Sloot,P.(1994). Lecture on Parallel Scientific Computing and Simulations. CERN school on computing, Sopron, Hongary August 1994
The use of computers in physics is becoming increasingly important. There is hardly any
modern experiment thinkable where computers do not play an essential role one way or another. If we take a liberal approach to the concept of experimenting then we can make a fundamental
distinction in the applicability of computers in physics. On the one hand computers are used in
experimental set-ups such as a measuring/controlling/data analyses device, inevitable to the
accurate measurement and data handling. On the other side we have the field where the computer is used to perform some simulation of a physical phenomenon. This is essentially the realm of
computational physics. One of the crucial components of that research field is the correct
abstraction of a physical phenomenon to a conceptual model and the translation into a
computational model that can be validated. This leads us to the notion of a computer experiment
where the model and the computer take the place of the 'classical' experimental set-up and where
simulation replaces the experiment as such.
Voices of Computing
The choir of engineers, mathematicians, and scientists who make up the bulk of
our field better represents computing..............
