Each numbered lecture is a weekly module taught across two 75-minute meetings. Labs and problem sets follow the completed lecture span shown in the calendar. Weeks are placeholders; replace dates to match the local academic calendar.
| Week | Lecture sequence | Unit focus | Lab and assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lecture 01: Computational Experiments and Floating-Point Arithmetic | Floating-point arithmetic and conditioning | No lab or problem set due |
| 2 | Lecture 02: Initial-Value Problems and Error Control | Initial-value problems and error control | Lab 01; Problem Set 01 |
| 3 | Lecture 03: Kepler Orbits with REBOUND | Kepler orbits and ephemeris validation | Lab 02; Problem Set 02 |
| 4 | Lecture 04: N-Body Systems, Invariants, and Close Encounters | N-body dynamics and close encounters | Lab 03; Problem Set 03 |
| 5 | Lecture 05: Conservation Laws and Hydrodynamics Concepts | Euler conservation laws and hydrodynamics | No lab or problem set due |
| 6 | Lecture 06: Finite-Volume Resolution and Shock Tests | Finite-volume resolution and shock tests | Lab 04; Problem Set 04 |
| 7 | Lecture 07: Radiative Transfer as a Numerical Problem | Radiative transfer and optical depth | No lab or problem set due |
| 8 | Lecture 08: Radiative-Transfer Approximations and Validation | Radiative-transfer approximations and validation | Lab 05; Problem Set 05 |
| 9 | Lecture 09: Monte Carlo Transport and Random Walks | Monte Carlo transport and random walks | No lab or problem set due |
| 10 | Lecture 10: Monte Carlo Radiation and Rare Events | Importance sampling and rare events | No lab or problem set due |
| 11 | Lecture 11: Likelihoods, Residuals, and Parameter Estimation | Likelihoods, residuals, and parameter estimation | No lab or problem set due |
| 12 | Lecture 12: Bayesian Inference for Astrophysical Models | Bayesian inference and posterior uncertainty | Lab 06; Problem Set 06 |
| 13 | Lecture 13: Reproducible Simulation Workflows | Reproducible simulation workflows | No lab or problem set due |
| 14 | Lecture 14: Computational Astrophysics Research Synthesis | Computational research synthesis | Lab 07; Problem Set 07 |
Lecture Scope
| No. | Lecture | Methods and checks |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Computational Experiments and Floating-Point Arithmetic | conditioning, precision, units, verification |
| 02 | Initial-Value Problems and Error Control | local/global error, adaptive integration, convergence |
| 03 | Kepler Orbits with REBOUND | two-body benchmarks, symplectic maps, timestep error |
| 04 | N-Body Systems, Invariants, and Close Encounters | many-body dynamics, conservation, chaos, regularization |
| 05 | Conservation Laws and Hydrodynamics Concepts | Euler equations, fluxes, shocks, conservation |
| 06 | Finite-Volume Resolution and Shock Tests | Riemann problems, numerical diffusion, resolution studies |
| 07 | Radiative Transfer as a Numerical Problem | formal solution, optical depth, boundary conditions |
| 08 | Radiative-Transfer Approximations and Validation | escape probabilities, discretization, error budgets |
| 09 | Monte Carlo Transport and Random Walks | sampling, estimators, variance, random seeds |
| 10 | Monte Carlo Radiation and Rare Events | importance sampling, effective sample size, confidence |
| 11 | Likelihoods, Residuals, and Parameter Estimation | weighted fits, likelihood, identifiability, residual checks |
| 12 | Bayesian Inference for Astrophysical Models | priors, posterior sampling, uncertainty, model criticism |
| 13 | Reproducible Simulation Workflows | environments, provenance, testing, scaling, archival |
| 14 | Computational Astrophysics Research Synthesis | end-to-end simulation, convergence evidence, peer audit |
Assessment Milestones
Labs and Problem Sets 01-07 are due at the close of Weeks 2, 3, 4, 6, 8, 12, and 14 respectively, after their mapped lecture content. The midterm computational audit follows Week 7. Final mini-project proposal is due Week 10, reproducibility checkpoint Week 13, and validated report/code bundle Week 14.