Computational Math Colloquium • From Sorcery to Science: How Hollywood Physics Advances Computational Engineering
Eitan Grinspun, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Applied Mathematics
Columbia University
Blockbuster films depend on computational physics. The focus is on models that capture the qualitative, characteristic behavior of a mechanical system. Visual effects employ mathematical and computational models of hair, fur, skin, cloth, fire, granular media, and liquids. This is scientific computing with a twist. But techniques developed originally for film can also advance consumer products, biomedical research, and basic physical understanding.