Entries by Multiple_Authors

What is Mass Inflation? A 5 Minute Introduction

Definition/Summary Abstract from Poisson and Israel’s 1990 paper, ‘Internal structure of black holes’- ‘The gravitational effects associated with the radiative tail produced by a gravitational collapse with rotation are investigated. It is shown that the infinite blueshift of the tail’s energy density occurring at the Cauchy horizon of the resulting black hole causes classically unbounded…

What is Potential Energy? A 5 Minute Introduction

Definition/Summary Potential energy is simply another name for (minus) the work done by a conservative force. Since the work-energy theorem states that change in energy minus work done is constant, that means that for a conservative force, energy plus potential energy is constant. For example, a object of mass moving a height and…

What is the Moment of Inertia? A 10 Minute Introduction

Definition/Summary The moment of Inertia is a property of rigid bodies. It relates rotational force (torque) to rotational acceleration in the same way that mass relates ordinary (linear) force to ordinary acceleration. Moment of Inertia has dimensions of distance squared times mass (. The moment of Inertia is always relative to a given axis. The…

What is a Real Number? A 5 Minute Introduction

Definition of real numbers Real numbers are a comprehensive set of numbers that encompasses all possible values on the number line. They include both rational and irrational numbers and are typically denoted by the symbol ℝ. Real numbers can be positive, negative, or zero, and they can be represented as finite decimals, recurring decimals, or…

What is a Parabola? A 5 Minute Introduction

What is a Parabola? A parabola is a U-shaped curve in mathematics that is defined by a specific set of points. It is a fundamental geometric shape that appears in various mathematical and real-world contexts. Parabolas have a distinct symmetry and are defined by a simple mathematical equation. Key characteristics of a parabola include: Symmetry:…

What is Lie algebra? A 5 Minute Introduction

Definition/Summary A Lie algebra (“Lee”) is a set of generators of a Lie group. It is a basis of the tangent space around a Lie group’s identity element, the space of differences between elements close to the identity element and the identity element itself. Lie algebras include a binary, bi-linear, anti-symmetric operation: commutation. The commutator…

What is a Tangent Line? A 5 Minute Introduction

Definition/Summary The tangent to a curve in a plane at a particular point has the same Gradient as the curve has at that point. More generally, the (n-1)-dimensional tangent hyperplane to an (n-1)-dimensional surface in n-dimensional space at a particular point has the same Gradient as the surface has at that point. So if [itex]A\,=\,(a_1,a_2,\cdots…

What are Virtual Particles? A 10 Minute Introduction

Definition/Summary Virtual particles are a mathematical device used in perturbation expansions of the S-operator (transition matrix) of interaction in quantum field theory. No virtual particle physically appears in the interaction: all possible virtual particles, and their antiparticles, occur equally and together in the mathematics and must be removed by integration over the values of their…

Where Did the Big Bang Happen?

According to standard cosmological models, which are based on general relativity and are found to agree well with observations, time and space did not exist before the Big Bang — or even at the time of the Big Bang, which is a point where the theory breaks down because various quantities (such as temperature and…

Could Redshifts Be Intrinsic Rather than Cosmological?

How do we know that the redshifts of galaxies and quasars are cosmological and not “intrinsic?” Evidence for the cosmological interpretation The purpose of this FAQ entry is to explain why nonstandard interpretations of redshifts are not viable, not to explain from scratch how standard cosmological models were arrived at. The following is only a…

How to Build a Definition for Heat

One of the most frustrating misconceptions in Thermodynamics centers on the actual definition of heat. Many science/engineering students often refer to a body as to be possessing heat, but as we shall see, to do so is completely nonsensical. We start by examining the first law and defining each of its terms. The first law…

Is the Universe a Black Hole?

In the early universe, the matter was gathered together at very high density, so why wasn’t it a black hole? The first thing to understand is that the Big Bang was not an explosion that happened in one place in a preexisting, space. The Big Bang happened everywhere at once, so no location would be…

Can We Tell Whether the Universe Is Rotating?

If you believe wholeheartedly in Mach’s principle, then there is no way to test empirically for the rotation of the universe as a whole, since there is nothing else for it to be rotating relative to. However, general relativity is not very Machian, and it offers a variety of ways in which an observer inside…

Why Do People Say That 1 And .999 Are Equal?

Why do people say 1 and 0.999… are equal? Aren’t they two different numbers? No, they really are the same number, though this is often very counterintuitive to many beginning students. Here are some non-rigorous proofs that 1=0.999…: Proof #1 For any two unequal numbers, there is always another number in between them. (That is…

A Layman’s Guide to Detecting Pseudoscience

It seems nowadays that we are getting swamped with science. But not the science of the valid kind. Science is where people follow scientific methods based on sound reasoning and good experimental evidence and make checkable predictions. No, sadly, most of the so-called science is pseudoscience, evil heinous impostors that exploit the public’s curiosity and…