Now in a second edition, this book teaches physical concepts using computer simulation. The text illustrates structured programming techniques and encourages students to develop good programming habits in the context of doing physics. Designed for college students at all levels, An Introduction to Computer Simulation Methods, uses True Basic, a user-friendly, accessible computer language. As an introduction to the use of computer simulations, this book is also appropriate for students majoring in fields other than physics.
Harvey Gould uses molecular dynamics and Monte Carlo methods to study glasses, the dynamics of first-order phase transitions, and other problems in statistical mechanics. His work involves the application of computer simulation algorithms as well as renormalization group and cluster methods. Gould recently co-authored the second edition of an undergraduate level text on computer simulation in physics. He can "foresee the day when physics students take a required computational science curriculum comparable in scope to the present day mathematics curriculum."
Gould is a native of California and received his B.A. and his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley. He did postdoctoral work at the National Bureau of Standards and taught at the University of Michigan before coming to Clark University in 1971. His leisure time is spent with his family and listening to music, especially jazz.