What is Calculations: Definition and 1000 Discussions

A calculation is a deliberate process that transforms one or more inputs into one or more results. The term is used in a variety of senses, from the very definite arithmetical calculation of using an algorithm, to the vague heuristics of calculating a strategy in a competition, or calculating the chance of a successful relationship between two people.
For example, multiplying 7 by 6 is a simple algorithmic calculation. Estimating the fair price for financial instruments using the Black–Scholes model is a more complex algorithmic calculation.
Statistical estimations of the likely election results from opinion polls also involve algorithmic calculations, but produces ranges of possibilities rather than exact answers.
To calculate means to determine mathematically in the case of a number or amount, or in the case of an abstract problem to deduce the answer using logic, reason or common sense. The English word derives from the Latin calculus, which originally meant a small stone in the gall-bladder (from Latin calx). It also meant a pebble used for calculating, or a small stone used as a counter in an abacus (Latin abacus, Greek abax). The abacus was an instrument used by Greeks and Romans for arithmetic calculations, preceding the slide-rule and the electronic calculator, and consisted of perforated pebbles sliding on iron bars.

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  1. I

    Relativistic Calculations for De-Broglie Wavelength

    Homework Statement At what energy will a non-relativistic calculation of the De Broglie wavelength of an electron be in error by 5%? What is this energy for a proton? Comment on your results. Homework Equations I have two (seemed to be) logical answers for this question, but with different...
  2. Yousufshad

    Change in momentum, impulse force calculations

    Homework Statement A 178.0g ball is dropped from a height of 2.99m, bounces on a hard floor, and rebounds to a height of 1.36m. The impulse received from the floor is shown below. (Is a picture of a graph, Y-axis is force, X-axis is time. No numbers are labelled and is simply a line starting...
  3. Messy Jesse

    Automotive Radiator Sample Calculations Help

    Hi all, As part of a school project, I'm attempting to demonstrate some sample calculations of a car radiator and I'm a little lost. I'd like to demonstrate some cooling requirements for the peak power output of my car engine: 325 horsepower at 4400 RPM. Can anyone offer any guidance as to...
  4. M

    What are the individual speeds of two balls after a fully elastic collision?

    First off - English isn't my native language, so please go easy on me if my translations are wrong. The problem: A ball with the mass 20g and the speed 3.0m/s collides with another ball with the mass 80g which is standing still. The collision is a sentral, fully elastic collision. Find the...
  5. naiasetvolo

    Why do we multiply permittivity of vacuum with relative permittivity?

    Why do we multiply permittivity of vacuum with relative permittivity? What does this calculation mean?
  6. K

    E field calculations for continuous charge distributions

    so I was reviewing my textbook on calculating electric field when we can assume a continuous charge distribution and they said three useful tools are (1) making use of symmetry (2) expressing the charge dq in terms of charge density lambda (3) and checking the answer at the limit of large r...
  7. T

    Voltage drop calculations for CCVT's and Current TF's?

    I have not found a straightforward explanation on how to perform voltage drop calculations for cables used for instrumentations purposes. Suppose you have Current Transformer (CT) and Potential Transformer (PT) connections coming into a relay (IE SEL421). If we have a cable that runs from the...
  8. M

    Identify Calculations & Prefix Notation

    Homework Statement https://i.imgur.com/U8muIJS.jpg[/B] Homework Equations Not aware of any equations required. The Attempt at a Solution For these questions I don't understand what I'm suppose to even. I have researched the terms prefix notation and Identifying calculations but after hours...
  9. B

    Please help with A/C calculations and phasor diagrams

    I have completed the questions in the attachment I just need someone to tell me if they are correct and I'm doing them right. Thanks.
  10. Runei

    How do I calculate the braking band forces in this system?

