The Cat Who Walks Through Walls

This book teaches you to solve physics problems using the functional programming paradigm. Ideal for first-time programmers and science aficionados alike, it introduces the Haskell programming language and encourages the writing of beautiful code to match the elegant ideas of theoretical physics. Early chapters cover the basics of coding in Haskell, which has a powerful system of types capable of encoding important mathematical structures in physics, like vectors, derivatives, integrals, scalar fields, vector fields, and differential equations. Later sections of the book explore Newtonian mechanics and electromagnetics—two central pillars of theoretical physics. In addition, you’ll get a deep look into source code, and discover why Haskell’s high-order functions and referential transparency serve physics so well. Along the way, you’ll learn •How to write beautiful code that expresses fundamental physical principles •How to make graphs and animations of interesting situations •How to program in a language that looks like mathematics •How types, high order functions, and referential transparency serve physics well Deepen your understanding of physics by learning to use the Haskell functional programming language. Learn Physics with Functional Programming is your key to unlocking the mysteries of theoretical physics by coding the underlying math in Haskell. You’ll use Haskell’s type system to check that your code makes sense as you deepen your understanding of Newtonian mechanics and electromagnetic theory, including how to describe and calculate electric and magnetic fields. As you work your way through the book’s numerous examples and exercises, you’ll learn how to: Encode vectors, derivatives, integrals, scalar fields, vector fields, and differential equations Express fundamental physical principles using the logic of Haskell’s type system to clarify Newton’s second law, Coulomb’s law, the Biot-Savart law, and the Maxwell equations Use higher-order functions to express numerical integration and approximation methods, such as the Euler method and the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) method Create graphs, models, and animations of physical scenarios like colliding billiard balls, waves in a guitar string, and a proton in a magnetic field Whether you’re using this book as a core textbook for a computational physics course or for self-study, Learn Physics with Functional Programming will teach you how to use the power of functional programming to explore the beautiful ideas of theoretical physics. "This book shows how to solve physics problems using Haskell, a functional programming language. Source code, equations, and diagrams throughout demonstrate how physics enthusiasts and functional programmers can use Haskell and its mathematical structures to solve problems from Newtonian mechanics and electromagnetics"-- Provided by publisher