Explanation Definition and 955 Threads

  1. N

    Graduate Where can I found explanation on Bell's Inequality ?

    What is Bell's inequality theorem ? Where can I find the details explanation of this theory ? Thanks for help .
  2. M

    Graduate What's the explanation of W+/e+ decay?

    One up and two downs are sitting in an unstable atom which will decay through Beta radiation. It decides to decay. One down is transformed into an up through the release of the W- particle, which decays into an electron. Basics. What's the explanation of W+/e+ decay? Given set conditions...
  3. G

    Can anyone help provide an explanation?

    Qn1: When paddling a canoe, one can attain critical speed with relatively little effort, but to go faster beyond this critical speed requires more effort. Why? Qn2: Why do jet planes usually fly at altitudes above 10000m although it takes a lot of fuel to climb to that height? Thx..
  4. O

    Undergrad The final explanation to why kinetic energy is proportional to velocity squared

    I am one of those who cannot really go into advanced calculations and leave the simple questions behind. I have to understand physics at a basic level. For that reason I am glad some members at this forum don’t hesitate to ask very fundamental questions. For years I have just taken everything...
  5. C

    A Commuter Diode Explanation Problem

    I have been trying to figure how a commuter diode effectively works in a circuit with a coil. I know that once the electric/magnetic field collapses in the coil after the current is cut to it that it induces a current in the opposite direction on the diode, which can only travel one way. But...
  6. B

    High School True Explanation of a Lever please.

    I have asked and I have asked, an no one has yet answered. I'm pleased to have discovered this free meeting place where I can ask so many educated people: how does a lever work? What's going on with the forces involved? I have read the typical formulas that are good at predicting the...
  7. R

    What are the rules for using the limit comparison theorem in power series?

    Hi, I'm preparing for my calculus II final and I had a question about Power Series. I'm posting the link for the answer solution to a practice exam (it's in pdf form) and I will ask questions based on that. http://www.math.sunysb.edu/~daryl/prcsol3.pdf On problem 12 it asks for the fifth...
  8. M

    Graduate Confused with General Relativities explanation of Gravity

    I am rather confused with General Relativities explanation of Gravity! ---------------------------------------------------------------- Gravity warps space-fabric (eg. rubber sheet model) How does this explain gravity? ---------------------------------------------------------------- Can...
  9. M

    Undergrad Why Is Light 100% Polarized at Brewster's Angle?

    "The Scottish physicist Sir David Brewster discovered that for a certain angle of incidence, monochromatic light was 100% polarised upon reflection. The refracted beam was partially polarised, but the reflected beam was completely polarised parallel to the reflecting surface. Furthermore, he...
  10. S

    Graduate How Are Wormholes Created and Can Water Hold Them Open?

    i think this is kinda dumb but oh well Can someone give me a detailed explianation. All i know is that they are holes thorugh space time that make a strait line not the shortest route, and they are only open for short times and mircoscopic. Also could water hold them open?
  11. P

    Is there a physiological explanation for having to pee?

    I've noticed that when I have been thinking about some problem for a while and finally have a good insight, I immediately have the urge to pee. Has anyone heard of this before? Is there a physiological explanation?
  12. W

    Graduate A question about an explanation of the electrical resistance of perfect lattice

    Perfect periodic ion lattice has no electrical resistance.As we know,this can be easily shown by solving the Schrödinger equation using Bloch therom.Yet,another explanation is that "in a periodic array of scatterers a wave can propagate without attenuation because of the coherent constructive...
  13. G

    Undergrad Lorentz transformations explanation?

    sorry, I'm not particularly well versed in this field. can someone explain the lorentz transformations to me?
  14. M

    Synchronized Cycles: Is There a Medical Explanation?

    This is a serious question. I'm not posting it to be vulgar or obsene. :confused: My sisters, our mother, and I are noticing that our monthly cycles are almost 100% in sync with each other. We thought this was pretty weird. Mainly because our cycles used to be at completely different times of...
  15. E

    Undergrad Understanding Electricity: The Relationship Between Magnets and Current

    Is there a definition for the word electricity which will explain why spinning a magnet around a wire will produce a current?
  16. L

    Graduate Physical Explanation of Faraday's Law

    So we were going through Faraday's Law today in class: \int\vec{E}\cdot d\vec{l} = -\frac{d}{dt}\int\vec{B}\cdot d\vec{A} Mathematically I'm fine with it, however, is there any good physical way to explain it, it seems very odd that if you had a field such as: \vec{B} = B_0cos(\omega...
  17. T

    What is the explanation for Gauss's Law and the concept of electric flux?

