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SYLLABUS
| instructor: |
Pablo Laguna |
| www: |
http://www.astro.psu.edu/~pablo/ |
| email: |
pablo@astro.psu.edu |
| phone: |
(814) 863-8470 |
| office: |
424 Davey Lab |
| schedule: |
T R 2:30-3:45, 216 osmond
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| office hours: |
T R 11:00-12:00 or by appoitment
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| textbook: |
Numerical Recipes, 3nd Edition, by William H. Press,
Saul A. Teukolsky, William T. Vetterling and Brian P. Flannery
(Combridge University Press, 2007)
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software:
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Matlab
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OBJECTIVE:
Applications of numerical methods and computer programming to
astrophysics, including stellar physics, cosmology and gravitation.
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HOMEWORK:
THREE homework assignments will be given during the semester. Homework
problems will typically require writing computer programs based on the
numerical algorithms discussed in class. Students are NOT allowed to
consult with other students. Computer programs MUST be written
completely from scratch, with the essential steps fully commented. The
structure of the program can, however, be based, if necessary, on
programs written or discussed by the instructor. The instructor
reserves the right to request the student the reproduction of results
submitted in homework assignments. Delays in the submission of homework
sets will be penalized 2 points per day.
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PROJECT:
The topic for the research project MUST be in Astrophysics, Cosmology
or Gravitation. It should clearly demonstrate the need to be studied
numerically. The project will be presented in the final week of the
semeter in an oral presentation. The grade for the research project is
determined from the oral presentation which MUST address descriptions
of (1) the nature of the problem, (2) the numerical technique used, (3)
code tests, (4) results and (5) discussion. In addition to the
presentation the student MUST submit the code used to obtain the
results of the project.
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GRADING:
| Assignments |
Points |
| Homework 1 |
20
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| Homework 2 |
20 |
Homework 3
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20
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Project
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40
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| Total |
100
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Grades for each exam will be computed on a 0-100 point
scale. The final grade is assigned using the following conversion
table. Plus/minus letter grades are used only for borderline cases.
Grade
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Score range
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| A |
100 - 87 |
| B |
86 - 75 |
| C |
74 - 65 |
| D |
64 - 55 |
| F |
55 - 0 |
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ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
All Penn State, Eberly College of Science, and Astronomy Department
policies regarding ethics and honorable behavior apply to this course.
These can be found at
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