CHEM 165 - Dynamic Systems Modeling and the Global Climate

FDR: SC
Credits: 4
Planned Offering: Spring 2015

Scientists agree with economists, doctors, investors, and CEOs that computer models are the best tools that we have available for understanding complex systems and addressing predictive challenges therein. In this course, you learn to design, create, and implement models of simple systems, beginning with creating a model that reproduces measureable behavior of a system in which we all have interest - the temperature of the earth. Students learn about the atmosphere, its chemistry, and its dynamics and build a “simple” model to reproduce actual measureable data. You learn to think about the design of models in terms of sources, sinks, stocks, flows, feedback, events, rates, and equilibrium. Finally, you independently identify a system to model that is either relevant to the atmosphere, to the biosphere, or of general interest to you. Readings include selections from an introductory text on computational science, excerpts from texts on global climate that involve both the policy and the science of the atmosphere, and whatever material needed to complete the final project. Tuchler.