What is Confusing: Definition and 407 Discussions

In medicine, confusion is the quality or state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion" is often used interchangeably with delirium in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and the Medical Subject Headings publications to describe the pathology. These refer to the loss of orientation, or the ability to place oneself correctly in the world by time, location and personal identity. Mental confusion is sometimes accompanied by disordered consciousness (the loss of linear thinking) and memory loss (the inability to correctly recall previous events or learn new material). The term is from Latin: confusĭo, -ōnis, from confundere: "to pour together", "to mingle together", "to confuse".

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  1. N

    Calculating Nuclear Spin: Oxygen-17

    Homework Statement Oxygen 17, work out j (nuclear spin)Hi. Assume oxygen 17 atom. j is supposed to be 5/2. How does one work this out? from what i gather, l for protons is 1, and l for neutrons is 2. How does one work out j, and what would s be? Partly what I'm confused about is for the...
  2. J

    General rule for a confusing series

    Hi, I am a year 12 IB maths HL student... and i was wondering about the possibility of a general rule for a particular problem... I was looking at the following rules, which came up in a basic textbook exercise on mathematical induction. 1+2+3+4+...+n=(n^2+n)/2 where n is a positive...
  3. Simfish

    Why do applied explanations sometimes seem more confusing than theoretical ones?

    Is it common to find the "applied" explanations more confusing than the "theoretical" Is it common to find the "applied" explanations more confusing than the "theoretical" ones? E.g. thermodynamics seems VERY confusing if I try to learn it from engineering textbooks, but VERY understandable...
  4. C

    Solving Confusing Indices in Operator Calculus

    Sorry if this is a stupid question but I really want to understand this. If we have an operator that's defined in the following way: D_\mu \phi^a = \partial_\mu \phi^a - iA^{r}_{\mu}{(T_r)^a}_b\phi^b How would we go about working out: D_\mu D_\nu \phi^a What's confusing me is that the...
  5. P

    Simplifying Algebraic Expressions: An Example with Step-by-Step Guide

    in an example I've got in a textbook it shows this <2t,2t2,1> sqrt(4t2+4t4+1) becomes <2t,2t2,1> 2t2+1 how?
  6. N

    Simple Algebraic Problem (yet confusing 0_o)

    Homework Statement x= (17/y) - 1 Solve for y. Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution This is part of a introductory calculus problem. I've tried everything, I'm not sure what I am doing wrong. x = (17/y ) - 1 y/1 (x) = ( (17/y) - 1 ) y/1 yx = 17 - y -y ... -y ---------------...
  7. B

    Understanding Countability of Set L: A Confusing Point

    I don't understand this point: Given the open set E = U_(a in L) I_a. Union of open intervals We're showing this is countable. WTS is that indexed set L is countable. Set g: L---> Q (rationals) because Q is dense then every interval meets Q. a---> q_a this is 1-1. But...
  8. F

    This MIT problem is confusing me

    Homework Statement http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-02-electricity-and-magnetism-spring-2002/assignments/ps2a.pdf Go to the first problem part a) Now look at the solutions http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/8-02-electricity-and-magnetism-spring-2002/assignments/pss2.pdf It...
  9. A

    Confusing linear algebra problem

    Homework Statement Let U1 and U2 be two subspaces of a finite dimensional vector space V , let {u_1,u_2...,u_m} be a basis of U1 /\U2(where /\ means intersection) and let {u_1,u_2...,u_m, v_1,v_2...,v_k} be an extension to a basis of U1 . Let W = span{v_1,v_2...,v_k}. I need to prove that...
  10. G

    Confusing results for squash balls bounce

    Hey guys, how are you? :D I’m doing an experiment on a squash ball where I drop it from a 0.5m height and work out its "bounced height" to determine energy lose with the table. By per=mgh When dropping it from 0.5 m I get a result of 0.125m on the first bounce. However when I tried it...
  11. J

    Understanding Heat Transfer in a Red Hot Wire Immersed in Water: An Analysis

    confusing heat transfer... hi im really confused about the exact heat transfer mechanism of the phenomenon i observed the situations simple: if you immerse a red hot wire into water with small particles floating on the surface, the particles move really fast. at first, i thought it could...
  12. B

    Non-linear LinesHow to Avoid Lying, without Confusing.

