This course gives a hands-on introduction to computational thinking
applied to
basic undergraduate physics. A strong emphasis is placed on translating
physics
problems into a form suitable for analysis on a computer, with visual
aids and
computer programming tools. The focus here is primarily to develop the
cognitive
skill of computational thinking in Physics rather than elaborate
numerical
methods or exhaustive study of Physics. Our approach to problem solving
is as
follows:
Formulate a basic problem that is amenable to full analytical
solution.
Translate the problem into a form that can be analyzed on a
computer,
first by visual tools followed by more sophisticated
computational
tools.
Design complementary computational approaches whose results can
be
subjected to test against the analytical solutions, thus
building
confidence and making transparent both the methods.
Exploit the confidence thus developed to tackle problems that
are not
amenable to a full analytical solution.