What is Curiosity: Definition and 78 Discussions

Curiosity (from Latin cūriōsitās, from cūriōsus "careful, diligent, curious", akin to cura "care") is a quality related to inquisitive thinking such as exploration, investigation, and learning, evident by observation in humans and other animals. Curiosity is heavily associated with all aspects of human development, in which derives the process of learning and desire to acquire knowledge and skill.The term curiosity can also be used to denote the behavior or emotion of being curious, in regard to the desire to gain knowledge or information. Curiosity as a behavior and emotion is attributed over millennia as the driving force behind not only human development, but developments in science, language, and industry.

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  1. Wyvyrn

    What is an Intelligent Dilettante?

    Just a guy with huge Curiosity Quotient, in subjects ranging from Astronomy to Quantum Physics, to Geology and Ancient Mythology, Chemistry to Science Fiction & Fantasy, and finally Science in General.
  2. Elimelech70

    A cat whose insatiable curiosity keeps me looking and questioning

    I think the Enlightenment actually brought more darkness to science than light, using a few sparks to give the appearance of substance and intelligence. These sparks have led to a number of theories that are not beeb proven yet becoming foundational to other knowledges. I know we need models...
  3. J

    Hi - fascinated by theoretical physics with a engineering background

    I am curious about all things physics and would love to explore ideas here with like-minded people.
  4. Ssnow

    I Curiosity: there exists the exponential integral?

    Hi, my question regard the possibility to consider a generalization on the product integral (of type II). The product integral is defined in analogy to the definite integral where instead the limit of a sum there is a limit of a product and, instead the multiplication by ##dx## there is the...
  5. Ssnow

    B Curiosity on this infinite product

    Let us consider the infinite products ## p_{n}\,=\, 2\cdot 2\cdot 2 \cdot 2 \cdots 2 \,=\, 2^n## with ##n=1,\ldots ## . Clearly ##p_{n}\rightarrow +\infty## as ##n\rightarrow +\infty##. But if I put the infinity case ## 2\cdot 2\cdot 2 \cdot 2 \cdots \,=\, x## I have ##2\cdot x =x ## so...
  6. K

    I A Money Swapping Curiosity

    I wasn't sure which forum to post this topic to, so feel free to move it, mods. The topic seems to cover a lot of fields of study: economics, physics, statistics, calculus, etc. :) I was listening to a YouTube video the other day, and the speaker presented situation where there are a thousand...
  7. S

    Curiosity - Relative speeds in relation to the sound barrier?

    So, I was reading through this thread: https://www.physicsforums.com/threads/would-a-portable-railgun-make-a-lot-of-noise.985309/#post-6309691 and I managed to make one of my usual questions which need more specific knowledge on the subject than I can find on the web. I (think I) understand...
  8. S

    B [Curiosity] Are there any central databases of Red Shift?

    I'm curious to know if there are any central databases of red shift - whether stars, galaxies or other objects.
  9. E

    Curiosity about why this is not a Function composition

    Homework Statement If ##f\left(x\right) = x^2 + 2x + 2##, find two functions ##g## for which ##\left(f \circ g\right)\left(x\right) = x^2 - 4x + 5##. Homework Equations If ##f\left(x\right) = x^2 + 2x + 2##, then ##\left(f \circ g\right)\left(x\right) = g\left(x\right)^2 + 2g\left(x\right) +...
  10. W

    DHTML strings (Out of Curiosity)

    Hi All, Every time I login to my email server and read my email, accessing a specific message, say M generates a string S, I think in dhtml. Now, I pasted the string associated with M into another tab and it gained access to the same email. I am curious as to whether someone who knew the string...
  11. P

    How do you reconcile performance and curiosity?

    Hello everyone! I originally decided to be a physicist when I took an online course in Astronomy which talked about the greatest unsolved mysteries of the universe. After coming to university and conducting research in Particle Physics, I think I like it better and would pursue it instead...
  12. ngrunenberg

    What is the reward in Reinforcement Learning?

    I know I'm not that bright and I realize that this is a silly question to anyone in the field, but I was curious what the reward is in reinforcement learning algorithms. I understand the concept behind reinforcement learning, though I am unsure of how you could program a reward into a program...
  13. DrClaude

    I Organic molecules found on Mars

    NASA Curiosity rover hits organic pay dirt on Mars Scientific article: Organic matter preserved in 3-billion-year-old mudstones at Gale crater, Mars
  14. Krunchyman

    Other Restoring Curiosity: Learning Math Beyond Grades & Money

    I began to study mathematics in college because I was fascinated by the subject and have a naturally high degree of curiosity for it along with the rest of the sciences--but stress, depression and other factors take away that curiosity as I progress through each semester, leaving me bored...
  15. J

    Physicist morphed into statistician

    curiosity on distributions related to human characteristics and activity curiosity on fat tailed distributions curiosity
  16. Ahmad Esber

    What Curious Questions Do You Have About Physics?

    Hello astronomers and physicists! My name is Ahmad. I'm Lebanese studying in Dubai, majoring in aeronautical engineering. I'm usually very curious about everything concerning physics, and not only aeronautics. So expect questions concerning various areas of physics. I'm also sometimes Mr...
  17. A

    Dreaming to become a scientist (physicist), can I?

