Recent content by Brilliant!

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    Statically indeterminate beam (fixed ends) and the moments at the supports

    I think I've been able to reason it out: The moment at the right support is a reaction to the bending moment at that support, and the two are equal and opposite, therefore having no affect at the left end. Compare this to the moments caused by the forces acting between the supports. These...
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    Statically indeterminate beam (fixed ends) and the moments at the supports

    I'm working through my professor's solution for this problem, and I don't understand how he comes up with the reaction force at B without taking into account the moment at B. Any help would be greatly appreciated. http://img832.imageshack.us/img832/6953/sibi.png
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    Litle help understanding the point behind Calculus .

    To put it succintly, the limit of a function is the value to which the function approaches as the the variable approaches some value. As an example, let's say we are given the following function: f(x) = \frac{1}{x} Just looking at this function, we can tell that it is defined for all x \neq...
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    Programs Courses outside of the standard ME curric. that can be beneficial to the degree?

    A little background on my situation: I was a business major for 3 years before I switched to ME. As such, I've completed my school's core curriculum and have some spare time now that I'm in the ME program, being able to take only 8 - 12 hours per semester if I stay within the curriculum. So...
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    Wanting to study engines and other vehicle mechanisms

    I agree with you, and I had an idea that revolves around this just the other day. A little back story: When I was 19 (2004), I bought a tight little 1987 Toyota Camry that looked and sounded like it was half its age. It cost me $500 and ran for 3 years before a connecting rod broke in half at...
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    Wanting to study engines and other vehicle mechanisms

    I've always been fascinated by and wanted to know more about the internals of a car: everything from the engine to the transmission to the suspension and the chassis. Currently I am a year 1 ME student, so I don't have enough physics knowledge to study the logistics in depth in that regard...
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    Is Marley and Me Worth the Watch?

    Taken was as good as action movies get. Liam Neeson is even more ruthless than James Bond in this movie.
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    An entire online text for Precalc from the Univeristy of Houston.

    http://online.math.uh.edu/Math1330/index.html It's the best free source I've seen. It's the project of grad students and is a comprehensive online text that has everything you'd expect from a textbook. And on top of that, there are streaming lectures.
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    Why Do Some Books Stay in Our Memory While Others Fade?

    Do you mean to say "Rama II"? It's a very good book. If I remember correctly, The Sentinel was a short story that was the basis for 2001: A Space Odyssey.
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    News Obama Adminsitration Seeks to Overturn Questioning Law

    :smile: The hypocrisy! It kills me! :smile:
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    News Obama Adminsitration Seeks to Overturn Questioning Law

    You think an ROFL smiley takes the place of good argument, which makes you a fool. And as a general rule, I don't mix words with fools. If you care to act like you have some sense, I'd be happy to explain the OP's reason for calling it socialism, the police state, and any other political topics...
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    Can we travel back and forward in space?

    You mean the sandwich I brought to work is stuck in the refrigerator forever? But I'm so hungry. I'll have to wait until I get home to eat. Wait. I can't go home either. I'm doomed to roam the Earth for the rest of my life, without home or love. :( You win this time, unidirectional...
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    Why Do Some Books Stay in Our Memory While Others Fade?

    Depends entirely on the book. Some books are character dependent, so we'll tend to remember the characters. Others are plot dependent, and the main characters are only their to provide a window to the book's world, so we'll tend to remember the story and the environment. Others are a combination...
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    News Obama Adminsitration Seeks to Overturn Questioning Law

    Hrrmmm... On the surface this looks fine. On paper, a suspect will still be able to keep his mouth shut until his lawyer arrives. In practice, I don't know if it will be so cut and dry. I'm concerned about cops bullying suspects into thinking they must submit to questioning. What I imagine is...
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