Introductory Computational Physics

Computers are one of the most important tools available to physicists, whether for calculating and displaying results, simulating experiments, or solving complex systems of equations. Introducing students to computational physics, this textbook reveals how to use computers to solve mathematical problems in physics and teaches students about choosing different numerical approaches. It also introduces students to many of the programs and packages available. The book relies solely on free software: the operating system chosen is Linux, which comes with an excellent C++ compiler, and the graphical interface is the ROOT package available for free from CERN.

An up-to-date, broad scope textbook for senior undergraduates starting computational physics courses.

Andi Klein is a technical staff member at Los Alamos National Laboratory, New Mexico.

Alexander Godunov is Research Assistant Professor at the Department of Physics, Old Dominion University, Virginia.