Recent content by nctweg

Okay, thanks for confirming my stupid question. I figured as much but I did want to check first.

Homework Statement 1.12 - Prove Thomson's theorem : If a number of conducting surfaces are fixed in position and a given total charge is placed on each surface, then the electrostatic energy in the region bounded by the surfaces is a minimum when the charges are placed so that every surface...

None of my professors ever did. I always thought it would make me stand out a bit more in the graduate committees but honestly, I've never once received any comment about it for good or bad. Then again though, this is what the personal statement is ideal for explaining (and what I used it for).

Well, I didn't really do "great research" or have a very strong PGRE to be honest. My research project is just unique and has given me the opportunity to work with a great professor who didn't pawn me off to a post-doc or grad student. So I had a lot of room to impress, whereas doing something...

Eh, I think it's relevant to the topic. Maybe just as one option of action, anyway. My undergrad was in business, like yours. I went back to take classes as a non-degree student; no MSc, no BS, just classes. The undergraduate director at the school I did it at suggested that a second...

Just wanted to let you all know (since you've all been a big help to me) that I'm one of the people who posted here earlier looking for advice (I'm on a different account as the other one is personally identifiable). Well, today I just got my first acceptance letter to a Ph.D program. Thought...

Homework Statement In the attachment Homework Equations F = ma F = mg Ffriction < μ*N 3. Attempt at a Solution Okay so I know that the weight is weighing down with a gravitational force of ~750 N. Similarly, I know that the two forces on the wall will both provide frictional...

Ok, it was definitely in ergs/sec/g. I converted it over and got εpp = 90 ergs/sec/c3 or so. Ended up with 1.46*1011 years which seems better.

Now that you mention it, I'm actually not entirely positive. My notes are not explicitly clear but I believe that it's ergs/s/g. Oooooohhhh, hold on. Let me do some stuff.

Wooh, that was actually a huge help. I have arrived at an answer (though I do not know how correct it is). Here is the work (sorry, don't know Tex but I'll do my best to make it neat): To find the energy per fusion of 4 protons to 1 He, I just used Einstein's E=mc2: EHe ~ 3.72*109 ev...

Homework Statement Estimate the lifetime of a proton against fusion to 4He in the center of a Zero-Age-Main-Sequence solar mass star. First calculate the energy generation, εpp in the center of the star from the p-p chain. Then convert this to the number of fusions (conversion of 4 protons...