What is Explain: Definition and 1000 Discussions

An explanation is a set of statements usually constructed to describe a set of facts which clarifies the causes, context, and consequences of those facts. This description may establish rules or laws, and may clarify the existing rules or laws in relation to any objects, or phenomena examined.Explanation, in philosophy, is a set of statements that makes intelligible the existence or occurrence of an object, event, or state of affairs. Among the most common forms of explanation are causal explanation; deductive-nomological explanation, which involves subsuming the explanandum under a generalization from which it may be derived in a deductive argument (e.g., “All gases expand when heated; this gas was heated; therefore, this gas expanded”); and statistical explanation, which involves subsuming the explanandum under a generalization that gives it inductive support (e.g., “Most people who use tobacco contract cancer; this person used tobacco; therefore, this person contracted cancer”). Explanations of human behaviour typically appeal to the subject’s beliefs and desires, as well as other facts about him, and proceed on the assumption that the behaviour in question is rational (at least to a minimum degree). Thus an explanation of why the subject removed his coat might cite the fact that the subject felt hot, that the subject desired to feel cooler, and that the subject believed that he would feel cooler if he took off his coat.

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  1. Z

    I Could Quantum Physics explain the singularity in a Black Hole?

    If a singularity exists in the center of a black hole, could quantum physics, instead of relativity , explain it?
  2. N

    I Is it possible to explain Quantum tunneling with the HUP?

    I'm a student in South Korea(It is my first English question ever). I found descriptions of quantum tunneling explained by the uncertainty principle in Korea. There are two kinds of descriptions to explain quantum tunneling; position-momentum and time-energy uncertainty principle. First...
  3. B

    Explain why Mo–95 & La–139 are more stable than U–235

    Hey everyone! So I have attempted this Q which is shown below I had a go at all the parts and I think they are right but I'm not so sure on what answer to give for c)iii, I mentioned about the ratio of protons to neutrons but I'm not sure if that is necessary over here? Any help would be...
  4. Kaushik

    Could you please explain Azeotropes in detail?

    Could you please explain Azeotropes in detail? I find it really difficult to wrap my head around it. The only thing I know is Azeotropes are the mixtures whose composition is the same in both vapor and liquid state. This might be a stupid question but why and how is the composition the same? If...
  5. filip97

    A Huygens Principle - how to explain this with classical language?

    I was read this article(https://engineering.purdue.edu/wcchew/ece604f19/Lecture%20Notes/Lect31.pdf). I was read this paper about Huygens' principle(https://engineering.purdue.edu/wcchew/ece604f19/Lecture%20Notes/Lect31.pdf) Main idea of Huygens' principle is how wave function ##ψ(r)##...
  6. nohappy

    The Venturi Effect cannot explain how an eductor works

    I've google all the keywords like "eductor", "ejector", "Venturi pump". All of them are the mechanism or applications that utilize "Venturi Effect". All of them are trying to explain the "suction effect" by saying that restriction area makes the fluid's velocity higher and hence lower pressure...
  7. Yaohui

    Other How to explain the relationship: refractive index vs permitivity?

    Any one can help deduct the process to obtain the following equation? n= squart(ε*μ), n=refractive index, ε=relative permitivity, μ=relative magnetic permitivity. I am reading a book relating to spectroscopy, and saw the above equation. I am really interested how the scientists got this...
  8. R

    B What is Absolute Time and Space?

    In physics, the concept of absolute time and absolute space are hypothetical concepts closely tied to the thought of Newton. Absolute, true and mathematical time of itself, and from its own nature flows equally without regard to anything external. There is another term duration measures...
  9. T

    Particle in a well, can someone explain how this step works

    Homework Statement:: A particle with mass m is effected by potential V(x) = ∞ when x<0, -V0 when 0<x<a, 0 when x>a A) Set up a relation from which the energy for bounded states can de determined B) For which values V0 does the particle have only one bounded state? Homework Equations...
  10. Luminescent

    What elements account for these absorption lines seen?

