Recent content by tulip

R is not equal to S, or to the inverse of S. It is clearly true that for special cases where X=0 there is no inverse, but I don't see how this tells us that X is generally non-invertible. Can you explain?

Thank you for reading. If I have an object (is it correct to call it a tensor?) whose components are defined by: X_{mikl}=(R^{-1})_{mi}R_{kl}-(S^{-1})_{mi}S_{kl}, where R and S are invertible matrices. I want to find the "inverse" of X, i.e. to find (X^{-1}) such that...

Hi guys, I have a question about finding a lagrangian formulation of a theory. If I have a system for which I know the equations of motion but not the form of the lagrangian, is it possible to find the lagrangian that will give me those equations of motion? Is there a systematic way of doing...

xepma - thanks again for a very helpful and clear response. I don't know anything about fiber bundles, but the rest of what you said made sense.

Thank you everyone for the replies, they've got things a bit clearer in my head. I'll take a look at the book recommendations when I get to the library tomorrow. xepma, I really liked the way you described things, but there's just one thing I'm still confused about. If U(1) is a group that...

Hello everyone. I need someone to explain a concept to me. I'm confused about how a type of particle can be a representation of a lie group. For example, I read that particles with half-integer spin j are a representation of the group SU(2), or that particles with charge q are a...