Course Instructor

Name:

Yurai Núñez Rodríguez

Email:

yurai [at] cs.queensu.ca

Website:

www.cs.queensu.ca/home/yurai

Office hours:

Wednesdays 4:00pm to 6:00pm, at Goodwin Hall 533. For other hours feel free to contact me by email. I am also available for answering questions right after every session or anytime you see me around.

Notice: if you come to my office hours after 5pm, you may find the hallway door closed. Please, call my office phone ext: 74671, or if you know in advance at what time you are coming, write me an email and I will open the door for you at the requested time.

Teaching Assistants (2)

Name:

Tony Kuo

Email:

kuo [at] cs.queensu.ca

Office hours:

Thursdays 1:00pm to 2:00pm, at Goodwin Hall 621

Name:

Hung Tam

Email:

tam [at] cs.queensu.ca

Office hours:

Thursdays 4:00pm to 5:00pm, at Goodwin Hall 627

Course Description

Scientific Computing encompasses a broad range of techniques to develop computer programs with a certain level of mathematical complexity. This course will cover those techniques known as numerical analysis or numerical methods.

One of the main challenges when using computers to solve mathematical problems is that often there is no analytical solution or there is one but it is too complicated. Consequently, no simple formula can be implemented to solve such problem. Moreover, standard computer architectures only allow for finite precision computations, which make it harder to simulate phenomena from our continuous world, even in the presence of analytical solutions.

In order to test, implement, and analyze various numerical techniques, we will use MATLAB as an interactive tool and programming language.

For a list of those topics that will be covered see our tentative weekly schedule.

Prerequisites

CISC 101* or 121*; MATH 111 and 121 or equivalents. (Programming, Algebra and Calculus).

Note: If you are taking MATH 272* you are excluded from this course.

Goals

By the end of the course the student will:

• Be able to write programs in MATLAB and use several numerical techniques available from the MATLAB platform.

• Be able to learn how to solve numerical problems using other mathematical software on his/her own.

• Have learnt a set of mathematical tools that can be applied in multiple scientific and engineering environments.

• Know how to identify and solve numerical problems.

• Be able to design more robust and correct computer programs.

• Be one more step towards being an accomplished programmer.

Our approach

• There will be three 50-minute sessions per week.

• Sessions will be as interactive as possible. This means that student's participation will be key part of the sessions. Discussions are encouraged. We will also do some other activities during the sessions; for example, group work, and brainstorming.

• Whenever a new topic is introduced, I will relate it to material that we have already covered, so I will ask simple review questions.

• Most of the new material will be introduced together with small size practical examples/problems.

• During the sessions, we will use PowerPoint slides and MATLAB hands on demonstrations. Theoretical results will be derived using the blackboard. Slides and MATLAB scripts/programs will be available online after each session.

Bibliography

Textbook

G. Recktenwald, Numerical Methods with MATLAB: Implementation and Application, Prentice Hall, 2000. -This book can be bought from campus book store. Used copies may also be available as it has been used as textbook for this course over the last 3 years. A copy is available in reserve at Douglas library for a 3-hour sign out.

Other books

C. B. Moler, Numerical Computing with MATLAB, SIAM, 2004. -This book is free to download from the Mathworks website . A hard copy is available in reserve at Douglas library for a 3-hour sign out.

S. C. Chapra, Applied Numerical Methods with MATLAB, McGraw-Hill, 2006.

R. L. Burden, and J. D. Faires, Numerical Analysis, 7th Ed., Brooks Cole, 2000.

S. M. Dunn, A. Constantinides, and P. V. Moghe, Numerical methods in Biomedical Engineering, Elsevier Academic Press, 2005.

Other Resources

• MATLAB: installed on CasLab computers.

• WebCT: for news, class materials, assignments, marks, this syllabus, etc.

• Lecture notes for CISC 271 Scientific Computing, by Randy Ellis.

• Scientific Computing on the WWW:

  • MATLAB website at Mathworks.

  • Recktenwald's book website.

  • www.scientific-computing.com, for an update on recent events related to Scientific Computing.

  • Others... -Most contemporary editions of Numerical Analysis books are complemented with a set of exercises and notes available online, just find the book/author website and off you go! You can also find plenty of MATLAB books and manuals online.

Assessment and Evaluations

• Homework exercises will be oriented on a systematic basis. Homework will be part of the student assessment and the solutions will be discussed in class; most likely on the session right before each quiz.

• There will be an in class quiz every 3 weeks for a total of 4 quizzes.

• There will be two MATLAB assignments for students to complete individually. Assignments will be submitted through WebCT according to the provided instructions. Late submissions will be penalized at a rate of 20% (of the total assignment value) per day.

• In class participation will be rewarded as well. Students should have 10 in class interventions to obtain the highest participation mark. Students are allowed a maximum of 2 intervention per class. At the end of each session the students who participated will approach me so I can keep records.

The grading scheme will be:

• 60% quizzes (15% each)

• 30% Assignments (15% each)

• 10% Participation in classes

Academic integrity

Five core fundamental values: honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (as specified by the Faculty Academic Regulation 1)