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A Report on a Project to Introduce Computation into a Modern Physics Course and Laboratory

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Conference

2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Location

Seattle, Washington

Publication Date

June 14, 2015

Start Date

June 14, 2015

End Date

June 17, 2015

ISBN

978-0-692-50180-1

ISSN

2153-5965

Conference Session

Engineering Physics & Physics Division Technical Session 3

Tagged Division

Engineering Physics & Physics

Page Count

7

Page Numbers

26.98.1 - 26.98.7

DOI

10.18260/p.23439

Permanent URL

https://peer.asee.org/23439

Download Count

565

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Paper Authors

biography

Marie Lopez del Puerto University of St. Thomas

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Marie Lopez del Puerto completed her B.S. in physics at Universidad de las Americas, Puebla, in Puebla,
Mexico, and her Ph.D. in physics at the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, in Minneapolis, MN. She
is currently an Associate Professor in the Physics Department at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul,
MN. Her research interests include the structural, optical and electronic properties of nanoscale systems,
computational physics, and physics and engineering education.

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Abstract

A report on a project to introduce computation into a Modern Physics course and laboratoryThe importance of computational physics both as a discipline and as a component of theundergraduate curriculum has been recognized for some time. The challenge lies increating course materials that introduce students to computational physics with problemsthat are meaningful and challenging, yet are neither overwhelming to the students nortake substantial time from the more traditional theoretical and experimental componentsof the course(s). In a previous paper we proposed an approach to introducingcomputational physics in the undergraduate curriculum by blending computation andexperimentation in the Modern Physics course and laboratory with materials that discusscontemporary physics subjects (quantum dots, LASERs, superconductivity, etc). In thispaper we report on the homework problems and laboratories that have been developed aspart of this project and the successes and challenges in implementing these materials, andwe point to future work to be done in this area.  Project Summary 1  

Lopez del Puerto, M. (2015, June), A Report on a Project to Introduce Computation into a Modern Physics Course and Laboratory Paper presented at 2015 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition, Seattle, Washington. 10.18260/p.23439

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