Questions tagged [conventions]
A convention is a set of agreed, stipulated, or generally accepted norms. It typically helps common efficiency or understanding but is not required, as opposed to a strict standard or protocol.
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Name of real-valued representation of density matrix?
This is a specialization of my question https://math.stackexchange.com/q/3157300/ on math.SE.
There are many ways to write the density matrix $\hat \rho$ as vector $\vec \rho$. In the Liouville space,...
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1answer
29 views
General equation of a traveling wave [duplicate]
I have seen the equation of a wave written as $y = A \sin (kx – \omega t)$. However sometimes I see it written as $y=A\sin(\omega t-kx).$ Please notify the correct one and provide sufficient reasons.
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1answer
14 views
Electrical systems with multiple connections to earth - is earth modelled as one region of equal potential here?
In the picture we can see a realization of a TT-System, an electrical system with multiple connections to earth at different localiations. I allready know (from this question) that the coulomb-...
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0answers
29 views
Question about Pauli Matrices
I found the following identities about Pauli matrices from the lecture notes of Supersymmetry.
$$((\sigma^{\mu})^{\alpha\dot{\alpha}})^{\ast}=(\bar{\sigma}^{\mu})^{\dot{\alpha}\alpha}$$
$$((\sigma_{\...
3
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1answer
31 views
Virial radius of a collection of point masses
I am experimenting with multi body simulations in astronomy ($N$-body algorithms). It is customary to give the results in dimensionless units.
One of them is a length unit, and the virial radius is ...
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1answer
60 views
What is the meaning of $d$? [duplicate]
What is the meaning of $d$? Is is Delta? If it is Delta, why is it then not $\Delta$? I am still confused with that. Can someone help explain it to me?
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1answer
26 views
Square bracket notation of the basis of 16 independent gamma matrices
The question is very simple and I couldn't find an answer.
What the notation $\gamma^{ [ \mu} \gamma^{\nu} \gamma^{\rho ]}$ and $\gamma^{ [ \mu} \gamma^{\nu} \gamma^{\rho} \gamma^{\sigma ]}$ means?
...
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1answer
29 views
Sign convention in combination of lenses
The problem statement:
Two convex lenses, each of focal length 10cm, are placed at a separation of 15cm with their principal axes coinciding.
Show that a light beam coming parallel to the principal ...
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1answer
22 views
Nillsons Electrical Circuits Confusion
I'm reading this book Nilssons electrical circuits and I'm beginning to get frustrated/confused on some of the circuit diagrams. For instance this simple circuit with resistors in series. I understand ...
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2answers
52 views
Has the kilogram changed?
In late 2018 the kilogram's definition switched from a physical object (the International Prototype Kilogram) to Planck's Constant; a grand move in my opinion.
However, I haven't heard of the ...
3
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1answer
75 views
What would have happened if electron was considered positive?
We always keep on telling that current flows opposite to electron, since electron is negatively charged. And old people didn't knew, that it is electron which actually flows..
So, now if we correct ...
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1answer
52 views
Is internal resistance of cell part of the equivalent resistance of the network of resistors?
Do we include the internal resistance of cell while calculating equivalent resistance of network? Take, for instance, the question given. Do we include the 1 ohm internal resistance while calculating ...
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4answers
86 views
When is the value of spacetime interval $ds$ negative?
The spacetime interval in special relativity, $ds$, is defined as
$$
ds^2=c^2dt^2-dx^2-dy^2-dz^2
$$
with the $(+,-,-,-)$ Minkowski sign convention. The value of $ds^2$ can be positive, zero, or ...
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0answers
12 views
Why -20dB is taken as the standard rejection ratio for optical mode rejection in multimode waveguide?
In case of multimode waveguide to demonstrate perfect mode rejection, I saw researchers use boundary of -20dB. If mode power at output is less then -20dB, it is considered as fully rejected/filter out....
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0answers
58 views
Proper time and its definition [duplicate]
Why is proper time defined to be of opposite sign of the space time interval ds? Shouldnt it be exactly the space time interval?
My question was not about time having opposite sign it was about ...
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1answer
33 views
Integration measure in quantum field theory conventions
In my university QFT course the lecturer used a convention for the integration measure with a factor $1/(2E(\vec{k}))$. For instance in $$\phi(x) = \int \frac{d^3\vec{k}}{2(2\pi)^3E(\vec{k})}(a^\...
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5answers
124 views
Why magnetic field starts from north pole and ends in south pole? [closed]
In magnets such as bar magnets the magnetic field lines are starting from North pole and ends in south pole..but I don't know what is the reason for it..why this happens.