    Hello, I'm trying to analyze the following system to get some idea about the forces present. The red line is supposed to represent the belt wrapped around the two drums. There is an extra part to the belt, however. Tangentially from the drum, a part of the string is attached to an unmovable...
  11. David Gin

    Compressor Water Cooled Chiller Thermal Calculations

    Hi All, Is there a list of thermodynamics equations regarding the chiller process from condenser, evaporator, compressor to the regulator. Say I have chiller load at 90%, what set of equations could I use to determine the supply temperature of chill water and condenser supply temperature to...
  12. S

    Lab Calculations: Calculating Na+ & Protein Content of Fractions

    Apologies for the stupid questions but I have confused myself. I was separating out blood components in lab- column chromatography- and now we have to calculate Na+ content of each fraction collected (in μmoles) and the protein content of each fraction in mg. Each fraction was 1.5ml. The Na+...
  13. A

    Finding Turns Ratio for Different Transformer Configurations

    So I was studying on transformer calculations and understand it all pretty well until coming across these questions that I don't really understand. There's about 6 of them but if someone could work out 2 for me so I can understand it and finish it off it would be much appreciated. Thanks...
  14. I

    Negative sign or not in calculations?

    Hi , this may been asked quite a bit times but I can't really find a solid answer for this. Do we have to include negative signs during calculations for vectors or scalars? I have been told by someone that for vector quantity calculations such as Force we do not include the negative sign or...
  15. J

    Will my steel ejection mold bolts shear under sideways load?

    hello. I have a ejection mold (steel) which has a bridge like mount which locates the handling eye bolts outward around hydraulic cylinders. I need to make sure the bolts in the bridge will not shear due to the sideways load when the mold is lifted or flipped 90degrees. Here is the known...
  16. sander2798

    Calculations for shooting ions

    Hello everyone, the problem I have to solve is as following. You're in space and you're moving with a constant speed. Now, you want to accelerate. For this you will be using Newton's third law. Xenon 1+ iones will be shot from the back of the spacecraft with high speeds, the avarage speed...
  17. J

    Calculating Heat Loss for Improved Efficiency in a Steam Generator Design

    At current I am trying to redesign a steam generator as seen in the picture attached, the requirements for this are as follows: · The water contain must have a minimum capacity of 2.25 litres · The heat loss as boiling point shall not exceed 75W in ambient of -3 C +/- 1 C · The fan shall have...
  18. caters

    What is 3D Slope? Exploring its Calculations

    I know that slope in 2D = $$\frac{\Delta{y}}{\Delta{x}}$$. But what about 3D slope? I mean for every line in 3D there are 3 2D slopes. Those are: $$\frac{\Delta{y}}{\Delta{x}}$$ $$\frac{\Delta{y}}{\Delta {z}}$$ and $$\frac{\Delta{z}}{\Delta{x}}$$ But how do you combine those 3 slopes to form...
  19. James O'Neill

    How to calculate acceleration in a funnel

    I have seen some tidal turbines that have funnel ducts around them to improve efficiency. So how would one calculate water acceleration in a funnel? If you want figures: water velocity - 3 m/s funnel opening A (largest) - 8 meters funnel opening B (narrowest) - 5 meters Distance between A and...
  20. Turbine

    Beam calculations - Simply supported vs pinned both sides

    Hi guys, Hopefully a fairly simple question. All beam formulas I've come across, whether in my own textbooks or Machinery's Handbook, have two sets of formulas for beams. One will be for "simply supported", where one end is pinned and the other end is a pin-roller. The other connection type is...
  21. R

    Automotive Air speed in car radiator -- Heat Exchange calculations

    Hello, this is my first post. This question is related to my final thesis. I'm calculating the heat exchange area of a radiator through heat exchange equations: Q = U*A*LMTD I have as data Q, and LMTD (this one through trivial calculations) In order to calculate U, I need the coefficients...
  22. Basimalasi

    Do Steam-rockets follow the same calculations of turbines

    Hello, I'm working on a small steam rocket and I want to calculate how far up it can get by calculating the exhaust velocity of water after it's heated. I saw a similar exercise on my thermodynamics book but for turbines. Can I use the same calculations for the rocket.
  23. P

    Trouble Understanding Moment Calculations?

    Hi, I am having trouble understanding how the signs were obtained in the moment calculation. When I imagine the 600 N force acting on the moment arm, it moves CW which would give it a negative value. When I solve the problem I end up reviving Ay and Cy values that are swapped with the book.
  24. K

    How Does a Glass Fibre Flywheel Store Kinetic Energy in Buses?

