# All Questions

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### What is the formal definition of a stellar day?

I'm having trouble understanding precisely what a stellar day is. Neither the USNO nor the IERS sites provide a definition. And Wikipedia's description as the "rotation period relative to the fixed ...
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### Do error checking costs of quantum computing shrink BQP?

BQP is the set of problems solvable in polynomial time for a given error tolerance, and it is suspected to be larger than P (and BPP, which is probably equal to P). However, inability for the gates to ...
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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 ...
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### Zero Point Fluctuations

The total energy of a mode in a quantum mechanical resonator is given by $E_n ~=~ (n+ 1/2)hf$ where $n$ is the number of modes. So when there are no modes or vibrations, i.e. $n=0$, the energy is ...
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### Naive Uncertainty principle for string theory

Is it possible, in some sense, that a naive uncertainly principle for string theory could be expressed as : $$\Delta x_i \Delta p_j \Delta \sigma ~=~ \delta_{ij} \hbar \ell_s$$ where $\ell_s$ is ...
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### No cloning theorem and exclusive-or (XOR) operator

According to IBM's website, [...]where we would [classically] have done an assignment (x=y), we instead initialize the target (x=0) and use exclusive or (x^=y). This sounds like x is a copy ...
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### Long/short-range interaction

A potential of the form $r^{-n}$ is often considered long-range, while one that decays exponentially is considered short-range. Is this characterization simply relative/conventional, or is there a ...
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### What are the properties and impediments of a liquid air fueled engine?

I recently came across a very interesting article that suggested the possibility of using liquified gases like air, nitrogen, or oxygen as a power source for cars. It appears that this company is ...
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### Widom-Larsen Theory

Does the Widom-Larsen theory pose a credible underpinning for Low Energy Nuclear Reactions, often incorrectly referred to as "Cold Fusion"? http://arxiv.org/abs/cond-mat/0505026
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### Could someone introduce books or reviews on electron-electron interaction to me? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Books for Condensed Matter Physics Could someone introduce books or reviews on electron-electron interaction to me? Especially its effects on screening and transport?
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### When Hamiltonian and the total energy are the same

In which condition, the Hamiltonian is the same as the total energy of the system, or say $H=T+V$?
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### Good books about waves and optics [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: What’s a good textbook to learn about waves and oscillations? Where is a good place to learn (classical) optics? I'm looking for a good book about waves and optics, ...
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### I need help with this question on Heat Capacity

A calorimeter has a Heat Capacity of $70 J/K$. There is $150g$ water with a temperature of $20^oC$ in this calorimeter. In this, you put a metal cube of $60g$ with a temperature of $100^oC$. The ...
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### 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 ...
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### Area under a $pV$ diagram

What does the area under a Pressure volume diagram equal? I read in my textbook it equals 'external' work done, but why is this? First of all, what exactly is external work? Can you get it ...
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### Finding an equation relating the mass of a blade of a wind turbine to its velocity

I'm writing up my physics coursework and I thought I'd try and find an equation described in the title. This is my attempt: Is it correct?
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### Why or how is cross product used?

I do not understand how does the result of two vectors acting on a particle require me to take the cross product to find the resultant. Won't the actual force on the particle be the result of the ...
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### Symmetries of spacetime and objects over it

I guess according to mathematical didactic, we first think of spacetime as a set and we reason about elements of its topology and then it's furthermore equipped with a metric. Appearently it is this ...
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### Temperature and density

As temperature rise the density become lower,When temperature goes down, density is higher but in higher temperature the body become bigger so why density become lower?
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### Why does the moon look bigger at the horizon? [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Why does the moon sometimes appear giant and a orange red color near the horizon? Why does the moon look bigger at horizon or skyline than at other times e.g. at ...

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