There are a million uses for a computer in the field of science.
A million. So as you may be able to guess there are about a million ways in
which I could tell you scientific computing happens. But instead of boring you
with endless lists of ways things happen in the lab I will just tell you a few
ways that computers are useful to specific types of scientists.
The first is computational science. It is the science of
constructing mathematical models and quantitative techniques to analyze
scientific problems. Scientists write programs that model systems being studied
and then use these programs on different sets of input parameters. The next is
numerical analysis. Numerical analysis is defined as studying algorithms which
use numerical approximation for mathematical analysis. Modern numerical
analysis does not attempt to find exact answers, but instead to obtain
approximate solutions while at the same time maintaining a certain small margin
of error. Symbolic computation is
another branch of scientific computing. It specifically focuses on studying and
developing algorithms and software for manipulating mathematical expressions or
objects. These objects could be calculated to exact or inexact values.
Computational physics/biology/chemistry are the study and
development of algorithms to solve problems in physics, biology, or chemistry. Computational
physics was the first of the three to use computers to solve problems. An
example of a problem solved in physics is the matrix eigenvalue problem, which
finds eigenvalues and their corresponding eigenvectors for matrices very large
in size. Lastly, computational neuroscience is the science of studying the
information processing properties of the brain and nervous system. It is a way
of modeling the essential features of a biological system in many ways. It
generally deals with single-neuron modeling, development, axonal patterning,
guidance, sensory processing, memory, cognition, discrimination, and learning.
Img courtesy: http://www.bu.edu/tech/files/2010/03/fan_2000pL.jpg
No comments:
Post a Comment