The unit provides an overview of computational science and an introduction to the central methods in this field. While it is not tied to any particular field of scientific study, it requires a general scientific background at advanced introductory level.
Topics include: the role of computational tools and methods in 21st century science; modelling and simulation; continuous vs discrete models; analytic versus numeric models; deterministic versus stochastic models; Monte-Carlo methods; epistemology of simulations; visualisation; high-dimensional data analysis; optimisation; limitations of numerical methods; high-performance computing and data-intensive research.
Each topic area will be introduced with a general overview followed by a discussion of one or a few selected methods in full technical detail. These will be practiced in tutorials and laboratories, which will also acquaint the students with standard software packages for scientific computing (for example, Mathematica, Matlab, Maple, Sage).
Seminars and guest lectures will present case studies and link to current topics in research.
Applications examples will be drawn from Physics, Biology, Bioinformatics, Chemistry, Social Science, etc.
2 hrs lectures/wk, 3 hrs lab/wk, 1 hr tutorial alternating fortnightly with attendance at Monash University Research Projects Abroad (MURPA) seminars.
Workload Commitments:
Students will be expected to spend a total of 12 hours per week during semester on this unit.
This includes:
2 hours of lectures per week
3 hours of lab session per week
1 hour of tutorial/MURPA seminar per week (Note: MURPA seminars and tutorials alternate). However, due to speaker availability for MURPA seminars, there may be a slight change to the sequence of weeks the class is required to attend the seminars. The exact sequence that seminars should be attended will be made available closer to the start of the semester.
Up to an additional 6 hours of personal self-study, completeting lab and assignment work and revision.
One of MAT1841, MAT2003, ENG1091, MTH1030, MTH1035 or equivalent plus any introductory programming unit (eg FIT1002, ECE2071, TRC2400, or equivalent)
Arun Konagurthu
Consultation hours: Monday 3pm - 4pm
James Collier
Parthan Kasarapu
Examination (3 hours): 50%, In-semester assessment: 50%
| Assessment Task | Value | Due Date |
|---|---|---|
| Assignment 1 | 15% (Part 1 = 5%, Part 2 = 10%) | 31 August 2012 |
| Assignment 2 | 10% | 5 October 2012 |
| Pracs during Labs (1.5 hours each) | 25% (2.5% for each assessable prac) | Weekly in Labs |
| Examination 1 | 50% | To be advised |
Monash is committed to excellence in education and regularly seeks feedback from students, employers and staff. One of the key formal ways students have to provide feedback is through SETU, Student Evaluation of Teacher and Unit. The University's student evaluation policy requires that every unit is evaluated each year. Students are strongly encouraged to complete the surveys. The feedback is anonymous and provides the Faculty with evidence of aspects that students are satisfied and areas for improvement.
For more information on Monash's educational strategy, and on student evaluations, see:
http://www.monash.edu.au/about/monash-directions/directions.html
http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/quality/student-evaluation-policy.html
Last year was the first offering of this unit and feedback suggests that students enjoyed the unit.
If you wish to view how previous students rated this unit, please go to
https://emuapps.monash.edu.au/unitevaluations/index.jsp
Please check with your lecturer before purchasing any Required Resources. Limited copies of prescribed texts are available for you to borrow in the library, and prescribed software is available in student labs.
MATLAB programming environment will be used in Pracs. However, since MATLAB is not freely available students should use GNU Octave (a freely available MATLAB-like numerical programming language) for self-study. GNU Octave source as well as binaries (for various operating systems) can be downloaded from this link:
http://www.gnu.org/software/octave/download.html
| Week | Activities | Assessment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Download GNU Octave (see Required Resources). Familiarise with MATLAB using Octave. Links to the documentation (for both Octave and MATLAB) are given in the Reading list section below) | No formal assessment or activities are undertaken in week 0 |
| 1 | Introduction to Computational Science + Tute + Prac (Lab) | Prac 1 (formative feedback only) |
| 2 | Lectures on solving linear models + MURPA Seminar + Prac (Lab) | Prac 2 (formative feedback only) |
| 3 | Lectures on solving non-linear models + Tute + Prac (Lab) | Prac 3 |
| 4 | Lectures on Continuous and discrete models + MURPA Seminar + Prac (Lab) | Prac 4 |
| 5 | Lectures on solving ordinary differential equations + Tute + Prac (Lab) | Prac 5 |
| 6 | Lectures on Static and Dynamic Simulations + MURPA Seminar +Prac (Lab) | Prac 6 + Assignment 1 due 31 August 2012 |
| 7 | Lectures on Monte Carlo Approach + Tute + Prac (Lab) | Prac 7 |
| 8 | Lectures on Linear Optimisation + MURPA Seminar + Prac (Lab) | Prac 8 |
| 9 | Lectures on non-linear optimisation + Tute + Prac (Lab) | Prac 9 |
| 10 | High dimensional data analysis + MURPA Seminar + Prac (Lab) | Prac 10 + Assignment 2 due 5 October 2012 |
| 11 | High dimensional data visualisation + Tute + Prac (Lab) | Prac 11 |
| 12 | Overview of High-Performance Computing + MURPA Seminar + Prac (Lab) | Prac 12 |
| SWOT VAC | No formal assessment is undertaken in SWOT VAC | |
| Examination period | LINK to Assessment Policy: http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/ academic/education/assessment/ assessment-in-coursework-policy.html |
*Unit Schedule details will be maintained and communicated to you via your MUSO (Blackboard or Moodle) learning system.
