Recent content by cryora

How would an electron decay directly from an n=2,l=0 to an n=2,l=1 state if the principle quantum number stays the same (implying no energy change), unless we are also considering fine/hyperfine structure transitions?

In the standard texts, the interaction of atoms with electromagnetic radiation is usually done using perturbation theory on an oscillating field (aka the dipole approximation). This leads to "selection rules" where electrons can only make transitions to other states if its angular momentum...

In the example, the potential is understood to be 0 at the sphere's surface. Are you trying to calculate the potential of the charge & image charge system (without the conductor), and use that result to represent the potential of the charge & conductor system for points outside of the conductor?

That would have been too much for me, but I've always been the cautious student. I tend to base workload on the "2 hours per study per 1 hour in lecture every week" rule of thumb. That's usually what's required to get an A grade. If each class were 4 units, then you'll be looking at 40 hours...

Is that exactly true? Or is there a range of possible leftover energy transferred from the photon to the electron as kinetic, from 0 up to the entire leftover energy? I don't have the textbook with me, but in Serway's "Modern Physics", he mentions a maximum kinetic energy for the freed...

It's funny I live here, but I have a hard time trying to come up with answers these questions. There's a lot of traffic, and parking is often packed in Westwood. Cars are usually double parked at the apartments near UCLA. It must be hell trying to get out, unless they use it only sparsely...

It may be unique to my situation (or it may not, as I was told that AMO is one of the less computational fields of research in Physics), but for my undergraduate research assistant role, my job is to help the research group set up automated experimental controls. That includes learning: Python...

I took a class on C++. This was my introduction to the world of programming. My university also offered Mathematica workshops which had homework assignments making up part of your grade in a couple of upper division Analytical Mechanics classes. I started learning Verilog HDL on my own, though...

Homework Statement I'm not exactly where a question like this would belong, so I am going to try here. It feels like as we go higher in our courses, we're expected to be able to work with more complicated equations. One example would be a problem involving transmission reflection ratios for...

From this, would it be safe to assume that, after beginning graduate courses, Physicists would have to learn more math beyond the topics covered in Boas? I'm currently an undergrad taking upper div Physics classes, and there are a lot of Differential Equation techniques I learned in my lower...

I took 3 upper divs this quarter (Analytical Mech, E&M, and Abstract Algebra) along with an introductory German course, which is a total of 16 units. It was tough trying to keep up, and I would spend long nights each on homework for one course then the same for another course evey week. I'm...

Thanks all for your responses, as they've helped me look at it from a different perspective. I think the author was trying to convey that you should somehow manage your life so that it's not going to be a problem but in a very succinct "I don't want to get into details" sort of way. One thing...

I'm a Physics major and am starting on my early major courses (Classical Mechanics and E&M, and an Abstract Algebra course as an elective). I've already taken an upper div Linear Algebra course and a Math Methods course (though the latter, which covered topics in Linear Algebra, Fourier...

Lol that's cute... But if I knew that the person I have a crush on is married and having an extra-marital affair with yet another man, I would be quite upset at my situation (that is, obsessing over a woman I don't have much of a chance with, as well as involving myself with such emotionally...

I feel like college classes is mostly independent learning anyway, particularly math classes, because you don't have to do any labs. Lectures really help though, and I find that without a schedule and exams/homework to motivate me to keep up, I would have a hard time learning entire courses on...