Recent content by mitcho

I admit I don't know anything about string theory (nobody really does at an undergraduate level) but it sounds interesting and seems like something challenging. I am majoring in physics and maths but I am getting to the point in my undergraduate studies where I can begin to specialize more in my...

Watching a video of Gerald Schroeder, I was fascinated by his claim that if the universe were created as a result of our current understanding of quantum mechanics, the universe would be a closed "super heavy" space. The link below goes directly to the point in the video where he says it and it...

I have just done a lab on measuring the change in volume of an ethanol-water mixture. One of our tasks is to use the intercept method to determine the specific volumes of both the water and ethanol components at certain concentrations using a tangent line. I have the tangent line at 50%...

I have just started my first real analysis course and we are using Spivak's Calculus. We have just started rigorous epsilon-N proofs of sequence convergence. I was trying to do some exercises from the textbook (chapter 22) but there doesn't seem to be any mention of epsilon-N in the solutions...

This is the concise course summary and I have to say it doesn't look nearly as rigorous as analysis courses I have seen at other universities: "Bounded & monotone sequences. Sequences & series of real functions. Intermediate & mean value theorems, iterative procedures. Taylor's Theorem & error...

That may actually be the answer I am looking for... I heard it was slightly different but I thought that was only in the approach. If it is much more difficult as you suggest then it might just be rigorous/theoretical enough for analysis perhaps?

Is Spivak's "Calculus" rigourous and comprehensive enough for an analysis course? I will be doing my first course in real analysis this year and the textbooks have just been released. The recommended text is Spivak's "Calculus" as the title suggests. I have a copy of Stewart's "Calculus" and...

A thought just struck me today after watching a lecture on the construction of the rational numbers. What is the definition of 'greater than (>)' and 'less than (<)' in the real number system. The only way I can think to describe it is to make some reference to the Euclidean distance between the...

I am in need of the wavelength of the spectral lines of sodium but all I can find is the wavelength for the doublet. I am looking for the cyan coloured one that appears very close to 500nm but I cannot find the exact value anywhere. Would anyone be able to direct me somewhere? Thanks

I am hoping to do mathematical or theoretical physics after my undergraduate science degree. I have been advised to do more maths subjects than physics subjects in order to achieve this. I am double majoring in maths and physics and I am just wondering what area of maths I should be focusing on...

As the title suggest, I do not understand what the difference between isomorphism and equality is in terms of graph theory. I have tried searching the internet but the few definitions I could find for each did not really shed light on the difference. I know that an isomorphism is when there is a...

Excuse me if this is a really ignorant question but I tried searching google but all I got was debunking thermodynamics/creation arguments. My physics lecturer the other day was saying that in third year statistical mechanics we will be shown how to derive a formula giving the probability for...

Well I suppose a better question would be one that doesn't involve personal opinion. Do you think that Stephen Hawking is worthy of the title of "one of the greatest scientists of modern times" and do you think that he is overrated or genuinely a great scientist?

I have heard a lot of mixed opinions regarding Stephen Hawking and some of his publications. He is widely considered to be a genius and one of the greatest scientists of modern times but most of these opinions come from outside the scientific community. I have also heard that he is rather up...

Of course, the second law of thermodynamics implies that all closed systems will go from a state of state of order to disorder. Chaos theory offers the possibility of systems developing patterns and order from seemingly disordered or chaotic systems. Do these theories contradict or is there...