Recent content by Jilvin

Thanks for the response, that was more complicated than I thought! So, if a measurement is classifiable as non-destructive, then it will not return to a superposition of states? This answer is the one that makes intuitive sense to me at my current level of understanding. Because Griffiths, in...

I am just starting out in self-study for quantum theory, so forgive me if my question seems elementary or completely misguided. In quantum mechanics, every wave function ψ can be decomposed into a linear combination of basis functions in the following manner: \Psi = \Sigma{c_{n}\Psi_{n}}...

Yeah, that's what I was thinking because one of the problems is in a similar flavor. Finding the increment in y compared to the increment in the spring displacement is exactly what I am looking for. I'm totally at a dead end with this.

Okay, here's my approach: I have to find the potential energy of the spring *with respect* to the object that is oscillating, which is the mass on a pulley. I think the previous user may have solved for the simple case of a mass on a vertical spring. The mass is also on a *pulley*, and...

Homework Statement A pulley containing only a single mass, m, is hanging vertically from a mass with spring constant k. Find the period of vertical oscillation for the mass. Explanation in terms of energy and energy conservation is preferred.Homework Equations Ay, there's the rub. You are...

Nevermind, I think I've got it now. The intensity uncertainty is only valid for *large* photon numbers. Here's what I mean. In the study of squeezed light, the uncertainty ΔIΔη≥\hbar/2 is important (where I is the intensity and η is the phase). I couldn't comprehend just what ΔI...

I am starting to become confused when reading about quantum mechanics and its treatment of photons. I heard somewhere (I can't recall where) that the characteristic intensity of a photon beam was give by I = E/\omega, where \omega is the angular frequency of the beam. However, I can't seem to...

Thank you. I am slightly familiar with four-vectors but i'll need some touching up. However, I am willing to do this so this reference is satisfactory for now. OFF TOPIC: I used you calculus book for self-study last year by the way. I only looked at it for 2 months prior to the AP Calc AB...

I was reading C. Schiller's text on relativity and he gives an expression for the ratio frequencies of two observers (one a sender and one a receiver). *[Oh, and if you think that my description of the problem is unclear, I am talking about the expression on page 30 of the Motion Mountain...

Here's what I would do: 1. Every polynomial of degree n can be differentiated (n+1) times before vanishing (it is n+1 times differentiable). 2. Thus, an infinite order polynomial is infinitely differentiable. 3. The power series expansion of ln x is of infinite degree. This expansion absorbs...

Actually, a negative result for a Higgs particle at the LHC would be a monumental revelation, somewhat akin to the null result for the luminiferous ether by the Michelson interferometer in the 19th century. Don't quit just because it might be a daunting task to progress the field.

I was asking you all for your personal worst brain farts, but posting complete nonsense is also fine I guess.

I am a "physics guru", at least at my high school's level (which isn't really anything at all). I know several advanced integration techniques, linear algebra, and fairly advanced methods for solving differential equations. Even with all of this mathematics background, I still have not taken...

I got: AP US History - 5 AP Biology- 4 (a very welcome surprise) AP Calculus AB - 4 (a very, very nice surprise considering I opened a calc book for the first time on February 2nd, wasn't in the class at my HS, and I was only one of two juniors taking it at my school) Next year I hope to...

Thank you! That cleared up some weird things. Apparently (according to a close friend I contacted) Feynman has written an excellent summary on this in Chapter 19 of Volume II of his Caltech lectures, so I'll pick that up from my friend tomorrow at school and hopefully the topic will fully...