Recent content by Alexander83

Hi there, So I was doing the dishes this morning using a sink wand hat can toggle between different flow speeds. The way that I've always thought of this working is using the equation of continuity: Volume flow rate: = Area*velocity Pressing a button on the wand decreases the cross-sectional...

Thank you all for your responses... I think I need to do some additional reading to better understand the assumptions made in the derivation of each of these equations. Is there a particularly good introductory fluid dynamics text that you could recommend? I'm looking for something that's not...

Hi all, I'm considering an fluids example that's giving me an apparent contradiction when I consider it from the perspective of Bernoulli's Equation vs. the Equation of Continuity. What I'm thinking of is the common observation that putting one's thumb over a garden hose results in an increase...

Hi all, I'm brushing up on some thermodynamics, and having been reading up on the interpretation of temperature as derived from kinetic theory. I can follow the derivation for an ideal, monatomic gas which relates temperature to the average, translational kinetic energy of the molecules. Most...

Hi there, I've been reading a textbook on Physics as applied to nuclear medicine, in particular focusing on how photons interact with matter. The textbook states (without reference) that "there are nine possible interactions between photons and matter, of which only four are of significance to...

Hi there, I'm trying to get a better intuitive handle on the concept of rest mass and rest energy - the energy term associated with rest mass. Introductory Physics textbooks often give statements along the lines of "mass is a form of energy" or "mass can be converted to energy" to explain...

Thanks, Bill. I'll have a look into the book and see if that helps. I appreciate the input! Alex

Hi Andy, Thanks for the reply. I'm still a little confused about the distinction between blackbody radiation and 'thermal emission'. I understand that the blackbody spectrum is formally determined as the spectral distribution of an EM field at thermal equilibrium. However, I was under the...

Thanks for your reply, Orodruin. So if I understand it, the gas spectrum would then contain *just* discrete emission lines with no continuum components at all? For some reason I had it in my mind that the gas was continuously cooling by emitting radiation, but if I understand what you're saying...

Hi there, I'm trying to clear up some misconceptions I have about emission spectra from various substances. Most of the discussion about gases focusses on the line emission spectra from a hot, low density gas due to electron shell transitions. But I also know that any charges that are made to...

Hi all, I have an undergraduate degree in Physics, but I've since specialized in more environmental applications of Physics. I've taken a few quantum Physics courses as part of my degree, but, if I'm being honest, what I took from those courses was more of a mathematical view of the field, such...

Hi all, I've got two questions about the emissions spectrum from solids. Question #1: I feel like I have a reasonable understanding of line absorption and emission spectrum of low density gases based on transitions of electrons between discrete allowed energy levels in a gas. I'm trying to...

Hi there, I'm considering how the ideal gas law applies in practice in our planet's atmosphere. In particular, I'm considering this form of the law: P = ρRT (1) where P is pressure, ρ is density, R is the gas constant and T is the temperature. I also know that, to a good approximation, the...

Thank you, mfb. Your answer makes good sense and helps a lot! Cheers, Alex.

Hi there, I'm trying to brush up on some of my E&M and am comparing treatments of Coulomb's Law in introductory calculus-based texts with higher level material. My understanding was that Coulomb's Law (and by extension, calculation of the electrostatic force on a charged particle using F = qE)...