Nature Definition and 712 Threads

So what exactly is meant by time as a 4th dimension? I've read in a couple of places a nice visualization of the effect of time dilation using velocity as a 4-component vector. Since the maximum possible velocity is the speed of light, as something travels through space at close to the speed...

I found in a text that had this question. why should F, n row 2, be more reactive than iodine, in row 5, while Li, in row 2, is less reactive than Rb, in row 5? BUT this does not agree with this text http://richardbowles.tripod.com/chemistry/reactivity/reactivity.htm as it is more...

Due to a peculiar combination of events, I've been thinking about human nature and the nature of scientific inquiry... a scary thought. For example, how does a scientist answer the question 'why is the universe exactly the size it is [feel free to insert the gravitational constant, speed of...

Hello, I've always wondered why gravity was described as "bending space". Why isn't gravity simply thought of as an attractive force? Does magnetism bend space? Eli

HI; Could someone please help me with this question: Calculate the minimum thickness needed for an antireflective coating (n=1.35) applied to a glass lens in order to eliminate blue (458 nm) reflections for light at normal incidence? How would I go about this question? Thanks.

Godel and the Nature of Mathematical Truth A Talk with Rebecca Goldstein http://edge.org/3rd_culture/goldstein05/goldstein05_index.html A fascinating read! Highly recommended. In addition to discussing Godel's Incompleteness Theorem in the context of his metaphysical views, it also...

i am currently reading the nature of personal reality by jane roberts and i have a few questions and i would also like to discuss the implications of this book. what exactly is natural guilt? how can i identify and change my core beliefs? how do my thoughts shape the physical me and how...

Hi all ,, i have a course on nature and properties of materials next semester,,If u guys can pls advice me some good book which have nice coverage of the following topics ,,it will be highly appreciated. ESO 214 NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS, 3-1-3-1-5 Examples of materials...

So I've been thinking lately about what physics is really about. Isn't it true that at the end of the day physics is just a logical construction for us to understand the material world? Nobody has ever litterly 'seen' enities like energy, charge, electrons or even time and space. Simply...

In what other examples is the wave nature of light important in society and technology? One example is in DVD drive where different wavelengths can read different layers of the DVD.

Given a wavelength length \alpha, what is the maximum Width (D) of a single slit, which would have no diffraction minima? It seems like a proof problem to me and I am trying to get a head start. should I use D * sin (\theta) = m \alpha ?

This question is related to the wave nature of light from Giancoli: Water waves having parallel crests 2.5cm apart pass through two openings 5cm apart in a board. At a point 2.0m beyond the board, at what angle relative to the "straight-through" direction would there be little or no wave...

I am actually a philosophy student that is dabbling in physics, so the nature of this question may seem a bit strange. My question is regarding whether electromagnetic charges are disjunctive in nature. In case you are not familiar with the philosophy lingo, a disjunctive property is one in...

While reading and engaging in discussions regarding reality etc, i am struck with an overriding urge to ask the following question: Without spewing forth memorised definitions from well established sources, what are some general conclusions/anecdotes concerning the nature of knowledge? ta...

I feel i need to ask this fundamental question, because everywhere i look i just get a very bland definition with no discussion. :smile: So what actually IS energy? Is it just a mathematical thing that we have worked out that just works in a kindo of"number crunching" fashion, or is it more...

does nature or nurture shape us? isn't it just both?

There is a human tendency to regard things as holy which is separate from religion or spirituality, though often associated. People have a tendency to in general value some objects or circumstances as special. Superstition involves holy objects + rationalization with a set of beliefs for their...

My question is regarding the nature of waves, and may be a very elementary question. Please bear with me. I am curious as to why waves form the way that they do. If for example i were to turn on the speaker in my car, then the resulting wave that is produced is simply energy transfer...

The nature of the "supernatural" I am sure that most of you here do not believe in supernatural ocurances and I would agree with you for the most part. What I would like to say is that certain things do happen that are sometimes hard to explain, and are blindly labled under 'supernatural'...

If you have 1 kg of matter, what is the energy equivalent of it in say joules? How much of the matter (heavy hidrogen?) that goes into a fusion reaction is transformed to energy? And to the point... Last year there was this discussion about what would happened if the Galileo orbiter...

Hi all, There's one controversial question, regarding work. If no physical work is done while holding a heavy object and carrying it horizontally, why then do we spend so much energy.

In another thread we discussed the nature and extent of the Giant Galactic Blobs!, and the nature of Dark Matter. I advocated a baryonic nature of most or all of the DM following the “Freely Coasting” Cosmology model. The question it raises is, "What form does this baryonic matter take...

"New Forces" Will physicists find any new fundamental forces of nature, and how would we ever know we have found all the fundamental forces in the universe? Might this question be the corner stone to a grand unified theory? Or do we expect a solution which indicates the number of fundamental...

