> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://wiki.solids.group/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://wiki.solids.group/prospective-students/assignment-zero.md).

# Assignment Zero

## Overview

The purpose of this assignment is to give you experience solving research-like problems and to help you determine whether graduate-level research in computational solid mechanics is a good fit.

Everything needed to complete this project is available, but it is up to you to figure it out. There are only two rules:

1. No plagiarism.
2. You may not ask Dr. Runnels for help.

## Assignment Statement

{% hint style="success" icon="map-pin" %}
**Compute the energy and structure of a grain boundary in an FCC material using molecular dynamics. Present your results in a report written in LaTeX. The report does not need to be long, but it should be written in proper scientific style, contain publication-quality figures, and cite relevant sources.**
{% endhint %}

## Pointers

* LAMMPS is a free, open-source molecular dynamics simulation package.
* OVITO is useful for visualizing atomic structures.
* LaTeX is document processing software. Overleaf is an online LaTeX platform.

Depending on your prior experience, this project can take as little as a few hours or as long as a few weeks.

Good luck!


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## Querying This Documentation
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