All Questions

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Standing Wave: How to show that $\frac{\mathrm df}{f}=0.5\frac{\mathrm dF}{F}$ where $f$ is frequency and $F$ is tension of the string?

How to do this? Show that if the tension $F$ in a string is changed by a small amount $\mathrm dF$, the fractional change in frequency of a standing wave, $\frac{\mathrm df}{f}$ is given by: ...
889 views

Special Relativistic Time Dilation — A computer in a very fast centrifuge

Ok, I've stumbled onto what I think is a bit of a paradox. First off, say you had some computer in a very fast(near light speed) centrifuge. You provide power to this computer via a metal plate on ...
134 views

Neutron star references?

I'm looking for contemporary reviews on neutron stars. Seems like this area is pretty active, so even reviews from five or ten years ago are somewhat lacking, though certainly not worthless. Does ...
439 views

Einstein's relation and osmotic pressure

How can I derive the Einstein's relation $D=k_{b}TB$, where $D$ is the diffusion coefficient and B is the mobility coefficient, from the concept of osmotic pressure?
7k views

Comprehensive book on group theory for physicists?

I am looking for a good source on group theory aimed at physicists. I'd prefer one with a good general introduction to group theory, not just focusing on Lie groups or crystal groups but one that ...
226 views

Is there a meaning to the E,B analogues of other gauge fields?

From the gauge field $A_\mu$ and the QED lagrangian we can derive maxwell's equations in terms of electric and magnetic fields. Are there any situations where similar derivations using the other gauge ...
163 views

Chaos and continuous flow

What needs to be the case for a dynamical system with a continuous flow to exhibit chaos? It looks like 1D systems with a continuous flow can't exhibit chaos. Are two dimensions enough or do you need ...
815 views

Reynolds number, turbulence regime, and drag force

I am trying to model a system in which cubes of about 2 cm in size are floating in a circular water thank of about 30 cm in diameter. The cubes move around under the influence of the fluid flow ...
4k views

Arguments for and against Many Worlds?

I would like to hear the best arguments for and against the Many Worlds interpretation of QM.
3k views

How does this thought experiment not rule out black holes?

How does the following brief thought experiment fail to show that general relativity (GR) has a major problem in regards to black holes? The full thought experiment is in my blog post. The post ...
721 views

Dimensional reduction from $3+1$ to $2+1$ for $\cal{N}=2$ vector superfield

Let the supersymmetry transformations for the chiral multiplet $(z_k,\psi_{kL},f_k)$ be, $\delta z_k = 2i \bar{\alpha} \psi_{kL}$ $\delta \psi_{kL} = D_\mu z_k \gamma ^\mu \alpha_R + f_k \alpha_L$ ...
7k views

Can I calculate the height of a cliff from weight of falling object and time taken?

I'm sure a simple question. I have a video of me jumping off a cliff into a river. I want to calculate how high it is. I know my weight, acceleration due to gravity of course, and I can get the ...
6k views

Do we take gravity = 9.8 m/s² for all heights when solving problems? Why or why not?

Do we take gravity = 9.8 m/s² for all heights when solving problems?
21k views

Recommendations for good Newtonian mechanics and kinematics books

What are some good books for learning the concepts of Kinematics, Newton laws, 2D Motion of Object etc.?
1k views

How is the direction of a compass affected by a current in a wire?

If I place a compass over a wire(such that the wire is positioned north-south) with charge flowing through it, and it points northeast, how can I determine the direction of the electron current ...
5k views

What does the quantum eraser experiment tells us?

I am a beginner in this quantum-mechanics stuff. I understand the quantum eraser only from an experimental view. So I didn't understand the formalism that describes the quantum eraser. But what does ...
3k views

Starting a physics Ph.D. at 60?

Decades ago I was in a physics Ph.D. program, made a hash of things, and quite rightly was dropped from the program. Since then I've had a very satisfying career as a computer programmer, and picked ...
3k views

Physics for mathematicians

How and from where does a mathematician learn physics from a mathematical stand point? I am reading the book by Spivak Elementary Mechanics from a mathematicians view point. The first couple of pages ...
746 views

Expansion in spherical harmonics in cubic symmetry

suppose I have an electrostatic potential which I expand in spherical harmonics via $$\sum_{l,m} A^l_m r^n P_l^{|m|}(\cos \theta) e^{im\varphi}$$ and I know that the field has cubic symmetry. Is ...
485 views

Size of a quantum computer to effectively calculate macroscopic reality from quantum mechanics

Assuming the correctness of QM: Would the size of such a computer be smaller than the observable universe? If it were to represent all available information in the universe it seems that it's minimal ...
373 views

What is the spectral energy density of virtual photons around a unit charge at rest?