  11. Quantum Alchemy

    I How does Classical Physics explain Quantum Entanglement?

    As a Computer Programmer, it's hard to wrap my head around Quantum Entanglement and non locality being explained in the context of Classical Physics. In other words, if the universe at it's core is physical where does Quantum Entanglement fit within a physical picture of reality? There's been...
  12. Frigus

    B Can anyone explain Pascal's principles?

    According to pascal's principle a change in the pressure applied to enclosed fluid is transmitted and diminished to every point of fluid and to was of the containing vessel and my question is how this happens.
  13. jdou86

    Can someone explain this GRE problem to me? (gamma ray detector)

  14. jdou86

    Can someone please explain to me how the Biot Savart law is derived?

    Problem Statement: Precised to its constant . Thank you! Relevant Equations: Below En
  15. Benjamin_harsh

    Please explain this doubt about a block sliding question

    Sol: ##Mg.sinθ - μMg.cosθ = ma## ##a = g.sinθ - μg.cosθ## Now ##S = ut + \large\frac{1}{2}\normalsize at^{2}## but ##u = 0## ##t = \large\sqrt\frac{2s}{a} = \sqrt\frac {2s}{gcosθ(tanθ- μ)}## My questions: What is the meaning of " PQ = s" in the question? How ##t = \large\sqrt\frac{2s}{a}...
  16. N

    Explain this line "thread& operator = (const thread&) = delete;"

    here delete, thread, and const are obviously keywords, I saw this when the system libraries threw a breakpoint, not my code, I'm new at this and that line of code makes very little sense to me, afaik, (const thread&) should be a conversion operator, how can you set an operator to a statement...
  17. R

    B Can someone please explain this paragraph from A Brief History Of Time

    what does it mean when you say the stars all fall in on each other?And what does the line uniform distribution of stars outside this region mean?and what does this line mean- again fall in?what does fall in mean? would really appreciate some help in understanding the meaning in simpler words...
  18. C

    Can gas kinetic theory explain heat transfer from gas to a container?

    If one considers the kinetic theory of gases, can a first order estimate of thermal transfer be performed by considering momentum exchange at the container's surface? I understand the basics of explaining and calculating pressure with the kinetic theory of gases, but if we assume energy is...
  19. Benjamin_harsh

    Explain why a negative sign is used before the 750(1.25)?

    ##R_{X} = \sum F_{X}## ##R_{X} = 750.sin 60^{0} + 250## ##R_{X} = 899.52 N## to the right. ##R_{y} = \sum F_{y}## ##R_{y} = 750.cos 60^{0} - 1250## ##R_{y} = - 875 N## ##R_{y} = 875 N ## downward ##R = \sqrt {R_{x}^{2} + R_{y}^{2}}## ##R = 1254.89 N## ## tan θ_{X} = \large \frac...
  20. JD_PM

    Explain the energy levels of Samarium-154

    These are the experimental results for the energy levels of Samarium-154: From 0+ to 8+ I recognize rotational energy: $$E = \frac{l(l+1)\hbar^2}{2I}$$ But from there on I do not know how to justify the rest. I have been reading that we sometimes get energy diagrams like above for even-even...
  21. M

    A Froggatt & Nielsen: top-Higgs blobs explain everything

    Summary: Nonperturbative top-Higgs effects proposed to explain all violations of lepton universality Three years ago, Froggatt & Nielsen wanted to explain the, apparently spurious, 750 GeV resonance as top quarks bound, not just by the gluonic strong force, but also by the 'Higgs force', which...
  22. C

    Could somebody please explain the vapor compression cycle?

    Heat is taken from food in the refrigerated space to the evaporator which has evaporated (I am assuming saturated vapor) refrigerant flowing through it. My first stumble would be, if this is true, why doesn't the temperature increase for the fluid coming out of the evaporator (unless it is...
  23. R

    Can anyone explain the following distribution to me?

