Interesting Definition and 754 Threads

  1. E

    Finding the Time to Reach the Halfway Point with Proportional Acceleration

    Homework Statement A particle moving from a point A to a point B , 1 meter away, travels in a straight line in such a way so that its acceleration is proportional to the distance left to point B . If the particle arrives at point B in 1 second, how long did it take for the particle to...
  2. A

    Interesting Derivative Proof Question

    Homework Statement I recently searched around SE, and found: http://math.stackexchange.com/questions/1142546/how-to-solve-this-derivative-of-f-proofHomework Equations Below The Attempt at a Solution The answer is interesting. "A function given that $$f(x)=f''(x)+f'(x)g(x)$$ could be an...
  3. S

    Interesting ideas for mathematics presentation

    I will be doing a presentation in the science symposium at my community college. The common theme is always topics from biology or chemistry but never from physics or mathematics.. I am a Math major and love pure mathematics, I am interested in presenting the great theorems of mathematics...
  4. A

    Integral of sin(2x+3)/(x^2+3x-2)

    Is there any way of evaluating the following integral: \int sin{(\frac{2x+3}{x^2+3x-2})} dx I have thought hard but cannot find an answer. Obviously, the denominator is the differential of the numerator. But a function is being taken of this fraction...
  5. S

    Interesting archery demonstrations

    This YouTube has some interesting archery demonstrations:
  6. PsychonautQQ

    Number Theory Division Algorithm interesting problem

    Homework Statement Not actually for homework, but i didn't know where to post this. Problem: Show that any integer to the fourth power can be expressed as either 5k or 5k+1 where k is an integer. Homework Equations None. The Attempt at a Solution My starting point is to consider that all...
  7. S

    Any interesting application of mathematics?

    Hey! I have to do a work about one of the many applications of mathematics. I have to study the math behind a certain subject and use MATLAB to solve some kind of problem associated with the topic. I am on the final year of graduation and I thought of doing about optics, fractals, relativity or...
  8. W

    Digital Root: A Strangely Interesting Operation

    Digital root (adding a number's digits together repeatedly until a single digit answer is obtained) doesn't seem like a very interesting operation, but it has some weird properties. One of the first someone might notice is that dr(n) = dr(n+9) This is fairly easy to demonstrate. But after...
  9. T

    When does Computer science get interesting?

    So a year ago I tried an accelerated paced computer science course when I had no experience programming and I ended up hating it and dropping due to never understanding what was going on. Now I finally decided to take a intro to programming class that is pretty cool, but still no where near as...
  10. G

    Proving an identity and some interesting maths stuff

    So, I would like to prove that \gamma^{\mu_{1}...\mu_{r}}=(-)^{r(r-1)/2}\gamma^{\mu_{r}...\mu_{1}} where the matrix gamma is a totally antisymmetric matrix defined as \gamma^{\mu_{1}...\mu_{r}}=\gamma^{[\mu_{1}}\gamma^{\mu_{2}}...\gamma^{\mu_{r}]} What I have done is to prove that...
  11. P

    Interesting question regarding simple decomposing of vectors

    Homework Statement Find the x-component of the ##F_b## (parallell with ##\vec{s}## and the ground) and find the resultant total Force. Then calculate the total work done by both over a distance of 15 m. Homework Equations F_{x} = |F| \cdot \cos v F_{y} = |F| \cdot \sin v W = \vec{F}...
  12. B

    What is the height of liquid in a horizontal cylinder with 1/3 volume filled?

