What is Practical: Definition and 323 Discussions

Pragmatism is a philosophical tradition that considers words and thought as tools and instruments for prediction, problem solving, and action, and rejects the idea that the function of thought is to describe, represent, or mirror reality. Pragmatists contend that most philosophical topics—such as the nature of knowledge, language, concepts, meaning, belief, and science—are all best viewed in terms of their practical uses and successes.
Pragmatism began in the United States in the 1870s. Its origins are often attributed to the philosophers Charles Sanders Peirce, William James, and John Dewey. In 1878, Peirce described it in his pragmatic maxim: "Consider the practical effects of the objects of your conception. Then, your conception of those effects is the whole of your conception of the object."

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  1. M

    Practical digital current regulator

    Consider a DC motor, being switched by a H bridge that is controlled by a PI current regulator. As long as the error (SetCurrent-Current) is positive everything is good. However, when this goes negative we have a problem as you couldn't set a negative duty cycle. How is this solved in...
  2. D

    Practical Engineering Skills

    Hi, I'm currently a second year mechanical engineering student. As part of my course, there is an opportunity to go on a year long placement to an engineering company next year. I have to start applying to companies now, so began to brush up my CV. The problem is, I have next to no practical...
  3. S

    Schools What are the most useful electives for a mechanical engineering major?

    I'm majoring in mechanical engineering and I have a lot of open room in my course schedule the next few years. What are the most useful electives I could take? What courses are the most useful in industry? What have been the most useful courses you've taken for your career? I'm interested in...
  4. Low-Q

    Question about the practical benefits of heat pumps

    Hi, I did read an article (Norwegian one) about heat pumps. Several owners claims that the annual costs for operating a heat pump versus a traditional electric stove isn't much different. Even if the heat pump isn't reversed at hot days in the summer (And used solely for heating), these...
  5. L

    Practical on determinig if a burette is more accurate

    Homework Statement Practical on determining if a burette is more accurate than a measuring cylinder Method: The burette was filled to a mark above 45cm3 with water and the reading recorded. The burette was opened and 30 drops of water were allowed to be delivered into the measuring cylinder...
  6. A

    What Are the duties of an Aerospace Engineer in Practical Life (Job)?

    Hello Everyone, First I would like to thank you for allowing me to post in this community and Would like to Give a brief background about me: BEng (Hons) Degree: Aerospace Engineering from UK MSc Degree: Advanced methods of Aeronautical Engineering from UK Basically a Fresh Graduate...
  7. B

    Practical Nuclear Fusion - how close?

    Can anyone say how close we are to obtaining a workable nuclear fusion generating plant? I understand the largest trial is being built in France (albeit with many delays apparently) Does anyone have any understanding as to what the best guess is to this technology being available to the...
  8. M

    Is practical mind control feasible?

    Evo don't you dare close this thread I want at least one answer as to why it can or can't work :P So sinse we can strap electrodes to our heads and with nothing but thought, we can make something happen, whether it's moving a rats tail, moving a ball bearing or making someone elses finger...
  9. V

    Quantum Mechanics Practical Scenarios

    I want to pursue my Masters in Research in the field of Quantum physics. I would like to understand the practical usage of quantum physics for eg: where it is used in real world and if any books to refer regarding the practical usage. I have good collection of books on quantum physics which...
  10. N

    How does the compressibility of hydraulic fluid affect force?

    If an inert gas is used to force piston with a Pressure say P (Assume the volume of gas to be sufficiently large). I would like to know the following: (consider piston to be horizontal) 1) If say one puts a small volume of a hydraulic fluid in front of the piston. Keeping the same pressure of...
  11. T

    Is 'Calculus for the Practical Man' a Good Introduction to Calculus?

    I just Read arithemetic for the practical man and found really interesting...there's also Algebra for the Practical Man,Geometry for the Practical Man,Trigonometry for the Practical Man,Calculus for the Practical Man And everybody knows that the great feynman learned from these books...I would...
  12. T

    Calculus for the practical man

    Is it a good first calculus book? Feynman used and liked it. it especially made for self study and that's what I need...did any of you use it? Is there something better?
  13. E

    Most practical specialization in mechanical engineering

    Hello everyone, I was wondering what is the most practical/hands on engineering specialization in mechanical that would not require someone to stay in front of a computer 8h a day, 40h a week because that is what I've mostly been doing at my internships so far (CFD simulations, excel, tecplot)...
  14. K

    Why is Wool Used in the Resonance Tube to Calculate the Speed of Sound?

