# All Questions

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### Conservation of Linear Momentum with respect to a given direction

Is linear momentum conserved in any direction? More specifically, if you project all momentum vectors in a system onto another vector, will momentum be conserved? I know that momentum is conserved ...
509 views

### Velocity required for Horizontal Rain

Related to my previous question - Change in appearance of liquid drop due to gravity... Ok, I think we all have noticed this practical phenomena (a kind of illusion though)... During rain (while ...
3k views

### Inelastic collision and conservation of linear and angular momentum

Is it possible for two spheres (a & b) to have an inelastic collision with BOTH the total linear and angular momentum preserved? I'm doing some physics simulation of some spheres attracting each ...
5k views

### Is the same amount of electricity used for ceiling and table fans on different speeds?

We use ceiling and table fans in home which are can be set to low or high speeds using regulators. I want to ask that does it uses or consumes same amount of electricity at different speeds? Here, ...
4k views

### How do I get the total acceleration from 3 axes?

For a project I'm working on I'm using an accelerometer which measures acceleration in 3 directions, x, y and z. My question is: How can I calculate the total acceleration in a certain direction from ...
149 views

### matter anti-matter world

let us suppose the gedanken experiment a man isolated into a room he ask if he is made of matter oder of antimatter could he set some experiments to see if he is made of matter or if he is made of ...
1k views

### Same momentum, different mass

The question is: if A bowling ball and ping pong ball are moving at same momentum and you exert same force to stop each one which will take a longer time? or some? which will have a longer ...
142 views

### Moon and the moving train

While travelling by train (travelling West to East), it seems the moon is moving in opposite direction when seen from the window, but then it reverses its direction, after a certain amount of time and ...
190 views

### Get into orbit from the Redbull jump position to a satellite position by using a cord/rope?

Its difficult to put this into the title. I was watching the Redbull Jump and noticed that the height of this is at 39 kilometres (24 mi) the atmosphere pressure is at I believe about 0.4% of that at ...
96 views

### Does (will) wind affect plasma (electical spark passing through a gap)?

Does (will) wind affect plasma (electical spark passing through a gap) in a way such as it affects fire? My guess is no because it's like light, but still thought its worth asking. Thanks
272 views

### An equation that describes massless spin-1 particle

Proca action/equation describes massive spin-1 particle, but I was unable to find an equation that describes massless spin-1 particle. Can anyone tell me what the name of this equation is?
2k views

### What causes the vacuum in my bento box?

I can't think of a good title for my post, sorry about that. I've got a lunch box (called a bento box) Basically it's a plastic box with a plastic lid with a rubber rim around the lid to create an ...
349 views

### Can we make a Maxwell's Demon using Quantum Computers?

Although I'm reasonably sure that quantum computing advances will not lead to the ability to construct a machine that globally violates the 2nd law of thermodynamics, it feels like a difficult ...
303 views

### Can cos(x) or sin(x) be the function of stationary action?

Is there a way to express $\cos(x(t))$ (or $\sin(x(t))$) as the solution to the Euler-Lagrange equation, in other words is there a sense in which this function is the path of stationary action?
808 views

### Metric tensor and its inverse

Is it always allowed to represent the metric tensor $g_{\mu \nu}$ in General Relativity as a $4\times 4$ matrix? If the last one is represented for example with a $4\times 4$ matrix ...
262 views

### What is the 'quantum-developed' or 'relativistic-developed' equation of the electrostatic force?

Quantum electrodynamics (QED) is the relativistic quantum field theory of electrodynamics that is the first theory where full agreement between quantum mechanics, special relativity and ...
7k views

### How long until the sun cannot sustain human life on earth?

The sun will last, at its current brightness for 9 billion more years. How long until the sun gets burned down to the point where it cannot sustain life on Earth anymore? Updated: I am more concerned ...
1k views

### Liquid crystal shutter with >90% transmission?

Today's liquid crystal shutter glasses, when in the "transparent" state, exhibit only 40% light transmission. They work using two polarizer layers, one which is liquid crystal and goes {vertical ...
203 views

### How does a supersymmetry transformatio relates bosons to fermions?

A superfield is defined as a function of of a spacetime coordinate and two spinor coordinates, $\Phi (x, \theta, \theta^*)$. A supersymmetric transformation is then generated by the operator ...
345 views

### Relationship between Alcubierre drive space-time evolution and speed of gravity

The top rated answer to this question about the Alcubierre drive asserts, "spacetime can dynamically evolve in a way which apparently violates special relativity," but according to the Wikipedia ...
3k views

### Is it possible to find out the distance traveled by a car if the force applied on it is given?

Say you have car which produces $F$ amount of force which is transferred to the wheels directly. Now assuming that there is air friction which is causing a retarding force proportional to the ...
214 views

### Store up cheap electricity to use later?

My utility company charges me more for electricity in the summer. Is there any way I could "save up" non-summer electricity (eg, a giant battery?) and then use it during the summer, saving myself ...
378 views

### Hamiltonian Flow Map

I'm reading this article and am struggling with some of the terminology. What is the flow map for a Hamiltonian system? I'm looking for a rigorous definition really! Many thanks in advance.
190 views