    Good day all, someone gave me this problem to try to figure out (for fun) and I'm having a bit of a hard time: A closed cylinder of radius R and length L is filled with liquid. The volume of the liquid is equal to 1/3 the total volume of the cylinder. If the cylinder is layed flat (horizontal...
  13. B

    How to think of an interesting and useful calculation to do

    I am wondering what the first steps are to finding an interesting calculation, and doing it. My adviser seems concerned only with me writing my thesis to hurry up and get me out of the program, rather than helping me develop my CV and involving me in other calculations he may be doing. It seems...
  14. A

    Thermodynamics Interesting Entropy Problem

    Homework Statement A piston‐cylinder initially contains 0.5 m3 of an ideal gas at 150 kPa and 20 degrees. The gas is suddenly subjected to a constant external pressure of 400 kPa and it is compressed in a manner that the final temperature is also 20oC. Assume the surroundings are also at 20...
  15. A

    MHB Another Interesting Putnam Integral.

    Helllo, I have found another interesting integral from the old Putnam's. Please ONLY use the "differentiation under the integral sign" rule for this one, after we have done that we can explore other possibilities. I really want to try "differentiation under the integral sign" for this...
  16. A

    MHB Can Differentiation Under the Integral Sign be Used to Solve this Integral?

    Hi, $$\int_0^1 \frac{\ln(x +1)}{x^2 + 1} dx$$ It is supposed to be done by "differentiation under the integral sign" rule. So we being by making a general form, $$\int_0^1 \frac{\ln(x +1)}{x^a + 1} dx = I(a)$$But before I start anything, I am very clueless because I am fairly new to the...
  17. jedishrfu

    Interesting Take on Making A Million by NOT Focusing on the Money

    Seems like good career guidance no matter what career you get into: https://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20140728185743-658789-8-slow-difficult-steps-to-become-a-millionaire
  18. A

    Interesting Problem from Gelfand's Algebra; Relevance?

    Homework Statement Problem 63 from Gelfand's book Algebra asks "are the father of the son of NN and the son of the father of NN the same person?" Homework Equations This problem is in a section about the square of a sum formula. (a+b)2 = a2+2ab+b2 The Attempt at a Solution If NN has a...
  19. S

    MHB Interesting Problem From Another Site

    There is an interesting problem at MHF. I think I have an elegant solution for it, but the site won't let me post my reply. (It's only on this one problem. Go figure!) Anyway, I just have to share my solution. Add 2 to both sides: \:a^4 + 2 + \frac{1}{a^4} \:=\:121 \quad\Rightarrow\quad...
  20. I

    Interesting book explaining the principle of least action in detail

    Hi, I'm doing further maths and I would like to study maths at university. I have been asked to read a number of books to put on my personal statement, and as I am finding it difficult coming to terms with the fact that mechanics is taught as maths and not physics, a maths don at Oxford...
  21. L

    Problem on interest rates -- Math proof interesting

    Hi, I have a problem that I need to solve, it goes like this: Using the fact that the geometric mean of a collection of positive numbers is less than or equal to the arithmetic mean, show that if annual compound interest rates over an n-year period are i1 in the first year, i2 in the second...
  22. twistor

    Cosmology Papers: Interesting Old Papers - Share Your Thoughts

    Here are some papers on cosmology I wanted to share with you. What are your opinions about them? http://arxiv.org/pdf/1003.1528.pdf http://arxiv.org/pdf/hep-th/0610213v2.pdf http://arxiv.org/pdf/0903.3070.pdf http://arxiv.org/pdf/1403.5277.pdf http://arxiv.org/pdf/astro-ph/9310012v1.pdf...
  23. K

    Interesting Thoughts on Objects & Speed of Light

    I was thinking, and somehow I had this little "thought experiment" type thing relating to objects and the speed of light. (This is just my thoughts, I don't know if it's correct or the validity of my assumptions, etc) Imagine you're in a (large) room, and that the effects of friction, air...
  24. Greg Bernhardt

    Engaging Textbooks: Making Learning Interesting for Kids

    What a great teaching opportunity! Why aren't more textbooks gears towards kids actual interests. Most problems are so dry. Include batman or Spider-Man and kids may actually be interested!
  25. N

    Interesting Subspaces of ##L^p## Spaces

    ##C_0=\{f\in L^p: f(x)\rightarrow 0 ## as ## x\rightarrow infinity\}## This is an interesting subspace because it is the subspace of ##L^p## in which the momentum operator from physics is self adjoint. It seems that there should be more to be said about the importance of ##C_0## though...
  26. M

    I'm looking for some interesting calculus/physics problems to do

    Hello! I'm new to physicsforums, and actually I'm kinda new to physics in general. I've recently switched my major to physics in college and I absolutely love it; this is what I've always wanted to do! I would love to do some complex physics/calculus related projects, not really in the sense...
  27. J

    Help - Ideas for Making a Lesson on Universal Gravitation Interesting?

