Homework and Notes

• Final paper. Be sure to use guidelines in the appendix of chapter 1. The paper should be about 10 pages in length, using 1 and 1/2 spacing 12 pt font, with about half of the paper text and the rest figures, equations, and tables.

• In lab we discovered that after selecting some text in a table, the copy menu item was not highlighted. Thus, it appears that one cannot copy and paste from a table. (One could do it from the Java console window.) However, it turns out that you can copy the selected text by using the keyboard equivalent, holding down the flower or apple key and hitting the "c" key. This puts the selected text on the clipboard which can then be pasted directly into CricketGraph.

• Term Project: You can consider any system where there is a model that can be implemented using a computer simulation. Suggested projects include (1) projects, starred problems, or chapters which we have not discussed in G&T, (2) the computer simulation column in the journal Computers in Physics (there are copies in the labs), and (3) links on the web page, www.kzoo.edu/~sip/. The schedule is as folllows:

  • Monday Week 8, Nov. 8 - Proposal due. Proposal includes model to be simulated, algorithms used, what the program will calculate, specific questions requiring numerical answers, and any knowledge or assistance you might need.

  • Monday, Week 9, Nov. 15 - First draft or progress report due. This includes, at least, a complete program which might still need debugging and the background written.

  • Monday, Week 10, Nov. 22 - Second draft due. 10 minute oral presentations will be given in class on Monday and Wednesday. Choose a partner to practice with. Your presentation should focus on explaining the model, how it is implemented with a computer algorithm, and what you are looking to discover or measure. You may or may not have any results at this time.

  • Thursday, 10 a.m., finals week - Final paper due. Please also hand in your lab report at this time.

• Lab schedule for rest of term:
  • Week 7: Random Walk modifications. Pick one of the modifcations from problems: 12.3d, 12.4, 12.5, 12.7, 12.8, 12.9, or 12.10. Do not consult with others in the class. Pick one that looks interesting to you. Read about it before lab and think about how you would modify your program.
  • Week 8: Fractals
  • Week 9: Work on term project. Use time in lab to consult.
  • Week 10: Work on term project. Use time in lab to consult.

• Long range assignment. Read one section each day from "On to Java." Jot down examples from your own programs which illustrate the topics discussed in each section. Also, come to class with any questions which you cannot answer about the reading. For some of you it may be helpful to run the sample code in the book using Metrowerks codewarrior.

• Due Monday Nov. 1: Your 2d random walk program with the following extensions: computations of x² versus time and computations of P(N,x) and/or P(N,y), where P(N,x) is the probability of being at x after N steps. Use Problems 7.6,7.7,12.2, and 12.3a,b to guide you on taking data from your program.

• Due Friday Oct 29. Complete visualization of 2d random walk program. Be prepared to discuss what you saw on the screen as a function of the number of walkers and the number of steps taken.

• By Monday Oct. 25, modify your sacks program so that it computes and plots the probability P(n) vs n where n is the number of balls in sack A. Make sure you do a large number of picks to get good data. Also, Read Section 7.3 in G&T carefully including reading the problems.

• Ideas for improving your paper on the logistic map Due Wed. Oct. 27.

  • Your first couple sentences should explain what the logistic map is.You need to explain what an iterated map is.

  • If you mention the bifurcation plot or the graphical representation of the map, you must explain not just how they are drawn, but what they are telling you. If you don't mention any new information or insight about them, there is no point in mentioning them.

  • You don't need to discuss details of the programming such as there is a button which when pushed plots the bifurcation plot, or there is a loop which runs ober all values of r.

  • Avoid using terms such as "r values." Instead use "the value of r" or simple "r = 0.9."

  • Avoid making vague sentences that don't convey any information.

  • Make sure that any term you use is either explained or would be known to any science student at Kalamazoo College. Thus, the word "function" doesn't need to be explained, but the word "map" in our context does.

  • Statements of fact need to be backed up by sample data.

  • Be careful how you use the term "chaotic." It really only refers to when r is greater than around 0.8925.

• A few people have had problems with flickering of their graphs. This is happening when many drawing statements are executed and the program is repainting after each command. Sometimes the program must be loosing track of when to stop repainting. There is a simple cure. Right after you create a new WorldGraphics object place the statement wg.setToScreen(false);. This prevents the program from calling repaint(). Then when you are finished with all the drawing statements, add the statement wg.drawBuffer();. This will draw the buffer on the screen.

• First lab report due Monday October 18 at class. The report is on the behavior of the logistic map. You may decide what to discuss in your report. The questions in the problems provide some ideas. Use Appendix 1A, Laboratory Report, as a guide to what must be included in your report. Your report should tell a story and be pitched to other science students. Use correct English paying particular attention to how one paragraph leads into another.

• Preparation for lab (week 3). Sketch out an outline of a program to explore the logistic map.

• By Monday (week 3) read Sections 6.1-6.3 in G&T. Make sure you read the problems.

• On Monday (week 2) we will discuss the Euler-Richardson algorithm and how to do graphics in Java. To obtain a sneak preview read the Java Tutorial section on graphics and offscreen buffers.

• By the end of week one make sure you have read chapter 1, sections 2.1-2.7 in Chapter 2, and Sections 3.1-3.6 in Chapter 3 of G&T. For chapters 2 and 3 your goal is to understand the basic idea of numerically integrating a differential equation and enough understanding of the TrueBasic program listings to be able to use them as pseudocode to write programs in Java or C++.