Computation in Classical Mechanics

TL;DR

Integrating computation into classical mechanics courses enhances physics understanding and computational skills, offering a practical approach for departments lacking dedicated computational physics programs.

Contribution

The paper demonstrates how to incorporate computation into classical mechanics courses to improve learning outcomes and provides resources for implementation.

Findings

Computation improves students' understanding of physics concepts.

Including computation enhances students' computational skills.

Practical examples and resources facilitate integration into curricula.

Abstract

There is a growing consensus that physics majors need to learn computational skills, but many departments are still devoid of computation in their physics curriculum. Some departments may lack the resources or commitment to create a dedicated course or program in computational physics. One way around this difficulty is to include computation in a standard upper-level physics course. An intermediate classical mechanics course is particularly well suited for including computation. We discuss the ways we have used computation in our classical mechanics courses, focusing on how computational work can improve students' understanding of physics as well as their computational skills. We present examples of computational problems that serve these two purposes. In addition, we provide information about resources for instructors who would like to include computation in their courses.