    "Non-linear Lines". How to Avoid Lying, without Confusing. Hi, everyone: I will be teaching an intro course in Linear Algebra this Spring. Problem I am having is that the definition of linear does not apply to lines that do not go through the origin: Let...
  13. Z

    Two confusing questions on Probability

    Homework Statement I am confused in the approach to two similar questions. So I am posting both- 1) A team of 8 couples (husband and wife) attend a lucky draw in which 4 persons are picked up for a prize. The probability that there is atleast one couple is? 2) 8 pairs of shoes are in a...
  14. B

    Understanding Dirac Notation: Tips for Completing Confusing Homework Problems

    Homework Statement Please see attached Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Ok so basically a bit confused about notation.. does |psi> = sum over all r of ar |ur> ? any help would be great..thanks
  15. J

    E on q independent of v - confusing?

    Many textbooks make the statement that it's found experimentally that the electric force by a stationary charge on on a moving charge is independent of its velocity. Has this lead to any confusion for people here? Embarrassingly, I was using this to mean that in the proper frame of the...
  16. K

    Vectors x, y,z rather confusing question.

    Hi there! I'm puzzled halfway between these two vector questions. Could anyone clear it up for me? I've done half of it, but not sure what to do next... http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/6442/screenshot20101123at034.png This is what I've done so far...
  17. T

    Limit of sequence question with confusing notation

    Homework Statement Hello, I don't entirely understand the question here. It is the limit of a sequence, however it is defined on what appears to be an interval, and is different if n is odd or even. Excuse the messy notation here, I don't know how to use LaTeX. Let the sequence {A_n : n>=1}...
  18. J

    Confusing forces, and friction problem

    Homework Statement My friend posed this problem to me about a week ago, and I haven't been able to figure it out, it is: So, we've got a block with mass m on an inclined plane of 30 degrees above the horizontal. It is placed at a height of 2.5 m. The coefficient of friction is 0.4. It slides...
  19. B

    Calculus 3 help needed. confusing piecewise. I need explanation

    Homework Statement 2. On the domain x \geq 0; y \geq 0, dene the function f(x; y) such that [PLAIN]http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/2144/huhh.jpg Homework Equations I'm not so sure. The Attempt at a Solution I apologize for no attempt. I am just totally confused with this notation as I...
  20. Z

    How Do Delta U and Delta H Compare in a Constant-Volume Calorimetry?

    Homework Statement 1 mole of a gas is burned completely burned in a constant-volume bomb calorimeter at 298 K, 5150 kJ of heat is evolved. Calculate the values delta U and delta H Homework Equations H = U + W The Attempt at a Solution I was lead to believe that you had to...
  21. K

    How Can Hot Water Turn Ice to Water?

    Homework Statement Question 1: Hot water at 100 degrees is added to 5 g of ice at 0 degrees. What is the minimum mass of hot water needed to melt all the ice? (Specific latent heat of fusion of ice = 336Jg-1, specific heat capacity of water is 4.2Jg-1K-1) 2. The attempt at a solution...
  22. C

    Understand the Paradox of Rigid Body Acceleration

    I've read that the acceleration produced in the center of mass of a rigid body is equal to: AccelerationCenter of mass = Forceexternal / Mass However, that leads to a counter-intuitive conclusion. The reason that seems unintuitive to me is that I would expect some rotation to happen...
  23. J

    Definition of Neighborhood, Very Confusing

    Hi All math lovers, I have seen 2 different definition of a neighborhood of a point. Which one is correct ? Given a Topological Space (S,T), a set N \subset S is a neighborhood of a point x \in S iff 1. \exists U \in T, such that x \in U \subseteq N i.e. a neighborhood of a point...
  24. Sirsh

    Rate of change question (pretty confusing)

    3. The volume of a tank used to provide water for animals at an animal enclosure at the local show is given by V(h) = (0.2h^3+3h)m^3 where h metres is the depth of the water in the tank at any time t seconds. Water is being added to the tank at a constant rate of 0.4 m3 per second. Find the...
  25. K

    Confusing Electricity: Uncovering the Mysteries of Voltage and Resistance

    Well I guess it's pretty simple, I know E = IR, but I've been thinking of some situations lately that have been confusing me so I decided to ask here. The first one is how does a high voltage stun gun not create high currents? The highest I've seen is 4.5 million volts. I think they simply...
  26. S

