# All Questions

1 views

### Why are sine/cosine always used to describe oscillations?

What I am really asking is are there other functions that, like $\sin()$ and $\cos()$ are bounded from above and below, and periodic? If there are, why are they never used to describe oscillations in ...
102 views

### Why do some things break when twisted?

Explain at the atomic level why twisting something, like a thin tree branch or arm, will break from twisting, but something else, such as a bowling ball or cinder block, will not break from twisting.
19 views

### Change of field intensity/flux density and energy

The answer for this question in the solutions manual is (D). I tried to solve it using $$W_e = \frac12\int_\nu ED d\nu$$ Which gives me (C). Any idea where I have gone wrong?
48 views

### double of temperature

I'm not a physicist, but I was having a discussion with a friend and I could not convince her about the main point. I asked her: "If I am in a place which temperature is 10ºC and she is in a place ...
21 views

### When pressure is exerted on parallel hydraulic pistons, do they start extending at the same time?

If there are two hydraulic cylinders connected in parallel, each with a different load (shown in the picture below), will they start extending at the same time? I'm having a disagreement with my ...
521 views

### Why does a nuclear explosion have directionality?

It just occurred to me that almost all images I've seen of the (in)famous mushroom cloud show a vertical column rising perpendicular to the ground and a horizontal planar ring parallel to the ground. ...
101 views

### Do photons make the universe expand?

I have a problem understanding the ideas behind a basic assumption of cosmology. The Friedmann equations follow from Newtonian mechanics and conservation of Energy-momentum $(E_{kin}+E_{pot}=E_{tot})$ ...
13 views

### Goldstone couple to conserved current

The Goldstone in spontaneous symmetry breaking problem couples naturally to the associated conserved current of the broken symmetry. How can I see a rigorous (mathematical) derivation for that?
20 views

### What is the electric field between and outside infinite parallel plates?

I know that Gauss's law says $$\oint_S {\vec{E} \cdot d\vec{A} = \frac{q_{enc}}{{\epsilon _0 }}}$$ and that because $\vec{E}$ is always parallel to $d\vec{A}$ in this case, and $\vec{E}$ is a ...
11 views

### Can “state” be considered a 5th dimension?

I searched for an answer to this question on Google but just found articles that mention either string theory or a 5th dimension in passing (such as Maxwell equations as they relate to Riemann ...
120 views

### Does “Crack The Whip” actually speed you up?

"Crack The Whip" is a game played on ice skating rinks where several individuals line up all facing the opposite end of the rink, and skate forward. When the group reaches the opposite end of the ...
66 views

### Protons and Electrons Occupying the Same Space

When it comes to atoms electrons can't fall into the nucleus, which besides the off hand uncertainty explanation, I'm not sure which force prevents them from falling into the nucleus. I thought I ...
36 views

### Studying Quantum Electrodynamics?

As an electrical/computer engineer, I already have a relatively thorough understanding of classical electromagnetism. From what I understand though, classical EM is only an approximation to quantum ...
242 views

### Electric Field inside a regular polygon with corner charges

If we have equal charges located at the corners of a regular polygon, then the electric field at its center is zero. Are there other points inside a polygon where the field vanishes? The simplest ...
714 views

### How is dark energy consistent with conservation of mass and energy?

I initially thought that dark energy must in some way violate conservation of mass and energy since the component of the energy density of space that comes from dark energy is constant, and space is ...
563 views

### Scale factor and age of the universe

Why is the cosmological scale factor (expansion rate of the universe) not simply the time $t$, i.e. the age of the universe?
53 views

### Representations and transformations under an $SU(n)$ Lie groups?

I think my problem is that I misunderstand what "transforms under" really means. Let's take $SU(3)$, for the $\mathbf{3}$ with Dynkin indices $(1,0)$, a state transforms like : $ψ→gψ$. For the ...
205 views

### Finding Surface Tension of water at certain Temperature and Pressure

So the question is: Using the Young-Laplace Equation (if applicable), find the surface tension (dynes/cm) for water at 20 degrees Celsius with 2.5 psi. Round to the nearest tenth. ...
66 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 ...
224 views

### Bekenstein entropy black hole v.s Hawking entropy black hole

Historically, Bekenstein estimated the entropy associated with a black hole in 1973, obtaining: $$S_B = \frac{\ln(2)k_Bc^3}{8\pi\hbar G}A.$$ He already acknowledges in his article that his estimates ...
132 views

### Is this derivation of Black Hole entropy viable?

This question is motivated by this one. Suppose $l$ is the minimum measurable unit of length. What is entropy of a spinless particle contained in this interval? We know that entropy of a two-level ...
11 views

### Simulating electrical sublimation of aluminium foil

When i apply high voltage (through a capacitor bank) across an aluminium foil, it gets converted into plasma. I want to simulate this process and study the properties of the plasma produced ...
30 views

### Walter Lewin's lecture on Farday's law

In Walter Lewin's lecture on Faraday's law, he does a demonstration with a solenoid where he shows that current is induced in a loop that surrounds the solenoid as the magnetic flux is changing. He ...
264 views

### What is parafermion in condensed matter physics?

Recently, parafermion becomes hot in condensed matter physics (1:Nature Communications, 4, 1348 (2013),[2]:Phys. Rev. X, 2, 041002 (2012), [3]:Phys. Rev. B, 86, 195126 (2012),[4]:Phys. Rev. B,87, ...
7 views

