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PRODID:-//Microsoft Corporation//Outlook MIMEDIR//EN
VERSION:1.0
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DTSTART:20111113T183000Z
DTEND:20111113T200000Z
LOCATION:WSCC 201
DESCRIPTION;ENCODING=QUOTED-PRINTABLE:ABSTRACT: The physical properties of many-body systems, such the pressure exerted by collections of molecules in a gas, are related to the collective behavior of the individual atoms whose individual behavior can fairly be described as random. This is vividly manifest by an "idealized" gas. In this system, the interrelations among pressure, volume, and temperature are simply summarized in the Ideal Gas Law, but are directly determined by the random motions of huge numbers individual molecules. Monte Carlo simulations are an excellent vehicle to help students understand the connections between individual randomness and collective order. We will present a variety of simulations implemented in a spectrum of computational tools from a spreadsheet to the C programming language. We will emphasize the opportunity these present for students to explore the emergence of the Maxwell-Boltzmann speed distribution of gas molecules while learning about computational modeling and programming.=0A=0AAssumed background: basic computer literacy; either 2 years of undergraduate physics or a bachelors degree in mathematics, or equivalent.
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PRIORITY:3
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