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1answer
75 views
A few questions about spinors and gamma matrices
I am following BUSSTEPP Lectures on Supersymmetry and trying to show that the Wess-Zumino action is invariant under SUSY transformations. I encountered the following questions about spinors and gamma ...
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1answer
49 views
Transpose of fermion bilinears
TL;DR
When we take the transpose of two Grassmann-valued spinors (fermions), should we add a minus sign because we end up anticommutating the two spinors?
More details.
I'm studying the behavior of ...
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2answers
53 views
Why is my height negative if I'm pointing upwards?
I'm solving this typical problem of finding the height I have to aim my crossbow in order to get to a distance. The maths are OK but since gravity is negative my height is also negative. What am I ...
0
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1answer
34 views
Phase conventions for phasors and Fourier transforms
There is a natural isomorphism between the complex plane and the set of sine waves, but this isomorphism is ambiguous up to a rotation and/or flip of the plane. This ambiguity seems to be related to ...
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2answers
55 views
Scientific notation and usage thereof [closed]
I'm taking my first physics exam in university this Saturday, and I'm currently working on a practice exam.
I got the answer 3.1MeV for a alpha-decay question, but the answer was 3100keV. I ...
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0answers
27 views
Number of Isotopes created with decay <-> Chain Yield
The chain yield (or fission yield) states how many isotopes with a certain mass $A$ are created with the decay of $^{235}$U. But how do we know the fractions of specific Isotopes that are created ...
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2answers
101 views
Why is the MKS unit of time the same as the CGS unit? [closed]
There are many system of units used in physics. In the CGS, the units are,
length : centimetre
mass : gram
time : second
And in the MKS system the units are,
length : metre
mass : kilogram
time : ...
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0answers
37 views
Why does the integration over momentum has normalization constant of volume?
If I Fourier transform a wave function in position space, integration carries no normalization constant:
$$\displaystyle{\phi(k) \equiv \langle k|\psi\rangle = \sum\limits_x \langle k|x\rangle\langle ...
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5answers
228 views
Why isn't there a minus sign in Ohm's law, $V = IR$?
Suppose current runs through a resistor from left to right, and we define the left-to-right direction as positive.
Then from left to right, the potential decreases. So $V,$ the voltage across the ...
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1answer
55 views
Sign ambiguity when going from position to momentum space evaluating Feynman diagrams
When calculating a simple diagram I came across an ambiguity in the conservation of momentum, i.e. it seems to me that the particle could come out of the process with opposite momentum with respect to ...
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4answers
167 views
Why does the chain yield in nuclear fission sum up to 200%?
The table of nuclides states the fission yield, or chain yield $Y$, the percentage of decays of $^{235}$U that lead to an isotope with mass number $A$. Why do they sum up to 200%?
Wikipedia just ...
2
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0answers
89 views
Why $\kappa = 8 \pi G$ in $D$ dimensional spacetimes?
Probably another question without an answer! ;-)
In most books/papers I saw on General Relativity, everybody writes $\kappa = 8 \pi G_D$ in the right part of Einstein's equation, even for spacetimes ...
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1answer
76 views
Explanation of the sign of Clebsch-Gordan coefficients
These are the Clebsch-Gordan coefficients when the orbital and spin-angular momenta of a single spin 1/2 particle are added.
I'm not able to understand the explanation.
What I can understand is that:
...
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2answers
67 views
How to define signs for angular velocity, acceleration and torques?
I get confused how to define signs of angular velocity, acceleration and torques in the cases like the following.
We have a disk with radius $r$ and center of mass at point $CM$ shifted $d$ from the ...
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1answer
79 views
Sign mistake in the energy momentum tensor of the Klein-Gordon Equation
Recently I understood that the energy momentum tensor can be calculated by:
\begin{equation}
T_{\mu \nu}=\frac{2}{\sqrt{-g}}\frac{\delta S_m}{\delta g^{\mu \nu}}.\tag{1}
\end{equation}
So consider ...
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0answers
29 views
Why an elementary work is written $\delta W$ instead of $dW$? [duplicate]
Why an elementary work is written $\delta W$ instead of $dW$? For example, it's often written $$\delta W=F\cdot dr$$ if $dr$ is the elementary displacement. Why don't we write as usual $dW=F\cdot dr$?
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4answers
149 views
Understanding the difference between timelike and spacelike separations
From Woodhouse's General Relativity:
If $A$ is the origin and $B$ is a nearby event with coordinates $dt, dx, dy, dz$, then,
$$ds^2 = dt^2 - dx^2 - dy^2 - dz^2$$ is the same in all local inertial ...
