Section outline

  • Welcome to the Second Part of the Programming Course

    This second part of the course shifts to a new format, focused on simulations and their role in Physics. The objective is to learn how to translate physical models into code and to explore their behavior through computation.

    Curriculum

    Over the next sessions, we will cover several major simulation techniques used in Physics:

    • Integration of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs),

    • Integration of Partial Differential Equations (PDEs),

    • Monte Carlo methods,

    • … and possibly an additional advanced topic to be announced later.

    These methods form the backbone of many computational approaches in modern Physics.

    Structure of the Sessions

    Each session will follow a clear sequence, designed to make the most of your preparation and class time:

    Preparation before Class

    • Before each session, you are expected to read the corresponding sections of the lecture notes.

    • The notes contain the basic concepts, illustrative examples, and skeletons of code that will help you get started.

    • While reading, take notes of anything that is unclear or raises questions.

    Q&A and Clarification

    • Each session begins with a short discussion and clarification period.

    • We will address your questions and the points you found challenging during your preparation.

    Practical work

    • After the Q&A, you will move on to the practical exercises.

    • These exercises are designed to make you apply what you’ve learned, step by step.

    • You will work independently and actively at your computer: running, modifying, and testing code to solve the problem at hand.

    Guidance and Support

    • During the practicals, your instructor will be there to guide you, answer questions, and give feedback.

    • The goal is not to provide ready-made solutions, but to help you find your own way to tackle the problems.

    How to get the most of the sessions

    • Preparation is essential: read the lecture notes carefully before coming to class.

    • Stay active: coding is a skill you build by doing, not by passively reading.

    • Ask questions: during both the Q&A and the practicals.

    • Discuss with your peers: explaining your reasoning or asking for someone else’s perspective often helps to clarify difficult points.

    Final Advice

    This part of the course is designed to make you autonomous in using simulations as a physicist’s tool. The lecture notes give you the foundation, but the real learning happens when you experiment, make mistakes, correct them, and try again.

    Let’s get started with simulations!