All Questions

14k views

Newtonian gravity vs. general relativity: exactly how wrong is Newton?

Is there a simple function I can use to describe the difference between simple Newtonian dynamics and the actual observed motion? Or maybe some ratios for common examples of, say, the motion of stars ...
86 views

Can we calculate the number of photons emitted per second by a radioactive source (gamma) ? we can take 100g of barium-133 as an example
434 views

Why lagrangian is negative number?

In the special relativistic action for a massive point particle, $$\int_{t_i}^{t_f}\mathcal {L}dt,$$ why is the Lagrangian $$\mathcal {L}=-E_o\gamma^{-1}$$ a negative number?
1k views

First Chern number, monoples and quantum Hall states

The first Chern number $\cal C$ is known to be related to various physical objects. Gauge fields are known as connections of some principle bundles. In particular, principle $U(1)$ bundle is said to ...
2k views

Does light change color on its way through a window? [duplicate]

Looking at the refractive index of glass, it's around $1.6$. Then the speed of light $x$ through light should be given by $$1.6 = \frac{3.0\times10^8}{x},$$ so $x$ is about ...
330 views

Relationship between Mars and Earth rotation

Is it by pure random chance that Mars and the Earth have nearly the same day duration (Mars day is barely 40 minutes longer, which is just 3% difference), or there is some causal relationship between ...
68 views

A Mathematician Who Wants to Learn Particle Physics [duplicate]

Possible Duplicate: Book recommendations I'm a grad student in pure math, wrapping up a thesis in Lie theory. After years of talking to mathematicians and physicists, I've decided that it's ...
181 views

Relation between Casimir and hydrophobic effects

Background Some years ago I was studying "Fundamentos de biología" (Biology fundamentals) and learned how the lipids create a bilayer due to the water repulsion. Some time later I learned that this ...
238 views

Confusion about time shift in special relativity

I have never really found a way to comfortably comprehend the idea of time shift even though I know its not the hard part of relativity theory. In that light, can someone point out what is wrong or ...
179 views

How do the “tidal forces warming moons” theories hold when apart from heating from expansion, there may be also cooling from contraction?

I can understand a temporary heating, from the tital forces exerted on the moon but wouldn't there be cooling as well eventually when particles "give in" to contraction? Wouldn't they eventually net a ...
2k views

Physical significance of Killing vector field along geodesic

Let us denote by $X^i=(1,\vec 0)$ the Killing vector field and by $u^i(s)$ a tangent vector field of a geodesic, where $s$ is some affine parameter. What physical significance do the scalar quantity ...
192 views

Spring extensions

A certain spring has attached to it a mass of 25 units: on increasing the load by 6 units it extends 2.5 cm. a) What is the time of oscillation under the original load? b) What will be ...