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. S

    A picture, a plane and the flat terrain. Please explain.

    A problem of photogrammetry How can be demonstrated that the terrain in front of the plane you see in the photo is flat and there is no slope going down there? First flight, 120 feet in 12 seconds, 10:35 a.m, December 17, 1903; Kitty Hawk, North Carolina. Orville Wright at the controls. If...
  2. Kiyal

    Can someone explain what it is meant by a 'Flat Universe'?

    I have been reading and looking at videos regarding cosmic inflation and it said that the universe is flat. I am no expert and have no mathematical background - I love reading about space and learning new things about it. It just really irritates me when things go right over my head and this...
  3. T

    What Does G Load Mean in Terms of Acceleration?

    Good evening, Can anyone explain me G load? What is that (for now) in simple words? -0.5g? 2.0g? 2.5g? Thanks a lot, TBF
  4. T

    How to explain the overdetermination of Maxwell's equations

    Maxwell's equations seem overdetermined, in that they involve six unknowns (the three components of E and B) but eight equations (one for each of the two Gauss's laws, three vector components each for Faraday's and Ampere's laws). (The currents and charges are not unknowns, being freely...
  5. A

    Shear, bending, and stress in a beam; Please explain

    Homework Statement Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I can't understand the solution and what is the variable "X" !
  6. J

    Can someone explain why the voltage here is zero?

    Homework Statement I have the circuit in the picture below, and using KCL and KVL I found that the voltage over the 80k resistor is 0. However, I don't understand why this is correct. Can someone explain why there is no current through it? Homework Equations None The Attempt at a Solution I...
  7. F

    Why does pressure drop in the narrow portion of the Venturi effect?

    Now I've read a few explanations online already in the hopes of getting to grips with this phenomenon, but it seems they all bang on about the same thing (higher velocity in the narrow portion due to the principle of continuity), though none really explain WHY pressure drops in the narrow...
  8. D

    Please explain curious behavior with my rainwater barrel

    I have a barrel that collects rainwater from the gutters on my house. At the bottom of the barrel is a manual 'faucet' with a round handle for turning the flow on and off. On that spigot, I have installed a "Y" fitting. One side of the "Y" goes to the irrigation hose which I turn on when the...
  9. lawofnature

    Can someone explain this thermodynamics related doubt i have?

    Assume a piston cylinder arrangement. External pressure always equals internal pressure ( reversible conditions ). Now consider these two scenarios: Scenario one: q heat is suddenly added to the arrangement causing a temperature rise and consequently pressure rise, but the volume is yet...
  10. Clever boy

    Can basic quantum physics explain the TARDIS from doctor who

    Can basic quantum physics explain all of the traits of the tardis other than the consciousness and living metal?
  11. B

    How would MWI explain delayed choice quantum eraser?

    How would MWI explain the delayed choice quantum eraser? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Delayed_choice_quantum_eraser#The_experiment_of_Kim_et_al._.282000.29 I don't see how this can be explained with MWI. If the idler photon hits detector 1 or 2, an interference pattern can be seen on the...
  12. N

    How would you explain what compressed sensing is

    Hello, I would like to know your definition of what compressed sensing is. As well as its applications/uses. It's a subject I hear thrown around a bit but I have not received a complete answer on what the area/focus is? As well as the concept of sparsing (parsing?) and it's use with compressed...
  13. O

    Physics noob, can someone explain this?

    Read this on a recent AskScience thread on reddit: "Theoretically, if you kept pressing your finger against the table enough times, at some point the assembly of atoms in the table and your finger will be aligned so that your finger would go through the table. It'd then be stuck, but that's...
  14. W

    Please explain the method of steepest descent?

    I am not understanding how to use the method of steepest descent aka the saddle point method. Any help would be appreciated, especially step-by-step explanation!
  15. T

    Can someone explain what the speed force is?

    Hi I'm a high school student who is looking into more advanced physics at a cursory level and I've found this idea of a speed force. Can someone explain what it is?
  16. F

    Can someone explain this? (Thermodynamics)

    Can someone explain to me which different processes there are in this steam engine? And where they start and end? I can't find figure it out...
  17. Z

    Schrödinger's cat explain color charge?

    I'm doing a science fair project involving trying to explain color charge with the principles behind the Schrödinger cat thought experiment; However I'm having trouble finding the right principle. Its math project was well. Can anyone push me into the right direction
  18. G

    Can anyone explain me this circuit

    http://prntscr.com/60xcwx Thank you
  19. psuedoben

    Could multiple dimensions explain quantum leap?

    please point out the flaws/add to my reasoning here: it is known that energy is quantized, but could that be for just the 3 dimensions we're able to experience? Is it illogically to propose that energy might not be quantized when looking at all of the dimensions together? this could explain...
  20. R

    Explain why the entropy is non-nul

    Homework Statement Bonjour, Given the hamiltonian Show that The Attempt at a Solution [/B]...
  21. P

    Need for SR to Explain Magnetic Forces?

