Theoretical Definition and 999 Threads

can someone explain gravity waves to me? if gravity is only in the presence of mass then how can gravity waves propagate through space in the absence of the presence of mass? Have gravity waves been detected or proven or is it only theory so far?

Hi, as well as applying to US gradschools (you may have seen some of my other threads...) I also intend to apply to UK places (I would ultimatley prefer to go a US gradschool, but I need some insurance incase I mess up the PGRE, and don't get accepted anywhere, or anywhere half decent). I'm...

i'm really interested in doing theoretical biology stuff about theoretical evolution, sequence spaces, autocatalytic sets, stuart kauffman kind of stuff... this stuff is usually studied in physics programs rather than in biology despite the subject matter i took a more than usual...

This is not a homework problem, just the musings of a bored mind. Suppose I plumbed a loop from some non-conductive pipe, say PVC. In this loop I placed a pump, also non-conductive. Let's say I place the pipe in a powerful magnetic field, perpendicular to the flow of fluid in the pipe. If I...

Hello everybody! I have two questions: 1. What universities should be considered when looking for a place to study for a MSc? The criteria are high level scholars, possibly working in theoretical high energy physics, and a possibility to get funding. 2. I'm currently studying for a BSc...

Hello all. Without further ado, my situation is this: I graduated with a Master's in computer science from the University of Turku, Finland earlier this year. It's equivalent to a UK MSc. I have a strong maths and physics background; I started as a physics major, but switched over to...

I'm interested in doing my PhD in theoretical and mathematical physics - i.e. subjects like Quantum Field Theory, String Theory or Quantum Information Theory. My question is which universities in the US have really good programs in these areas?

I need help on this one immediately!

Hi all, I'm currently a fourth year physics student, working on my honours degree. The school that I'm at has almost no research happening in theoretical physics, but I've always been more interested in theoretical than experimental physics. For my honours project, I'll be working on...

Hi all, I am new to the forum and am despreate for the solution for my current task. I am given a canteliver beam with the dimention: L =1250mm W= 75mm D= 30mm E=200 Gpa density = 7800kg/m^3 poison ratio=0.3 and I optained the first five natural frequencies from COSMOSWorks 2007...

I'm choosing 3 maths modules for next year (my third in Maths and Physics, in a UK university) with a view to studying theoretical physics thereafter (starting off with general relativity, quantum field theory and most likely strings, and working outwards from there depending on where I am-...

Homework Statement The strength of gravity here on Earth is suddenly reduced to half of its present value. In what way would life be different? What safety precautions would you have to exercise? Homework Equations Eg = (-Gm1m2)/r The Attempt at a Solution Well I realize that...

Hi I am currently in my last year of school in Ireland and I am hoping to study theoretical physics next year. The problem is there is a few colleges that provide the course but I have no idea which one to choose. The two main ones I am looking at are UCD and Trinity College Dublin. Do either of...

I didn't know where to post, but it's kind of a "Hmmm" question so I took a chance of posting this in the philosophy section, if a better section for this question exist on this forum I hope admins move it there. My question is: you feel theorethical scientists might be blinded by their...

I am torn between theoretical physics and math. Are there any theoretical physicists here who regret not going into math? Are there any mathematicians here who regret no going into theoretical physics?

Hi all, I'm interested in theoretical & solid-state physics, but not planning to start an academic path (because of my age, job, other plans etc.). Nonetheless, I'd like to get as much university-grade knowledge as possible. I'd appreciate some suggestions as to the math branches/topics I'll...

[SOLVED] Theoretical question - what would happen? What would happen to a cubic foot of neutrons if, say, you scooped them up off of a neutron star and kept them confined until you got away from it's grav field and then released them? Would they stay neutral? Would they give off any energy...

Hi folks, I am trying to choose between two PhD scholarships. They are both at the same university & both research groups have excellent reputations. I'm being pressured by the university to make a decision by Monday. They're British PhDs so I'm assigned to my research topic right from the...

Hi, So, assuming the theoretical existence of a monopole, we would have to alter the maxwell equations to give the magnetic field a divergence, and also to ensure that the divergence of the curl of the electric field is still zero we would have to add a term. The altered divergence of B would...

Even though it sounds like such an oxymoron, is there any such thing? I've found that I am much more interested in the theory side of things than practical/hands-on type of stuff. I've always loved physics but just never wanted to make the commitment. I've always felt that a graduate degree in...

hello guys, this is my first post here.. i am a engineering physics undergraduate. however i hv more interest in theoretical physics and i want to hv further study in theoretical physics. The subjects taught in my programme is like applied physics which do not hv so much theory. I think...

Is there a theoretical limit to the time constant of an electric motor? I was think, if inductance is simply the conversion of current into the magnetic field, and if increase in resistance limits that current for a given power supply, that having a higher time constant would in effect allow...

I am looking for the theoretical value of sin(2\beta) but I just keep finding the experimental one. I supose there is a theoretical value because I have read that they choose in the BaBar experience the channel B^0\rightarrow J/\psi K^0_S because the theoretical error for sin(2\beta) was very...

i want to do double majors in aero eng and theoretical physics. is the value of eng in such a course is equal to a single grad degree in aero eng? is double majors offered by most of universities in uk?your answers will help a lot.

It's quite simple Physics to show that the moon landing sites cannot be imaged by Hubble as its angular resolution is too small. So how come: "Prof Steve Beckwith Director Hubble 1998-2005 "we could easily image the light from a firefly at the distance of the moon" What am I missing here?