Faculty Policy - Unit Assessment Hurdles (http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/staff/edgov/policies/assessment-examinations/unit-assessment-hurdles.html)
Academic Integrity - Please see the Demystifying Citing and Referencing tutorial at http://lib.monash.edu/tutorials/citing/
Students are expected to attend at least 4 out of the 6 MURPA seminars.
Students are expected to actively participate in 4 out of the 6 tutorials. Participation includes contributing opinions to a discussion, providing an answer to questions/exercises, or posing a unit related question.
Students are expected to attend at least 8 out of the 12 pracs sessions (labs). Note: 10 out of 12 practical sessions are assessed.
Failure to meet these expectations may cause difficulties in passing the unit.
Part 1 - Ability to answer the questions and solve the stated problems correctly
Part 2 - Ability to read and clearly summarise the computational technique, ability to code the technique, and correctness of the program on sample data sets
Demonstrate abilities in modelling the problems and using the right computational/simulation techniques to solve them
Quality of completed assignments
It is a University requirement (http://www.policy.monash.edu/policy-bank/academic/education/conduct/plagiarism-procedures.html) for students to submit an assignment coversheet for each assessment item. Faculty Assignment coversheets can be found at http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/forms/. Please check with your Lecturer on the submission method for your assignment coversheet (e.g. attach a file to the online assignment submission, hand-in a hard copy, or use an online quiz).
Submission must be made by the due date otherwise penalties will be enforced.
You must negotiate any extensions formally with your campus unit leader via the in-semester special consideration process: http://www.infotech.monash.edu.au/resources/student/equity/special-consideration.html.
Monash has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University's academic standards, and to provide advice on how they might uphold them.
You can find Monash's Education Policies at:
http://policy.monash.edu.au/policy-bank/academic/education/index.html
Key educational policies include:
The University provides many different kinds of support services for you. Contact your tutor if you need advice and see the range of services available at www.monash.edu.au/students. For Sunway see http://www.monash.edu.my/Student-services, and for South Africa see http://www.monash.ac.za/current/
The Monash University Library provides a range of services and resources that enable you to save time and be more effective in your learning and research. Go to http://www.lib.monash.edu.au or the library tab in my.monash portal for more information. At Sunway, visit the Library and Learning Commons at http://www.lib.monash.edu.my/. At South Africa visit http://www.lib.monash.ac.za/.
Academic support services may be available for students who have a disability or medical condition. Registration with the Disability Liaison Unit is required. Further information is available as follows:
1. Scientific Computing: An Introductory Survey (second edition) Michael T. Heath. Publisher: McGraw-Hill
2. Introduction to Computational Science: Modelling and Simulation for Sciences. Angela B. Shiflet and George W. Shiflet. Publisher: Princeton University Press
3. Applied Numerical Methods with MATLAB for Engineers and Scientists. Steve C Chapra, McGraw-Hill
4. Insight Through Computing: A MATLAB introduction to Computational Science and Engineering. Charles F. Van Loan and K.-Y. Daisy Fan
5. Computational Science and Engineering. Gilbert Strang Publisher: Wellesley-Cambridge Press
6. Getting started with MATLAB: A Quick introduction for scientists and Engineers. Rudra Pratap. Publisher: Oxford University Press
7. Wiki resource on GNU Octave: http://wiki.octave.org/ 8. MATLAB documentation: http://www.mathworks.com/help/techdoc/learn_matlab/bqr_2pl.html