What is Phenomenon: Definition and 218 Discussions

A phenomenon (Greek: φαινόμενον, romanized: phainómenon, lit. 'thing appearing to view'; plural phenomena) is an observable fact or event. The term came into its modern philosophical usage through Immanuel Kant, who contrasted it with the noumenon, which cannot be directly observed. Kant was heavily influenced by Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz in this part of his philosophy, in which phenomenon and noumenon serve as interrelated technical terms. Far predating this, the ancient Greek Pyrrhonist philosopher Sextus Empiricus also used phenomenon and noumenon as interrelated technical terms.

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  1. zoobyshoe

    Medical Adopting a Rubber Hand, and a New Twist on the Phantom Limb Phenomenon

    This indicates that sense of body position is arrived at by input from sight, touch, and proprioception, and that, when the stimuli are inconsistent, sight and touch are "believed" by the brain over proprioception: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2004/07/040702093052.htm...
  2. M

    Investigating the Phenomenon of a hot Ball on Parallel Metal Rails

    Homework Statement Put a hot metal ball on parallel horizontal rails. The ball starts to move. Investigate the phenomenon. Homework Equations I have found two equations, one exponential and one linear relating the expansion of the rails and the ball to the temperature increase...
  3. L

    Is ductility associated with the manifestation of yield phenomenon?

    Hi everybody, I have a doubt about a question on my future exam of Materials Science. Is ductility associated with the manifestation of yield phenomenon? * TRUE *FALSE I have doubts because I think I could answer this question in both ways... Any help will be more than welcome!
  4. M

    Explaining the Bubble Ring Phenomenon

    Can anyone explain how this works? Couldn't believe it was air in the water when I first saw it. But it appears to be genuine. I know some deal about quantum theories but am stunned like a dog in front of a mirror by these bubbles in the water - help me out!
  5. M

    A name for a post-sleeping phenomenon

    I am not sure if there is any name for this effect but I will describe it and maybe you can tell me. I am normally a quiet person. Not very much a chit chatter. But the couple of times I have taken a nap on the living room couch in the middle of the day, I get woken up about 15-20 mins into...
  6. F

    Understanding the Phenomenon in the Attached Picture

    please explain to me this phenomena (Details in the picture attached) - after answering my 2 questions , I would like to make a modification in the picture , the modification is : shifting the force F 1 to the left for 0.5 m , after shifting it 0.5 m would we have a moment at "B" and at "A" ...
  7. Aquafire

    Investigating the Phenomenon of Milk and Coffee Stirring

    Milk Please..! Part of my early morning ritual involves making myself a nice cup of coffee. I pour my aromatic brew into the cup and then add a little sugar. In the process of getting the sugar to dissolve, I give the contents a clockwise stir, turning the teaspoon, (not too vigorously...
  8. C

    Exploring the Electro-oscillator Phenomenon

    Hey guys. This is a first post so please give me tips on how to make it better. :redface: Anyway, the problem that I am doing stated by the International Young Physicists Tournament is: Electro-oscillator A mass is hung from the middle of a horizontal wire. When a current is passed through the...
  9. A

    Unanswered phenomenon in earth orbit

    What are the phenomenon so far encountered by scientists, that happens in Earth orbit? I mean observational anomaly One of such phenomenon is pioneer anomaly. what are the others? Anyone please add to the list, or refer me to some reading resource
  10. marcus

    The Void Phenomenon Explained (Tinker Conroy, computer sims)

    http://arxiv.org/abs/0804.2475 The Void Phenomenon Explained Jeremy L. Tinker (KICP, UChicago), Charlie Conroy (Princeton) 8 pages, 5 figures, submitted to ApJ (Submitted on 16 Apr 2008) "We use high-resolution N-body simulations, combined with a halo occupation model of galaxy bias, to...
  11. M

    Exploring the Mysterious Particle Pair Phenomenon

    Hi everyone Thanks for taking the time to read my first post. I was reading Bill Bryson's A short history of nearly everything (which may be like saying that I was reading cat in the hat in an english literature forum, but i shall see). Unfortunately I don't have the book here, or i would make...
  12. N

