ASTR 288P: UNIX and Scientific Programming (Fall 2016)

Syllabus

Fall 2016 was the first time this class is being taught. A more advanced version of this class is ASTR415 (Computational Astrophysics). For ASTR288P the goal will be for the student to be comfortable using UNIX (Linux or Mac terminal, lab machines runs Scientific Linux 6.7), solving scientific problems using the python and C languages and visualizing their results. Students will also be made comfortable installing and using open source software, which includes collaborating and sharing their own code. Exact details of the material covered will depend on existing level of experience of the class participants. Students can also elect to work on their own laptop (Mac or Linux, no Windows), but must be comfortable with ssh executing programs on the lab machines.

This is a graded course, with a strong in-class participation expected.
Some work will be done in class, with some independent work expected offline (up to 2 hours/week).
Homeworks (every 3 weeks) are due at beginning of class, as noted in the schedule
Effective Code Comments are strongly emphasized, as your code will be inspected, for grading.

This page was last modified on 20-Jan-2017 by teuben@astro.umd.edu.