# All Questions

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### Wavefront RMS errors, mirror surface roughness and Gaussian beam scattering

What I'm interested is in the scattered power of Gaussian beams reflected from mirrors with a given surface RMS. Usually the surface RMS $\sigma_{s}$ of a mirror translates in an error for the ...
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### Classical Rutherford scattering (partial) derivation

I am having trouble answering the following question, please could you help! Thank you in advance for any assistance you can give. Consider classical Rutherford scattering of a particle with mass $m$ ...
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### Please explain me this relativistic occurrence [duplicate]

So, for example, we have the planet, a spaceship (cylinder shaped) and a ball in it (spaceship is like transparent so we can see the ball). We are on the planet looking at the ship. The spaceship ...
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### Gauge fields in Polyakov's treatment of renormalization for nonlinear sigma model

I am deriving the results of renormalization for nonlinear sigma model using Polyakov approach. I am closely following chapter 2 of Polyakov's book--- Gauge fields and strings''. Action for the ...
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### Virial theorem and the energy in a gas

I clearly am interpreting the Virial Theorem incorrectly, but I don't know how. In dipole gases, the molecules can exhibit five kinetic modes, while they can only experience 2 potential modes. Doesn't ...
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### Water level difference by pumping [closed]

Open tank is partially filled with water and is divided into two equal parts by the wall. The wall has pipe that connects both sections. Obviously, water levels are equal from both sides (Fig.1). ...
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### Key difference between 3D and 4D solutions

In many papers in theoretical physics especially in the more advanced theories, I notice that physicists solve problems in 3 dimensions (2 spatial+ 1 temporal). In some specific papers (I can't seem ...
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### Proper acceleration asymetry in twin paradox

In the Wikipedia article on the twin pararadox, there is an interesting chapter which calculates the difference of age for the twins, with steps of accelerated movement, and steps with constant speed, ...
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### What are the equations of motion of a hole in a soap bubble?

Imagine the following situation: I have a thin stationary water film, like a soap bubble, suspended inside a large ring. I throw a small loop of string onto the film and punch a hole inside it. How ...
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### Which way do black hole jets spin?

The centers of black holes and quasars often have jets coming out the two poles of an accretion disk, say north and south. Is it known if the two jets spin in the same direction or opposite ...
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### What is the geometry behind special relativity?

Many books on special relativity eventually mention that the geometry of spacetime is special because the metric has a signature $(-,+,+,+)$ which is non-Euclidean. I have encountered many ways this ...
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### Non-linear waves and shock formation

In the cases of non-linear acoustics, why is shock formation unlikely when the dispersion is strong when compared to the non-linearity of the wave?
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### Galaxy Spectra: Emission and Absorption Lines

Spectra from galaxies include both absorption and emission lines. I do understand how both types of spectral lines are produced but I am not quite sure where each type is coming from when we observe a ...
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### While finding the equivalent resistance why isn't the 8 ohm in series with the 5 ohm?

Is there any way to tell if the circuit below is in series or parallel quickly and accurately?
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### The statistical nature of the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics

Ok, so entropy increases... This is supposed to be an absolute statement about entropy. But then someone imagines a box with a 10 particle gas, and finds that every now and then all particles are in ...
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Following up on a comment by BlueRaja to this beautiful answer of Ilmari Karonen, I would like to phrase this follow up question: How many air molecules hit your average human's skin during their ...
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### Is a spinning object heavier than a non-spinning object?

Does spinning an object make it heavier? A real-world example: I was mowing the lawn in front of my house, a lawn that tends to have some steep inclines. I realized that the lawn-mower was easier ...
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### How does (kg/m^3) * (m/s^2) * (m) come out to be units of N/m^2? [closed]

To me it seems to come out to be kg/(m*s^2). Is this somehow equivalent to N/m^2?
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### Symmetry groups [closed]

I am quite new to this subject. I am just repeating in a few words, what I have learned so far: There are 4 fundamental forces of nature: strong, weak, electromagnetism and gravity. Physicists are ...
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### Electron-Positron Scattering using the Feynman Rules - Integration Q

I'm doing independent studies on electron-positron scattering, specifically the annihilation diagram contribution to the M matrix in Bhabha scattering, and this is the equation I recovered with the ...