### Thermal resistance of thermal interface materials?

Thermal conductivity are often used for surfaces between the computer chip and the heat sink to increase heat transfer and they want high thermal conductivity to decrease the thermal resistance. By ...
36 views

### Quantum vector space - A complex vector space

Why is vector space of states, a complex vector space? and not a real vector space or perhaps a space based on a new field altogether, which we would have to create specifically for quantum mechanics? ...
38 views

### What is the origin and nature of the “hydrogen envelope” located on the sun side of a comet coma?

It is tempting to assume the origin of the hydrogen is water vapor from the comet, in which case, what process "breaks up" the water molecule (or perhaps ammonia molecule?)? Is the hydrogen actually ...
50 views

### Relative motion setting course of closest approach

Let $r_{P/Q}$ be the position vector of $\overrightarrow P$ relative to vector $\overrightarrow Q$ and $v_{P/Q}$ the velocity vector of $\overrightarrow P$ relative to $\overrightarrow Q$. Suppose ...
19 views

### Does all information in the universe come from the observer?

In absence of the observer any system undergoes unitary evolution, that is reversible evolution without entropy change. It is believed that the initial state of the universe had very low entropy, ...
15 views

### Rise of 2 liquids in a pipe [on hold]

The figure is a cross-section of a pipe of radius $r$. In the portion ABCD, a liquid of density $\rho$ is present. On the other part is present a liquid of density $\delta$. ...
14 views

### Working of a phototransistor

Can anyone explain how photogenerated current in the base gets amplified in a phototransistor. If you use band energy diagram, then I would understand more quickly and clearly.
51 views

### Heat balance: how to obtain T(t) with energy in the form u(T(t))

I have the heat balance equation for a cooling case in the form: $$\frac{dU(T(t))}{dt}=-J$$ with $U$: energy (J) $T$: temperature (K) $t$: time (s) $J$: heat flux leaving the system (W) I have ...
11 views

### Charge within cavity of conductor [on hold]

A spherical cavity of radius 6.50cmcm is at the center of a metal sphere of radius 17.5cmcm . A point charge 4.20μC\mu C rests at the very center of the cavity, whereas the metal conductor carries ...
20 views

### Is there work done when two current carrying wires are attracted?

When a current carrying wire attracts(or repels) another wire, the wire moves under the action of a force. Also, it is obvious that the work done is due to force of "magnetic field" on "moving ...
22 views

### Compatibility between solutions of explicit Maxwell equations vs. wave equation?

When trying to solve for the allowed propagation frequencies in a cylindrical waveguide, I approached the problem by solving the wave equation for all three components of $\bar{E}$, and subsequently ...
21 views

### When a star turns into a red giant what stops its core contracting

I recently asked this question When do stars become red giants? and am now wondering when the star's core is contracting after it has fused H to He what force stops the contraction just before it ...
24 views

### Rotation operator for a point in a coordinate system linearly derived from Cartesian coordinates

For some experimental and practical reason, I have created a new coordinate system in the form $$x^\prime_i=T_{ij}x_j$$ where $T_{ij}$ isn't a square matrix. $x_i$ is standard Cartesian coordinates, ...
14 views

### Moment of Inertia for a hollow cylinder

This question may be to rudimentary. I have found 2 formulas for calculating the inertia of a hollow cylinder. Which is correct or are they used for different circumstances? They seem to be used ...
1k views
+50

### Why nearsighted people see better with their glasses *rotated*?

If you are nearsighted (like me), you may have noticed that if you tilt your glasses, you can see distant objects more clear than with normally-positioned glasses. If you already see completely clear, ...
21 views

### How does temperature affect photovoltaics (PV) efficiency?

I know that photovoltaic panels are more efficient at lower temperatures: As the temperature increases, the output voltage decreases. I am looking for an explanation of the mechanism behind this ...
67 views

### Time Reversal in a Black Hole

I had a lively discussion with a person about black holes recently, and was making the point about gravitational acceleration in GR being paralleled by speed in SR. One thing that I know people talk ...
19 views

### The Energy involved in the work done here?

When a wire that has current $I$ flowing within it and its in a magnetic field, the wire experience the Lorentz force, and that force moved the wire over a certain distance $x$(no matter how small), ...
26 views

### Hot Big Bang vs. Big Bang

This should hopefully be a quick one. Is there any difference between the Big Bang Theory and the Hot Big Bang Theory? Around Cambridge I hear everyone using "Hot Big Bang Theory", for example ther ...
5 views

### What determines the frequency output of a Barkhausen-Kurz tube?

I looked at the wikipedia entry and it doesn't give a very detailed or thorough description of the principles of operation of Barkhausen-Kurz oscillator triodes. But I do wonder if it is physically ...
20 views

### Power wasted and power delivered?

If a power source is supplying a current I and a voltage V, that travels to its destination through resistors of restance R is the power delivered at the destination = $VI - RI^2$, where $(Pi=) VI$ is ...
29 views

### Ground velocity of satellite

I was wondering whether there is a simple formula in order to calculate the ground velocity (the velocity with which the satellite is moving along the planet's surface) on basis of the orbital ...
31 views

### what are wormholes made of and how do they function?

what are wormholes made of and how do they function ? Also, what is the relation between black holes and wormhole ?
51 views

### What is the chemical symbol for Mu-mesic atoms?

Is there a convention for chemical symbols of mu-mesic atoms, at least for ones bound to light atomic nuclei?
13 views

### combination of cells

There are m*n identical cells of emf E and internal resistance r connected in parallel rows. This combination of cells is connected across an external resistance R. For what arrangement of the ...