Recent content by gleem

Currently, about half of university freshmen struggle with coursework. These are former high school seniors. What makes the authors of this program feel that Juniors are as ready for university coursework?

You are indicating that you are learning math and problem-solving as separate endeavors. This will probably not be productive. Early studies of problem-solving courses have not delivered the benefits sought. What is fundamental is a thorough knowledge and understanding of the math topic and the...

I can appreciate the difficulty with finding someone to guide your effort. One approach is to take a math course, even a non-credit one, or to audit an online one. You have some indirect guidance. What seems to be consuming your time is your inability to make progress with your current approach.

So you are trying to study math on your own. I think this would be challenging for most people and would benefit greatly from having a teacher to guide and act as a model for them. The teacher provides a structure to follow and helps you avoid pitfalls. The teacher provides a cadence for your...

That's what I paid for it.

For starters, you can try "Fourier Analysis and Generalised Functions" by M.J. Lighthill: a PDF copy is availalbe on line at https://www-dft.ts.infn.it/~rfantoni/teaching/Lighthill.pdf

Did you have any issues with math before college?

One can't form memories of recent events or conversations like Dory in the movie "Finding Nemo".

That suggests salt. How close to the ocean do you live? IIRC, I have read that certain fastener warranties are voided if you use them within 10 miles of saltwater.

We should remind students that bad things can happen in real life if one does not pay attention to details, for example, the Mars Climate Orbiter (1999) failure when engineers used the incorrect units for the orbit calculations.

Could you provide a diagram or sketch of the device you envision?

Do you want to use the results of a square cross-section irradiator silmulation to use to build a cylindrical one?

I remain here because it is one of the few places where I can engage with others whose knowledge, opinions, and insights I respect.

Yes. The sensitivity and efficiency are independent of the decay rate, which is responsible for the variability in the rate of the radiation arrival at the detector. Geiger counters are particularly susceptible to large fluctuations in their reading at low decay rates.

I think some get the impression that the actual difference between successive decays is relatively constant and for high decay rates that is essentially true, but for very low count rates, it is very noticeably not true and an important consideration when performing a survey.