18.S191: Introduction to computational thinking for real-world problems
Welcome to the new 18.S191 course!
This is an introductory course on Computational Thinking. We use the Julia programming language to approach real-world problems in varied areas applying data analysis and computational and mathematical modeling. In this class you will learn computer science, software, algorithms, applications, and mathematics as an integrated whole.
Topics include:
- Image analysis
- Particle dynamics and ray tracing
- Epidemic propagation
- Climate modeling
Professors
Alan Edelman, David P. Sanders, Grant Sanderson, James Schloss, Benoit Forget
Course Material
The course material includes recorded lectures and Pluto notebooks, these are available on the course website, which will be updated regularly.
Every week comes with a problem set where you apply the material to a real problem. Homework sets are interactive Pluto notebooks - you get automatic visualizations and verification while you work on your code.
Julia learning materials may be found here
Logistics
TR 2:30–3:30pm Eastern, online (Go to the lecture page on this site to stream it.)
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Tuesdays: Prerecorded videos, released on YouTube and played live on this site.
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Thursdays: Live sessions (same YouTube link 2:30–3) and MIT-only discussion (3-3:30); link to follow
Start date: September 1, 2020
Office hours TBD.
Discussion forum and homework submission
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Discord: discussion (we encourage you to hang out here during class!)
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Piazza: (MIT only) allows for anonymity to other students, discussion
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Canvas: (MIT only) homework submission. If you're a non-MIT student, please find a partner to cross-grade homeworks via Discord.
Evaluation
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12 weekly problem sets with equal weight; your lowest score will be dropped.
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Released on Thursdays and due before the following Thursday's class. (No problem set during Thanskgiving week.)
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No exams
Problem sets consist of code. MIT students enrolled in the course must submit homeworks via Canvas. If you are not a student then we encourage you to join the Discord and find a cross-grading partner.