    Explanation of particle physics phenomenon - multiple Coulomb scattering

    Homework Statement Hi 1) I read the following article: http://pdg.lbl.gov/2005/reviews/passagerpp.pdf On page 12 of the .pdf there is a figure, figure 27.8, which shows how a charged particle deviates from it's path when scattered by the Coulomb force that comes from the nuclei of the matter...
  13. S

    Gibbs Phenomenon: Estimating Oscillation Width

    Hi all, I was asked something today at college. We're learning about Fourier series and we talked about the Gibbs phenomenon. The teacher asked us if we could possibly come up with a way of estimating the width of the oscillation in this phenomenon. I understand that increasing the number of...
  14. E

    Gravity field phenomenon is the curved light ray ?

    Surrounding the planets usually exists the various atmosphere. Due to this atmosphere, one light ray crossing the planet will be refracted more if it comes more closely to the planet's surface. So how to know that " gravity field phenomenon is the curved light ray" is not created by the planets'...
  15. E

    Smolin-TWOP on string theory does not reproduce time dependant phenomenon

    While I cannot now offer a page #, Smolin in TWOP offers his assessment of string theory as a theory of QG by pointing out that while GR does offer quantitative predictions of time dilation effects, string theory does not (if I understood Smolin correctly). Any comments?
  16. G

    Exploring the Wave Phenomenon in Physics

    hi all why do many things in physics move in waves ? in fact , if I am not mistaken , everything apart from mass moves in waves : electromagnetism ( and light ) , heat ( not ? ) (do phonons move in waves or lines ? ) , radioactiv rays , weak nuclear force , gravitons (?) and many "...
  17. S

    Shining Light - The Physics Behind This Phenomenon?

    I've taken a picture of my christmas lights. I'm wondering if someone could help me explain, or at least name, the phenomenon? http://img142.imageshack.us/img142/5925/physicsphotocontestto9.jpg Why does light appear to come from 4 distinct points around the light? Even though some bulbs...
  18. S

    Medical Strange Phenomenon: Seeking Ideas and Experiences

    Ok, so there is this strange phenomenon that I have experienced several times before. I want to know if anyone else here has had this problem or if they have any idea what it might be. AS A RESPONSE TO THE ABOVE DISCLAIMER: I will not consider any response as a diagnosis but as of now the...
  19. Math Jeans

    Unbelievable Phenomenon: Rain Falling in a 5 Foot Radius

    Well. Its happening as I speak, and I have never seen this before (and neither has anyone else in the house). It is completely sunny out, and suddenly, rain starts falling in our front yard. We realize that there isn't any rain in the backyard, or even on the driveway. The rain was only...
  20. T

    Aerodynamic phenomenon? Physics of bbs

    Greetings all, I am an avid airsoft enthusiast. For those of you unfamiliar, airsoft is a bit like paintball, but without the gooey mess. In any case, a few friends and I were experimenting with the performance of one of our bolt-action sniper rifles which fires 6mm projectiles weighing .20...
  21. J

    The Curious Phenomenon of the Moving Bullet

    Hi. If you were on a train going 700mph and you shot a gun out the back that fired at 700mph. Would the bullet drop straight to the ground relative to the earth?
  22. H

    Levitation is a well documented phenomenon

    Levitation is a well documented phenomenon, in fact ancient yogic texts (Hatha Yoga pradipka, yoga sutras, etc) as well as modern ones (Science of pranayama by HH Sri Swami Sivananda) claim it to be a siddhi (psychic power) which one can acquire. Even the christian faith has had its own...
  23. J

    Non-linear ODE, blow-up phenomenon

    Non-linear ODE, "blow-up" phenomenon On page 40 of Steven H. Strogatz's Nonlinear Dynamics and Chaos, question 2.5.2 says: Show that the solution to x' = 1 + x10 escapes to positive infinity in a finite time, starting from any initial condition. (Hint: Don't try to find an exact solution...
  24. Ivan Seeking

    Is 23 the Most Mysterious Number?

    http://forteantimes.com/articles/221_twenty-three_1.shtml First of all, I am sure that The Number 23 was released long ago because I know that I have seen it before in math classes. But beyond that, I do understand this phenomenon: 23 is ten greater than 13, and we have ten fingers, so...
  25. C

    Lunar Laser Rangefinding: Testing GR's Gravitomagnetic Phenomenon?