    Hi all, I'm currently a student teacher. Next week I'm going to teach a lesson on universal gravitation to grade 11 students. It's the first lesson on the topic, so it will be an introduction and not too in-depth. I'm struggling with ways to make it interesting. I decided to start the lesson...
  28. 1

    Does physics get more interesting?

    I'm studying physics in Edinburgh, UK, and I'm on my second year of four. I used to be passionately excited about studying physics at degree level but so far I've found it to be mostly uninspiring and often tedious. As stated in my title, I want to ask how usual it is to feel this way early on...
  29. Quarlep

    What is the Equation to Symbolize Two Points in One Dimension?

    Lets suppose we have one dimension and in this one dimension we have two points.How can we symbolize both of them or I f we want to symbolize between these numbers what should I use. Example we have 10 and 5 and I want to symbolize in this numbers and make a equation.Well it means the...
  30. R

    Interesting harmonic motion lab

    Homework Statement This is a required analysis for my Physics II lab. We recorded the motion of an object oscillating on spring, and are asked to use the slopes of different graphs that we plotted using the data collected in lab in order to find the spring constant (k). Both graphs were...
  31. Borek

    An interesting take on (the lack of) time travel ;)

    http://arxiv.org/pdf/1312.7128v1.pdf
  32. DreamWeaver

    MHB An absurdly interesting radical....

    Here's an interesting limit I found the other day...$$\text{limit}_{\, \epsilon \to 0^{+}}\sqrt{\epsilon + \sqrt{\epsilon + \sqrt{ \epsilon + \sqrt{\epsilon + \cdots} } } } = 1$$It's both obvious and yet elusive... Any ideas on how to prove it...?
  33. STEMucator

    Are Eggs Liquid or Solid and Why Do They Change State When Heated?

    So while i was cooking my eggs this morning for breakfast, some interesting questions dawned on me. Are eggs a liquid or a solid and more interestingly, why do they become a solid when they are heated up? If eggs are a liquid, why don't they change into a gas? If they are a solid why don't...
  34. P

    Interesting Feymann statement about probability.

    1. Hello gentlemen! I've studying the Feymann lectures, and I came across an interesting question, from reading the chapter 6, about probability. In this chapter, Feymann deduces the binomial distribution, and I am ok with that. But, in the 3rd section, when adresses to the random walk problem...
  35. B

    Interesting phenomena of boiled water and my coffee.

    Hello, whilst making my coffee this morning (more like this afternoon, but hey I'm a student), I noticed something that I thought was cool and I'm interested in hearing what you guys think may be happening and/or what you have to say about my ideas. So, I have these 'coffee filters' that are...
  36. J

    Calling all physics teachers: interesting kinematics lessons?

    I am not sure where else to post this. Hopefully this is not in the wrong place. I am student teaching in a physics classroom this week. I will be teaching about scalars vs. vectors, calculating average velocity, and calculating acceleration. As I plan my lessons, I've realized they are...
  37. A

    Why is 51 considered the first uninteresting number?

