# All Questions

300 views

### Appearing To Reverse Object's Rotation

Can it be done, and if so, how does one you explain mathematically the ability to cause a rotating object to appear to change the direction of rotation? I believe it has something to do with angular ...
198 views

### Measuring nucleons using electron beams

sorry if the question is too elementary. From: The Britannica Guide to Particle Physics: The sizes of atoms, nuclei, and nucleons are measured by firing a beam of electrons at an appropriate target. ...
388 views

### Does the kinetic theory of gases means gases mix almost instantaneously?

This theory has bugged me ever since my first physics class on the subject. If this (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kinetic_theory) is true, it leads me to a few weird conclusions. Opening the rear ...
2k views

### How do I approach this conservation of energy problem, symbolically

In the absence of nonconservative forces such as friction and air resistance, the total mechanical energy in a closed system is conserved. This is why that when I toss an object directly upwards, the ...
2k views

### Do black holes have infinite areas and volumes?

How to calculate the area / volume of a black hole? Is there a corresponding mathematical function such as rotating $1/x$ around the $x$-axis or likewise to find the volume?
199 views

### Splitting light into colors, mathematical expression (fourier transforms)

I am trying to solve a problem that includes a function of the light hitting a certain area. My question is, how would I change a function $G(x)$ of photons hitting a certain area to include just ...
273 views

### Can I estimate the long-term surface heat transfer coefficient based on a temperature difference between the air surface and ground surface?

I want to estimate the long-term or annual heat transfer coefficient for the earth's surface in a particular area where the mean annual air surface temperature is about 13$^\circ$C, and the mean ...
1k views

### What is the force of friction between two bodies given their masses and a force pulling them as a unit accross a surface?

Where a force of 200N pulls two blocks together(as one system) across a horizontal table top(µ=0.800) $m_A$ = 5.00kg, $m_B$ = 10.0kg Find the acceleration of the system. Find f$_k$ between B and A ...
2k views

### Projectile Motion with Air Resistance and Wind

I am wondering how the general kinematics equations would change in the following situation. If an object were fired out of a cannon, or some sort of launcher, so that it had both an initial velocity ...
327 views

### Are the Møller wave operators $\Omega_\pm$ related to $\lim_{t\rightarrow\infty}U(t)$ from field theory?

When we want to compute correlation functions $\langle\Omega|\,T\hat{\phi}(x_1)\ldots|\Omega\rangle$ in an interacting quantum field theory, we relate it to the free-field objects $|0\rangle$ and ...
1k views

### Need for a side book for E. Soper's Classical Theory Of Fields

I am reading now E. Soper, Classical Theory Of Fields, now and sometimes it is very hard to follow the equations. So I need a side book on classical field theory to read it comfortably. Landau & ...
313 views

### It seems to me that superpotentials can be defined in a theory with or without supersymmetry. Is this true?

I recently read "An Introduction to Supersymmetry in Quantum Mechanical Systems" by T. Wellman (amongst other sources) in an effort to find out what a superpotential actually is and how it relates to ...
1k views

### Evaluating propagator without the epsilon trick

Consider the Klein–Gordon equation and its propagator: $$G(x,y) = \frac{1}{(2\pi)^4}\int d^4 p \frac{e^{-i p.(x-y)}}{p^2 - m^2} \; .$$ I'd like to see a method of evaluating explicit form of $G$ ...
1k views

### How did we find out the shape of our own galaxy without going out of it?

As far as I know, scientists have been able to see a lot of differently shaped galaxies in our visible universe through modern age telescopes. But I was wondering how it was possible to know how our ...
740 views

### Action for a point particle in a curved spacetime

Is this action for a point particle in a curved spacetime correct? $$\mathcal S =-Mc \int ds = -Mc \int_{\xi_0}^{\xi_1}\sqrt{g_{\mu\nu}(x)\frac{dx^\mu(\xi)}{d\xi} \frac{dx^\nu(\xi)}{d\xi}} \ \ d\xi$$
1k views

