Special Relativity and Thermal Physics finals

In summary: I've ever read.Physics, not chemistry. We derived everything you learned from first principles, and then some. All the way up to classical and quantum statistics (we just barely reached that, we do the rest of that next quarter in Thermal Physics II).
  • #1
franznietzsche
1,504
6
Well, here I go, six hours of finals starting right now. Special Relativity and Thermal Physics.
 
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  • #2
Good luck!

I still have another month for my finals.
 
  • #3
Good luck, franz! :smile:
 
  • #4
best of luck!
 
  • #5
Wow, I just finished mid terms and youre already taking finals.

Good luck!
 
  • #6
Well, I survived Special Rel. I think that's enough tensors for the rest of the year. One more to go, and then I'm going to just go to sleep. Did I mention that seven am finals suck? It took me three alarm clocks to get up.
 
  • #7
Good luck. I still have one more midterm...then its straight into finals for me to.
 
  • #8
How did you get your finals so early in the year? I would have thought you would be having mid-terms.
 
  • #9
Good Luck, Franz! Yeah, finals suck. I even have one on a Saturday morning this time.
 
  • #10
Math Is Hard said:
I even have one on a Saturday morning this time.
On Saturday? In the morning? I'd seriously considering murdering the teacher. Contact me if you want anything done about the situation...:devil:
 
  • #11
Dawguard said:
On Saturday? In the morning? I'd seriously considering murdering the teacher. Contact me if you want anything done about the situation...:devil:
Ahh.. you are going to be a good friend to have around. :approve:
 
  • #12
Thanks, I try to helpful. In the most painful way possible: torture is a hobby of mine.
 
  • #13
Good Luck Franz. I am with almost everyone else here, I had midterms last week, and this week I have spring break :biggrin:
 
  • #14
He might be on a trimester system.
 
  • #15
cyrusabdollahi said:
He might be on a trimester system.


Quarter system, yeah. 3 quarters in the normal academic year, 1 summer quarter the exact same length as the regular year quarters.

YAY I survived Hell day. Thermal was harder than I thought it was going to be, and Special Rel was easier. Now I have five hours to finish up my electronics lab notebook (that class makes me want to kill people. And robots. And computers. And lightbulbs. And Edison. Again. And Tesla. And Faraday. I hate them all. Not Maxwell though. I forgive him.). Eh, at least next quarter will be easier.
 
  • #16
I have two finals coming up next week, too. Damn you, quarter system.

- Warren
 
  • #17
And no more electronics labs for me! EVER! Take that transistors!

Just two more finals to go. Nuclear :approve: and Electronics :frown:
 
  • #18
Is your major engineering, franznietzsche?
 
  • #19
Engineers don't take special relativity or thermal physics.
 
  • #20
z-component said:
Is your major engineering, franznietzsche?


No, physics.

cyrusabdollahi said:
Engineers don't take special relativity or thermal physics.

Actually there are a few engineers in our Special Rel class, but they're all physics minors. None in thermal, they have their own thermodynamics class.
 
  • #21
Yeah, and I am in thermogodnamits. :frown:
 
  • #22
cyrusabdollahi said:
Yeah, and I am in thermogodnamits. :frown:
I'm sorry. Thermal Physics is great. One of my favourite classes thus far.
 
  • #23
Studying nuclear even for an exam must be enjoyable!:!)
 
  • #24
Im guessing you guys did very different thermodynamics than we did. We use an engineering approach. Quality, mass flow, compressors, diffusers, nozzles, power cycles engines refrig, heating, p-v,t-v,p-t diagrams.

You guys probably did more thermodynamics of chemical reactions, atoms, molecules, etc. no?

Its a good class, but hard.
 
  • #25
franznietzsche said:
Actually there are a few engineers in our Special Rel class, but they're all physics minors. None in thermal, they have their own thermodynamics class.
My school has a "Relativity for Poets" class. I'm holding out for "Relativity for Blondes". :rofl:
 
  • #26
MIH, I'll have you know that you're my girlfriend's favorite PF "character." :biggrin:

- Warren
 
  • #27
chroot said:
MIH, I'll have you know that you're my girlfriend's favorite PF "character." :biggrin:

- Warren
awwrrrr! shoot! I'm honored! :redface: :smile: Does she ever post here?
 
  • #28
cyrusabdollahi said:
Im guessing you guys did very different thermodynamics than we did. We use an engineering approach. Quality, mass flow, compressors, diffusers, nozzles, power cycles engines refrig, heating, p-v,t-v,p-t diagrams.

You guys probably did more thermodynamics of chemical reactions, atoms, molecules, etc. no?

Its a good class, but hard.


Physics, not chemistry. We derived everything you learned from first principles, and then some. All the way up to classical and quantum statistics (we just barely reached that, we do the rest of that next quarter in Thermal Physics II). About 90% of the class was deriving the class, the other 10% was minor applications. It was awesome. Very much looking forward to Thermal II. My professor, who is also the author of the book we use, has the amazing ability to make complicated things seem very very simple (He's also my Special Rel professor). His book, "Introduction to Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics" by Keith Stowe, is a very very good thermo book (2nd edition will be in print soon, since it wasn't out yet, he just bought us all kinko's copies of the book so we could use it instead of the older first edition). Its easily the best textbook I've used thus far.
 
  • #29
chroot said:
MIH, I'll have you know that you're my girlfriend's favorite PF "character." :biggrin:

- Warren

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl:
 
  • #30
Math Is Hard said:
awwrrrr! shoot! I'm honored! :redface: :smile: Does she ever post here?

Not that I know of.. I think she just checks the place out every now and then to see how her boyfriend is wasting all the time he could be with her instead. :biggrin:

- Warren
 
  • #31
For engineering thermodynamics, Cegnel-Boles is good. I like it at least.
 
  • #32
Lisa! said:
Studying nuclear even for an exam must be enjoyable!:!)


We spent almost a third of the class learning how reactors and bombs work actually. Its kinda frightening. That class was enjoyable, we spent a fair chunk of time on astrophysics applications of the stuff we were doing, which was the part I really cared about.
 

1. What is special relativity and how does it differ from general relativity?

Special relativity is a theory developed by Albert Einstein that describes the relationship between space and time in the absence of gravitational fields. It differs from general relativity in that it does not take into account the effects of gravity.

2. How does special relativity impact our understanding of time and space?

Special relativity introduces the concept of time dilation, which states that time passes slower for objects moving at high speeds. It also shows that space and time are relative and can be distorted by the presence of mass and energy.

3. What is the significance of the speed of light in special relativity?

The speed of light, denoted as "c", is a constant in special relativity and is the maximum speed at which all objects in the universe can travel. This is a fundamental principle that has been experimentally verified and has many implications in the theory.

4. How does thermal physics relate to special relativity?

Thermal physics deals with the study of heat and its relationship to other forms of energy. In special relativity, the concept of energy and mass being interchangeable is introduced, which has significant implications for thermal physics and the study of energy conservation.

5. What are some real-world applications of special relativity and thermal physics?

Special relativity has been applied in various fields such as GPS technology, nuclear energy, and particle physics. Thermal physics has practical applications in engineering, meteorology, and thermodynamics. Both theories have greatly advanced our understanding of the universe and have led to numerous technological advancements.

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