    Apparently the initial distribution for this problem, P_0 = ( 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 ) but I do not understand why there are 8 entries?
  24. Sudalai

    Calculating Core Loss on a Toroid Core

    Hello! I want your help for core losses on how to calculate core loss on a toroid core?
  25. N

    How can the time dilation equation explain faster moving clocks running slower?

    Since for the two events of Samir starting the stopwatch, and the stopwatch reaching 10.0s, Samir and his stopwatch are stationary from his own frame of reference, I said it was the proper time and that delta t0 = 10s. Then the speed of the moving frame of reference was 0.6c. I thought placing...
  26. chwala

    How to explain collision theory?

    What activities can one use in explaining collision theory to secondary level students?
  27. PeterDonis

    A How does the thermal interpretation explain Stern-Gerlach?

    I am posting this question separately from the ongoing thermal interpretation thread started by @A. Neumaier since it is a question about a specific experiment and how that interpretation explains it. The experiment is the Stern-Gerlach experiment. For concreteness, I will specify that we are...
  28. B

    B How do I explain quantum superposition?

    I'm a student trying to explain quantum superposition without using Schrodinger's cat. Instead, I'm trying to use the principal of wave particle duality to explain how a particle can be in multiple states (and locations) at once before it is observed due to wave properties. However, I'm unsure...
  29. R

    B How to explain "the right hand rule" to an alien universe

    Suppose we are in communication with aliens who live in a different universe. I know, that's impossible, communication requires the exchange of mass or energy, which implies that we live in the same universe. But suppose it is true. I am wondering, can we and the aliens, via this communication...
  30. J

    Chemistry Books where chemists explain how they designed new molecules

    I would like to read historical documents where the chemist that succeded in synthetizing a new molecule explains the process he used to obtain his results. Does that exists? Instead of reading about solving the shrodinger equation in a square potential I would like to read how someone actually...
  31. D

    How we can explain our process of thinking by physics?

    How can we explain our process of thinking by physics?
  32. KatrineRav

    Explain friction in a pulley system

    Hi! I'm working in a new area and I'm looking for inputs/suggestions for relevant factors to look into and possible ressource where I can read about this :) I did some tests in a pulley similar to the one below. I had a fixed weight at M2. I started with M1=M2 but added weights to M1 until...
  33. Eclair_de_XII

    How to explain that n choose k is equal to n choose (n-k)?

    Homework Statement "Explain combinatorially (not algebraically) why ##\binom n k=\binom n {n-k}##. In other words, explain why this is true using words, and not algebraic manipulations." Homework Equations ##\binom n k = \frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!}## The Attempt at a Solution "Suppose you have a set...
  34. B

    Please explain "Electromagnetic force is mediated by light"

    We have talked about light behaving as a wave and a particle. Having trouble understanding what 'mediated' means in this context.
  35. D

    Explain what laws of physics were violated in this scenario....

    Homework Statement From reliable information, once Baron Münchhausen was stuck in a swamp, he pulled himself out of it by the hair. What laws of physics did the baron break? (Find the answer analytically) Homework Equations None. The Attempt at a Solution Well, I think that he breaks the...
  36. JD_PM

    A How to explain the nuclear radius of Uranium 238 using QM

    I am studying how to determine the nuclear charge radius from direct measurement of the Coulomb energy differences of nuclei. My book says that there is strong evidence which suggests that the nuclear force does not distinguish between protons and neutrons. Thus changing a proton into a...
  37. A

    Can someone explain nondisjunction

    Homework Statement Its in the title 2. Relevant equation aneuploidy? The Attempt at a Solution
  38. D

    B Can someone explain to me what's the Schrodingers cat?

