PHYS 1211 — Computational Problem Solving in Physics

4 semester hoursUndergraduateLectureNUpath ADNUpath NDusually offered: fall, springtypical days: TBostonTraditional

Introduces students to computational problem-solving techniques with common computer languages used in the physical sciences. Begins with programming basics of data handling, visualization tools, random number generators, functions, and control statements and expands to more advanced topics of interpolation, numeric integration, numeric derivatives, ordinary differential equations, and some Monte Carlo techniques. Explores topics contextually using physical models and problems.

Prerequisites

all of:
- one of:
  - PHYS 1155 (min D) (may be taken concurrently)
  - PHYS 1165 (min D) (may be taken concurrently)
  - PHYS 1175 (min D) (may be taken concurrently)
- one of:
  - MATH 1342 (min D) (may be taken concurrently)
  - MATH 211M
  - MATH 2321 (min D) (may be taken concurrently)
  - MATH 316M

Offering history

Term	Sections	Enrolled	Capacity	Full	Open seats/section
Spring 2024	1	32	50	64%	18.0
Fall 2024	1	12	38	32%	26.0
Spring 2025	1	21	50	42%	29.0
Fall 2025	1	6	38	16%	32.0
Spring 2026	1	19	33	58%	14.0

Snapshots from scheduled scrapes — not live seat availability. "Full" can exceed 100% when sections over-enroll.

Meeting times

Share of recent sections by weekday: M 0% · T 63% · W 0% · Th 23% · F 34%

Common patterns: T (42% of sections), R (23% of sections), TF (21% of sections), F (13% of sections) — in patterns, R means Thursday

Professors

Fall

Thomas Kelley (100% of students) · reviews

Spring

Ismet Altunkaynak (56% of students) · reviews
Thomas Kelley (44% of students) · reviews

Percentages are each professor's average share of the season's enrolled students in recent terms.

Unlocks

MUST 3601, MUST 3603, PHYS 4211

Courses that list PHYS 1211 in their prerequisites.

Links

Official catalog (PHYS course descriptions) · Student reviews on RateMyHusky · All PHYS courses · Plan it at numap.app