Laws of physics Definition and 97 Threads

I just made a rail gun using two ring stand poles, a steel ball, and a car battery. Maximum velocity is about 5 cm/sec. What is strange is that it is shooting the wrong way. Defying the laws of physics and right hand rule. Any ideas ?

I think that it is relatively easy to simply count the number of physics that are aware for us as of February 2014. Probably there is statistics that deals with it and can tell us how many laws of physics exist now; maybe this number is equal to 1000, maybe more, I am not aware of it. But...

Im planning to build a robot and wondering if laws of physics are present!

Can the laws of physics work with any number of dimensions (whether they be space or time)? That's what Lisa Randall claims, but am seeking clarity. If so, does that mean Quantum Mechanics will still predict the same results in 5 or 6 dimensional universes, and the equations will stay the...

if relativity is true and a photon can have no time from its point of view and have time from the point of view of an observer does that then mean the universe is not the same at every point Or is there any Reason someone might know of that means the Laws of Physics and not the same every...

Greeting people of Physics, Why are the laws of physics not symmetrical between left and right, future and past, and between matter and antimatter? I.e., what is the mechanism of CP violation, and what is the origin of parity violation in Weak interactions? Are there right-handed Weak...

I am going to explain what I am looking for, of course all the while hoping that what I am looking for actually exists, by talking about how I got comfortable with the idea of harmonic oscillators. I never quite understood why the forces on a harmonic oscillator were of the form ## F=-kx ##...

I was reading an article and it said that eventually, when you get silicon transistors to a certain size, they won't be able to operate anymore and will end up melting. I have always wondered the following... what is the point of trying to make transistors smaller when we can just make the...

I have two questions. First, Paul Davies stated that the" Great Rule Book of Nature" would fit comfortably onto a single page. Is there a reference for these laws of physics? Second, the velocity of light is a fundamental constant. Has anyone analyzed what would change if the value were...

"With the laws of physics you can get Universes?" Hi guys. I like Cosmology even though I'm not a professional. I encountered this short Fox News story: http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2012/06/25/big-bang-didnt-need-god-to-start-universe-researchers-say/?intcmp=features I don't wish to...

Hello. I read recently that the law of conservation of energy can be violated for very short time intervals, according to the uncertainty principle. Apparently, this fact gives rise to virtual particle production from the vacuum. Once we accept that the uncertainty principle allows the laws of...

Is Lorentz factor reality true according to the laws of physics?? Hi According to the laws of physics, the speed of light is independent of the speed of its source. In the example whereby there are two observers; one in the train moving at high velocity u relative to the other observer on...

I am 14 and know Newton's laws, but are there more basic laws of physics either then Newton's? If you could tell me or give me a link that would be great!

Hello! I'm assuming the model of the Big Bang Theory and I'm asking specifically about the 'moment' of creation; I'm in no way well-versed in this; so please be gentle : * Are the laws of physics applicable to the beginning on the universe? * The Law of Conservation will not apply for this...

Just thinking about this and I will say I do not know anything about cosmology or physics beyond what is common, but my question is, could the laws of physics, specifically how particles interact/behave, have evolved right after the big bang so that it started out with a simpler set of laws and...

Interesting article in Newscientists, thought I'd start a discussion... http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19429-laws-of-physics-may-change-across-the-universe.html

Although it is commonly accepted that physical laws and values of fundamental constants are the same throughout our universe, a recent finding, in which the fine-structure constant alpha has been found to vary by a small amount (1 part in 100,000) going from one end of the universe to another...

How do you prove that the laws of physics are the same in all inertial frames of reference?

The "Laws" of physics In physics and math we often talk about the laws of nature. I have never liked to call these laws. My first diff EQ treacher felt the same. He liked to call them "really good aproximations". I perfer to think of them as equations that relate quanties in nature, or...

http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2010/05/do-newly-discovered-exploding-stars-point-to-new-laws-of-physics.html#more In the past decade, robotic telescopes have turned astronomers' attention to strange exploding stars that may point to new and unusual physics. An international team of...

I'm new to studying physics. Are the laws of nature and the laws of physics synonymous with each other? Thanks!

"It's the planet that really shouldn't exist – or at least not for long. It is 10 times the size of Jupiter, orbits its own star in under 24 hours and should soon be spiralling into the surface of its searingly-hot sun..." Full story...

This is a line of thought arising out of quantum physics – specifically, from the principle that to the extent something is not actually measured or observed, it can best be described as a superposition of all its possibilities. A simple scenario for how the world began: Suppose we...

