at University, and would like to look deeper into a specific area during this project. It can be an extensive project, as I have a one month break now and not many courses in my next semester.

I haven't come up with an idea and would be happy if anybody has some inspiration, or even a specific project they would like to be realized but haven't had the chance to do it yet!
I am interested in quantum physics and astrophysics, but open to any topic.
Thanks!

I think that you may find this percolation project from Princeton interesting - the link is from Coursera, unless you have already done it :). I have done it start-to-finish in the past. The project is about writing a program in Java to estimate the value of the percolation threshold via Monte Carlo simulation.

 

[LizR]

I think that you may find this percolation project from Princeton interesting - the link is from Coursera, unless you have already done it :). I have done it start-to-finish in the past. The project is about writing a program in Java to estimate the value of the percolation threshold via Monte Carlo simulation.

That looks really interesting, thanks!

 

[sysprog]

Thats a cool idea actually I think ill do that! I've always wanted to learn how to write an app!

here's a place to get started: https://developer.android.com/studio/intro/