All Questions

7k views

What is the difference between dispersion and diffusion?

What is the difference between dispersion and diffusion? Currently I believe, that diffusion is the mixture of molecules due to Brownian motion. So I read everywhere, that it happens with magnitude of ...
504 views

Reason why $F^{\mu\nu}F_{\mu\nu}$ and $\tilde{F}_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu}$ are Lorentz invariant

I'm trying to think of an intuitive reasoning for why $F^{\mu\nu}F_{\mu\nu}$ and $\tilde{F}_{\mu\nu}F^{\mu\nu}$ are Lorentz invariant. By this I mean that I don't simply want to show that they remain ...
197 views

Entanglement in single particle state

Is it possible that we have entanglement in different degrees of freedom of a singe particle. like spin and linear momentum .
46 views

Space time curvature due to electric charge or magnetic charges [duplicate]

since we know that gravitational force is nothing but a curvature in space-time. I have a similar analogous for the electric or magnetic charges. Similarity is that both electromagnetic and ...
519 views

Understanding collision terms in Boltzmann equation

I am reading a paper that deals with the Boltzmann equation. They add a collision which is supposed to account for collisions which happen when particles are within a radius of $d$ from each other. ...
2k views

Calculating the energy of an electron given the wavelength

Okay, so I know that the wavelength of an electron is 5e-7m and I am asked to calculate its minimum velocity and hence minimum energy. Calculating the minimum ...
318 views

Phase Plot for Harmonic Oscillator

This is probably gonna be a dumb question but I don't know exactly where I am making the mistake. I have been taught in highschool that simple harmonic oscillator phase plot is the $sin(\omega t)$: ...
723 views

Physical significance of Taylor and Maclaurin series - What is the significance of defining a Maclaurin series in Mathematical Physics?

In physics, usually Taylor series is used to express a quantity which keep changes with coordinate. For example the potential energy of a molecule changes with coordinate, so we express the potential ...
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Breatheability of atmosphere above 3000 meters [closed]

I would like to offer you a slight correction on your statement that 3000 m is about the limit of breathable atmosphere. Unless I misunderstood you, I need to point out that many people live in ...
222 views

Superconducting wire in a Magnetic Field?

A superconducting wire($SC$) is moved rapidly in a magnetic field( $1$ $Tesla$), what would happen to the wire? Are there any forces induced of attraction or repulsion? In a typical conductor, we ...
84 views

Info request on studying QIT/QIS or QM with a Computer Science background [closed]

I've been considering a career change for a long time and recently discovered the Two-Slit Experiment, which, to put it frankly, blew my mind. I then started some hefty reading and investigation into ...
3k views

Is a capacitor in an open circuit charged?

Say I have a circuit consisting of a battery, a wire, an open switch, and a capacitor. The circuit is open since the switch is open. My book says that the capacitor will only be charged when the ...
372 views

Integration constants in Maxwell's equations (ambiguousness?)

In classical electrodynamics, if the electric field (or magnetic field, either of the two) is fully known (for simplicity: in a vacuum with $\rho = 0, \vec{j} = 0$), is it possible to unambiguously ...
791 views

Does the stretching of space time have a limit?

Why does the stretching of spacetime have no limit? If multiple universes exist. Wouldn't each universe occupy a defined area? If these universes do occupy a defined area wouldn't there be a limit to ...
199 views

Can resistance of wire be ignored

I was doing some physics homework involving direct current circuits and resistors in series, and I started to question the accuracy of the following property of resistors in series, namely that the ...
4k views

Why the electric potential of earth is zero?

For a localized charge distribution the potential is set to zero far away from the charge distribution (at infinity) Now, when grounding a conductor, i.e. connecting it to Earth, it is said that we ...
94 views

energy of electrons outside an atom

The higher the quantum number(energy levels)m the higher the energy. What does the energy refers to? Kinetic energy, potential energy, or the total mechanic energy?
192 views

Pathria's “Statistical Mechanics” first edition [closed]

Does anyone know where I could find and purchase the book "Statistical Mechanics" by R. Pathria, in 1st edition (the 2nd and the 3rd are readily available, but I really need the first). I believe the ...
1k views

Changing the resistance of a circuit

I am wondering, when we change the resistance in a circuit, does the voltage tend to increase or the ampere decrease? More specifically, under what conditions does what happen? E.g. If we have a ...
359 views

Why would a pendulum experiment give $g > 9.8\ \mathrm{m/s^2}$?

I am taking an introductory lab course in which we've done an experiment on the physical pendulum. We've seen that for small oscillations, the period is ...
112 views

Which types of particles are affected by the wave-particle duality?

If we take the double slit experiment as a way of demonstrating the wave-particle duality, which types of particles would show an interference pattern? For example, I know that electrons show such a ...
206 views

Is there a wave function for anyons?

People talk about anyons a lot. But i have never seen an anyon wave function. I suspect that there is no such thing as a wave function for anyons. I mean, anyons are not generalizations of bosons ...
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Electric field near surface of a conductor? [duplicate]

If the electric field on a positive charge is non-zero, then the charge accelerates in the direction of the field. The field at the surface of a conductor is perpendicular to the surface. Why ...
3k views

Charge distribution on conductors?

You have seen that the excess charge on an isolated conductor moves entirely to the conductor’s surface. However, unless the conductor is spherical, the charge does not distribute itself uniformly. ...
2k views

How to Determine the voltage polarity of inductor in a circuit? [closed]

The Voltage polarity across the inductor is same as that across the capacitor since both are in parallel and the voltage across them must be same. But when Inductor, capacitor and resistor are ...
81 views

How are symmetries defined mathematically? [duplicate]

I have started working on differential geometry very recently. I am little bit familiar with mathematical concepts such as manifolds, differential forms and associated concepts. As I was speeding ...
962 views

Calculating the electric potential in cylindrical coordinates from constant E-field

I am having so much trouble with this problem. I feel like I shouldn't be, but I am. A uniform electric field, $\vec{E} = E_0\hat{x}$. What is the potential, expressed using cylindrical ...
Consider there is a box of mass $m$ at rest on the floor. Most books give an example that we need to do a work of $mgh$ to lift the box $h$ upward. If we analyze this work done, the external force ...