    Homework Statement A flywheel made of glass fibre has been developed by BP to store the kinetic energy of buses when they come to a bus stop. The maximum energy stored in the flywheel is equivalent to the energy lost by a 16,000 kg bus braking from 48 km when it comes to rest. The bulk of the...
  25. Y

    Help with Venus Transit AU calculations

    Hello! So I've been looking at making a decent calculation of the AU from the 2012 transit. As you can see from the first picture (Taken with the South Pole at the top), this is the method I'm using from the following video: I use 2*(Pi)/Period of Earth to calculate the angular speed from...
  26. Sarah00

    Understanding Work Calculations with Inclines

    Homework Statement Guys, consider the above image. Let the incline to be smooth. If I want to find NET WORK .. There are 2 formulas .. W = Fd and W = Change in Mecahnical Energy In First Formula Wnet = Wf + Wmg Wnet = Fd - mgsin37 * d In second Formula Wnet = Change in KE + Change in...
  27. Mastermind01

    Aversion to doing calculations

    I've developed a sort of aversion to doing huge calculations most of the time (at home) I just want to plug it into the calculator and do it . This is affecting my exams, I tend to put off questions which have a lot of calculation to do and then ultimately do the calculation wrong (We're not...
  28. L

    Lyapunov exponent -- Numerical calculations

    In computational physics is very often to calculate largest Lyapunov exponent. If largest Lyapunov exponent ##LE## is positive there is chaos in the system, if it is negative or zero there is no chaos in the system. But what can we say about some certain value of ##LE##. For example...
  29. R

    Electromagnetic Wave Calculations

    Homework Statement A monochromatic, electromagnetic plane wave is traveling in a non-conducting, transparent medium. Its real electric field is described by: ##E=100 \ cos (7.62 \times 10^6 (x+y+z) \ - \ 2.98 \times 10^{15} t) \ \frac{1}{\sqrt{5}} (\hat{y} + 2 \hat{z}) \ V/m## (a) What would...
  30. evinda

    MHB Calculations - absolute stability

    Hello! (Wave) The following Runge-Kutta method is given. $$ \begin{array}{c|ccccc} \tau_1 =0 & a_{11}=0 & a_{12} = 0\\ \tau_2 =\frac{5}{2} & a_{21} = \frac{5}{2} & a_{22} = 0\\ \hline & b_1 = \frac{4}{5} & b_2 = \frac{1}{5} & \ \end{array} $$ I have to determine the order of accuracy and...
  31. J

    Heisenberg uncertainty principle calculations

    I am having some trouble understanding what to use for the uncertainties in the Heisenberg principle. My chemistry book has two problems on this principle. One asks to find the minimum uncertainty in the position of a marble of mass 1.0g given that its speed is known within +- 1.0 mm/s. The...
  32. D

    Help with a question regarding Gravimetric Calculations

    This is the question I have been working through and I just want to know if I am on the right track. Any advice is appreciated. 10. The major industrial method for the preparation of elemental phosphorus is heating a mixture of phosphate rock, carbon, and sand in an electric furnace. The...
  33. R

    Calculate Rack Displacement for Rack & Pinion Steering

    Hii, I am designing a rack and pinion steering system .I have strucked in finding 1)rack displacement,2)tie rod length. The inputs that I have inner and outter wheel lock angles,turning radius,lock to lock turns,steering ratio. If I get rack displacement,I can get steering arm...
  34. Sir Bro

    How can I calculate sieverts from the activity of depleted uranium?

    Homework Statement So I'm looking at the radiation exposure risk regarding depleted uranium (U-238) and nuclear waste (4.20% U-235, 95.8% U-238). Yes I know these compositions are incorrect; they're close enough to exact for my purposes. The only information I have is the half lives of the...
  35. P

    Power cable heat rise calculations

    We have a 90 deg C. rated PEX cable copper sized 1x185mmm2. This cable is to be used in 45 deg C environment (alone in air on a cable tray). We want to use it in intermittent operation where the cable will be loaded with 600 kW for 40 seconds, then nothing for 40 seconds. Then repeat. The...
  36. J

    How is torque divided between multiple wheels in a system with friction?

    Hi there, really trying to grasp these concepts for one of my engineering papers. This is basic stuff I realized now that I never really understood. If I've got two shafts, two wheels per shaft meaning four wheels in total, each wheel is 60 mm in diameter, and the power consumed by the system...
  37. J

    Wheel calculations (Power, torque, etc.)

