2012-2013 Academic Catalog 
    
    Mar 28, 2024  
2012-2013 Academic Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

CSCI 110 - Diving into Research: Scientific Computing

Type of Course: Seminar
Scientific Computing has become an important tool for scientists.  Many laboratory experiments are often too expensive and not sufficiently accurate, while computers are cheap, powerful and accurate.  Some experimental conditions are impossible to achieve in a laboratory, but can easily be simulated using a computer.  In many cases, computations based on accurate mathematical models can inform scientists how to set up a correct experiment, in order to achieve a desirable outcome.  We will explore some of those ideas using mathematical models of plasmas.  Plasmas have become a big part of our lives.  Plasma televisions, plasma lights, the heat around the space shuttle and communication blackout caused by plasma, laser treatments in medicine, and production of microchips for computers are just a few familiar applications of plasmas.  Using computational methods, students will obtain plasmas with certain properties by studying mathematical models that desscribe the experiments.  Note:  the yearlong course is 0.5 credit per semester, and the full year is necessaey to obtain credit. CSCI 110 does not satisfy any requirement of the CSCI major.