Given that my previous question, namely "What is the number density of virtual photons around a unit charge?" has no precise answer, here is a more precise wording: What is the virtual photon ...
1k views

Projectiles problem solving

I've only learned about to use kinematics equation when solving projectile problems but today i came across the following equations. where does they come from? Distance travelled Time of flight ...
611 views

How to calculate the upper limit on the number of days weather can be forecast reliably?

To put it bluntly, weather is described by the Navier-Stokes equation, which in turn exhibits turbulence, so eventually predictions will become unreliable. I am interested in a derivation of the ...
13k views

Difference between current and voltage sources

I am confused about the current and voltage. My intuitive example would be that of a pipe of say water. The diameter of the pipe determines the amount of water flowing per second but the pressure is ...
2k views

Will a CFL light bulb and an incandescent light bulb produce exactly the same amount of overall temperature increase over time?

Will a CFL light bulb and an incandescent light bulb, in separate respective closed systems, produce exactly the same amount of overall temperature increase over time? Assume you have two identical ...
174 views

What is the name and value of the constant that relates to electrons and that coincidentally has the same exact value as the speed of light? [closed]

There's some constant relating to electrons that also has the same value as the speed of light. What is it, what is the value, and how are they related? EDIT: Is it the fine-structure constant?? Are ...
1k views

Are elementary particles ultimate fate of black holes?

From the "no hair theorem" we know that black holes have only 3 characteristic external observables, mass, electric charge and angular momentum (except the possible exceptions in the higher ...
497 views

Magnetic moment of relativistic rotating ring

Let's consider rotating charged ring. Theoretically mass of this ring has no limit as rotation speed increases. So what about magnetic moment of the ring? Is it limited by the value of speed of ...
2k views

What percentage of physics PhDs leave physics? [closed]

What percentage of physics PhDs leave physics to become quantitative analysts, work in computer science/information technology or business? Is physics that bad that so many people leave? Was it worth ...
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Find drop-off rate of magnetic interference from a mass of pure iron on a magnetic compass

How can I find the magnetic interference a stationary 35000 kg block of 100% pure iron would have on a magnetic compass and what the drop off rate of the interference would be. So if said 35000 kg ...
481 views

Is holomorphy the real reason for nonrenormalization in supersymmetry?

Seiberg traced the nonrenormalization of supersymmetric theories to holomorphy of the superpotential in chiral superspace. However, this overlooks the fact that with a different number of ...
332 views

Why are some of the biggest stars known blue?

My question refers to an overview of the biggest stars we know: http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4138/4820647230_faba1c9f3b_o.jpg Why are some of those blue?
328 views

Justification of ignoring large set of entanglements

If we can think about the universe as a wave function then many particles should be entangled with many other particles in the universe. The obvious question arises why we don't see those ...
782 views

How much can AdS/CMT tell us?

I will begin my research on AdS/CMT, however I find AdS/CMT is only a phenomelogical method, so I want to know can AdS/CMT give some results the condensed matter physicists can not give, or even ...
704 views

Conservation of energy in quantum teleportation

Consider the quantum state teleportation protocol of Bennett et. al. How does one prove that this protocol would never violate the conservation of energy? At the face of it, it doesn't seem to be ...
414 views

What is the density of virtual photons around a unit charge?

It seems that virtual photons also exist in vacuum. So the precise question is: What is the additional virtual photon density due to the electric field of a unit charge? Or: How many virtual photons ...
147 views

Is the color gauge group spontaneously broken in QCD by the Savvidy vacuum?

One model for confinement in quantum chromodynamics is the Savvidy vacuum. This is a spontaneous symmetry breaking of color gauge symmetry by the gauge fields. The vacuum is divided into Savvidy ...
159 views

Are collaborations needed to be productive in physics?

If you look at most published articles, or those on the preprint server, you find the vast majority of articles have more than one authors. Are collaborations needed to be productive in physics? In ...