    Hi all, Can someone give me a better explanation of precisely what Gauss's law and the term "electric flux" mean (better, that is, than Giancoli 6th edition, where they never really define it ). I just want to get a handle on the concept in general. Thanks ~
  18. V

    High School Understanding Vacuum Process & Weight Changes

    Hi everyone! I need help about understanding the Vacuum process, where can I find some information about it? and also The weight of a material (liquid) change after a vacuum process? I mean if the weight will be the same if I measure the material before and after the vacuum process...
  19. D

    Physical Explanation of a Pull-Back Car

    Hello. I have troubles understanding how the pull-back car works in a physical sense, so I decided to post a question. By "pull-back" car, I mean one of thoese Hess Cars where you pull and the spring inside it shrinks and once you release the car the spring inside gives it a thrust forward...
  20. X

    Explanation of Bernouilli's principal of lift?

    Does anyone have a diagram and/or explanation of Bernouilli's principal of lift?
  21. F

    High School Explaining Newton's Cradle: The Science Behind the Single Ball Effect

    Everyone here should be familiar with the office toy known as Newton's Cradle where a ball collides with a group of balls and a ball moves out the other side. What I want to know is when a ball collides with the group why does only one ball come out? Why doesn't two balls come out at half...
  22. R

    Understanding Activity Series: A Simple Explanation

    Can someone explain what is an Activity Series? I looked at sites that is explaining it but I do not get it. Please try to make it simple as possible because I am really dumb. Thanks :smile:
  23. A

    Good online explanation of OOP?

    Hey guys Does anyone know of an excellent online source that can explain the basics of OOP? I grew up not using OOP, just using the normal style of programming (and its' name escapes me now). You know, just line by line, ahh, yes, sequential. I understand the very extreme basics, like...
  24. R

    What does a path integral measure in complex analysis?

    What exactly does a path integral measure? Is it area between the ends/bounds of the line? Or is it the length of the line? Just started complex analysis and am comletely confused by this.
  25. D

    Graduate Just need a quick explanation (Power Series)

    Problem: (a) Expand f(x)=\frac{x+x^2}{\left( 1-x\right) ^3} as a power series. (b) Use part (a) to find the sum of the series \sum _{n=1} ^{\infty} \frac{n^2}{2^n} \hline Solution: (a) f(x)=\frac{x+x^2}{\left( 1-x\right) ^3} = \left( x + x^2 \right) \left[ 1...
  26. C

    Graduate Critique My Explanation of QM re: the Observer,

    Hi, I recenlty had a friend whose interested in QM email me an article: http://www.space.com/searchforlife/quantum_astronomy_041111.html , asking for more explanation. This is the explanation I sent in a sleep-deprived state of mind (in fact, I'm still in said mind state as I post this now :) )...
  27. O

    Undergrad What Happens If Your First Guess Using Newton's Method Is Exact?

    Hi everybody, I have a kinda theory to explain but I need a little help to find out the explanation of it. It is, suppose your first guess using Newton's method to find a root is lucky and you guess the exact root of f(x). (Not an approximation,but exact) What happens to your second...
  28. A

    Graduate .Solving the Time Travel Paradox: An Explanation

    I have a unclear problem about time travel: As you all know,when a spaceship move pass Earth with the speed nearly c, the observer will regconise that the watch on the spaceship is moving slower than his own clock. However, to the astronaunt who is on the spaceship, what he saw is the Earth is...
  29. T

    Calculating Car Speed: Using Skid Marks and Friction Coefficient

    ok, i have a problem and its answer, but I am not sure how to get the answer: Police lieutenants, examining the scene of an accident involving two cars, measure the skid marks of one of the cars, which nearly came to a stop before colliding, to be 81 m long. The coefficient of kinetic friction...
  30. S

    Graduate Shannon's measure - any profound explanation?

    Shannon's measure of information is the well known formula (in the discrete case): H(S) = {-}\sum_{i=1}^N P(s_i) \log_{2}P(s_i) Of course this can be written as: H(S) = \sum_{i=1}^N \log_{2}P(s_i)^{-P(s_i)} It appears to me that the multiple occurrence of the same quantity (the probability...
  31. T

    Nutshell Explanation of Liquid Color Displays

    Can anyone give me a fairly brief explanation of how liquid color displays work, and why they display color, instead of just a lightened color for charged areas, and black for uncharged areas. Lastly, I've no idea why these devices display color, what the liquid is composed of, what physical...
  32. F

    The Basics of Power & Circuitry: An Explanation for Laypeople

    I'm having difficulties understanding the concept of power and how you generate it in a circuit. Mainly I'm uncertain about how electrical energy can be used to produce power and what are the conditions for producing it (are resistors required?) Would someone be so kinda as to give me an anaolgy...
  33. B

    Graduate Why Can't a Uniform External Gravitational Field Raise Tides on Earth?

