ACM 11 - Introduction to Computational Science and Engineering

This course is intended to serve as a practical introduction to the methods of computational science and engineering for students in all majors. The goal is to provide students exposure to and hands-on experience with commonly-used computational methods in science and engineering, with theoretical considerations confined to a level appropriate for first-year undergraduate students. Topics covered include computational simulation by discretization in space and time, numerical solution of linear and nonlinear equations, optimization, uncertainty quantification, and function approximation via interpolation and regression. Emphasis is on understanding trade-offs between computational effort and accuracy, and on developing working knowledge of how these tools can be used to solve a wide range of problems arising in applied math, science, and engineering. Assignments and in-class activities use MATLAB. No prior experience with MATLAB expected.