    Hello, my name is Andraž, I am from Slovenia(east neighbor of Italy, and southern neighbor of Austria for those of you who don't know) and I am very determined to be a physicist. I am 18 years old and as a student of the fourth year of high school, I am about to apply for the university...
  18. I

    B How do I calculate the G Force in this certain situation?

    Hello, I have a question related to a specific situation. I've been playing a game called Overwatch and while I'm not the smartest there is in physics I'd like to understand it better. In Overwatch there is a character named Roadhog he wields a shotgun and a hook. Using this hook he can launch...
  19. CalebB-M

    Does the school you attend really matter? (Undergrad)

    Hello, I don't mean that question to sound rude or judging, but financially I can't really leave my state (Oregon) until graduate school. I was always told that in science where you go matters, but no one in my family except my uncle have gone to college. Thanks in advance for the advise.
  20. CynicusRex

    Which actions can reinvigorate blunted passion?

    Therefore this thread, to see if there any ideas that didn't cross my mind yet.
  21. P

    Admissions Can You Get Admitted to a University Without Being Able to Afford It?

    Does the university ask you if you can afford studying there before you get admitted? In other words can you get admitted without being able to afford it? Does they ask you if you can afford the university after being admitted or before?
  22. Andreol263

    Integral Equations curiosity question

    Hello, I'm getting interest in the name integral equations and what it can give to me of insights, but i don't see any application of this, can anyone give me a example where it is used??
  23. S

    Why is NASA and curiosity still looking for water evidence?

    So I always see in the news that the curiosity rover or some NASA study of previous data discovered evidence of water like its actually news. Wasn't it shown a decade ago that there is conclusive evidence that lots of water existed on mars? I don't get why they're still spending so much time...
  24. S

    What would happen if an object of 689 degrees was in a room

    I was just thinking, If suddenly an object goes about 689 degrees Fahrenheit (365 degrees celsius) in a room, about which perimeter would human life be impossible ?
  25. P

    Mars panorama from Curiosity shows petrified sand dunes

    Mars panorama from Curiosity shows petrified sand dunes Some of the dark sandstone in an area being explored by NASA's Curiosity Mars rover shows texture and inclined bedding structures characteristic of deposits that formed as sand dunes, then were cemented into rock. Continue reading...
  26. Remixex

    Curiosity thread about PDE

    OK so i finished my first course of Differential equations at Uni and i have some curious questions The last equations we solved were PDEs solved with Variation of parameters and having to homogenize the boundary conditions They were all Sturm-Liouville problems as they called them, we assumed...
  27. J

    Gravity and intertia curiosity

    If gravity pulls things towards an object, is it possible that gravity pulls the object itself towards its own center, creating inertia?
  28. L

    Curiosity Question 2: Stopping a mass on a spring

    For an introduction to the Curiosity Questions, please see the intro to Curiosity Question 1 Here is the first part of another problem I made up. As I said in Question 1, I am posting this for a) the enjoyment of everyone who reads them b) work checking to see if they are riddled with mistakes...
  29. L

    Curiosity Question 1: Compression force from tension

    Here is some background for this post and for future "Curiosity question" posts. So last year in 10th grade, I took AP Calc AB and AP Physics B, and scored 5s on both, but a particularly high five on the physics, as I truly enjoy doing physics just for the bliss of it. Well this year, I stepped...
  30. Shri13

    Curiosity for existence of Anti- photons?

    Hello friends! I am a newbie here. I love quantum physics very much... especially the standard model of fundamental particles, QED, QCD, etc. I have an urge to create my own theory on space quanta (that's for another time...) but my main question is: Does anti-particle of a photon exist (i.e...
  31. G

    Curiosity about the wavefunction

    Going back to the basics, I recall the wave function of quantum mechanics being dependent on space and time coordinates, such as \Psi (\overline{x},t), however one says that quantum mechanics is a 0+1 dimensional (0 space, 1 time) QFT. So there is NO SPACE. Now, I know there's the caveat that...
  32. terryds

    Curiosity on conservation of energy

    Imagine a ball rolling down a hill or inclined plane without slipping from a particular height. The conservation of energy law says that the final energy remains the same as the initial energy. But, when a ball is rolling without slipping, there must be a friction. So, what I think is E = E' mgh...
  33. psuedoben

    Quantum Leap: Electrons and Instant Movement

    Electrons can only exist at certain levels of orbit around the nucleus of an atom, meaning that when they leap, they skip the space in between the two orbitals all together. so if they do this instantly, there is no time between the electron being on one level of orbit to the other. I have seen...
  34. Brunnun

    Curiosity about contemporany Physics

    Hey guys. As I have said in my first post here, I'm a Brazilian 12th Grade HS student, and the combination of a country that does not value science much (not that I blame my ignorance on the country, obviously) and my age/education (the last thing we learn in school here is EM) made me ignorant...
  35. Dotini

    Meteorological curiosity - "volcano tornado"

    Viewers will be amused at the slender vortex snaking 3300' above the Iceland volcano, seen here in infrared video. Said to be similar to a "fire tornado", the Icelandic Met Office officially refers to the strange phenomenon as "wind anomalies from thermal convection."...
  36. STEMucator

    Curiosity about current density

    Why does the current across the cross section of an element, with perpendicular area vector ##d \vec{A}##, have a normal integral symbol in its definition: ##i = \int \vec{J} \cdot d \vec{A}## Why is it not a closed surface integral? ##i = \oint \vec{J} \cdot d \vec{A}## Usually we take the...
  37. B

    Testing Further topics to satisfy my curiosity.

