Recent content by WhyIsItSo

Thank you all. That is working fine now. I am having programmatic issues converting to cartesian coordinates, but that is a problem for another forum. I truly appreciate all the help.

UPDATE - Re: Radius of Ellipsoid Folks, I appreciate the help so far. However, I hold a BS in Computer Engineering, not mathematics, and I am attempting to write a program, not proof any theorems or become an expert in trigonometry. After Mathman's last posting I tried to discover some rules...

Mathman, I appreciate your reply. I expected \theta to disappear from the equation since it has no effect on r, however I have two problems with your equation. The first is that I am not certain how to read it. Is this the form you mean... r=\frac{2c}{(1+3cos(\phi)^2)^{\frac{1}{2}}}...

Where does "p" come from? Is that just shorthand for phi? Also, I am fuzzy on exponents. Please clarify - am I taking the square root of (1+3cos^2(p)) ...or does the 1/2 exponent mean something else?

Since I am after a general equation for r, I have attempted to take your post and find said equation. Does this look correct... r=\sqrt{\frac{4c^2}{cos(\theta)^2sin(\phi)^2+sin(\theta)^2sin(\phi)^2+4cos(\phi)^2}}

I must be missing something, because I cannot see how to solve the first three equations; it appears to me that each still has 2 unknowns. How can I determine x, y, or z without knowing r? I realize that, being an Oblate Ellipsoid, I could probably use some formula for an ellipse, since any...

The one formula I need I cannot find. I have an Oblate Ellipsoid which I can describe as a=b=2c. The values of a, b, and c are known to me. I've encountered multiple representations of symbols here, so... let Phi = angle from positive z-axis: 0<= Phi <=180. let Theta = angle from...

I am building a MMOG. There are several applications for this equation, but the one in my mind at the time I made this request relates to "speed limits" for space vehicles in the game. While I am seeking a certain realism scientifically speaking, there are many reasons to depart from hard...

uman: your equation looks like a simple way to get what I needed. arildno: Your example gets me started on ways to shape uman's examples to suit my needs. Thank you both.

This should be a dead simple answer, but I don't know what this is called, or what to search on... I need a function of x such that: 0 <= x <= 1 Where f(0) = 0, and f(1) = infinity. I also need the curve to be relatively flat for "lower numbers", say up to 0.3, and begin a very sharp...

To clarify, I am seeking a mathematical model upon which I can build a program which could populate a fictitious E0 (or spherical dwarf) galaxy with a plausible distribution of stars. I am not looking for the outlying stuff, just the main central sphere and disc portions. From extensive...

This is interesting in that I have been researching this topic throughout the day today. It seems that in fact after a certain distance from a galactic core, orbital velocities of stars become fairly constant in apparent contradiction of your statement. The reason appears to be the presence...

I think you can answer your own question. You know that topspin pushes the ball downwards; observation tells you this is so even without understanding the aerodynamics. When you put massive amounts of topspin on the ball, when it bounces this topspin fights really hard against the upward...

Well, if you want to run this to ground, I guess I'll go along... You just said "as long as there is no gravity involved". That appears to contradict "Equivalence". BINGO! I thought I made it clear my difficulty was with the assertions that time in my frame (on the Rocket, which is...

I'm going to abandon this issue, before I totally P.O. everyone who is trying to help. It seems I've understood nothing I've read so far. See, from the very limited reading I've covered so far, I thought the time dilations discussed in SR where to do with different inertial frames. I...