# All Questions

6k views

### Bell's theorem for dummies, how does it work?

I've been reading up on theoretical physics for a few years now and I feel like I am starting to get an understanding of particle physics, at least as much as you can from Wikipedia pages. One thing ...
226 views

### Does one square centimenter of the sun core really radiate this amount of energy?

I have been thinking that since the core of the sun maintains its temperature at 15 million degrees Kelvin, then every cubic centimeter of this core is receiving a certain amount of energy to keep it ...
116 views

### Field interaction betweeen two point charges?

[SOLVED] Consider two particles A and B having equal charges and placed at some distance. The particle A is slightly displaced towards B.So, Does the EM force on B increase(+/-) as soon as the ...
162 views

### Linear independence of the Covariant Derivative

What's the easiest way to show that the covariant derivative $\nabla U^{\mu}$ is linearly independent to $U^{\mu}$, which is a vector? I mean I'm assuming they are since I'm proving the second ...
969 views

### Alternatives to electromagnetism for communication?

It seems, from my (weak) understanding of the standard model that the only field suitable for long range communication is the one we actually use, electromagnetism. (Gravity waves could be used as ...
380 views

### Why don't we define absolute coordinates?

Why don't we chose a random point in the void present between galaxy clusters and define it as the absolute origin? I know that rest is not absolute and that space expands, but we can easily keep ...
573 views

### Help with a solid sphere sliding and then rolling

Initially at time $t=0$, a solid sphere slides with velocity $v$ along a horizontal surface. The coefficient of friction is u. Find the required time for the sphere to stop sliding (the sphere will ...
227 views

### Why is speed/position relative but acceleration not? [duplicate]

I think i understand it now, if found this: link I know that position and speed are relative. There is no such thing as universal coordinates. Then why is acceleration absolute? Is the 3th and 4th ...
595 views

### Electric potential of spherical water droplet [closed]

I'm trying to answer the following: 1000 spherical water droplets, each of radius $r$ and each carrying a charge $q$, coalesce to form a single bigger spherical drop. If $v$ is the electric ...
361 views

### How does the Gordon Decomposition of Dirac Current give rise to spin angular momentum?

How does the Gordon Decomposition of Dirac Current give rise to spin angular momentum? I used the Gordon Decomposition to split the Probability Current of the Dirac Field into its orbital current and ...
174 views

### Solar neutrino problem in 1968 and experimental verification of neutrino oscillation in 2001. Why the huge delay?

Solar neutrino deficit was first observed in the late 1960's. And theory of neutrino oscillation was developed in 1967. But,in 2001, the first convincing evidence of solar neutrino oscillation came in ...
174 views

### Road to String Theory [duplicate]

I have a question for our theoretic SuperUsers. How much knowledge and which fields of physics you have to know to start studying string theory? I am now on QFT, after I think I'll start study ...
114 views

### Square-Cube Law?

I've heard about something called the square-cube law. What is it? All I know of it is that it has something to do with mass of large objects and their gravitational influence.
289 views

### Latent heat of condensation

Regarding atmospheric processes, I understand that energy is required to evaporate water by moving molecules further apart i.e. a phase change from liquid to gas. The air then ascends into the ...
100 views

### What is the first excited state of the honeycomb Kitaev model in its gapped phase?

As we know, there are both gapless and gapped phases of the Kitaev model, and let's fix the couplings $J_x,J_y,J_z$ such that the model being in the gapped phase. My question is, what is the first ...
184 views

### Which air will give more effective cooling ? Dry or Moist?

Yesterday, I had an innovative idea. I live in India, and in summer season, the temperature can reach up to 45 degree Celsius. We use Split 1.5 Ton AC in our small office. The idea is to put an ...
33 views

### Audio anomaly identification

I left an audio recorder in the forest in many different locations for fauna identification. I am collecting subjects on my audio recorder that are clearly not in the frequency range of any animal ...
260 views

### Fourier Coefficents in general solution to Klein-Gordon Dirac-equation?

The most general solution to the Klein-Gordon equation is written as \Phi(x)= \int \mathrm{d }k^3 \frac{1}{(2\pi)^3 2\omega_k} \left( a(k){\mathrm{e }}^{ -i(k x)} + a^\dagger(k) {...
141 views

### Question about De Broglie Wavelength

I read that: The smallest wave packet we can build has a size on the order of the de Broglie wavelength $\lambda$ of a free particle moving with the same speed $v$. I haven't been able to find a ...
151 views

### Would my fridge magnet drop off on a non-magnetic planet?

As far as I understand, the magnetic power of an ordinary permanent ferromagnet comes from and is maintained by the motion of molten iron in the Earth's core. So a fridge magnet would eventually come ...
3k views

### Is the uncertainty principle a property of elementary particles or a result of our measurement tools?

In many physics divulgation books I've read, this seems to be a commonly accepted point of view (I'm making this quote up, as I don't remember the exact words, but this should give you an idea): ...
55 views

### Forces acting on particles

What is the difference between air resistance/friction force and up thrust force? I always think that air friction is the same as up thrust but it does not seem that way.
69 views

### Scattering of two particles - phase factor

I did see some posts on stackexchange on this matter, but I find them to be beyond my scope or not directly related to what I am looking for. I am reading Feynman Lectures III, chapter 4. It talks ...
640 views

### Problems Understanding Mass Energy Equivalence

So I've had a problem for a long time now understanding energy-mass equivalence, in particular I've had a lot of trouble understanding how something like interatomic potentials can be seen as mass. I'...
13k views

### How hot can plasma get?

I remember reading about an experiment where fine rods of tungsten were super-heated with millions of amps of electricity, melting them into ionised gas and were then compressed (by magnetic fields?) ...
104 views

### Are black holes trapdoors to the center of the universe? [closed]

Correct me if i'm wrong here, but if you consider the analogy of inflating balloon when explaining the universe expansion, then the center of the universe lies within the center of the inflating ...
356 views

### Conservation of energy (or lack thereof) in Doppler cooling [duplicate]

I did not find my question answered elsewhere, so here it is. I'm doing a project in my first optics course, and we are reading a bit about Doppler cooling. I understand that a laser is tuned to a ...
64 views

89 views

### Initial velocities of a collision [closed]

This is the question: A car of mass 900 kg and a van of mass 1300 kg collide at a crossroads. Investigation into the collision discloses that the car was travelling south east and that the van was ...
40 views

### Can the thermal energy in an object be aligned, creating a thermal jerk?

Thermal energy is related to the speed at which atoms vibrate, therefor thermal energy is a form of motion. In a stationary object, all of these vibrating atoms 'impact' each other in such a way that ...
717 views

### Rotational Friction

This is the question- Consider a cylinder of mass $M$ resting on a rough horizontal rug that is pulled out from under it with acceleration $a$ perpendicular to the axis of the cylinder. What is $F$ (...
94 views

### What were the maximal collision energy of the LHC if it were rewired to $e^{-}-e^{+}$ collisions?

Yes, I know, that it weren't a large hadron collider then. No, I don't think, that the creators of the LHC didn't know what they do. I am just curious. How could it be calculated? A such rewiring ...