    Optimal Mirror Width for Complete Face Reflection: Solving with Ray Optics

    Homework Statement A young lady wants to see herself in a small mirror, the ear to ear width of her face is 6 in and eye to eye is 4 in. What should be the minimum width of a mirror so that she can see her face completelyHomework EquationsThere a few equations which when directly applied give...
  27. N

    Wikipedia's defintion of the joule is confusing me

    According to Wikipedia, a joule is "the energy exerted by the force of one Newton acting to move an object through a distance of one metre." That sounds like a joule is very inconsistent. We could apply one Newton to a bowling ball to make it move one meter, and we could apply one Newton to a...
  28. D

    Calculating Work Done by a Confusing Force Function | F=ma, W=Fd

    Homework Statement The force on a particle is directed along an x-axis and given by F = F_0(\frac {x}{x_0} -1) . Find the work done by the force in moving the particle from x = 0 to x = 2x_0 Homework Equations F=ma, W=Fd, etc. The Attempt at a Solution I don't even know how to...
  29. R

    Why is Quantum thoery so confusing that no body actually understand it ?

    It says that: I think I can safely say that nobody understands quantum mechanics...Do not keep saysing to yourself, if you can possibly avoid it. But how can it be like that? Because you will go "down the drain" into a blind alley from which nobody has yet escaped. Nobody knows how it can be...
  30. C

    Why Does This Mathematical Equality Hold True?

    i'm going through a proof and i can't seem to workout why this equality makes sense \sum^{10^{i}-1}_{k=0} \frac{k}{10^i} = \frac{(10^i-1)}{2} this may be obvious, any hints atleast would be much appreciated
  31. M

    Solving a Confusing Torque Problem: Lever Equilibrium in Top View

    Hello, I think i may be over analyzing this basic problem, but if i have a lever similar to that attached, and i apply a load at one end and a counter moment at the over end (at the pivot center) to balance the load then the system is in equilibrium. Now if the load applied on the end of...
  32. D

    Confusing Interpretation of reality

    Mathematical constructs may or may not agree with reality (that is observed by us through our senses or high-tech instruments). What’s the touchstone that a mathematical construct for a theory is the right one and would not be violated in future? For example the mathematics that was used...
  33. S

    Strangely Confusing mechanics problem

    Strangely Confusing mechanics problem! Homework Statement 2 masses connected by a massless string which passes through a hole in a horizontal table. One mass, m_{1}, is sitting on top of the horizontal table, the other, m_{2}, hanging below the table. There IS friction between mass m_{1}...
  34. S

    Confusing use of notation in expressing probability distribution

    Hi, I'm trying to follow a text about Bayesian statistics, and the author is using the following notation to describe a random variable which has normal distribution: p(x | µ, σ2) = (Gaussian density function here) In a Bayesian text, this notation is confusing, since it makes me think...
  35. D

    Confusing maclaurin series problem

    Given that sinh(x) = (e^x - e^-x) / 2, find a series representation for arcsinh(x). So my book did a Maclaurin series expansion of sinh(x) = x + x^3 / 3! + x^5 / 5! + ... Then it said: the inverse will have some series expansion which we will write as arcsinh(x) = b0 + b1 x + b2 x^2 + b3...
  36. O

    Confusing with Relative Motion

    Homework Statement An escalator is 20.0m long. If a person stands on the escalator, it takes 50.0s to ride from bottom to the top. a) if a person walks up the moving escalator with a speed of 0.500 m/s relative to the escalator how long does it take for the person to get to the top...
  37. L

    Cat Leap Time Calculation - Solving Mechanics Problem

    Homework Statement "A cat leaps horizontally from a flat roof 7.5 m above the ground and lands on another flat roof 5 m above the ground and 3.5 m away horizontally. How long, in seconds, does the leap take?" Answer: 0.7 Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution Ok, i...
  38. S

    Approaching the Confusing Ball Problem: Independent Distribution and Joint PDF

    hey, I am having a lot of trouble approaching this problem: let m balls be independently distributed into s boxes with equal probabilities m has a poisson distribution with mean 1/b let Xi be the number of balls in box i, i = 1,2,...,s let y = the number of empty boxes are X1, X2, ... , Xs...
  39. B

