The numerical formulas to solve the wave equation are exactly those described in lectures and pursued further in the computer problems. Here the emphasis will be on studying the quantitative description of a pulse propagating on the string and how it is influenced by boundary conditions and discontinuities. Many of the phenomena demonstrated in lecture, either in experimental demonstrations or with simulations, will be repeated -- but in a more quantitative way.
Please try running this simulation at home or in the CIT instructional computer labs. You may consult with friends, but each student is requested to run their own simulation, generate their own plots, and analyze their own results. You should read the next section carefully before starting because it will tell you how to use the program, and how to get good data.
Some semesters we may also provide computer lab sessions. You can use them to ask questions from your TA about this lab, or for running the simulations if you have trouble at home.
Each section of this lab should take no more than an hour, if you read the lab over beforehand and understand the material. Some sections demand a calculation: bring paper and pencil and a calculator. Not all sections will be assigned in all years.
Statistical Mechanics: Entropy, Order Parameters, and Complexity,
now available at
Oxford University Press
(USA,
Europe).