    A few weeks ago Physical Review published a Letter (an edited version of http://arxiv.org/abs/gr-qc/0702028" ) that says: "At this time, [Lunar Laser Rangefinding] provides the most precise test of [the gravitomagnetic phenomenon,..] likely better than the ultimate result from the GP-B...
  26. D

    How Common is the Incompleteness Phenomenon?

    Everyone must have wondered about this question from the very first moment they hear about the incompleteness theorem. It is what scared everyone back in 1931 after all, no? ('If he's right then...' -they must have thought in Cambridge and Göttingen at the time. And indeed such comments have...
  27. G

    Exploring an Unexpected Wave Phenomenon in Physics Lab

    Ok, first I'll mention that I'm completely new to these forms (first post) and all that jazz. Anyway, on to the subject of the post. In my physics class (high school level only, mind you) we were doing a lab with long slinkies to show the properties of waves and such. Our teacher wanted us to...
  28. Q

    USA Military paper about Psi phenomenon Paradigm Shift?

    USA Military paper about “Psi phenomenon”... Paradigm Shift? Hi everybody, The USA Military has recently (year 2004) approved for public release and distribution a very interesting and controversial research document titled “Teleportation Physics Study.” In this document they talk about...
  29. N

    Galileos idea and the unknown phenomenon.

    Galileos idea of a fixed value for the gravitational acceleration on the Earth iss now accepted for most pratical calulations allthough variations in the Earth's crust mean that this value is not precisely uniform. However there is another phenomenon that will affected the decent of the cannon...
  30. D

    What is the phenomenon of synchronized electron orbits?

    I recall hearing about a phenomenon where atoms are somehow bound. The example went something like this: Pairs of atoms are contained; both with a single valent electron that rotate opposite each other, (not sure what element it was) but the atoms do not share these electrons. The electrons...
  31. H

    Hydraulic hysteresis phenomenon

    I have the following unexplained phenomenon: (please excuse incomprehensible expressions I´m not a native speaker) Experimental setup: A 6 meter long measurment pipe is filled with a hydraulic fluid and has a square cross section (30mm²). The fluid in the pipe is pressurerised to 40 bar...
  32. DaveC426913

    What is the red circle near the moon phenomenon?

    I picked this up on another board and am mystified. I'd like some more input on it. What do you guys think? Note especially the naked eye confirmation and the multiple witnesses. A co-worker of mine, out on the weekend at a campsite, looked up at the moon and noticed a strange red...
  33. DaveC426913

    Meteorological optical phenomenon

    Snapped this pic the other day. At first, I was drawn by the subtlety of the central tip of the cloud, which is illuminated by reflected light from the sunlit mound of cloud between it and us, but I was wowed by these fanlike structures in the sky above the cloud. Those are not digital...
  34. L

    Mysterious Phenomenon: Throwing Paper out a Train Window

    hey, is it possible, that when you throw a piece of a newspaper true the window of a train, the paper enters back at the following window ? thx laurens
  35. C

    Exploring the Mysterious Water Droplet Tower Phenomenon

    I was just wondering if anyone could explain the phenomenon seen when a water droplet falls into larger expanse of water (i.e. the kind of water 'tower', like in the picture)? It's something I've wondered about for a while, and I've never managed to come up with a satisfactory answer myself...
  36. A

    Energy conservation in interference phenomenon

    If on a taut string, we have a wave pulse traveling in the positive x direction with an amplitude A... simultaneously, from the other end we have a wave pulse traveling in the negative x direction with amplitude -A (i.e., it is faced downwards) At a certain time t, they will superimpose upon...
  37. A

    How can magnetic field be a relativistic phenomenon?