### Calculating Reynolds number for a viscous droplet

I'm trying to develop a very basic scaling law/unit analysis for viscous droplet formation, and I'd like to get some rough numerical values of the Reynolds number to play with. To be specific, I'm ...
3k views

### How should a theoretical physicist study maths? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How should a physics student study mathematics? If some-one wants to do research in string theory for example, Would the Nakahara Topology, geometry and physics book and ...
773 views

### Why do phonons cause excellent heat conduction in diamonds?

Phonons are the quantum of lattice vibrations in crystals and are not to be confused with photons, the gauge bosons of the electromagnetic force. Apparently, they contribute to heat conduction, but I ...
180 views

### Is the mathematical truth 1+1=2 analogous to the conservation of energy? [closed]

They seem to express the same concept in different fields.
59 views

### Temperature change as function of solar elevation, current temperature, and cloud cover?

If it's 80F with clear skies, and the sun is at a 54 degree angle, what is the rate of temperature increase or decrease? More generally, where can I find a formula or approximation that takes ...
226 views

### What gonna happen to beer on the moon?

Let's assume that we have bottle of beer on the Moon. What would happen to it in sunlight? Some cases: Beer can be dark or lager. It can be contained in glass bottle (transparent or dark) or ...
1k views

### What are the coefficients α, β, and κ in this equation for decompression-induced gas bubble growth?

I am reading a text about gas nuclei I encountered the following formula: $$r = \alpha + \beta \left( \frac{T}{P} \right)^\frac{1}{3} + \kappa \left( \frac{T}{P} \right)^\frac{2}{3}$$ $r$ is the ...
4k views

### View of the Sun from Voyager 1

Today Voyager 1 is approximately 122 AU distance from the Sun. What does the sun look like from this distance? How much brighter does the sun appear to the naked eye compared to other stars in the ...
210 views

### Can Parallel Transport always move a Vector Parallel to Itself?

Consider two tiny plane(flat) surfaces A and B meeting at a straight line L.We have a preassigned vector on A at some point P on it.Is it always possible to have a vector parallel to the first one ...
469 views

### Malus' Law (Polarization) [closed]

Consider the image below: Let $\theta_2$ be the angle between the axes of transmission of Polarizer 2 and Polarizer 3 and $\theta_3$ be the angle between the axes of transmission of Polarizer 3 ...
1k views

### Conjugate Variables, Noether's Theorem and QM

What is the underlying reason that the same pairs of conjugate variables (e.g. energy & time, momentum & position) are related in Noether's theorem (e.g. time symmetry implies energy ...
572 views

### What kind of energy gravitates, and why?

When listing energies for the purposes of keeping track of conservation, or when writing down a Laplacian for a given system, we blithely intermix mass-energy, kinetic energy and potential energy; ...
501 views

### Is there record of a bosonic Stern-Gerlach measurement?

I cannot seem to find any peer-reviewed (or other) reference to an integer-spin Stern-Gerlach experiment. It shouldn't be too hard to do: just find you friendly neighbourhood Deuterium ion and shoot ...
1k views

### Do new universes form on the other side of black holes?

I have four questions about black holes and universe formations. Do new universes form on the other side of black holes? Was our own universe formed by this process? Was our big bang a black hole ...
162 views

### Differential of square $dw^2$or square of differential$(dw)^2$? [closed]

in Curved space it seems $dw^2=(dw)^2$ how is it possible!? $$x^2+y^2+z^2+w^2=\kappa^{-1}R^2,$$ $$dw=w^{-1}(xdx+ydy+zdz),$$ $$\kappa^{-1}R^2-(x^2+y^2+z^2)=w^2,$$ $$dl^2 = dx^2 + dy^2 + dz^2+dw^2,$$ ...
2k views

### Why don't we use the concept of force in quantum mechanics?

I'm a quarter of the way towards finishing a basic quantum mechanics course, and I see no mention of force, after having done the 1-D Schrodinger equation for a free particle, particle in an ...
7k views