If I consider a "geometrically symmetrical" physical system like maybe 2 identical masses connected by a spring. Now I stretch the masses apart and it is still symmetrical. So if I have a friend standing directly opposite me and facing me with the spring-mass system in between us the mass on my...

So the brain and everything in the universe is controlled by set laws that have set solutions right? The brain is mainly controlled by chemical and electrical reactions with amino acids and stuff. So these reactions should have set/predetermined outputs right? Just like how a computer has? Then...

I do not even have a schoolboy knowledge of physics and so I need help - preferably in simple terms please: I compete internationally in an extreme sport known as 'Long Drive Golf.' Essentially one succeeds by hitting a golf ball the longest distance. For many decades the manufacture of...

Since the beginning of time, have the laws of physics changed (are they static or dynamic)? Did the laws of physics change until they were suitable for the big bang to occur and create the universe? Or, from the beginning, did the laws just so happen to be able to create the universe?

Hey guyz... Im still kind of stuck on a couple of stuff...i still got a these movies left to PROVE! that it obeys the laws and fundamentals of physics... 1)Apollo 13 2)The terminator 3)October Sky 4)The Day after tommorw HELP!please this is an ISU..its worth 15% of my mark...i need it...

Hi everyone, This is my first post on PF, so bear with me if I mess up the format of my first post. I have a question that's been racking my mind for a while. The Big Bang theory says that GR leads back to a Singularity of infinite amount of energy sqeezed into a zero-dimensional dot. Let's...

If anyone of you know a thing or two about spirits if they are affected by forces of nature like gravity, wind, matter, etc. Not that you have witnessed or experienced beforehand but maybe you possesses 2nd hand knowledge regarding this matter. Also not that they are real, I just want info...

are all laws of physics break only at singularity Or laws of physics break even after event horizon?what is the difference

Smolin rebuts Carroll--try to explain the laws of physics Like the Tegmark Math Universe thread the topic here is properly Philosophy of Science with input from physics. If TMU thread gets moved to Philosophy forum then this thread certainly should too. the issue is whether one should try to...

What is the mathematical item that has differential equations as a solution ? I mean a normal function has a number as a solution, a differential equation has a function as a solution, then what is that item that has differential equations as a solution ? Then the "operator equation " that...

Which laws of physics are violated if an object simply instantaneously appear somewhere else?

Has there been any attempts to formulate general laws of physics without involving infinitesimals and infinities? Would this be a better starting point? The continuous limit would of course be seen as an extremely useful approximation. The general personal impression of today's theories is...

Why are the drawings http://britton.disted.camosun.bc.ca/escher/ascending_and_descending.jpg" breaking the laws of physics? Which laws and equations are they violating?

At what mass does an object start to noticeably bend light?

Is there irrefutable evidence that the laws as we know them apply to all the galaxies in the observable universe with a fine tuned universal degree of accuracy throughout, or is it more likely that they vary from one galaxy (or galactic cluster) to another? Do you have any links that explain this?

The people most curious about physics, but don't know about it enough, will hang on to every word self-professed experts say because they are the next Galileo. Would it be all right if these people, and well as their crackpot teachers, were told to go visit PF so Zapper can set them straight...

since god created all of existence includeing the very laws of physics that govern our universe then, couldn't god be able to manipulate and break the laws of physics that he created? also, wouldn't that mean that the laws of physics can not prove nor disprove god's existence? sorry if this is...

http://webpages.marshall.edu/~hartwel1/humor/MISC/CARTOON_PHYSICS.HTML

For example if our universe had different laws would gravity as we know it now still be the same with different laws?

Please explain me in mathematical way, why the laws of physics have to be written in four-vector form to remain unchanged in every inertial frame.

here are two kinda simple questions that I wanted to ask, just to clairify something for me. 1. at the event horizon of a black hole, the gravitational force pulling you towards the center, should be the speed of light correct?, and/or inside the event horizon aswell, equal to (or greater...

Im by no means an expert on any quantum phemonina, but here goes! I believe the law's of physics must be dictated by something, a physical quantity if you will. Like laws are enforced upon earth, only in a much better manner! If the smallest possible thing is one of these "superstrings"...

Take for instance from our Galaxy we look out and gauge everything we see into a decent model of Cosmic understanding, we accept that Einstein's GR theory is the foundation of our view of the cosmos, and the Laws of physics are the same at all points in Spacetime. Hubble observed that all...

Will the laws of physics... Will the laws of physics stay the same in a differnt universe.