    I don't want to talk about interesting being a subjective quality but the main paradox. Since the first dull number is interesting, we classify it as interesting. But then the second dull number becomes the first dull number. So it is also interesting. But if we look again, we have two new...
  38. S

    Integrating Trigonometric Functions: Solving a Challenging Integral Problem

    Homework Statement \int\limits_0^\frac{\Pi}{2} \ \frac{x \sin x \cos x}{\sin^4x+\cos^4x} dx Homework Equations -- The Attempt at a Solution I first started to try a u-sub, then attempted a change of variables. I tried simplifying the expression, but the closest thing I came to...
  39. A

    Interesting graph theory problem

    I have the following problem, suppose we have a graph G of n elements, with the property that if we add one missing vertex v, we will get a complete subgraph with s elements K_s of G, in which v belongs to G'. In other words every subgraph of s elements of G is almost a complete graph except for...
  40. O

    Interesting problem i came acrosss

    okay, there are two curves: curve1: y=a^x and curve2: b^x. what is the angle between them at their point of intersection. given that (a≠b). My general method: if i wanted angle b/w the curves y=x^2 and y=(x-2)^2, i would easily do it. let A be angle b/w them...
  41. N

    Difficult but interesting standing waves question

    Homework Statement A 160 g rope 4m long is fixed at one end and tied to a light string of same length to other end.Its tension is 400N. What is the wave length of first overtone? Homework Equations λ=v/f v=√(T/μ) μ=mass per unit length T=tension f=frequency The Attempt at a Solution...
  42. alyafey22

    MHB What is the Interesting Euler Sum Proven by this Equation?

    Prove the following Euler sum $$\sum_{k\geq 1}\left(1+\frac{1}{3}+\cdots +\frac{1}{2k-1} \right) \frac{x^{2k}}{k}=\frac{1}{4}\ln^2\left( \frac{1+x}{1-x}\right)$$
  43. S

    Interesting articles online on academia and the PhD problem

    Interesting articles online on academia and the "PhD problem" Hi everyone, I've linked here two articles I've found online that specifically address the issue of whether a PhD really prepares its students to careers outside of academia. One is an article from an environmental researcher...
  44. E

    MHB A Few Interesting Problems I Found

    1. What is the smallest degree of a non-constant polynomial $$f(x)$$, such that all roots of $$f(x)$$ are in the set $${0,2,3}$$, and the derivative of $$f(x)$$ is divisible by $$8x^2-24x+7$$? 2. Let x, y, and z be positive real numbers such that $$xyz=945$$ and...
  45. F

    I have a little question, holistic yes, but possibly interesting

    I say holistic because it concerns entropy, thermodynamics. NB. I do not suggest extensive knowledge of thermodynamics but I am learning. To the question! The universe is expanding and thus can be considered boundless. (I know I have made assumptions but they are based on a lack of...
  46. P

    Why Is a Pillow Safer Than a Rock If Both Fall at the Same Speed?

    Hi I'm a first year Physics Undergrad and I never quite got satisfied with the answer to this question: "Why would you be rather hit with a pillow than a rock, if they reach the ground at the same time?" I know the obvious answer is because the pillow is soft. But how would you describe...
  47. I

    An interesting way to get an interference pattern

    OK so before I begin I will ask that you forgive me because I do not have a working knowledge of the mathematics involved here and I am admittedly not even at a novice level of understanding these things. However I have done at least some research and understand how an interference pattern does...
  48. K

    Is Every Finite Dimensional Lie Algebra Isomorphic to a Subalgebra of GL(n)?

    Is there any finite dimensional Lie algebra that is not isomorphic to any of the subalgebras contained in GL(n) ?
  49. S

    Why Does Negative Current Occur in LEDs at Low Voltage?

    Hi, Why is there negative current in an LED at low voltage(set up in forward voltage)? Why is there luminescence of an LED at negative current as described above(when LED is in forward voltage)? How would the I-V curves of LEDs of different colours vary? Why? The questions I've asked all...
  50. L

    Can Mathematical Sharpness Puzzles Challenge Your Problem-Solving Skills?

    "Interesting" math problems Since I have naught to do right now and the weather is not great whatsoever, I'm going through a Math problem book I found covered in dust sitting on the shelf at my folks' - it's from 1960 entitled (if word for word translation) "Mathematical Sharpness" by B...
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