APPLIED PHYSICS / COMPUTATIONAL MODELING

Build a model.
Understand the system.

Use Python to explore how the physical world works. Turn formulas into code, change the inputs, and make the results visible.

Start with familiar questions and simple models. We introduce the physics and programming as you need them, one step at a time.

From a question to a working model

  1. Define the system. Decide what you want to understand. Identify the quantities, units, and assumptions.
  2. Translate the formula. Express the relationship in Python and check it against a simple calculation.
  3. Explore and refine. Change one input, plot the results, and ask what the model explains and what it leaves out.

Learn by building, checking, and improving models. The goal is to understand why a relationship works, beyond memorizing a formula.

Physical ideas you can explore

Electricity & circuits

Use Ohm’s Law to connect voltage, current, and resistance. Compare series and parallel resistor circuits and see how changing a resistance affects the current.

Motion & energy

Track position and speed over time. Model constant acceleration, explore kinetic and potential energy, and compare predictions with simple observations.

Waves & oscillations

Plot a wave, adjust its amplitude and frequency, and see what changes. Use the same ideas to explore repeating motion.

Other physical systems

Extend the process to cooling, springs, or other systems that interest you. Start with a useful approximation, then add detail as your understanding grows.

A SMALL MODEL: OHM’S LAW

A formula becomes a tool

For an ideal resistor, current equals voltage divided by resistance: I = V / R. In Python, give each quantity a clear name.

voltage = 12       # volts
resistance = 100   # ohms
current = voltage / resistance
print(current)    # 0.12 amperes

Keep resistance fixed and double the voltage. The current doubles too. Try several values, then plot voltage against current to see the relationship.

Make the results visible

Begin with a few lines of Python. As your questions grow, use NumPy to calculate across many values, pandas to organize and compare data, and Matplotlib to turn results into clear graphs.

Each tool serves the same purpose: make a difficult idea easier to inspect, test, and understand.

Build your Python foundations