Since the mid 1980s, the Lawrence Department of Physics has been striving to embed the use of general purpose graphical, symbolic, and numeric computational tools throughout our curriculum. Developed with support from the National Science Foundation, the Keck Foundation, and Lawrence University, our approach involves introducing freshman to tools for data acquisition and analysis, offering sophomores a course that introduces them to symbolic, numerical, and visualization tools, incorporating computational approaches alongside traditional approaches to problems in many intermediate and advanced courses, and making computational resources available so that students come to see them as tools to be used routinely on their own initiative whenever that use seems appropriate. A flexible text that is microscopically customizable to reflect many different choices of hardware and software is now complete. Details about the Lawrence curricular approach and about the text are posted on the project web site at www.lawrence.edu/dept/physics/ccli.

Underlying Convictions

Students must learn to use:

• an operating system

• a good text editor

• a spreadsheet

• an array/number processor

• a computer algebra system

• a visualization tool

• a standard computational language

• a technical publishing system

Students must learn to use these tools for

• solving algebraic equations

• solving ODEs and PDEs

• evaluating integrals

• finding roots

• analyzing data

• fitting curves to data

• manipulating images

• preparing reports

Students must

• be aware of the hazards of finite-precision arithmetic

• be introduced to computational resources early

• use computational resources throughout the curriculum

• focus initially on the tools themselves.

Typical Physics Program

Note: ** = required for minimum physics major; boldElective = explicit use of computers

	Term I	Term II	Term III
Freshman	Freshman Studies	Freshman Studies	Elective
	**Calculus I	**Calculus II	**Calculus III
	Elective	**Intro Class Phys	**Intro Mod Phys
Sophomore	**Electronics	**Computational Mechanics	**E and M
	**Linear Algebra/ODE	Elective	Elective
	Elective	Elective	Elective
Junior	**Quantum Mechanics	**Advanced Lab	**Physics Elective
	Language	Language	Language
	Elective	Elective	Elective
Senior	%Elective	**Physics Elective	**Physics Elective
	Elective	Elective	Elective
	Elective	Elective	Elective

Available Physics Electives

• Thermal Physics
• Optics
• Solid State Physics
• Advanced Modern Physics
• Laser Physics
• Advanced E and M
• Mathematical Methods
• Advanced Mechanics
• Computational Physics
• Plasma Physics
• Special Topics in Physics
  (Relativity, Fluids Particle Physics, ...)
• Tutorial in Physics
• Independent Study in Physics

Curricular Components

Freshman Year:

• data acquisition (ULI, LoggerPro)

• data analysis (Excel)

• visualization (Kaleidagraph)

• solving ODEs by simple methods (Excel)

Sophomore Year:

• 24/7 access to Computational Physics Laboratory (CPL)

• Electronics Workbench in Electronics

• Study of intermediate mechanics and development of computational skills in Computational Mechanics

• Computational exercises in intermediate E&M

Junior/Senior:

• 24/7 access to CPL

• Explicit use in Quantum Mechanics and some theory courses, depending on instlructor

• Elective course titled Computational Physics

• Student initiative in several theory courses, advanced laboratory course

• A few exercises in some theory courses, depending on instructor

• Student initiative in independent studies and capstone projects

Computational Mechanics

(Required of sophomores}

Note: The text for the computational components of this course (and for many other computational dimensions of the Lawrence curriculum) is published in a variety of formats. A full description of the project culminating in that text---and of the text itself will be found from links assembled wat the URL http://www.lawrence.edu/dept/physics/ccli.

Catalog Description

Introduces symbolic and numerical computation through examples drawn mainly from classical mechanics but also from classical electromagnetism and quantum mechanics. This course emphasizes computer-based approaches to graphical visualization, the solution of ordinary differential equations, the evaluation of integrals, and the finding of eigenvalues and eigenvectors. Prerequisites: Introductory Classical Physics, Differential Equations and Linear Algebra.

Weekly Schedule

Computational Physics

(Junior/senior elective)

Catalog Description

Treats computational approaches to problems in physics with particular emphasis on finite difference and finite element methods for solving partial differential equations as they arise in electromagnetic theory, fluid mechanics, heat transfer, and quantum mechanics, and on techniques for graphical visualization of the solutions. Prerequisites: Computational Mechanics.

Weekly Schedule

(Note: This schedule is subject to revision. The course will be offered for the first time in the fall of 2004.