6 EC
Semester 2, period 4
5062INCS6Y
| Owner | Bachelor Informatica |
| Coordinator | dr. Valeria Krzhizhanovskaya |
| Part of | Bachelor Informatica, year 2Dubbele bachelor Wiskunde en Informatica, year 2 |
This course will focus on modelling real world phenomena, ranging from physical to sociological processes. After an introduction to modelling and simulation as the third paradigm of science, we cover three methods for modelling real world systems: cellular automata, ordinary differential equations, and complex networks. The course provides basic understanding of each method and their relation and introduces well-known examples for each approach. Every now and then we will derive some mathematical results such as integrating a simple ODE or deriving the diameter of a network structure; a degree mathematical skills are important to a computational modeler. Practical experience is obtained with back-to-back lab assignments which correspond to the concepts introduced in the weekly lecture material. The preferred programming language is Python. Example modelling assignments include traffic congestion, the flow of gas molecules, and the spreading of infectious diseases through our highly connected society.
Laszlo Barabasi. Network Science. E-Book:
http://barabasi.com/networksciencebook/
Maarten van Steen. Graph Theory and Complex Networks. Available online via http://www.distributed-systems.net/index.php?id=gtcn-copy
David Easley and John Kleinberg. Networks, Crowds, and Markets, reasoning about a highly connected world. Available online via http://www.cs.cornell.edu/home/kleinber/networks-book/
Other papers and reading material will be provided during the course.
After completing the course, the student is able to:
1. explain the added value of computational modelling to science and society;
2. explain both the power and the limitations of modelling;
3. describe the properties of several classes of models and give examples of real-life applications;
4. formulate suitable models for a range of realistic phenomena;
5. implement Cellular Automata and Complex Networks models in computer code;
6. perform verification of the correctness of your implementation;
7. calibrate model parameters and validate the model against experimental data;
8. analyse and solve ordinary differential equations analytically and numerically by Euler algorithm;
9. explain and analyse how discretisation and numerical algorithms affect the accuracy of your simulation results.
There will be two lectures and one computer lab session per week. Additional workshops/tutorials will be arranged in some weeks, to help with the advanced topics in mathematics or programming.
Activiteit | Aantal uur |
Deeltoets | 4 |
Hoorcollege | 24 |
Laptopcollege | 14 |
Vragenuur | 2 |
Werkcollege | 6 |
Zelfstudie | 118 |
Programme's requirements concerning attendance (OER-B):
Additional requirements for this course:
For computer lab sessions attendance is obligatory. In these sessions, Teaching Assistants explain the assignments and help the students. Questions over email cannot be answered because of the large number of students. Additional workshops/tutorials are optional, but highly recommended, since they help students achieving good results in the practical assignments and in the final exam.
| Item and weight | Details |
|
Final grade | |
|
0.2 (20%) Deeltoets 1 | |
|
0.2 (20%) Deeltoets 2 | |
|
0.6 (60%) Practical assignments |
Students are assessed based on their submitted codes and answer sheets from the lab assignments (60%) and two written partial exams (40%). A student passes if the overall average grade is at least 5.5 with the additional constraint that both partial exams must be at least 5.5.
The 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' applies to this course. This will be monitored carefully. Upon suspicion of fraud or plagiarism the Examinations Board of the programme will be informed. For the 'Regulations governing fraud and plagiarism for UvA students' see: www.student.uva.nl
The schedule for this course is published on DataNose.