    Hi there, I've forgotten how to solve these problems, eg: If I've got two shafts, two wheels per shaft meaning four wheels in total, each wheel is 60 mm in diameter, and the power consumed by the system in providing a constant horizontal velocity of 0.15 m/s is 200W, what is the torque in each...
  38. T

    Calculations of a half loop electromagnet

    Homework Statement This is a past exam question which I just for the life of me can't figure out. http://tinypic.com/r/2eq6ryo/8Homework Equations My guess is that the energy of the magnetisation is equal to the gravitational energy Relevant Equations: Ems = Mass * g * δ Where Mass = ρ *...
  39. Safinaz

    Calculating Cross Sections in Supersymmetry: A Comprehensive Guide

    Hi there, In particle physics there is famous books as Peskin's book " To Quantum Field Theory (Frontiers in Physics) " to learn matrix element amplitude and cross section calculations, like ee -> mu mu. Are there similar references for supersymmetry to learn how to calculate the cross...
  40. ShayanJ

    Gravitational Collapse Calculations Problem Solved

    I'm reading T. Padmanabhans General Relativity. In section 7.6, he describes the gravitational collapse of a sphere of pressureless dust(So ## T_{\mu \nu}=\rho u_{\mu} u_{\nu} ##). I should say his argument is the same as Landau's, but reading Landau's didn't help too. At first, he assumes a...
  41. N

    Osmolarity Calculations for 5% Glucose, .89% NaCl, and 8% Glucose Solutions

    I don't know how to get the oolarity from just the percentage See this question: Calculate the osmolarity of each solutions: 5% glucose solution .89% NaCl solution And 8% glucose solution i=1.9
  42. _N3WTON_

    CDF and PDF Calculations

    Homework Statement The current in a certain circuit as measured by an ammeter is a continuous random variable X with the following probability density function: f(x) = 0.057x + 0.272 if 3 <= x <= 5. It is 0 otherwise. a) Verify that the total area under the density curve is 1. b) Obtain the...
  43. G

    Backyard suspension bridge calculations

    Hi there, I'm planning to build a suspension bridge in my backyard and i'd like some help with sag and force calculations. The bridge will span 18m across a stream (anchor to anchor) in my backyard. I'll have 2 x strands of wire rope (1 at either side of the walkway) to span the gap. I've...
  44. D

    Help with water pump calculations

    I have a rain barrel 20 feet below a deck. I want to pump water from the rain barrel up to a small container (2 gallons) once a day. I'm thinking it should take less than 15 minutes to fill. I've found a pump I like that has the following specs, but it may be too powerful, but it's cheap ($15)...
  45. M

    Flat plate heat exchanger - Hand calculations help

    I am designing a flat plate heat exchanger for a project and I am not sure where to start with the hand calculations, specifically the LMTD and E-NTU methods, also how to work out the parameters which i will need to complete these methods such as area and number of plates. My deadline is soon...
  46. G

    Ball Bearing Selection for Wheel Hubs

    Hello there guys I'm trying to find out which ball bearings I have to use for a new wheel hub I am designing. What I'm currently doing is a load analysis for the axis but I am confused on how would the forces that affect the wheel (normal, friction, lateral force when the car takes a turn...
  47. V

    Understanding symmetry in electric field calculations

    Homework Statement Consider the specific case of a point above the axis of a circular ring of charge, how do the calculations follow to cancel the radial components? I understand the concept of the symmetry but don't understand how to express it in the expression without just removing the term...
  48. T

    Buffer Solution Calculation Example

    Homework Statement Prepare a buffer solution of pH 3.746 from 25 mL of 0.244 M weak acid with pka 3.54 What volume, in mL, of 0.275 M NaOH would need to be added? I think that I have the answer but I am not sure, could you look over the working to check? Also, would you do this differently...
  49. Ryan Lau

    Did I Solve the Vertical Post Problem Correctly Using SOH CAH TOA?

    Homework Statement A vertical post is held in place by two cables as shown. Homework Equations SOH CAH TOA The Attempt at a Solution http://postimg.org/image/6rgssb1j5/ The answer in the textbook is 63 degrees. Is this an issue or did I do something terribly wrong?
  50. J

    Calculations for Poncelet (undershot) waterwheels

    Could anyone provide me with, or point me in the direction of, any calculations for the design of Poncelet water wheels? Number of blades and blade shape/curvature in particular. I've had a trawl through the internet and looked through some papers but can't find much understandable information.
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