# All Questions

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### A quanta of time

A question of Quantum Time: Does a minimum interval of time cause wave-like behavior? If we think about the uncertainty principle, could it derive from a quanta of time? Does plank’s constant somehow ...
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### Computing Planetary Positions

Shortly, I will be beginning my third year at University in Computer Science, I am a software developer and I will be required to work on a final year project. My idea for my final year project is ...
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### Charge of a field under the action of a group

What does it mean for a field (say, $\phi$) to have a charge (say, $Q$) under the action of a group (say, $U(1)$)?
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### How to derive a multi-reflection echo from a given single-reflection “trace”

Consider a one-dimensional semi-bounded "ray" (or thin "cylinder") of stratum (or just any homogeneous substance) which has several "features" along it's length (say, thin films). Consider a wave that ...
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### Why does electrical current start to flow?

What happens microscopically when an electrical current starts to flow? I'd like to understand microscopically what happens in detail when electrons start moving (quasi-classically). Electrons can ...
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### What is the proof that the universal constants ($G$, $\hbar$, $\ldots$) are really constant in time and space?

Cavendish measured the gravitation constant $G$, but actually he measured that constant on the Earth. What’s the proof that the value of the gravitation constant if measured on Neptune would remain ...
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### Repulsive gravity [duplicate]

IANAP, so feel free to berate me for thinking apocryphal thoughts! Just as magnetism has two charges, in which particles of like-charge repulse and particles of dissimilar charge attract, might ...
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### How can I determine if my telescope mirror is parabolic?

This week I purchased the “Skywatcher Explorer 130P Newtonian Reflector Telescope”, specifically as it has the parabolic mirror. I do not have the outer packaging for sundry reasons. Therefore, after ...
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### Springs yet again, this time with a picture. Infinite displacement, makes no sense [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: How could this damped oscillator ever go to infinity? Or negative infinity for that matter? Consider this ! Where I purposely drew the right arrow bigger than the left ...
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### Convert ECI coordinates to latitude/longitude?

I have been given output in (what I believe to be) ECI format (from OrbitTools): ...
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### How does such strange microscopic behavior at the atomic level (quantum mechanics) lead to the macroscopic behavior at our level?

So, I'm only a high school student researching quantum physics, and I find it very interesting. However, there's one question that keeps nagging at me in the back of my head. How exactly do odd ...
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### Deriving Birkhoff's Theorem

I am trying to derive Birkhoff's theorem in GR as an exercise: a spherically symmetric gravitational field is static in the vacuum area. I managed to prove that $g_{00}$ is independent of t in the ...
1k views

### Do the trigonometric functions preserve units?

I saw an exercise where you had to calculate the units of $C_i, i=1,2$ from an equation like this: $v^2=2\cdot C_1x$ and $x=C_1\cdot \cos(C_2\cdot t)$ where $x$ means meters, $t$ means seconds ...
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### Expected Energy Production From High Efficiency Solar Cells

First, a bit about my thoughts. I believe we have the capability today to provide energy, water, food, education, and transportation to every man woman and child on the planet. To that end, I would ...
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### What are the lines visible between two cards held edge-to-edge?

Hold two cards (say credit cards) edge to edge, anything from a very slight touch to about 1/3 mm separation, in front of any ordinary light source. When I do this I see several fine dark parallel ...
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### How fast can toy helicopters change the turning direction of their propellers?

I saw someone do some tricks with a toy helicopter where he would turn it upside down for a while and it would still stay in the air. I thought it should have crash or at least not fly for very long ...
283 views

### What should be the equation satisfied by The Momentum commutators in a curved background?

This may be obvious but I have limited experience in physics , The generators of Spatial translation symmetry commutes with each other i.e [P(i),P(j)] = 0 but if Spacetime is a curved manifolds then ...
3k views

### Magnetic field in a cavity

We are given an infinitely long cylinder of radius $b$ with an empty cylinder (not coaxial) cut out of it, of radius $a$. The system carries a steady current (direction along the cylinders) of size ...
### Whether $m$ in $E=mc^{2}$ and $F=ma$ are both relativistic mass?
I know that $m$ in $E=mc^{2}$ is the relativistic mass, but can $m$ in $F=ma$ can also be relativistic? If the answer is yes, then can you tell me whether this equation is valid $E=\frac{F}{a}c^{2}$? ...