Beginners — 161 discussions

This is a very basic beginner question but one which confuses me. We are told that voltage = current x resistance but I've also read that we can have a voltage without current. But, if current = zero, then if V = IR, V must be zero. Can someone explain where am I going wrong?

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I found pseudocode for this problem below-: def minimax(current node): if is_leaf(current_node): return static_evaluation(current_node) if is_min_node(current_node): return min(minimax(children_of(current_node))) if is_max_node(current_node): return...

TL;DR Summary: Gerald Burns's book: Solid State Physics: is it good for begginers or there are best books? Hello, I am looking for the best book to study solid state physics for begginers. Some one recommended Gerald Burns's book: Solid State Physics. So, what is your opinions about this book...

I am teaching myself math and wondering if any of you have recommendations on trigonometry books for beginners and self study. Any help is appreciated!

I want to teach myself the basics of economics and see that many people recommend this book to absolute beginners. What's your take on it, and is it a book suitable for noobs? If not, what are some decent alternatives of it? Thanks in advance.

What, in your opinion, is the best book about special relativity?(For beginners)

Hey friends, I have had some time on my hand due to the COVID-19 pandemic and I hope everyone at PF is doing well. Thus, I have been learning some introductory electronics. This may be more of an opioniated question but, I am curious to hear from some ~experts~. From my understanding, bare...

Hi guys, I am an absolute beginner in quantum computing. I am really curious about its mechanics but my lack of knowledge in mathematics makes me struggle. I cannot entirely understand why numbers |1> cancel each other out while double Hadamard gates are applied. If the rule is to cancel out the...

I would like to produce an animated video to demonstrate some 3D physical motions. I'm a bit intimidated. My artistic skills never got beyond stick men. I have zero experience with video, or animation. I'm worried about the learning curve. My specific ambition is to depict an array of...

My question is as it is as you have read in the heading and please tell me in taking mind that I am not a calculus master but just a beginner.

Hi What are best civil engineering books for beginners. I want them to be easy to understand for an Egyptian I mean easy language and good content Thanks

[Edit 23.12.2019: A much extended, polished version of my contributions to this thread can be found in my paper Born's rule and measurement (arXiv:1912.09906).] Well, it is simpler than to introduce in full generality Born's rule. Everything can be motivated and introduced nicely for a qubit...

I was looking for simulation softwares that are free. I looked at some on the net, but they aren't satisfying my basic requirements. A simulation software should at least have the following for my use: Arduino support Support for buck converter Solid state relay Transformer Variable AC supply...

I'm 23 and currently still in undergrad. I want to learn how to start coding before I take my core classes for computer science. What are some good coding languages to start with?

Hi! I just started high school and have developed a passion for cosmology and astrophysics. I would like to know if I really need to be very good at physics and mathematics (and if there is more that I need to be good at) and where do i find a job (spaces like N.A.S.A., SpaceX etc). Thanks for help!

Anyone willing to share a pdf of 'Higher Math for Beginners' by Ya. B. Zeldovich ? The link for this text at archive.org seems to be broken for the time being. Many thanks in advance... Harlan

Is it because it is more rigorous than books like Halliday and Resnick? Or maybe you need to digest those books as a prerequisite for the feynman lectures? Or maybe people don't believe a regular person could digest the feynman lectures as a introductory level physics book? If someone is a...

I have a background of undergraduate physics but I consider myself to be quite weak in programming. I'm aware of the usefulness of computational software/programming software in the sciences, particularly physics. I'd like to ask for recommendations on how to start learning fortran assuming I...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hierarchy_problem I understand that hierarchy problem is the large discrepancy between aspects of the weak force and gravity. But why? Why is the explanation, that gravity is simply a much weaker force not acceptable? Is it possible that gravity is just an...

Hi I'm planning to return university, to study astrophysics/physics at university level. I'm taking up A levels exams in physics, maths, chemistry as a private student. I wanted to start everything from the scratch.. can someone please suggest me some basic books for these subjects?? I have...

Hey everyone! I've been accepted into an astrophysics master's program for this fall and wanted to get a head start before classes begin. During undergrad I took several courses in astronomy/astrophysics and really enjoyed studying these topics. But the problem is that I don't know where to...

I have found a couple other threads like this but I am looking for something at a very beginning level. I joined an experimental condensed matter group for the summer at the school where I will be matriculating as a first-year graduate student in the fall. They study various...

I would say that passage is essential reading for anyone contemplating GR for the first time, I had no idea it was publicly available (to some extent). IMO it is rivaled only by Galileo's Ship (for Galilean/Newtonian relativity) in terms of readability and prose. I would like to see both...

Hi, I have just got into the battery industry and i would like to understand a few things especially when it comes to sizing a battery. For example: if i have a load of 1600W and the system voltage is -48V DC (for a telecom application). The main supply is AC which is converted into DC through...