Solidity is an illusion made by electrons repelling each other. A liquid, however doesn't have bonds between its atoms as strong as a solid does, hence the ability to flow.

Is Earth quakes and the resulting tsunami formed because of man's intereference with mother nature. for example: Is frequent taking out of crude oil from Earth or taking underground water results in Earth losing its equilibrium and resulting in earthquakes Thanking you in advance...

Why did nature never invent the wheel?

This topic may have been covered but I am not sure how to search for it, what phrase would I use? So my apologies if I am going over old ground. I am have great difficulty with light and its nature. Recalling some very basic physics, light behaves as both a particle and a wave. true or...

As a future engineer, my proffessors teach us to be concerned about pollutant emissions. I always hear about NOx production inside heat engines and turbomachinery. But little is explained about the true nature of this problem. Usually, we are told that NOx is produced at high temperatures...

I am currently learning about logarithms and I understand that Log base e (or Ln) comes up quite often in solutions of logarithms However, I also heard that it is a number that comes up often in nature Are there any good examples of "e" in nature? Anton

A block of mass 2.0kg is placed on a smooth plane, inclined to the horizontal at an angle of 15degrees. The force of gravity, acting straight down on the block, is 20N. a) What is the acceleration of the block down the plane? I'm having trouble with this because I know: Net...

i didnt know where this should go so i just put it in general. I am doing a culminating project on Voltaire in my philosophy class. one problem i encountered was that i don't know very much about Voltaire though he does seem interesting i know he was a poet, author etc but i don't know exactly...

I'm stuck on this question and I'm not sure where to start. :confused: A positively charged ion (m = 3.34 x 10^-26 kg) was accelerated from rest through a potential difference of 1.66 x 10^4 V. This ion now enters a region where there is a magnetic field (B = 3.20 x 10^-2 T) that is...

hallo guys. this is my first post( welcome me :-p !). Anyway I'm a freshman taking electrical engineering with a keen interest in physics. anyway my question is this: How do we know that physical constants are really constants. Ok, one way you might say is by assuming, that the...

Classicalist thinking has invaded me, I agree, however... As far as I understand sound, it is the exchange of kinetic information between sucessive particles in space. When these air pressures collide, certain pressures are amplified while others are nullified. The rest are modified between...

I was watching something on this the other day, about how serial killers or odd people who were brought up well but still turn out to be the opposite of how they were brought up. Pondering it, I came up with a few questions. Could too much nuture lead to negative feelings towards people...

http://www.nature.com/news/2004/041004/full/041004-17.html Well, I havn't been to these messageboards in . . . awhile, so maybe I don't know if everybody here has seen this. I guess I'm just posting it; comment if you'd like!

oops there's an extra m in my topic title, I was going for why e. :wink: I believe most the the exponential equations in physics come from the fact that a^[f(x)] = a^[f(x)] * lna * df/dx but the book I had in my first calculus class didn't had a proof for that. Does anybody have one? And...

Hi, i was just wondering if the experts here can fill me in on the current understanding of the issue. My teacher told me something about the particle model can explain diffraction due to photons having a gravitational attraction to the nearest slit?? It would be good if someone could make me...

Could there exist entities that either obey only quantum mechanics or obey only general relativity - not as an approximation but as an absolute rule?

How would you describe the limits of physics?

if u were walkin on a high cliff full of thunderous thunderstorms/lightning,would u take a chance and walk on;or would u try to hide your silly self?

about ultra-hard ceramics could someone tell me a little about them.

Is the exact nature of space and time known to us yet?

Nature "loves" the waveform Nature "loves" the waveform; from our psychological states to quantum mechanical states, from the motion of the pendulum to the alternating current we use everyday, from the motion of stars and the planets to the tides on earth, we are surrounded by the wave nature...

The Compton scattering effect (1923) seems to be the main evidence that light has a particle-like behavior. What are the other effects that indicate that light has a particle-like behavior? If there are no other effects that indicate that light has a particle-like behavior, and if we find an...

Hypothesis has been condensed. Please jump to post #15, Thanks. In our universe, matter “apparently” attracts more matter. In fact, “gravity” is the name chosen for that exact effect. Gravity is the least understood of all the forces. It’s the only force that always seems to be attractive...

I have a real confusion in understanding what they mean by wave nature of light. I have seen waves in amplitutde Vs time curves, ripples in ponds or the wave generated in a rope by shaking one of its end. How do I Imagine the motion of light in space? Does the amplitude/Intensity of the...

http://www.nature.com/nsu/040628/040628-16.html

I hope that I have chosen the proper forum for this thread. In other threads I have stated that within freewill we chose our birth and it’s environments. Now, I would like to offer a small insight, which may make this concept more acceptable. I am sure that in pre-adolescence and...

First post and let me just say that after viewing this forums rules and it's warning system, I very much appreciate your efforts to keep this area within a realm of discussion instead of name-calling like you see on the usenet groups. Ok, now that cheesy statement is over let me get on with my...