0
votes
1answer
52 views

Why do fields decrease with distance? [duplicate]

For example, electric, gravitational field decreases with $1/r^2$. Is it like decrease of energy of an object when goes it is moving with friction/air drag etc? Does it mean that field's strength is ...
3
votes
4answers
444 views

Are the field lines the same as the trajectories of a particle with initial velocity zero

Is it true that the field lines of an electric field are identical to the trajectories of a charged particle with initial velocity zero? If so, how can one prove it? The claim is from a german ...
16
votes
1answer
532 views

Can lightning be used to solve NP-complete problems?

I'm a MS/BS computer science guy who is wondering about why lightning can't (or can?) be used to solve NP complete problems efficiently, but I don't understand the physics behind lightning, so I'm ...