    One of my homework problems for GR says: "Explain why a uniform external gravitiational field cannot raise tides on the Earth." My explanation is: Because of the large size of the Earth compared to the distance the Earth is from the moon, the nonuniformity of the moon's gravitational...
  34. B

    High School Magnetic Breakaway Force: Definition & Explanation

    What does the term "magnetic breakaway force" mean?
  35. B

    Graduate What Is the Geometric Meaning of Stokes' Theorem?

    Would anyone be willing to explain Stokes' Theorem to me? I have managed to grasp the concepts of grad, div, curl, and what the text calls "green's theorem", but I cannot seem to grasp the geometric meaning of "stokes theorem." I've been trying to put the theorem together based on the...
  36. Ivan Seeking

    Undergrad Odd Black Hole Defies Explanation : space.com

    "Odd Black Hole Defies Explanation": space.com http://space.com/scienceastronomy/blackhole_medium_040608.html
  37. P

    Graduate Did a Pre-Big Bang Species Cause the Big Bang Theory?

    Day-dreaming the other day, I postulated a possible explanation for the controversial Big Bang Theory. Because an object attains infinite mass when it reaches light speed, is it possible that a pre-big bang species reached light speed (or near) and the affected object achieved infinite mass (or...
  38. K

    Graduate Gravity's Strength in Galaxies: A Quark-Like Explanation?

    Is gravity so weak because every force mediating boson starts out as a graviton, which then loses energy and becomes gluons,photons W and Z particles. This would mean that the graviton carries colour charge and so dark energy must emit gravitons with colour charge and therefore dark energy...
  39. C

    Why Does Removing the Negative Sign in the Charge Equation Affect the Result?

    Hi all, I'm stuck on this charge equation: Q=Q * e (-t/RC) = 780 * e (-9.8/3.3) I've got 40.03 but the answer is 15200 if I took away the negative sign from the equation then I'll be able to get 15200. but that should not be the way isn't it? can somebody advise me how should I go...
  40. N

    An Earthly Explanation For UFOs?

    http://hessdalen.hiof.no/pictures/
  41. J

    Graduate Intuitive explanation of the gravity of a sphere

    Does anyone have an intuitive explanation why the gravitational force of a uniform sphere on a distant point is the same as if all the sphere's mass were concentrated at the center? The usual integration over spherical shells goes through o.k. but the result is so simple it seems to me that...
  42. J

    Intuitive explanation of gravity outside a sphere?

    Does anyone have an intuitive explanation why the gravitational force of a sphere on a distant point is the same as if all the sphere's mass were concentrated at the center? The usual integration over spherical shells goes through o.k. but the result is so simple it seems to me that maybe we...
  43. T

    High School Explanation on the term calculus maths?

    Could I have an explanation on the term calculus maths? The exact meaning of this is a bit vague to me and in Norway we do not use this name for this type of math, whatever it is. Thank yous
  44. A

    Undergrad Explanation for the uneducated mind

    This was a Brain teaser question, and i have no idea whatsoever why this is the correct answer. As i said in the thread title an uneducated mind
  45. Dissident Dan

    Undergrad Why does moving the point of force application increase torque?

    Well, we all know that the farther you move the point of force application from the point of rotation, the greater the torque. But why? I know the equations, but I am lacking a physical explanation of why this is. The best explanation that I've gotten is something along the lines of a...
  46. S

    Graduate Question regarding explanation of impossiblity of faster then light travel speed

    I've just gotten around to reading "The Elegant Universe" and it has an explanation of why it is impossible to travel faster then light through the use of Einstein's equation E=mc^2 (pg 52). Greene says that the faster an object moves the more energy it has, and because of Einstein's equation...
  47. S

    High School Something odd, I need an explanation desperately

    Hello all. I live in Singapore, located somewhere at the equator. Just a few nights ago i spotted something rather strange. I looked up into the sky and to my astonishment, there was this region of clouds that was illuminated orange in colour every once in a while. It's like glowing at a regular...
  48. T

    Undergrad I need an unambiguous explanation of

    ...the electron. I don't know what it is and I've read dozens of electronics/chemistry books trying to figure it out. I don't want to hear that it's a wave, I don't want to hear that it's a particle and I certainly don't want to hear about the duality of it being a wave-particle. I don't care...
  49. wasteofo2

    Graduate Simple contradiction/flaw in many worlds theory/theory explanation.

    As it's simply explained, the many worlds theory states that everything has an infinite amount of possible outcomes and that a new reality is created in which one of each outcome occurs. This process of new reality creation keeps occurring infinately, creating more and more infinite amounts of...
  50. petmar

    Graduate Another explanation of that poor, poor cat

    Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle/Schrödinger's Cat Couples engaged in a romantic relationship usually have large amounts of physical contact with one another. However, when someone seems near, physically, to them, they begin acting normally again, even if blushing a bit. We therefore see that...