Recent content by andrewm

OK, I'm not surprised. Thanks anyways.

Given a 4x4 non-Hermitian matrix, is there any method I can use to prove the eigenvalues are real, aside from actually computing them? I'm looking for something like the converse of the statement "M is Hermitian implies M has real eigenvalues". When can one say that the eigenvalues of a...

Homework Statement A laser of power P with wavelength \lambda is directed through a lens (focal length f) off the optical axis by a distance d. What is the sideways force on the lens? Homework Equations Not sure. The average radiation pressure is I/c, where I is the intensity. But this...

M=0.000000007kg This mass is very small considering the spheres are 2m apart. I always try to notice these things for myself. This helps me be surprised when I get a surprising answer! And often, a surprising answer to a sundry question is a wrong answer.

Physics has never perfectly described the physical world. It is a science of approximations. (It is only approximations!). In physics, there are many P=0 events. And in the real world? I don't know, but that sort of question isn't physics at all! It's philosophy.

I won't be able to give you very good advice, but I do know one thing: most graduate schools require undergraduates with a background in, at least, classical mechanics, electromagnetism, thermal and statistical physics, and some quantum mechanics. From the sounds of it, you will not be able to...

You are not yet ready, mathematically, for physics. And I don't mean formulas; I mean your logic and intuition.

The geophysicists I've spoken to claim that the field is very lucrative. A PhD in geophysics will often work in the energy sector searching for oil.

Keep in mind that physics and engineering, like all pursuits in life, require a huge amount of unexciting work. I do not mean to say that physics is boring, but for many courses you are investing in your understanding. It will pay off later. Consider, for instance, how many hours you needed...

Many schools offer programs in Engineering Physics or Engineering Science.

Of course, thanks. I'll try to find a new constraint.

A and B are known parameters. Indeed, I have already tabulated them numerically.

This isn't my homework: I'm doing some physics research and I'm stuck at a simple 2 equations. I want to solve these equations A \cos(\gamma) \sinh(\theta) = \lambda - B \cosh(\theta) A \cos(\gamma) \cosh(\theta) = A \sin(\gamma) - B \sinh(\theta) I'd like to know if there's any way I...

Thanks, that's an easy way to remember where zero point energy comes from! I guess I need to start taking my grade-school physics with a grain of salt, don't I? :smile:

If \Delta x \Delta p > \frac{\hbar}{2}, what happens at T=0? Since "all motion stops" must we have \Delta x diverge? Or is the zero-point motion allowed to occur at T=0, and only classical kinetic energy is zero?