    Hello, I am hoping that you can help me with this. We have just finished the math course that is part of my physics foundation year ( I didn't do A-level maths, so it's like a preparation year at university). We covered lots of topics, calculus up to first order D.E's, Taylor's and...
  38. caters

    Curiosity about infinity in geometry(Not homework just curious)

    Okay, let's say you have an infinitely long line segment. Using area and volume formulas for different shapes, would you get an infinitely large shape that the formula was for in the first place? Area: For rectangles, would you get an infinitely large rectangle with A = l * w? What about...
  39. M

    How long until the universe can write a googolplex?

    Hi everyone, sorry to bother you with a really random question, and I hope I'm posting this in the right board, but here goes anyway... The universe is currently too small in size to write out an entire googolplex. The visible universe is 4 x 1080 m3 (according to the ever reliable Wikipedia...
  40. chisigma

    MHB A curiosity about the Riemann Zeta Function....

    Recently some interesting material about the Riemann Zeta Function appeared on MHB and I also contributed in the post... http://mathhelpboards.com/challenge-questions-puzzles-28/simplifying-quotient-7235.html#post33008 ... where has been obtained the expression... $\displaystyle \zeta (s) =...
  41. O

    Just out of curiosity - school material used in your job?

    Hello Physics Forum, I just wanted to hear from some experienced Electrical Engineers on how much of the material covered in school are actually used in a real job. I am currently a junior in EE and have heard mixed responses from my professors pertaining to the issue. To make it less broad...
  42. L

    News Help find the script of a short video about Curiosity

    Hi everybody. I would like to find out the exact script of a short video that I intend to show to my French pupils who learn physics in English at school. If anyone could give me a hand, it would be nice. This is the video http://vfsilesieux.free.fr/curiosity/video.swf (you may have to...
  43. shinnsohai

    Can anything truly be stationary in our constantly moving universe?

    As you may know, our planet(Earth) , solar system, galaxy are moving in a very fast speed traveling around the universe but, whenever a satellite being launched out from earth, and it's stationary means no speed then will it be left behind ??
  44. S

    MHB Explore the Fibonacci Sum Mystery

    Consider the Fibonacci Sequence: .$0,1,1,2,3,5,8,13,21,34,\,.\,.\,.$ Now consider: .$\displaystyle S \;=\;\sum^{\infty}_{n=0}\frac{F_n}{10^{n+1}} $We have: . ..$\begin{array}{ccccccccccccccccc} 0.&0&1 \\ &&&1 \\ &&&&2 \\ &&&&&3 \\ &&&&&& 5 \\ &&&&&&& 8 \\ &&&&&&& 1&3 \\ &&&&&&&& 2&1 \\...
  45. S

    Curiosity Rover makes Earth shattering discovery

    Curiosity Rover makes "Earth shattering discovery"! Universetoday.com Hope it doesn't end like the Clinton fiasco.
  46. S

    Calculating Projectile Distance: A Theme Park Curiosity

    Was not sure where to post this specifically, but I am looking to calculate the possible distance traveled by by a projectile from a set height, speed, and release. Its just curiosity from seeing a new ride being brought to my local theme park. Height of release is 121.92 meters. Mass of...
  47. D

    Designing a primitive 'Curiosity'

    hi guys..so this is my first post..i would like to start of with what everyone's talking 'bout;yes the 'curiosity'..how did NASA and JPL manage to pull that off! Well...so i got thinking and decided to design a primitive curiosity which moves along certain- coloured paths...awaiting your...
  48. B

    NASA NASA Curiosity Rover Mars entry parachute deceleration question

    Can someone please point me to a deceleration graph over the 7 minutes of terror from the 13,000 mph re-entry speed through to the parachute release and landing of the Curiosity Rover on Mars? Thanks very much. :smile: PS: Mods please feel free to move this topic to the appropriate forum...
  49. Drakkith

    What is the Latest Rover on Mars and Who Helped Make it Happen?

    7 minutes of terror turned into 7 minutes of triumph! We have the latest and greatest rover on Mars as we speak! Congratulations to NASA and everyone else that had a hand in building and delivering Curiosity to the red planet! Read more here...
  50. J

    NASA Who's staying awake to watch NASA's coverage of the Curiosity landing?

    Curiosity will hopefully land safely on Mars at 1:31am EDT, after "Seven Minutes of Terror" and NASA TV will be broadcasting a a show for this starting at 11pm EDT at http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/nasatv/ustream.html I'm more excited and anxious about this than I have been for every Olympic...
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