# All Questions

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### What is the difference between an accelerometer and an inclinometer?

When looking through papers for a controls project I found one that seemed to be referencing the fusing of sensor data from an inclinometer and an accelerometer. I always had thought that it was ...
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### Dynamics - Beginner question

I am trying to understand this question, but I keep coming to a dead end: Two identical rectangular masses rest on top of one another, the top is tied to a wall on the left, while the one on the ...
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### Eigenvalue of $L_z$

In section 4.3 of Griffths' "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics", just below Figure 4.6, the sentence begins Let $\hbar \ell$ be the eigenvalue of $L_z$ at this top rung... Why is this valid? ...
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### Curvature of spacetime in only required to explain tidal forces?

I'm a bit confused about the equivalence principle in GR. I'm quoting from Wikipedia: An observer in an accelerated reference frame must introduce what physicists call fictitious forces to ...
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### Difference b/w Kinetics & Kinematics w/concrete example

(I know whether I understand this or not doesn't matter much to my work & study but am just curious.) I still can't differentiate in my head kinetics and kinematics (similar thread is found but ...
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### Can a force in an explicitly time dependent classical system be conservative?

If I consider equations of motion derived from the pinciple of least action for an explicilty time dependend Lagrangian $$\delta S[L[q(\text{t}),q'(\text{t}),{\bf t}]]=0,$$ under what ...
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### Backward causality: A question/extension to Ma et al.'s “Experimental delayed-choice entanglement swapping”

In a philosophically rather interesting experiment, Ma et al. show that backward causality exists in quantum physics. An Ars Technnica-article gives a less technical account. From Ars Technica: ...
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### Why is force described as rate of change of momentum? [closed]

momentum = mass * velocity Differentiating both sides leads to force = mass * acceleration since the mass doesn't participate in the differentiation as it is constant. Is this a sound ...
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### How does a voltage independent current source work?

So I'm having some trouble understanding what a voltage independent current source is. How can you have a current without a voltage. as I understand it voltage or EMF is the force that drives the ...
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### is the voltage drop of a battery that is being short circuited the same as the battery's advertised voltige

So I know this is a pretty fundamental question, but I'll ask it any way. lets say you have a 12V battery, and the positive is connected to the negative directly by a wire with negligible ...
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### Equipotential Contour mapping and making it 3D [closed]

I have seen Contour diagrams for Equipotentials . That are drawn like so: I also saw One image for these contours that was in 3D (Negative Point Charge) : I was Wondering If there's any ...
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### How much water is destroyed in photosynthesis, relative to the world's supply?

Water is involved in the photosynthesis. How much water are we talking about compared with the total amount on water on Earth? Is it enough to have an effect on the average age of water molecules?
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### Fermi statistics and Berry phase

When the positions of two fermions are exchanged adiabatically in three-dimensional space, we know that the wave function gains a factor of $-1$. Is this related to Berry's phase?
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### Polyakov action as broken symmetry effective action

I would like to ask if it is possible to regard the Polyakov action as an effective action that describes the broken symmetric phase of a more general model. Could someone draw an analogy with O(N) ...
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### How to deterministically distinguish the following quantum states?

(1) How to deterministically distinguish the following quantum states: $$\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}[|+0\rangle|0\rangle+|-1\rangle|1\rangle$$, $$\frac{1}{\sqrt{2}}|-0\rangle|0\rangle+|+1\rangle|1\rangle$$, ...
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### Producing photons with same frequency, different amplitude wave [duplicate]

I don't understand how two photons of the same frequency can have different amplitudes, neither how to produce them. I know that classically the square of the amplitude is proportional to the energy, ...
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### Branch-point twist fields and operator insertions on a Riemann manifold

I am having trouble understanding how Eq (2.6) in this paper (PDF) $$Z[\mathcal{L},\mathcal{M}_{n}]\propto\langle\Phi(u,0)\tilde{\Phi}(v,0)\rangle_{\mathcal{L}^{(n)},\mathbb{R}^{2}}$$ generalizes to ...
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### Why is there a $\frac 1 2$ in $\frac 1 2 mv^2$?

For elastic collisions of n particles, we know that momentum in the three orthogonal directions are independently conserved:$$\frac{d}{dt}\sum\limits_i^n m_iv_{ij} =0,\quad j=1,2,3$$ From this, it ...
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### Apparent non-aberration of gravity waves

Since GR assumes that gravity waves travel at speed c, we expect we would be able to some day detect an aberration effect similar the that of light. Of course, gravity waves are so tiny in magnitude, ...
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### Brachistochrone problem for 3 points

I wonder how I can solve the Brachistochrone problem for 3 points? The matter starts from point A that is the highest point and it must pass from B and must finish with point C. (No any friction in ...
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### Temperature of the CMB when the Earth formed and the faint young Sun paradox

The cosmic microwave background (CMB) has a modern temperature of about 2.7 K. At the time of the origin of the CMB, about 13.6 billion years ago, it had a temperature of about 3000 K. ...
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### What distinguishes between physics and chemistry? [closed]

What are the major differences between physics and chemistry? I know that they both study atoms, electrons and molecules, but what makes some topics part of one and some part of another?
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### The number of independent variables in the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian methods in Classical Mechanics

It's told in Landau - Classical Mechanics, that in the Hamiltonian method, generalized coordinates $q_j$ and generalized momenta $p_j$ are independent variables of a mechanical system. Anyway, in the ...
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### Electric circuit. Slight problem with the sign on voltages

Translation first! The figure shows an electric circuit. a) Use Kirchhoffs 2.law on the part-circuit abed and show that $I_3$ = 0,50A. b) Explain that $I_2 + I_5 = 2,0A$. Use Kirchhoffs 2.law on the ...
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### Zero divergence of energy-momentum tensor and gravitational energy

Trying to teach myself general relativity and have just hit yet another confusion. I'm reading that in curved spacetime the energy-momentum tensor has zero divergence, ie ...
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### Will a precessing spinning wheel fall down if there is no friction at all?

If there where no friction at all, would a spinning wheel held up by one end of the axis spin precess forever without falling down? I just asked another question about the same problem: Direction ...
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### Direction of torque precession of a spinning wheel

Consider a spinning wheel, which is held up by one end of it's axis like this: To explain why the change of angular momentum is directed as shown in the figure above, one usually says that there is ...
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### The energy of an electromagnetic wave

The intensity of an electromagnetic wave is only related to its amplitude $E^2$ and not its frequency. A photon has the same wavelength as the wave that's carrying it, and its energy is $h f$. So ...
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### How much light is there in space and how heavy is it?

Our night sky is filled with stars. On a dark night a significant fraction of the sky is light. This light, we are told, has been in transit for many millions of years. There must therefore be quite a ...