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0answers
64 views
Is there a difference of sign conventions of Dirac Index between mathematics and physics?
In section 12.6.2 of Nakahara, on a four dimensional manifold, the index of a twisted Dirac operator is given by
$$\mathrm{Ind}(D\!\!\!\!/_{A})=\frac{-1}{8\pi^{2}}\int_{M}\mathrm{Tr}(F\wedge F)+\frac{...
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1answer
79 views
How did Coulomb arrive at value of electron charge?
Charge of one electron is known to be as $1.6$ x $10^{-19}$ C or alternative 1 Coulomb contains charge of $6.24$ x $10^{18}$ electrons. I am just wondering if these numbers are arbitrarily chosen or ...
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2answers
55 views
What does a double parenthesis in a quoted value ─ like e.g. 157(3)(3) ─ mean?
Sometimes, in journal articles, the author writes a number followed by two parenthesis. For example, $157(3)(3)$, where it seems that the first parenthesis shows uncertainty in the last digit (here, $...
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1answer
27 views
Defining potential of the ground
In electronics, it is customary to define the potential of ground (thinking the Earth as a large conductor) as zero. Is this consistent with the fact that the Earth has a net electric charge that is ...
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2answers
51 views
Potential energy is zero at infinite distance
We set the electrical potential energy to be zero in infinite distance to calculate potential energy at a distance $r$. But how is it possible from infinite distance to end up with finite distance? ...
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1answer
42 views
Sign convention in optic problems
Note: The convention used in our physics textbook and the mentioned question is Cartesion Convention
Today in our physics test, we were given the following question:-
A mirror has focal length 20 cm ...
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4answers
180 views
Why $g$ is not negative in potential energy $= mgh$ formula
For eg. A boy of mass 55 kg runs up a staircase of 50 steps in 10s. If the height of each step is 10 cm, find his power.
My question is here why are we not taking g as negative as boy is moving up ...
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5answers
114 views
Why is torque defined as $r × F$ and not $F × r$?
Is it merely due to popular convention or does it supply any special clarification regarding other physical quantities?
2
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2answers
136 views
Does the death of Kilogram ($kg$) affect us in any means in our day to day life? [closed]
Recently, the sleek cylinder of platinum-iridium metal has been discarded and the kilogram is set to be redefined along with ampere for electricity and Kelvin for temperature. Hereafter the Kilogram ...
3
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3answers
215 views
Relative potential energy vs Absolute potential energy
I have seen in many textbooks and sources which say that we can't experimentally measure potential energy but we can measure differences in potential energy.
$$\Delta U_g=-W_g$$
Choosing zero ...
3
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4answers
130 views
Why does this line integral give the wrong sign?
I've been trying to find the error in this approach to calculate the work of a uniform gravitational field on an object falling to the ground in the $-y$ direction.
$$\begin{align}
W
&= \int_{i}^{...
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2answers
63 views
How to get the UT1 directly? or How to get the UT1-UTC
I have a question to consult you. Even though I know the relationship between time scales like UT1, UTC, TAI, and TT, I do not know which one is the key point for the computation. That is, from which ...
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2answers
146 views
Einstein GR and metric signature
Let us take the einstein Equation $R_{\mu\nu} -\frac{1}{2}g_{\mu\nu}R = T_{\mu\nu}$. I'm just ignoring all the constants.
For a perfect fluid, $$T_{\mu\nu} = (\rho + P)u_{\mu}u_{\nu} - Pg_{\mu\nu}.$$
...
2
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1answer
57 views
Solution to Klein-Gordon equation: real field condition and other questions
Sorry for the lengthy question, pretty much the whole text is the standard derivation of the solution of the KG equation which I included to illustrate my doubts, and some questions are at the end.
...
2
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2answers
389 views
What is the meaning of the negative sign in $\Delta s^2 = \Delta x^2 + \Delta y^2 + \Delta z^2 - (c\Delta t)^2$?
In the equation of the spacetime interval formula $\Delta s^2 = \Delta x^2 + \Delta y^2 + \Delta z^2 - (c\Delta t)^2$ is there meaning for the minus sign before the $(c\Delta t)^2$ or is it just a ...
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1answer
30 views
Weyl basis gamma matrix identity
In finding the scattering amplitude matrix $|\mathcal{M}|^2$, I see the solutions get a way nicer calculation by using that (using Peskin & Schroeder notation):
$$(\bar v \gamma^\mu u)^*= \bar u\...
