Recent content by demoncore

I am attempting to calculate the following integral. $$\frac{1}{2\pi i}\int_C \frac{du}{u^2} exp({-\frac{(q - \frac{q_0}{2i} (u - u^{-1}))^2}{2\sigma^2}})$$ Taken over the unit disk. I first make the substitution $$z = q - \frac{q_0}{2i} (u - u^{-1})$$ So, $$dz = -\frac{q_0}{2i}(1 +...

It doesn't seem to be a very extraordinary leap. I realize that I am not attending a trade school, and do not expect to find a job as a 'physicist' fresh out of undergrad, but a university education should improve one's career prospects. I don't think that is a very controversial statement in of...

Well, in addition to what Modus has pointed out about (that it was always implied to me), it has always seemed obvious to me, on the face of it, that science has instrumental value. One studies English lit, or humanities in general, for the intellectual enjoyment, as well as to develop abstract...

Well, I took Mechanics, Thermal, & E&M in one semester, which are pretty much the core of the physics curriculum. I also needed these classes to prepare myself for the Physics GRE. I would have been applying with pretty much only sophomore level classes in my transcript. I'm also a double major...

I'm about a semester away from graduating with a B.S. in Physics. While I have beome proficient in doing textbook problems and taking exams related to introductory classical physics and QM, as well as in pretty basic mathematical techniques (calculus, lin. algebra), I feel utterly unprepared to...

I just looked at the sample exam--it doesn't look too terrible. I think I should be ready for it by next spring (though I'm not sure where I'll pick up optics. E&M maybe?). I will hopefully do some research this summer, but won't get another chance until spring of my senior year, which is why...

I don't really see an alternative. I guess I was wondering whether postponing applying to graduate school for a year after I receive my undegrad degree would negatively impact my application.

Hi, I'm an undergraduate double-major, Physics and English literature, going into my senior year. I chose/declared both of my majors during sophomore year, having entered school with a vague intention of majoring in linguistics (which soon dissipated). As such, I'm about a 'year behind' in...

Any word from the MIT Haystack Observatory, University of Michigan, Cornell LEPP, or University of Washington for physics?

I've applied to around 6 assorted REUs, as well as two universities through the DOE SULI program, but I haven't heard anything back either way from any of them. Are rejection letters common, or should I already be worried?

If there is a line, the Dirac/Jung investigation into the fine-structure constant definitely crossed it. It is clearly numerology, but still often pretty interesting, in a speculative way. It's more than a little surprising that the first 4 natural numbers and a (purely?) mathematical constant...

I think this is from Dirac -- (4pi^3 + pi^2 + pi^1)^(-1) = fine-structure constant (to a surprisingly good accuracy!)

Sorry for disregarding the template; I'm not really working out a homework problem as much as just trying to follow the reasoning in the text. I'm working through the first chapter of Quantum Mechanics, McIntyre, and I'm a little bit confused by the following. The text introduces bra-ket...

Thanks a lot for that.

Well, this is what i tried: p_initial^2 = (2m + E_k,m)^2 - 4m^2 = E_k,m^2 + 2mE_k,m = p_final^2 => E,M,tot^2 = E_k,m^2 + 2mE_k,m + M^2 = (M +E_k,M)^2 = M^2 + 2ME_k,M + E_k,M^2 => E_k,m^2 + 2mE_k,m = E_k,M^2 + 2ME_k,M E_initial = 2m + E_k,m = E_final = M + E_k,M => E_k,M = (2m - M) +...