    Hi, I'm new to this thread. My brother tried to explain the Schrodinger's cat to me but the explanation was vague, I became confused. Can someone explain to me in high schooler language what it is and how it works? Thanks in advance.
  39. Another

    I Please help explain the probability density function

    ##E = \frac{1}{2}(kx^2+m \dot{x}^2)## ## \frac{2E - kx^2}{m}=\dot{x}^2## ##\frac{dx}{dt} = \sqrt{\frac{2E - kx^2}{m}}## or ## dt = \sqrt{\frac{m}{2E - kx^2}}dx ## ⇒##= \frac{1}{\sqrt{\frac{2E - kx^2}{m}}}dx## My Question please help me. 1. I know ##T = 2\pi\sqrt{\frac{m}{k}} .## but i don't...
  40. Green dwarf

    I Is inflation needed to explain uniformity?

    Inflation seems to explain why distantly separated parts of the universe are at the same temperature etc. But I've never seen any reason why the different parts should have been at different temperatures in the first place. Is there a simple answer to that?
  41. N

    I Can you explain this photo to me?

    I took this photo, which is of the flashlight on another phone, and I was just hoping someone could explain why it looks the way it does to me. (The pink circles, the blue half halo etc.) Just in case the uploaded image doesn't load for you, here is a direct link to the image...
  42. K

    A Explain the demonstration of Kirchhoff's law on blackbody

    The Kirchhoff law of dependence of energy emitted from a blackbody only on wave length and temperature was demonstrated by Kirchhoff in a paper in the year 1859. The paper is in german naturally but I found it translated in english in a book of prof. Brace in 1901. A lot of time ago. But my...
  43. J

    I Does "Decoherence" really explain anything?

    I just read an excerpt from Philip Ball's new book and was disappointed by its hyperbolic, boosterish tone. He adopts the pose that physicists have made great strides in understanding what happens during measurement. Wave functions decohere, etc. He concludes by saying something like "now...
  44. T

    Can someone explain to me gyroscopic stiffening and softening

    hi, I’m trying to understand why in a rotor bearing system that the critical speeds of the rotor are higher for forward whirl, and lower for backward whirl. My general understanding is that forward and backward whirl frequencies diverge due to gyroscopic effects, and for forward whirl the...
  45. A

    A Could the 3D percolation model explain Regge-Trajectories?

    Regge-theory succesfully explains the latest LHC ##pp## elastic scattering experimental results and total cross-sections: https://arxiv.org/pdf/1711.03288 https://arxiv.org/abs/1808.08580 Three different Regge-trajectories are needed: one Reggeon, one (soft) Pomeron and one Odderon. The...
  46. J

    The use and meaning of the three beginning physics equations

    The first three equations i was given is as follows: Vf = V0 + at Vf^2 = V0^2 + (1/2)at^2 x = V0*t + (1/2)at^2 [why do they sometimes use y instead of x or V0,y?] I don't understand in what situations i would use them in nor do i understand why you us V=gt or X=Vx*T. (i understand g can is...
  47. Captain Levi

    Someone help explain electric dipole situation

    Ok so she says that electric dipoles are of opposite charge but equal magnitude at 3:40. But then at 5:33 she shows 2Q with -Q, at that point the magnitude of the 2Q particle wouldn't be equal to the -Q so they wouldn't be electrical dipoles right?
  48. V

    Displacement Problem: Sandra Walks Home from C

    Homework Statement H------S-----C Sandra is represented by S, Home is represented by H, and C is represented by commercial mall. If Sandra walks home, what is her displacement if the commercial mall is the origin? The distance between H and S is 2 miles and the distance between S and C is...
  49. K

    B Tendency to use entropy to explain everything

    Why is there a tendency to use the concept of entropy to explain everything from relativity to quantum mechanics. Why people think this concept is so satisfactory?
  50. E

    B Please explain to me the 2d holographic universe

    Hello, this idea of holographic universe is mind boggling to me. If we are 2d and everything we see is actully 2d hologram, like picture on the monitor https://metro.co.uk/2017/01/30/our-entire-universe-is-an-illusion-and-reality-is-actually-a-2d-hologram-say-scientists-6415724/. There is...
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