Greetings to all! As deadlines approach for PhD applications, I'm pretty confused about where to get my PhD and the implications of my choice. I'd really like to hear some opinions on my dilemma. Firstly, I'm currently in a MSc program somewhere in Europe and estimate to graduate on the...

Pretty much every professor in my physics department has said that it when it comes to American physics graduate school, it is harder to get in as a theory student than as an experimentalist. Do graduate programs consider computational physics, numerical material sciences, etc... essentially...

Homework Statement Using a theoretical treatment including \gamma (the ratio of cp to cv), determine the speed of sound in each of these gases: argon at 273 K, methane at 165 K, nitrogen at 600 K. Answer must be applicable to any gas at any temperature Homework Equations The...

This isn't a homework question, just something I was pondering one day. W = Fd = mad PE = mgh m = m, obviously g and a are both measurements of acceleration h and d are both measurements of distance If g = a, and h = d, is it fair to say that W = PE? Therefore, W = a change in KE...

Here's a simple question. Anyone who knows the answer can save me from some effort by telling the answer. For arbitrary canonical transform (q,p)\mapsto (Q,P) in the Hamilton's formulation, does there always exist a corresponding transformation q\mapsto Q in the Lagrange's formulation? By...

Hi all, I was wondering if PhD students in theoretical aspects of cosmology,gravitation, black holes... etc do any/much analysis of experimental data, and just mainly omit observational technique, or if their entire education is in learning physical theory and making predictions and solving...

Suppose we had the technology to produce artificial diamond beams and carbon nanotube rope cheaply enough to use in large quantities. If we use the diamond for compressive load, and the CNT ropes for tensile load, how tall a skyscraper could we build using these materials, in theory? Is there...

Hello everyone, I have a couple of hopefully easy questions about undergraduate degrees. I am a 3.74 GPA student at my university and am currently in my 3rd year of college, on a 5 year plan. I am a double major in both Physics and Applied Mathematics. The following are my questions. 1)...

How useful is topology in theoretical physics? By topology, I mean the contents of Munkres book, Hausdorff spaces, homeomorphisms, etc. It seems to me like topology is totally a mathematical construct since the idea of an "open set" in an abstract space seems to have no "physical" meaning...

i was told that when we speed up a particle the closer it gets to the speed of light the more energy you need to put in in order to increase his speed and the closer he gets closer the heavier he gets E=mc^2 my question is than how does a simple electron or other particle which...

I want to become either a theoretical physics or something robotics/engineering related. I've always been into maths and physics and I like electronics and programming as a hobby. I also want the career that gives me space for ambition, since I want to rise to the very top(do I sound naive?)...

I am studying science, which includes physics, maths, and chemistry. I hope to get a degree in physics. What is the difference between physics and theoretical physics when it come options after a degree? I am very interested in new physics topics like string theory etc. Would I not be able to...

it seems like A LOT of people who move onto physics or other theoretical fields start out with a BS in EE. I know that EE is related to signal processing. But is it that relevant to the other theoretical fields? Can a person with EE easily move onto another theoretical field, more easily than...

Who makes the better quant, a theoretical particle physicist or a theoretical condensed matter physicist and why?

for AlNi3 i have 7.41 g/cm^3 and for AlNi, 5.955 g/cm^3 let me know how if i made a mistake or not, couldn't find anywhere to double check them with online

What are these groups like SU(2) and E8XE8 etc. Can anybody explain it with full details and also give pre-requisite knowledge.

Vectors and Magnitude - Theoretical -- PLEASE HELP! Homework Statement 1. a. Can a vector have a component equal to zero and still have nonzero magnitude? Explain. b. Can a vector have zero magnitude if one of its components is nonzero? Explain. Homework Equations During...

Homework Statement Derive an expression for calculating the theoretical range of the ball in terms of y, g, theta, and v0. Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I've tried just about everything to figure this out. I started with the motion in the x-direction, and plugged...

In a theoretical wave that does not need a medium, not necessarily EM. the speed of the wave is given by : v=fl where f is frequency and l is lamda, wave length suppose there is a stationary wave generator, we can easily measure f and l from any arbitrary point. if we move towards the...

I was trying to figure this out on my own, probably more a trig question then math though. It''s been a few years since I've taken a physics class so forgive me if I'm misusing terminology. Let's assume I wanted to create a zipline that would take me around the world. You couldn't jus use a...

Hey, Yet another propeller question on this board. I have done my research, both here & on google, but I cannot seem to find an answer. Lets say I have a motor on which I mount a propeller. This motor is static (not moving like on a flying airplane), so say its a small ventilator...

Homework Statement Exactly how do you find the theoretical yield of methyl m-nitrobenzoate from 10.0 g of benzoic acid? Homework Equations 1) Ph-COOH + CH3OH + H2SO4 --> Ph-COOCH3 2) Ph-COOCH3 + HNO3 + H2SO4 --> methyl m-nitrobenzoate The Attempt at a Solution 10.0 g...

Results just came in. I did 2 pure maths, metric spaces 51% & algebra 59%, Partial differential equations 79% and 2 advanced theoretical physics, QM 71% & Stat mech 74% all at the third year level. The scores are exam scores. I like pure maths but find them hard. I usually have trouble doing...

In the past we had single man revolutions in theoretical physics like Galileo, Newton, Einstein. Will there likely be another figure as big as them today? Or will today be more groups of people building up their ideas rather than a single person producing all the big ideas?