Home Page- CH 490/590 OSU

Computer Programming for Scientists

A course intended to teach the skills necessary for using computers to aid the work of science.

This is the home page for the course Chemistry 490/590- Computer Programming for Scientists. This course is being taught over the Internet during the SUMMER term of 2006, and originates from the Chemistry Department of Oregon State University.

Information on the course

General Information

Overview of the Course

Course Content

 

Welcome to Computer Programming for Scientists

Welcome to the home page of the course Computer Programming for Scientists. This page contains information about this web course, as well as links to the course itself.

What is this course?

This course will cover data analysis and visualization, numerical methods of analysis, simulations and modeling using three programming platforms; a spreadsheet, a symbolic language and a high level programming language.

What are the prerequisites?

One year of college chemistry is required (our examples will be drawn from general chemistry).Some familarity with calculus is also presumed. No prior experience with computers is assumed, so those who are advanced users may find the early portion of the course relatively easy.

Who may participate, and how much does it cost?

Anybody in the world who is able to participate is welcome to do so. To get credit for your coursework, you must pay Oregon State University the appropriate fees. Also, to properly participate you should have access to the various required materials listed in the next section.

What materials do I need?

The textbooks used in this course are as follows:

You will also need access to computers with the following capabilities:

What are the class requirements, and how is this course graded?

You will be given 20 problems to solve during the course, that are approximately linked to the 18 lessons presented in the course. You can submit each problem for evaluation multiple times until you get it correct and we will comment on what is wrong when the program does not work.The last day for receipt of problems is 1700 8 SEPTEMBER, 2006. Please email all problem solutions to lovelanw@onid.orst.edu as attachments to the email. Problems will be graded P or N based strictly on whether you get the correct answer. No partial credit is given. The programs must give the correct answer. Course grades for Ch 490 will be determined as follows:

 Number of Problems correct

Grade

13 =

A

11 =

B

9=

C

8=

D

These problems are the equivalent of the usual examinations. For students taking Ch 590, the same table applies but two more problems are needed for a given grade. Thus, for an A grade in Ch490, you need 13 correct problems while for an A grade in Ch 590 you need 15 problems, etc. Only ltter grades are given, no + or - grades. Because this course is offered continuously, no I grades are given. Because no tests, etc. are given, these problems take the place of the traditional tests. Therefore the work on each problem must be independent work, just as though you were taking a test. Collaboration is strictly forbidden.

Warning: Because of the large number of students enrolled in Chemistry web classes, the ability to offer help, etc during the last two weeks of the term is severely limited. We will do our best to answer all inquiries about content within 7 business days but this is frequently not possible during the last two weeks of the term. Please plan ahead and submit your work as soon as possible.

 

 

The 20 Problems

What topics will be discussed?

Here is the tentative list of topics to be discussed, in approximate order of introduction:

Topic:

How will we keep in touch?

Currently the primary way with which you will be given assignments and material will be having it posted on this webpage. The current way for you to communicate with your instructor is through email. Please use your onid email address for such communications. We will not be able to deal with email from non-onid addresses.

External Links

Links: