ASTR615: Computational Astrophysics (Fall 2007)
Basic course information is available here. The complete syllabus (with course schedule) is here.
What's New?
| 12/18: | Final exam and solutions posted. |
|---|---|
| 12/17: | Happy Holidays everyone! |
| 12/16: | Good luck on the final! |
| 12/16: | Problem set #7 solutions posted. |
| 12/7: | Problem set #6 solutions posted. |
| 12/6: | E.F.T.S. work due no later than Friday December 14 (5 pm). |
| 12/6: | Problem set #7 due date postponed to Friday December 14 (5 pm). |
| 11/26: | Problem set #6 due date postponed to Thursday November 29! |
| 11/26: | Please fill out a course evaluation (available 11/27-12/12). |
| 11/26: | Problem set #7 posted. |
| 11/24: | Added new link on "magic algorithms"... |
| 11/20: | Problem set #5 solutions posted. |
| 11/19: | Revised schedule to allow for Thanksgiving! |
Homework
| No. | Assigned | Due | Problem Set | Solutions | Extras |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Sep 6 | Sep 18 | HTML/PDF/PS | HTML/PDF/PS | |
| #2 | Sep 18 | Oct 2 | HTML/PDF/PS | HTML/PDF/PS | ps2.dat |
| #3 | Oct 2 | Oct 23 | HTML/PDF/PS | HTML/PDF/PS | ps3.dat |
| #4 | Oct 16 | Oct 30 | HTML/PDF/PS | HTML/PDF/PS | |
| #5 | Oct 30 | Nov 13 | HTML/PDF/PS | HTML/PDF/PS | |
| #6 | Nov 13 | Nov 29 | HTML/PDF/PS | HTML/PDF/PS | movie (MPEG) |
| #7 | Nov 27 | Dec 14, 5 pm | HTML/PDF/PS | HTML/PDF/PS | movie (GIF) |
Exams
Tutorials
Useful Links
- Numerical Recipes:
- The main Numerical Recipes webpage is here.
- Discussion about the new 3rd edition is here.
- Links to the old 2nd editions (including free access to the text) are here.
- For Astronomy students, the NRiC2 and NRiF2 source code is available in /local/src/lib/NumRecC/ and /local/src/lib/NumRecF/, respectively.
- Hints on using NRiC2 routines.
- Doubts about Numerical Recipes? Read their response to critics.
- Alternatives to Numerical Recipes:
- The Gnu Scientific Library is often included with Linux operating systems. To use it, follow these steps:
- In your C source file, #include <gsl/gsl_*.h>, where * is based on the name of the GSL function you want to use (consult the website for a list of functions).
- Call the needed function(s) in your code.
- Add -lgsl -lgslcblas -lm to the end of your compile line.
- Commercial packages include MATLAB, Mathematica, IDL, etc. The University has licenses available for products like these in various forms (check with your department system administrator).
- The Gnu Scientific Library is often included with Linux operating systems. To use it, follow these steps:
- Hints on using Makefiles.
- There is free version of IDL available: GDL.
- Useful Linux animation links (other platforms may be supported):
- IEEE 754 format for floating point numbers.
- And here's some code I wrote (float.c) to display floats in binary format.
- Try this code (paranoia.c) if you don't think your computer is doing math properly.
Magic algorithms (handle with care!).
- And if your brain's not hurting yet, try this! (fast inverse square root).
- Java-based LINPACK benchmark.
- All kinds of neat code.
- Handy random number generator resources.
- HotBits: genuine random numbers generated by radioactive decay.
- N-body resources:
- MODEST/MANYBODY (includes a link to NEMO).
- The N-body Shop (University of Washington).
- Fluid dynamics resources:
- CFD Online.
- Zeus & Athena.
- Gadget & Flash.