    Homework Statement In the practical for calculating speed of sound using the resonance tube why do we put wool to the bottom of the cylinder? Homework Equations - The Attempt at a Solution To prevent the tube from hitting the bottom hard for it can be broken.
  15. A

    Practical Examples of RK4 Method for Second Order Differential Equations

    Hello, I need some examples of practical second order differential equation that can be solved by Runge kutta method. I tried searching on net but couldn't find a satisfying answer. Please help.. Thanks in advance
  16. D

    Practical uses of oscillator damping

    Homework Statement Hi guys, The title says it all pretty much. I need to know a handful of practical uses for each of the following, in the context of oscillatory motion (springs, pendulums etc): 1) light damping 2) critical damping 3) heavy damping Homework Equations Light...
  17. C

    Practical physics questions - Pressure & Uncertainty

    Hey guys, I have a few questions I would like to ask if that is okay First off: I was doing an experiment regarding Boyle's Law, and there are some questions that accompany it. I had a syringe filled with gas and I had to add mass on the syringe so that the piston moved down. I had to convert...
  18. B

    Guidance for improving practical skills

    hello all, i am a second year computer systems engineering student, after my first year i have done well in the theory. but i find i learn so much more when a unit has practical backing. i have decided to build an electronics lab so that i may practice various topics in engineering that i learn...
  19. K

    Electromagnetic waves practical applications and properties

    Applications: garage door openers: 40.0 , standard cordless phones: 40.0 to 50.0 , baby monitors: 49.0 , FM radio stations: 88.0 to 108 , cell phones: 800 to 900 , Global Positioning System: 1227 to 1575 , microwave ovens: 2450 , wireless Internet technology: 2.4 to 2.6 . Which of the...
  20. A

    Space Based Solar Power practical project

    Hello, I'm doing a project on SBSP and we have a few months to complete it, and in my written report I will be going over NASA's data they collected from their attempts. Calculating efficiencies and otheer variables between different stages of transmission, e.g. first from the sun radi to PV...
  21. D

    Practical Problem re melting points

    Hi all, I am posting as a layman, whose 16 year old son has been issued with a court summons for criminal damage against a neighbour's car and driveway. A few weeks ago my son thoughtlessly emptied a small glass candle jar out of his upstairs bedroom window into what he thought was the...
  22. C

    Boost Your Practical Skills in EE: Tips and Tricks from Experienced Engineers

    Hi everyone, I'm going to be finishing the end of my third year in electrical / electronic engineering (my school doesn't have specialization until fourth year), and I am starting to realize that I am lacking in a lot of practical skills! (ie. soldering, hardware design, programming, general...
  23. E

    Ideas Re: Practical Projects using MV Calculus and Linear Algebra

    Hi everyone, I'm a grade 11 student in HS and am currently studying MV Calculus and Linear Algebra from distance learning through Stanford. Due to some problems, I'm going pretty slowly but I expect things to pick up soon. Anyway, I have an agreement with my school that if I complete a...
  24. H

    Physics lab practical (Centripetal Force)

    physics lab practical! (Centripetal Force) Homework Statement I need help to come up with a lab to figure out the centripetal Force of a cork as it rolls down the ramp. Homework Equations Fc=(mv^2)/rThe Attempt at a Solution i know that Fc= (mv^2)/r ,but i don't know if the velocity in the...
  25. S

    Understanding 3D Planes & Hyperplanes: Intuition & Practical Explanation

    In the following two problems I am trying to get a deeper intuition of, the plane has 3 variables and is 3 dimensional and the hyperplane has four variables and is 3 dimensional as well. Can someone please show me why, practically, in the context of these problems? Question with hyperplane...
  26. K

    Applying MGD for Racing - Practical Use with Physics and Math

    OK, let's try a little "applied physics". First, I like to race. Now that the season is over, it's time to use the cold winter to find more horsepower. While browsing through my large stack of science, engineering and physics books, I stopped with a copy of Schaum's Outlines, "Fluid...
  27. A

    Limitations to the practical use of atmospheric electricity?

    "In fine weather, the electric potential increases with altitude at about 30 volts per foot (100 V/m)...." what hinders its practical application as a source of power, as a battery?
  28. F

    Practical use of a quarter wave transformer

    Hi guys. I have some questions about the practical use of a quarter wave transformer to match loads. For my question please refer to the figure below... According to my reading the input inpedance fo a quarter wave transformer is: Zin = Z12/ZL and to properly match the line with...
  29. L

    A Practical on Equilibirum of suspended masses

    Alright, I did a lab today. Where I had to suspend a mass of 230g from a string attached to a Newton-meter between two clamp and stands. I also recorded values of angles. My question is for the calculations it says The equation F and θ is F= mg/sinθ + k where m is the mass of...
  30. C

    Practical for a civilian to build a space suit?

    This is for a novel I'm writing. In it, the Earth has been separated from the Sun. At this point there is still an atmosphere (at perhaps 50% of normal pressure) but the temperature has fallen to somewhere around -150 centigrade. My question is this: Could a technologically savvy private...
  31. L

    Practical question re sound waves

    Hi - I am a lay person with a practical question regarding sound. I live near a busy street and am considering having noise-reducing windows installed. The noise-reducing windows would fit beside (and in addition to) the current window to block out street noise, so in effect there would be two...
  32. A

    Practical Applications of the 4th Dimension (and beyond)

    It's hard to convince people that they should hear and/or learn about the 4th dimension, string theory, and all of the like without giving them real world examples as to why these are all important. I've been trying to find a way to incorporate the 4th dimension in particular into a short...
  33. 1

    Practical Endothermic reactions

    I understand that spontaneous endothermic reactions are used rigorously in the design of instant cold packs to treat injures. Can someone please list and suggest other uses of spontanous endothermic reactions that can be used practically in everyday life
  34. S

    Will all four jets produce fountains at the same height?

