# All Questions

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### Quick question on parallax and parsec

I know that 1 parsec (pc) is the distance of star at which 1 AU subtends 1 arcsecond. so $1 pc = \frac{1 AU}{1"}$ Now, if two stars in a binary with a separation of 3" and have a trigonometric ...
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### A simple osmosis problem

The following is adapted from a problematic question* asked on the Bio site. I would like to ask it free of those distractions here. If there is anything unduly artificial about the problem please ...
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### Conservation of probability in Jaynes-Cummings model

I was reading about Jaynes-Cummings model. I've studied Bachelor level QM. In the interaction picture the solution with rotating wave approximation and initial conditions $C_g(0)=0$ and $C_e(0)=1$ is ...
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### What is the math/physics behind maximizing tinker's damage?

Tinker is a hero in the popular game Dota 2. He has a spell called 'March of the Machines' that creates a stampede of little robots in a rectangular area. The robots do damage on impact of an enemy ...
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### Does gravity actually contract space-time?

In the Big Crunch Theory it says that gravity (curvature in space-time) will stop the universe's expansion and gravity will cause the universe to contract on itself. My question is if gravity is a ...
502 views

### Why are hydrogen energy levels degenerate in $\ell$ and $m$?

Is there a good physical picture of why the energy levels in a hydrogen atom are independent of the angular momentum quantum number $\ell$ and $m$?
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### Coulomb splitting in atomic physics

In atomic physics, if a configuration with equivalent electrons in some shell (say Neodymium : $[Xe] 6s^24f^4$) gives same $L = \sum_i l_i$ and $S = \sum_i s_i$ ($i$ denoting individual spin and ...
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### Is friction always constant?

Can the norm of the friction force change with time? Notice I said the norm which is in Newtons, can it change with time? Sorry if the question seems a bit confusing but I've done my best to explain. ...
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### Help with vacuums?

Okay, here is my understanding. Please correct me if anything here is incorrect. Suppose I have a cube with a side length of ten inches. It has a surface area of 600 square inches, and at an ...
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### Optimal placement of support joist under shelf

Assume an ideal board, supported by two joists. Where should those two joists be optimally placed? Instinctively, I'd say at somewhat less than 25% and somewhat more than 75% of the extend of the ...
131 views

### NRQCD: Why are quarks and anti-quarks treated independently?

I am studying these lectures on effective field theories and I am having some problems to understand how the Non-Relativistic QCD (NRQCD) Lagrangian is constructed. This theory is often used to ...
117 views

### Why fundamentally does classical mechanics lead to second order dynamics? [duplicate]

What's so special about second order equations in classical mechanics? I have a basic understanding of the Lagrangian and Hamiltonian formulations of classical mechanics, so I'm not looking for ...
171 views

### How do we convert between the maximum value of the adhesive force (in kilograms or in Newton) of a magnet and its magnetic field strength (in tesla)?

On the following website they indicate how powerful is a magnet by giving the theoretical maximum value of its adhesive force in kilograms or in Newton (its adhesive force at a distance of zero). ...
339 views

### Gravitational potential energy negative?

Can the gravitational potential energy be negative? $PE=mgh$, we kind of have the same fig as this (minus the car)! and we choose the arbitrary point to be the G of the pendulum (point of ...
115 views

### Quick question on ideal gas law

I know that the ideal gas law is: $$P = nkT$$ So Pressure = Number of Particles per unit volume * kT Why is the number of particles per unit volume = $\frac{\rho}{\mu M_H}$? Shouldn't it simply ...
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### Any easily available ferromagentic material with $T_c$ in room temperature?

I want to experiment it in my house or office. I think it would be of great fun to see the transition in real life.
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### Integration over $S^2$ in electrostatics

I'm studying for a test in electrostatics and I'm always failing on putting up the correct integrals. In one problem I have the surface of a sphere with radius $a$ and an opening angle of $2\theta$. ...
72 views

### Is battery capacity proportional to Ampere-hour in every case?

Suppose I have two batteries one inside the laptop with 2.5 AH giving a backup for around 2 hours. The battery is external inside a UPS system with 7.5 AH. Since it has thrice the capacity of the ...
214 views

### Heat transfer from hot water through a copper pipe to oil in a tank

I want to build a geyser attached to a pump with copper tubing running into an oil tank. This is done because the oil solidifies at a temperature below 15 degrees Celsius. I have done a few ...
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### how does different colour wavelength intefere? [duplicate]

Say a red colour with 400nm mixes with blue colour with 700nm, but out of phase by a little. What would be the resultant colour? I would know how to represent the resulting wave mathematically, but ...
225 views

### Omega-frequency or pulsation?

I'm reading a book about optics in English. However, I speak a different language and have a problem with distinction. What does $\omega$ mean? $\omega=1/T$ or $\omega=2\pi/T$ What is the ...
207 views

### Several stationary points of the action functional

In QFT the principle of stationary action states that we choose fields that will make the action stationary but what if the action has many stationary points (for a fixed choice of boundary ...
116 views

### Visualization of electromagnetic field [duplicate]

In the Wikipedia article about electromagnetic radiation one can find the following picture: But shouldn't the E and B field be 90$^\circ$ out of phase? In the depicted way the energy isn't ...
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### Do high voltage power lines attract lightning strikes?

I always thought that high voltage power lines would attract a lightning strike more than other structures in the same area. Turns out I was wrong. My neighbor's chimney got struck by lightning and it ...
65 views

### Do photons in interferometer violate the law of conservation of mass?

I mean Mach-Zehnder Interferometer, where light split into two shortest paths. Is light after splitting wave or particle? Is it a particle? How could one photon change to two? If the wave, does the ...