    Very confusing capacitor question

    Homework Statement C1=2[μF] and C2=6[μF] are first connected individually to their own 12[V] battery ; after disconnecting from the batteries, C2's + side is then connected to C1's − side . . . the battery 2's + side is connected to the battery 1's − side , and the other sides are...
  40. S

    Understanding Decoherence and Pure to Mixed Transitions

    Hi, I keep confusing myself between decoherence and the transition from pure to mixed, both of which, as far as I know, come about due to the interaction of a system with the environment. I like to think about things in terms of the density matrix to get it solid in my head. Can someone...
  41. S

    Solving a Confusing Integral: ∫0∞e-t dt

    Homework Statement ∫0∞e-t dt (integral from 0 -> ∞) Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution so far, i have... ∫0∞e-t dt ={-e-t}0∞ = -e-∞ - -e0 = 0 + 1 = 1 but looking at a graph, it approaches zero. What am I doing wrong??
  42. A

    Help With Derivation of Compton Shift

    I am confused in a thing that is on wikipedia and need to know ur answers on this.This is from the last part of derivation for comton shift. From the RHS, you take the square of hf so it becomes h^2 f^2 + h^2f ' ^2 +2h^2ff 'cos theta now how can it take the common from the below...
  43. T

    Confusing Old time Measurements =(

    Homework Statement A furlong is and old British unit of length equal to 0.125 mi, derived from the length of a furrow in an acre of plowed land. A fortnight is a unit of time corresponding to two weeks, or 14 days and nights. Find the speed of light in megafurlongs per fortnight. (one...
  44. P

    Working out velocity for my coursework [Very confusing]

    Hi guys, This is my first post on this forum and I was hoping you could help me. I'm in the middle of my coursework and I need help working out velocity, here's the info: Height (cm) Distance (cm) 2.4 20 3.7 30 Average Time (Sec) Speed (cm/s) Velocity (cm/s)...
  45. W

    Confusing integral in Zee's QFT

    This is probably really simple. In chapter I.4 the jump from (4) -> (5) is sort of eluding W(J) = - \iint dx^0 dy^0 \int \frac{dk^0}{2\pi} e^{i k^0(x - y)^0} \int \frac{d^3k}{(2 \pi)^3} \frac{e^{i \vec{k}(\vec{x_1} - \vec{x_2})}} {k^2 - m^2 + i\epsilon} and \omega^2 = \vec{k}^2 +...
  46. J

    A simple SR question, but confusing to me

    three spaceships, two moving at 0.9C and the 3rd stationary relative to the first two. the two moving ships are 1 LY apart but moving in the same direction toward the 3rd ship. as the first of the two moving ships passes the 3rd (stationary) ship, the ship which is now 1 LY from both the other...
  47. Q

    I am confusing about the delta G(free-energy change). Could any one

    I am confusing about the delta G(free-energy change). Could anyone explain me more about the sign of delta G. wat the exergonic and endergonic process mean? also, wat is the relation between the delta G and delta S(entropy)? I know the formula between them, but I don't quite understand Thank you,
  48. C

    Confusing Angular Momentum problem with Door

    Homework Statement A solid wood door of width 1.00 m and height 2.00 m is hinged along one side and has a total mass of 49.0 kg. Initially open and at rest, the door is struck at its center by a handful of sticky mud with mass 0.500 kg, traveling perpendicular to the door at 14.0 m/s just...
  49. B

    Confusing Step - Euler's Formula?

    I'm following the answer to a problem and I see this step which I am unsure about:F[k]=\frac{1}{2}\int^{1}_{-1}|x|e^{-\pi i k x}dx F[k]=\frac{1}{2}\int^{1}_{-1}|x|cos(\pi k x)dx For k equal to all integers. Shouldn't the conversion from the exponential be cos(-\pi k x)
  50. G

    Java Java While Loop for Searching Last Names: Solving Confusion in ExtPerson Class

    public boolean search (String lastNameSearch) { LinkedListNode<T> current; current = first; boolean found = false; ExtPerson person = (ExtPerson) first.info; while (current.link != null) { if ((person.lastName.toLowerCase().equals(lastNameSearch.toLowerCase()))) {...
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