Welcome to Matthew S. Norton's physics homepage
What is computational physics?
Computational physics is the study and implementation of numerical algorithms in order to solve problems in physics for which a quantitative theory already exists.
For more information, you can visit This Wikipedia article.
Source Code
Physics Classes
PHY 112: Physics for Scientists and Engineers, III
- CL-2: Simple Pendulum, with Euler Method
- CL-3: Simple Pendulum, with Euler and Euler-Cromer Method
- CL-4: Simple Pendulum, with Euler and Feynman-Newton Method
- CL-5: Model of an NG-5 filter with of scattering probability of 53%
PHY 206: Chaos and Complexity
PHY 220: Mechanics I
- 1-D Motion: RK4 for 1-D Motion with Linear Drag
- 2-D Motion: RK4 for 2-D motion with no drag for inputted launch angle
- 2-D Motion: RK4 for 2-D motion with no drag for launch angles between 0° and 90°
- 2-D Motion: RK4 for 2-D motion with linear drag for inputted launch angle
- 2-D Motion: RK4 for 2-D motion with linear drag for launch angles between 0° and 90°
PHY 284: Quantum Mechanics I
- Schrõdinger Equation: RK4 for solving the Schrõdinger equation for the finite square well
- Schrõdinger Equation: RK4 for solving the Schrõdinger equation for the quantum harmonic oscillator
PHY 318: Methods of Computational Physics
- Machine Epsilon: Find the smallest number your computer can add to one and have the result be greater than one
- Largest Real Number: calculates the largest number that your computer can represent using floating point notation
- Smallest Real Number: calculates the smallest number that your computer can represent using floating point notation
- Subtractive Cancellation Error: When 1.01 - 1 ≠ 0.01
- Approximating the Derivative: Approximates the derivative of cos(1.0)
- Numerical Integration: Performs Simpson's method integration on data from a file
- Numerical Integration: Performs Gaussian integration with two nodes
- Differential Equations: Uses the Euler method to solve the equation dM/dt = −0.2*M
- Differential Equations: Uses the RK4 algorithm to solve the Morse potential
- Fast Fourier Transform: Performs a Fourier transform on a set of data
- Random Numbers: Tests two algorithms for obtaining random numbers
PHY 330: Optics
- Laser Cooling: A 2-D model of the cooling of a cesium atom using photons
- Addition of Phasors: Find the sum of n phasors for different angles between them
PHY 380.03: Nonlinear Dynamics
- Lyapunov Characteristic Exponent: Find the LCE of the magnetic neutral line field (needs DLSODE integrator)
- Magnetic Neutral Line Field: Numerically solve magnetic neutral line field (needs DLSODE integrator)
- Cellular Automaton: An attempt to model the B-Z reaction with cellular automata
PHY 384: Quantum Mechanics 2
PHY 388: Advanced Computational Physics
- Scattering of Photons: A 1-D model of the scattering of photons in a scattering medium
- Scattering of Photons: A 1-D model of the scattering of photons in a scattering medium
- ANN Learning an OR Gate: A simulation of delta rule learning using ANN
- ANN Learning an NXOR Gate: A simulation of delta rule learning using ANN
- Stock Market: A simulation of delta rule learning using ANN to learn the stock market
- Predicting Stock Market: Predicting the DJIA using weights found in previous program
- FFT of a |Ψ(x,t=0)|2: Fourier transform a wave function to find how it looks in momentum space
- FFT of a |Ψ(x,t)|2: Fourier transform a wave function to find how it evolves in time
- FFT of a |Ψ(x,t)|2: Fourier transform a wave function to find how it´s mean position and standard deviation evolve in time
PHY 390: Stock Portfolio Optimization
- Get possible weights for portfolio containing 10 stocks
- How stable is your portfolio? How much will a portfolio fluctuate under random fluctuations of the stock market?
Mathematics Classes
MAT 340: Differential Equations I
- Simple Pendulum: Numerical model of a simple pendulum
- Spring with Drag: Numerical model of a spring with drag
Experiments with C Programming
- Temperature Conversion>: Make a table of Fahrenheit and Celcius Temperatures
- xn: Raise an integer to an integer power
Spare Time Programing
- Thin Lens Equation: Solve for object location, the image location, or the focal length
- Geometric Equation: Find the area or volume of various shapes
- Pythagorean Theory Solver: Calculate one side of a right triangle when given the other 2 sides
- Transpose of a Matrix: Find the transpose of an n×n matrix
- Quadratic Equation: Use the quadratic equation to find the roots of a polynomial