    Here's my problem. We know the magnetic force is just F=q(v x B). If we have a stationary charged particle in a magnetic field, it will not feel a force. If we change to a moving frame, the particle now has a velocity, but the idea that it feels a force by changing frames is ridiculous so...
  22. B

    Please explain how this integration is done

    Hi Attached is an extract of a paper by Lord Rayleigh on pressure generated during collapse of a bubble in a liquid. Will someone please explain how the RHS of equation (2) in the attachment is obtained ? TIA
  23. K

    (Tribology) Can someone explain Contact Curvature Sum to me?

    I am having a hard time grasping contact curvature sums. Can someone give me a link to where there is a guide or a youtube video? or can someone help me here please. Here are the equations: 1/Rx = 1/rax + 1/rbx 1/Ry = 1/ray + 1/rby 1/R = 1/Rx + 1/Ry The question is this: The ball-outer...
  24. D

    Can we explain shielding effect using electric field ?

    i want to specifically focus on the mechanism inside an atom . suppose there are some electrons in the nth shell of the atom. They reduce the effective nuclear attraction on the electrons in the (n+1)th shell. can we say that the vector fields of the n shell electrons and the nucleus superimpose...
  25. M

    Understanding the Solution for Finding the Sum of Digits of m

    Homework Statement Let m be the number of numbers fromantic the set {1,2,3,...,2014} which can be expressed as difference of squares of two non negative integers. The sum of the digits of m is ... Homework EquationsThe Attempt at a Solution I got a solution from a magazine but I didn't under...
  26. iwantcalculus

    Can someone explain this answer "in layman's terms"?

    The question is : Show that the curve defined implicitly by the equation X*Y^3 + x^3*Y = 4 has no horizontal tangent.The answer is : Can someone please explain what steps are used in order to obtain the answer in a simple way for a calculus beginner? This answer is not helping me understand...
  27. A

    Explain this method for integrals (complex analysis)

    I saw this method of calculating: $$I = \int_{0}^{1} \log^2(1-x)\log^2(x) dx$$ http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/959701/evaluate-int1-0-log21-x-log2x-dx Can you take a look at M.N.C.E.'s method? I don't understand a few things. Somehow he makes the relation...
  28. J

    Can someone explain convolution to me?

    I'm trying to teach myself a bit of the content of signals and systems before the term starts using BP Lathi's "Linear Systems and Signals". I'm on convolutions now, and while I understand how to do them, I don't think I fully understand what exactly they are. So, for a given unit impulse...
  29. C

    Valuation ring - can someone explain this ?

    Hello, I asked somebody a question, and didn't understood his answer. Can someone explain it to me ? My question was : Is there a valuation ring in ℚ(x,y), lying above the ideal <x,y> in the ring ℚ[x,y], whose residual field is a non-trivial extension of ℚ ? Here is his answer: This is not too...
  30. Coffee_

    Can the Lorentz force explain the following phenomenon?

    The situation is probably well known by many of you. The setup is at rest realtive to the B-field while the rod is moving at a constant velocity. I have been thinking about the connection between the Lorentz force and Maxwell 3 and looking stuff up about it. The first question is wheither only...
  31. Ganesh Ujwal

    Can anyone explain Interstellar Questions?

    1.Coop lands on coop station at saturn, but why he returned to saturn instead of earth? 2.how Murph is at coop station at saturn, but murph actually stays on earth, but how she present on coop station which is at saturn? 3. how coop send Morse code through wrist watch just by clicking back side...
  32. N

    Please explain the Ising model in a simpler way, thank you

    Hello, can anyone please explain to me in a different approach, rather than repeating a book definition, what is the Ising model? and what conclusions were made from it? I would sincerely appreciate it, since I can't seem to grasp the concept even after reading numerous articles online and in...
  33. J

    Can someone explain fractional calculus?

    So, apparently, it's possible to generalize integration and derivation into non-integer orders. For instance, it's apparently possible to take the 0.5th derivative of a function. What I'm wondering is what would be represented by such an equation? If a derivative represents how a function...
  34. D

    MHB Can someone explain this? (Speed=Distance*Time)

    I'm in the process of joining the Police service and as a part of the entrance I'm working on my maths and seem to have hit a wall with speed / distance x time. Can't find much on the internet regarding this. Baring in mind I've been out of school for some time now, I've had to relearn...
  35. gcombina

    Can someone explain this to me please?

