Computer solutions in physics : with applications in astrophysics, biophysics, differential equations and engineering

Introduction	p. v
Chapter 1 Equations of Motion	p. 1
1.0 Newton's Laws	p. 3
1.1 Motion of the Planets about the Sun	p. 8
1.2 Halley's Comet near the Sun	p. 14
1.3 Voyager at Jupiter	p. 17
1.4 Baseball with Air Friction	p. 24
1.5 Follow the Bouncing Ball	p. 28
1.6 Sky-Diving with a Parachute	p. 32
1.7 Challenge Problems	p. 36
Chapter 2 Vibrations and Waves	p. 39
2.1 Damped and Driven Oscillations	p. 41
2.2 Shock Absorbers	p. 47
2.3 Step Response	p. 54
2.4 Square Wave in an RC Circuit	p. 57
2.5 Variable Stars	p. 59
2.6 Challenge Problems	p. 62
Chapter 3 Building a Differential Equation	p. 65
3.1 Modeling Dynamic Systems	p. 67
3.2 Track and Field	p. 69
3.3 The Binary Pulsar 1913+16	p. 78
3.4 Exploding Star in a Binary System	p. 85
3.5 Heat Exchanger	p. 90
3.6 Challenge Problems	p. 95
Chapter 4 Partial Differential Equations and Quantum Mechanics	p. 99
4.1 Introduction to Partial DEs	p. 101
4.2 PDE - The Copper Rod	p. 108
4.3 PDE - Heat Conduction in the Earth	p. 111
4.4 Quantum Physics	p. 113
A Quantum Step	p. 114
B Quantum Barrier	p. 116
C Quantum Well	p. 118
D Quantum Oscillator	p. 120
4.5 Hydrogen Atom	p. 125
4.6 Deuterium	p. 136
4.7 Challenge Problems	p. 138
Chapter 5 Applications	p. 141
5.1 Laser Pulse Dynamics	p. 143
5.2 The B-Z Chemical Reaction	p. 145
5.3 Foxes and Rabbits	p. 149
5.4 PDE - Nerve Conduction	p. 152
5.5 Fusion Reactor	p. 161
5.6 Space Shuttle Launch	p. 166
5.7 Challenge Problems	p. 169
Appendices	p. 173
Appendix A Mathematica, Maple, and MatLab	p. 175
Appendix B The Compact Disc	p. 181
Appendix C Mathematica Commands	p. 183
Problem Solutions	p. 189
Notes on the Text	p. 273
References	p. 277
Constants	p. 279
Index	p. 281

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