    How can magnetic field be a relativistic phenomenon?? According to Purcell (in his book: Electricity and Magnetism) the magnetic field force affecting a moving charge parallel to a current carrrying conductor is merely resulting from the electric field in the lab frame obtained when...
  38. A

    Any Website on daily physics phenomenon?

    Please tell me a website in which daily physics phenomenon are discussed like. Why do many cows die during a thunder storm even though the lightning does not hit them directly? Why can a bird sit on the power line? etc what is the reason when we touch a stick of wood during electric shock...
  39. wolram

    Mysterious Noises in the Night: Investigating an Unexplained Phenomenon

    May be not a S-a-D topic but i remember a thread on strange noises, at night i can hear a noise that is like a big motor running in the distance, it is all most at the limit of hearing but as soon as you hear the noise you can not ignore it, i have driven around the area but the noise either...
  40. B

    Crazy Optics Phenomenon (NEED HELP )

    I really need to figure this out. I was driving down a straight road with the sun to my right at an 85* angle. You would expect the light rays to appear straight because light cannot bend, but the the rays appear to bend across the glass. Can anyone help me explain this...? I know it has...
  41. J

    Rare Phenomenon: What Happens When 2 Sperm Fertilize the Same Egg?

    Hello, Quick Q. What happens when 2 sperm fertilize the same egg? Obviously it's extremely rare due the sodium ion channel's ability to quickly change the electric potential across the egg's membrane, preventing polyspermy. But what would happen if two sperm nailed the egg at EXACTLY the...
  42. Q_Goest

    Strange phenomenon observed, friction and wear

    There's a machine that uses a type of plastic material (reinforced Teflon) as a wear ring. The plastic rides on a highly polished metal surface and eventually wears out at which point the machine must be rebuilt. If the plastic and metal sliding surfaces are exposed to bone dry (ie: no water...
  43. E

    Red rain phenomenon of Kerala - aka alien rain?

    Have you seen this? http://www.arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0601022 Any comments?
  44. B

    Is incandescence a purely quantum phenomenon?

    I just read this from Wikipedia: Incandescence occurs in light bulbs, because the filament resists electron flow. This excites electrons in the filament material to jump to a higher atomic orbital and thus subsequently release a photon when they fall back to their original orbits. Depending...
  45. B

    The Greener Pastures Phenomenon

    The "Greener Pastures" Phenomenon Good Morning, How many here are thinking about switching out of physics to pursue a career in the financial services industry? Three students were graduated from my old research group: All of them decided to leave physics and work on Wall Street^*. Anyway...
  46. Chi Meson

    Unbelievable Rainbow Phenomenon: 4 Cycles of Color!

    Last evening there was the perfect rainbow condition: A bright evening sun shining into a rainstorm just overhead. I went outside to see both complete arcs from horizon to horizon . THen... the inner rainbow (the most commonly seen rainbow, with red on the outside of the bow) looked odd...
  47. U

    Light Bending Around Black Holes: A Real Phenomenon

    Light always wants to travel in a straight line, however, the space is curved around massive objects such as black holes, so it would seem as if the light was being bent as it traveled around the black hole. The space around the Earth is curved.. so satellies traveling along parallel paths can...
  48. T

    Mysterious Street Lamp Phenomenon Revealed

    i was walking along somewhere and i see this street lamp. ... lol anyway so this street lamp is like ish bright, like you can look straight at it w/o hurting your eyes but its still bright. and i noticed that when you look at it, there's this like spherical shell around it, (when its dark...
  49. M

    The Twin Paradox: Exploring Relativity's Puzzling Phenomenon

    why do we call the "twin paradox" a paradox in einstein's theory of relativity when we know exactly that the phenomena it describes is possible theoretically
  50. T

    What is causing the arcing in our hydraulic flowmeter?

    I think my situation below can only be explained by a physicist, so I hope I came to the right place! On our hydraulic test bench we use a glass tube, float type flowmeter (also called a rotameter?); fluid is hydraulic fluid and non-flammable; the float is anodized aluminum. We occasionally...
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