    Homework Statement Which equation is valid only when the angular measure is expressed in radians? a) α = Δθ / Δt b) ω= Δω / Δt c) ω^2 = ωo^2 + 2αθ d) ω = Vt/r (here T is a subscript) e) θ = 1/2αt^2 + ωαt Answer is D but why?? Homework Equations I know angles can be measured in either...
  36. S

    How to explain the curvature of space-time to students

    I teach a class on astronomy and recently tried to explain the curving of space time by massive objects like neutron stars and black holes. I even used a sheet of spandex to represent space-time which we bent using different weights. However my students were very confused how space, which they...
  37. I_am_learning

    Misc. Explain this trending science DIY video

    My take is: The magnets are conductive and complete an electric circuit composed of the battery and a section of the coil (toroid) thereby forming a solenoid. The battery-magnet assembly is in the center of the solenoid. The magnetic field of the solenoid is maximum at the center and decreases...
  38. C

    Explain geometric constraints solver for CAD to a newbie

    I have seen the following said on a forum: This makes good sense to me. To me, as a programmer, this sounds like he is asking for a better API to look up the coordinate at runtime; perhaps that would force the engine to evaluate expressions in a particular order, but then that's what functional...
  39. A

    How can I explain that this vector field is not conservative?

    Homework Statement I have to explain why this vector field is not conservative. Homework Equations Maybe it is: if ##\frac{\partial P}{\partial y} = \frac{\partial Q}{\partial x}## then F(x, y) = p(x, y)i + Q(x, y)j is a conservative field. I tried to figure out what P and Q is, but that...
  40. C

    Can someone explain this summation definition to me?

    A=limn→∞Rn=limn→∞[f(x1)Δx+f(x2)Δx+...+f(xn)Δx] Consider the function f(x)=4√x, 1≤x≤16. Using the above definition, determine which of the following expressions represents the area under the graph of f as a limit. I knew the correct answer was \sum \frac{15}{n} (4√x+\frac{15i}{n}) I figured...
  41. CaptDude

    Please explain the statement "the big bang happened everywhere at once"

    Obviously, I can understand the literal meaning of the phrase "the big bang happened everywhere at once" But I have never read a satisfactory explanation that eloquently helped me understand this concept...
  42. N

    Can someone explain the mathematics of this formula for Venus' orbit

    I've always been interested by the pattern within venus' orbit around the sun. I found this image and the formula of its retrograde motion in the upper right hand corner which confused me. What does it mean? can someone break this down in layman's terms...
  43. N

    Can someone explain to me why this is with finding an integral

    Alright, I know how to find the integral of a regular function, But an inverse, is throwing me off Can someone explain why 1/Sqrt(7t)dt is 2sqrt(t/7) I'm probably missing something, but why does the variable end up as a numerator? I know the inverse is 1/(r+1)x^(r+1) So I work it out as...
  44. adoion

    Explaining the Big Bang: The Science Behind the Universe's Rapid Expansion

    hi, 1. radiation travels faster than matter. 2. our Earth was formed much after the big bang. The big bang goes like this. At some point in time and in some point in space (witch we cannot determent so we just leave the location open and say it could have happened anywhere) all the matter...
  45. T

    Please explain the appearance of a laser

    When you look at the spot of light made by a laser pointer why does the light have a shimmering grainy look?
  46. R

    Explain using Newton's third law of motion

    1. no matter how strong a car engine is a car cannot accelerate on an icy surface 2. A vehicle pushes a car of lesser mass from rest, causing the car to accelerate on rough dirt.
  47. J

    Terminal Velocity: How does one explain why the squirrel gets undamaged?

    Let me begin with a fragment quoted from the textbook I'm using: 1. Homework Statement A squirrel (with ##0.0155\ m^2## of its body facing the fluid) falls from a ##5.0\!-\!m## tree to the ground. Estimate its terminal velocity. (Use a drag coefficient for a horizontal skydiver.) What will...
  48. C

    Can somebody please explain and walk me though this motor drive circuit?

    The Drive terminals are connected to a PWM signal generated by an arduino micro controller. The purpose of this circuit is to isolate the arduino from the motors to avoid too much current being drawn. What I understand so far: The motor will only turn when the diode is reverse biased. When it...
  49. L

    Why does a skateboard move backward when you push on it, but the Earth does not?

    Use Newton's to explain : When you take a step, you push down and back on the Earth and the Earth pushes up and forward on you. When you step on a skateboeard, the skateboard moves backward as you push down and back. Why does the skateboard move backward while the Earth does not even if the...
  50. H

    Can anyone explain? [how image is formed in a mirror]

    how image is formed on a plane mirror , when light bulb is switched on, photon strikes a point on an object ( for ex.a ball) and from their the photon strikes the mirror and form incident angle and reflective angle , my question is does the photon carry the image with it ? or does it act like a...
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