Applied Physics 461b/861b

COMPUTATIONAL PHYSICS

Assignment 3

due Wednesday, February 5, 1997

Reading

  1. Gould and Tobochnik Chapter 3 and Chapter 5.1-5.3, 5.5, 5.6, and Appendix 5A.
  2. optional (for Problem 2): R. Lefever and G. Nicolis, ``Chemical instabilities and sustained oscillations,'' J. Theor. Biol. 30, 267 (1971) (pick up a copy at Thursday, January 30 meeting).

1. Projectile motion with and without air resistance

As an exercise in integrating Newton's second law as a set of coupled first-order equations, do Problem 3.5a. If you like, you may translate and modify the program drag.f (p. 45) and the Euler-Richardson subroutine er.f (p.49). After running the suggested checks with air resistance set to zero, repeat the computations for C = k_2/m = 0.01 and 0.1, and comment.

2. Chemical oscillations

Do Project 5.1. You may write the program completely from scratch, modify your previously written programs or make use of library subroutines. Before attempting parts c and d, be sure to check that your program works for some simple case (such as setting the initial values of X and Y equal to the steady state values).