Recent content by ThereIam

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    Fermi Radius Confusion Homework

    Homework Statement Hi all, This is Kittel 9.2. This problem has been asked about before, but the people asking found solutions. I'm trying to find the free electron Fermi radius for a 2D metal with a rectangular primitive cell (a = 2 Ang, b = 4 Ang). Homework Equations Please forgive my...
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    Understanding an expansion into a geometric series

    Hi all, I am reading through Riley, Hobson, and Bence's Mathematical Methods for Phyisics and Engineering, and on page 854 of my edition they describe (I am replacing variables for ease of typing) "expanding 1/(a-z) in (z-z0)/(a-z0) as a geometric series 1/(a-z0)*Sum[((z-z0)/(a-z0))^n] for n...
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    Brainfarting reading Griffiths QM (small step in solving Hydrogen atom

    Thanks, that's what I was doing. I must have just been screwing up the algebra. Yeah, I was asking two different questions: 1) Should I memorize these derivations and 2) by what point in my physics career should I be proficient with the Frobenius method (not "Is it important to know how to use...
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    Schools Graduating in summer or fall, what are my options for grad school?

    Large tech companies often have internship positions in R&D (and I'm sure many small companies could, too). I was fortunate because my school actually had already sort of established a relationship with one, but I still had to interview and apply and all that jazz. So my advice to you would...
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    Brainfarting reading Griffiths QM (small step in solving Hydrogen atom

    I can tell this is simple, but I'm just not seeing it: (pages 146-147) Radial equation = d^{2}u/dp^{2} = [1 - p_{0}/p + l(l+1)/p^{2}]u Later... (having stripped off the asymptotic p^{l}e^{-p} parts) d^{2}u/dp^{2} = p^{l}e^{-p}{[-2l-2+p+l(l+1)/p]v + 2(l+1-p)dv/dp + p*d^{2}v/dp^{2}} And he...
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    Fourier analysis and continuous spectra

    So I've been self-studying from Griffiths Intro to QM to get back in shape for graduate school this fall, and I guess I'd just like some confirmation that I'm on the right track... So while I am sure there are many other applications, the one I am dealing with is eigenfunctions of an operator...
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    Schools Graduating in summer or fall, what are my options for grad school?

    I should clarify - I worked in an industrial lab to get my research experience (and this happened after school). It was in R&D. The grad school application process is a total crap shoot and I took a shotgun approach (do not recommend) and only got into a couple of places, so I cannot say how...
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    Schools Graduating in summer or fall, what are my options for grad school?

    My studies followed a similar route, except that I was pursuing a BA and not BS, which may have given me an easier time insofar as requirements were concerned. When all was said and done I had taken the bare minimum of mathematics and not much beyond the minimum for physics (I think I had two...
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    Active and Passive Transformations Confusion

    Well, that explains why I couldn't find anything about it in Anton's Elementary Linear Algebra book, haha.
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    Active and Passive Transformations Confusion

    Hi all, I'm sort of struggling to understand the difference between active and passive transformations. I'm working with two books, and both say that in one case the vectors are transformed (active) and in the other the operators are transformed (passive). That's fine and dandy, but in terms...
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    I Have Trouble Understanding Physics, Will Higher-Level Math help?

    The short answer is yes. To understand "advanced" undergraduate physics one needs Calculus I, II, III, differential equations, and linear algebra. More advanced math will be required for elementary particles and relativity, but don't worry about it now. My advice: take things step by step...
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    Understanding Dirac notation - Product of ops. is product of matrices

    Homework Statement This makes intuitive sense to me, but I am getting stuck when trying to read the Dirac notation proof. Anyway, the author (Shankar) is just demonstrating that the product of two operators is equal to the product of the matrices representing the factors. Homework Equations...
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    Finding v of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic field

    Thank you very much for your responses gneill. I really do appreciate them, and I can see that they present a simpler approach to a solution. I am still frustrated by my lack of understanding as to why my original approach didn't work. Something I'm trying to work on is my calculus skills...
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    Finding v of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic field

    vanhees71, that's what I thought I had done in my attempt above. It should say "y = 0.4" But anyway vcos(∅) = vy. F in the y direction I thought equals vqBcos(∅)*m. I thought by breaking them into those components I had decoupled them. Could you elaborate? Thanks!
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    Finding v of a charged particle in a uniform magnetic field

    Homework Statement So there's a rectangular region in the xy plane subjected to a magnetic field B with strength 0.06T pointing in the -z. A proton moving in the xy plane enters the region with velocity v such that the velocity components are initially vx = v*cos(24), vy = v*sin(24). It...
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