### Lorentz transformations for sine wave in random direction

Hello i have been struggling to derive Lorentz transformations for a sine wave, which is traveling at random direction. I started by prooving that phase $\phi$ is invariant for relativity and that ...
11k views

### Thermodynamics - Sign convention

I use the sign convention: Heat absorbed by the system = $q+$ (positive) Heat evolved by the system = $q-$ (negative) Work done on the system = $w +$ (positive) Work done by the system = $w -$ ...
1k views

### Where does the “g” force that pilots experience come from?

I understand that it has to do with acceleration. Say a pilot does a quick maneuver and experiences a force of 5g. What exactly is happening here? And what is this force relative to? If someone ...
2k views

### Reason for the Gaussian wave packet spreading

I have recently read how the Gaussian wave packet spreads while propagating. see: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wave_packet#Gaussian_wavepackets_in_quantum_mechanics Though I understand the ...
7k views

### What is the general formula for a trebuchet?

What I'm really looking for is a formula for a trebuchet that I can input the desired initial velocity after launch and mass of the object, and from that figure out how long the long arm, short arm, ...
195 views

### Why isn't heavy water much heavier, and what use is it for fission reactions?

With confusion I experienced recently, I'd like to clarify some stuff for myself about nuclear energy, that I find are usually not properly explained. What exactly is heavy water, just water where ...
269 views

### Why are atoms particles?

The Oxford English Dictionary definition of particle is as follows: "A component of the physical world smaller than the atom." I read an article in NewScientist and it said "...all particles from ...
570 views

### Does Heisenberg's energy-time uncertainty principle imply that quantum computing is no more efficient than classical computing?

See http://arxiv.org/abs/quant-ph/0006080v1 "On Non Efficiency of Quantum Computer", by Robert Alicki. In this paper, the author argues using Heisenberg's energy-time uncertainty principle, that ...
1k views

### Direction of friction on particle placed on a rotating turntable

If a particle is placed on a rotating turntable then the particle has a tendency to slip tangentially with respect to the underneath surface... So the friction should act tangentially to the ...
188 views

### In Copenhagen, can this idea preserve locality for Bell inequalities?

Generate an entangled pair of qubits. Send to Alice and Bob far away from each other. Both measure along basis in one of two possible orientations. The result is sent to Charlie at some later time, ...
86 views

### Kaluza Klein Particles and Mini Black Holes

Are the Kaluza Klein Particles and Mini Black Holes associated with the ADD and Randal-Sundrum models different names for the same class of particles or are they distinct.
235 views

### Why is a nucleus isotropic?

I believe in Neutron Scattering the neutrons after hitting a nucleus can bounce in any of 360*3 dimensions -> 1080 degrees? Why is this so? Shouldn't it only bounce "off" the neutron in approximately ...
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### Would someone who is only interested in string theory benefit from working out the problems in Jackson electrodynamics?

This is a soft question. I'm not sure if it is appropriate for this site. Would someone who is only interested in string theory benefit from working out the problems in Jackson electrodynamics? I ...
149 views

### Elements of a Planet reveals nearby supernova remnant?

During a random reading through this site, I found this one: Origin of elements heavier than Iron (Fe)... The answer was "The formation of many elements in earth was due to Supernova nucleosynthesis" ...
195 views

### If a star were to suddenly dissapear, would it still have gravity?

I am wondering whether or not literally anything can travel faster than the speed of light. For example, if gravity from a star immediately ceases to have an effect if it suddenly and magically ...
331 views

### Plasma and Plasma Globes

Plasma is the fourth state of matter. Wikipedia says, that all the gaseous atoms will be ionized into positive ions and free electrons at extremely high temperatures. But, what does this explain in a ...
763 views

### Calculate kinematics of body movement from the set of spatial coordinates

Short intro I have a set of 3D (x,y,z) spatial coordinates of arm movement obtained using motion capture system. The example set of such coordinates looks like this (rounded up): ...
2k views

### design of the heat exchanger…in chimney

I want to design a heat exchanger in a chimney in order to utilize heat from chimney. I have done several experiments, but I could not determine the exact length of tube (carrying water), such that ...
129 views

### How can one know if a theory allow action at a distance effects or not?

1-In general, if a theory has action at a distance effects, where can that appear exactly in the theory? 2-Does it appear in the dynamical law of the theory? (does it appear in Newton's 2nd law? ...
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### What allows new born suns to travel away from each other?

What allows massive new born suns to move away from each other, as they have been observed. I would think that their massive gravity would prevent this and cause them to slam into each other.
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### What is the fundamental differences between bound and entangled states

Specifically, are all entangled states considered bound?
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### The notion of bounded states in quantum mechanics and their characterization with operators

Is there any case of potential $V$, such that the continuity of the operator $H=c\ \Delta+V$ is not spoiled? And I don't know any non-differnetial operator examples for continous spectra. I ...
538 views

### A basic confusion about what is an atom

Wikipedia defines atom as The atom is a basic unit of matter that consists of a dense central nucleus surrounded by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. and defines electron as: The ...
195 views

### Do particles gain mass only at energy levels found during the big bang?

I am trying to make sure my understanding is correct. At energies and temperatures found during the big bang (or at CERN recently), the Higgs mechanism comes into effect. When it does, there is a ...