    Suppose I have say a 40' long 3/4" garden hose stretched out linearly on a level surface. One end is attached to a faucet with maybe 30 psi. At 10', 20', 30', and 40' there are small vertical pipes from which will shoot water when the faucet is turned on. The end of the hose is capped. There's...
  35. S

    Practical detection of similarity ?

    Practical detection of "similarity"? The world needs new mathematical ideas in order to solve the problem of making general purpose image recognition algorithms. What are some new ideas for approaching the problem of determining if two objects are "similar"? There are techniques for...
  36. T

    Ideas for practical application of electromagnetic field theory

    Hello, I have to give a presentation on an application of electromagnetic field theory of my choosing, and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions that might be more interesting than the ones that have been suggested. It's for a 2nd year university level physics (E&M) course, so the...
  37. B

    What practical skills can I acquire in a physics MS program?

    I just enrolled in a physics MS program at a smaller state school. I am fascinated with physics and all other areas of science, but I want to get some really practical skills while I'm in this program. What are the most employable skills that one can acquire while studying physics?
  38. M

    Practical problem - fill 1000 liter water tank with pump using solar power

    Hi all. This is my first post so please forgive me if I write anything wrong or post on wrong forum. In the attachment below I have a problem. I need to buy a water pump (PUMPA in img) that works on 12 or 24 volt DC current being powered with solar panels. This pump must be able to fill a...
  39. M

    Practical Application of Capacitors

    I was thinking that a car battery is a 12v source that delivers between 300 and 900 cold cranking camps. That'd put the cranking wattage at between 3600 watts and 10,800, right? Here's a car battery 'helper': http://goo.gl/Roo2l This is hypothetical at this point but what I was wondering...
  40. N

    Theory & Practical: An Overview

    http://img543.imageshack.us/img543/8820/18626394.jpg
  41. V

    Practical Electronic & Mechanical Skills for Aspiring Experimentalists

    I just thought Id post some of my thoughts on what I feel is needed for undergrad physics majors who are interested in the more practical side of what we are learning in our highly idealized and theoretical coursework. I also would like to point out what tools I think are necessary for people...
  42. E

    Problems finding Volumetric Efficiency

    1. The problem DIESEL IC ENGINE We were given a excel sheet, with RPM, Torque, Power, Bmep, Fuel mass flow rate, Airmass SFC, Engine Air inlet and Exhaust temp. The engine capacity is 2.2litre 4 stroke. Fuel specifications: 50 Cetane (0.05% Sulphur) Coolant = Fresh water with 45% glycol mix...
  43. N

    Practical benefits of maximising power delivered to a load.

    So I have a question that I have to answer that goes like: 1) Give some examples of practical situations where it is desirable to maximize the power delivered to the load. This is in reference to A.C Power analysis and understanding maximum power output is achieved when the the Thevenin...
  44. C

    Practical Interstellar Mission to Alpha Centauri?

    Can this be done feasibly (with current/near term emerging technologies and sub-trillion dollar budget)? Assuming that the human race survives the 21st century, I think we'll have the resources for a multi-decade unmanned flyby mission to Alpha Centauri even if technology shows little progress...
  45. P

    Practical Physics: Esoteric Parallels

    Just an observation that I find interesting; I normally only participate in engineering threads, but I read threads from all these forums. I've also studied many mystical traditions, and am currently studying under a master in the Christian Kabbalah. I've noticed from these physics...
  46. K

    Interesting practical mathematical problem

    Homework Statement Hello, I now have a real practical mathematical problem to ask I have 14 files with different sizes to be burnt on DVD discs. Each DVD disc is 4.7GB. How to arrange the files so as to minimize the use of discs? The file sizes of the 14 files are 1) 2.25GB...
  47. S

    OCR Physics B Practical Investigation HELP ME PLEAAAASE

    Okay, so I'm panicking cause I was supposed to give my draft in two weeks ago... and I haven't... Cause I got stuck... And began to procrastinate... Have started it again now... AND I'M STILL STUCKKKKK! So if someone could just give me the basic answers to these questions, I'll know I'm on the...
  48. N

    Practical, interesting chemistry book

    I have taken general chem 1&2 and orgo chem 1&2, but I honestly don't know how the chemistry I know relates or is used in anything. I can write page long synthesis and mechanisms, but I don't really know what I'm making, if it's safe, or if it's impossible. I only have one chemistry class left...
  49. Z

    Practical knowledge in electronics

    Hi guys , I don't know anything in electronics past how to calculate voltage and currents in circuits containing resistors and batteries . I lack the practical knowledge of how to construct real circuits . I want to know how to design real circuits . Can some one please point me to resources on...
  50. M

    Was Polynomial Zeros' Practical Application Studied?

    I apologize for the rather vague title. It's space-limited and I'm not sure how to concisely state what I want to know. Basically, I understand that the solutions to quadratic equations (and if I remember correctly cubic equations) often had surveying problems land surveying. However, quartic...
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