### Root mean square value for DC

The mean value of alternating current comes to be zero because of half of the cycle being positive while the other half negative. so, take the root means square value of Alternating current given by: ...
727 views

### Moving black holes

What happens to the fabric of space in the wake of a moving black hole? Is space permanently deformed by a moving black hole or does it rebound as the black hole passes?
136 views

### Where can you get a photon detector?

Say I'm doing the double-slit experiment with photons as the particle and want to add a detector just behind each slit to eliminate the interference pattern. Where would I get a detector like that?
651 views

### Mechanisms of mass generation for Dirac neutrinos

If neutrinos are Majorana particles, one way of explaining their small masses is the seesaw mechanism. Now say I'd like my neutrinos to be Dirac, for symmetry to the quark sector. What mechanisms ...
391 views

### Classical (or semi-classical) interpretation of photoelectric effect?

This site says that "it has recently been proven that the photoelectric effect can be interpreted classically (or at least semi-classically) in non-particle, wavelike terms". Is anyone familiar with ...
1k views

### Origin of lepton/quark generations?

What theoretical explanations exist for the fact that there are three generations of leptons and quarks? I'm not so much asking why there are exactly 3 generations, but rather what makes electron, ...
62 views

### Do unoriented strings possess asymptotic states?

In QFT based particle theory, SU(N)-colored particles are not really present as asymptotic states, then raising some problems to build a S-matrix or other more axiomatic approaches to the theory. ...
949 views

### Why are Navier-Stokes equations needed?

Can't we picture air or water molecules individually? Then, why are Navier-Stokes equations needed, after all? Can't we just aggregate individual ones? Or is it computationally difficult, or ...
32k views

### How to deduce E=(3/2)kT?

It says in my course notes that a particle has so-called "kinetic energy" $E=\frac{3}{2}kT=\frac{1}{2}mv^²$ Where does this formula come from? What is k?
33 views

### Impurity scattering [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Impurity scattering temperature dependence Is there any temperature dependence of relaxation time in impurity scattering of conducting electrons? It seems to me that ...
4k views

### How is the topological $Z_2$ invariant related to the Chern number? (e.g. for a topological insulator)

This question relates to the $Z_2$ invariant defined e.g. for topological insulators: Is it correct to relate $Z_2$ = 1 to an odd Chern number and $Z_2$ = 0 to an even Chern number? If yes, is it ...
544 views

### Effect of gas or liquid within a compound lens system

Hi my question is if a compound lens system if filled with gas or a liquid how does it affect the system when compared to the lens system being separated by air alone. Does this affect the focal power ...
4k views

### How exactly does static discharge work?

Assume I have built up a pretty high charge by rubbing the floor or something. I want to understand these situations: I almost always get shocked when I touch a metal doorknob with my bare hand. I ...
771 views

### What is the energy of interaction between a point charge and an infinite cylinder?

I don't remember enough from my electromagnetism course and I can't find any simple, full example on this subject. I know, that I can consider the cylinder as a wire with the same charge density ...
152 views

### Kerr solution for finite collapse time

The Kerr black hole solutions gives an analytic continuation that is asymptotically flat. Some people have argued that this is another universe, but others state that the analytic continuation ...
111 views

### NGCC 1277— a recoil ejection?

Recent calculations agree that a merging pair of supermassive black holes can emit enough gravitational waves to eject themselves from a galaxy. Could NGCC 1277, a small galaxy with a 17 billion ...
172 views

### 4-momentum and an $y$ component of momentum

I have 2 coordinate systems which move along $x,x'$ axis. I have derived a Lorentz transformation for an $x$ component of momentum, which is one part of an 4-momentum vector $p_\mu$. This is my ...
Whenever one needs to calculate correlation functions in QFT using perturbations one encounters the following expression: $\langle 0| some\ operators \times \exp(iS_{(t)}) |0\rangle$ where, ...