Hi everyone, I have opted for an instrumentation course and I am worried about the programming part as i don't have much knowledge about programming. Is it necessary to learn C before learning PLC programming or i could start from plc programming? If I could start from plc then which book i...

I am in need of a few suggestions on books to read on Physics for beginners! I am new to this field of science and want to learn more about it. Any online archives, textbooks, published articles, etc. are welcome!

Hello! My name is Karina. I am new to physics and a current college student. I am Majoring in Physics but plan to specify in Astrophysics. I haven't taken any of my classes yet, but I start my prerequisites this coming Fall semester. Since I am fairly new to this subject...I only have knowledge...

In the next month, I'll study about Astronomy and AStrophysics, so what are the good books for me ? Please ! I really love Astronomy !

I am really interested in physics but I am not every good at science. I am currently in year 9 and I want to go to MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) recently I read on the website that international applicants need to sit a test from Physics, Chemistry or Biology. My high school hasn't...

Student's Guide to the Mathematics of Astronomy, by Fleisch and Kregnow. For beginners, uses algebra, geometry, and trig applied to astronomy and cosmology. Helpful for students who get bogged down in mathematical manipulations and coming up with equations in the first place.

Hi, I need a functional analysis book. I have Kreyszig's book. I'm at continuous mapping but I have some problems with completeness and accumulation points. So I would like to read a lot excercises about these introductory stuff. What are your suggestions? Thanks.

Hi what would be some good books for helping to understand chemistry for beginners? I'm not sure what kind of level of understanding this forum is aimed at or if it is (or can be) made to accommodate people who have very limited understanding of science. Unfortunately I didn't take science...

Could someone please explain how the image of a set A' ⊆ A is the set: f(A') = {b | b = f(a) for some a ∈ A'}. And how can the complement of A be a subset of A? Forgive my ignorance here, I'm a beginning student of set theory.

So I'm pretty new to the subject of quantum mechanics and was wondering if you folks know of any books or sites that give an introduction to Quantum mechanics. I should emphasis that I'm looking for rather basic explanations as my knowledge of the subject matter is minimal to nothing. Thanks...

Hi, Basically I would like to learn about the beginning of time and I am wondering what literature I should read surrounding this. **For the record; I have a Master's degree from a top university in Astrophysics** Thanks in advance!

Hello :) I am looking for some books for an intro to topology and what other books I need to supplement my readings not quite sure the prereqs for topology but I am willing to learn the stuff needed thank you! P.S Physical textbooks are what I am looking for but if that's not available then...

I have read a lot of stuff on Quantum Mechanics and there seem to be a lot of outlandish theories on the web mixing QM with every religion in a search for god as the great observer. I would really love to get my hands on a good college level textbook that explains the more supported theories...

Hi, I have completed both my bachelors and masters in the computer science field. The thing is, to go further …in maybe research oriented stuff. I would need to prove theorems and algorithms which for now..I do not think I am good at. I have to start from the basic, and I remember doing some...

I am currently a junior in high school. I have recently read a few books about sub atomic particles and find my self wanting more. I would love some great and simple books about physics. I am mainly interested in particle physics, the standard model and really anything that has to do with string...

Hallo, I really don't understand Fourier transform. Do somebody know a good book for beginners? Something like Fourier transform for dummies or so? I need it just for physics. So it don't have to be to mathematical. ^^ THX

Hi all - thank you for this forum - it's proving very helpful: Am I correct in thinking that if we measure a period of time that light travels, that in the case of red vs blue light: 1) Both will travel at the same speed in a vacuum? 2) More blue photons will arrive than red (given...

Hi, I want to begin studying physics at university this summer, and I'd like to know. What is a good Physics basics books that will give me a good intuition and solid understanding of subjects such as gravitation, electricity, magnetism etc.? It's been a while since i studied physics in high...

I missed 2 weeks of class where we were introduced to vectors and now I have to learn it by myself from the book. I'm stuck on this problem that's part of the assigned homework. If anyone could help me that would be great thanks. I'm sorry if it's a stupid mistake :/ Homework Statement In...

Hi Folks, I have Google'd the above topic but I haven't found anything satisfactory. I am an engineer and I want to learn Visual basic programming (no programming experience) to enhance my excel usability. Can you advise any good online sources that is geared towards science engineering...

Homework Statement I am pretty confused with how to go about answering this question: Calculate the maximum lenth of conveyor which can be used to avoid the belt failing from stress, for an installation carrying 140 t/h up a gradient of 10 degrees, if the belt width is 1.1m, the speed is 1.7...

which books do you think are good to beginners in topology ? for someone don't know any thing in topology and little set theory ?

Homework Statement Question is in attachment Can someone explain to me what the infinity sign is I'm new to this topic. All I know is that as a satellite goes to a higher orbit that the velocity decreases.

I posed this question in a thread in the GD forum because I had not yet seen this thread and, wretched creature that I am, I neglected the search tool. Anyway, regarding beginner telescopes, I thought some of you might be able to provide some insight. I read that a good beginner range is a 60-80...