Ideas Definition and 912 Threads

In common usage and in philosophy, ideas are abstract concepts. Also in philosophy, ideas can also be mental representational images of some object. Many philosophers have considered ideas to be a fundamental ontological category of being. The capacity to create and understand the meaning of ideas is considered to be an essential and defining feature of human beings. In a popular sense, an idea arises in a reflexive, spontaneous manner, even without thinking or serious reflection, for example, when we talk about the idea of a person or a place. A new or an original idea can often lead to innovation.

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  1. B

    Can Scientists Successfully Commercialize Their Groundbreaking Ideas?

    As a junior and having switched my major from business to physics, I get the feeling that there are so many opportunities for businesses, by using physics and science. For example at http://www.sciencedaily.com/ you can see that every day there are what seems like hundreds of great ideas coming...
  2. O

    How Can Bioengineering Address Cooling Pipe Blockages in Nuclear Reactors?

    For my bioengineering class, my project group and I were presented with the following problem for a design report: There is a nuclear reactor which uses a pipe system for cooling. This pipe system is comprised of 2 units with 6 pipes each. Each of the pipes contain a pump, and each of them...
  3. T

    Ideas suggestions for low speed cargo crawler

    Hello All- Below is a picture of a cargo crawler I've been thinking of. Gross weight would be 2000lbs, moves between 1.5- 3mph, crawls on pavement or concrete. So far I've come up with aluminum tube welded frame with wheel motors at the rear, either motorcycle type or electric forklift type...
  4. P

    What Are Effective Research Topics for a Mathematics Major?

    My college requires all students to take an English course in their junior or senior year that that forces the students to do the kind of reading and writing that is used in their majors. So my major is mathematics, and I'm in the science section of this class. Anyway, we have a major research...
  5. A

    Any suggestions for motion experiment ideas?

    Motion experiment ideas?? Homework Statement Okay, this is my first post, so I'm not sure if this is in the right section or anything...but i didn't want to run the risk of it getting deleted as it's kind of a homework question. I have to design and complete an experiment on motion for a SAC...
  6. N

    What Are the Best Gift Ideas for a Young Optics/Laser Physics Supervisor?

    So I'm thinking of getting a gift for my Supervisor. I did research under him for 2 years. He's fairly young (30's) and extremely dedicated to his field in Optics/Laser physics. I'm struggling to come up with a gift idea. Hulp PF! :cry: Budget is less than $60 New Zealand dollars.
  7. S

    Ideas for My Project: Fixing a 60-Year-Old World Time Clock

    I have recently in work been given a sort of mini project I have been handed what must be about 60 years old or so world time clock, this is one of those arrangements where you have an arrangement of small clocks in a cabinet with each clock representing the time of a different city in the...
  8. S

    Need Help Getting Ideas For an Undergraduate Thesis Topic

    Hello guys, Please I need help in getting ideas for my undergraduate thesis, I am a mechanical engineering student and I have been searching for a long time with no good results, if anyone has links or good ideas please help me. Thank you.
  9. G

    Is Rank(TS) Always Less Than or Equal to Rank(T)?

    I came across a question saying Let S: U -> V and T:V -> W be linear maps, where U V and W are vectors spaces over the same field K Show that Rank(TS) =< Rank(T) This is my attempt the im(TS) is a subspace of W and so is the im(T) am I missing out something ?
  10. H

    Final Year Project (BEng) Ideas

    Hey All I am looking for some ideas, or what might be an interesting project for a final year project for a Degree. My degree is Mech Eng, but my key areas are: - Aerospace - Programming/Code/Systems - Electronics/Signals - Thermo/Fluid Dynamics I was thinking of doing some...
  11. P

    What is the ratio of dividing 6705 in the ratio 2:8?

    Any ideas ?? Homework Statement divide 6705 in the (ratio square r00t sign-2 : square root sign-8). The Attempt at a Solution I don't know where to begin.
  12. M

    Question about Intellectual Property and Ideas (in a job as well)?

    Forgive me if this sounds a little uninformed but in the world of academia or engineering or work and what-have-you, how does intellectual property? When a company hires you to design something, say a motor, do they own all work that you produce in that given time? What about if I work on...
  13. L

    Can a Lightweight Hydraulic Car Jack Be a Viable School Project Idea?

    I'm looking for some ideas for my mechanical engineering school project. It can be anything but needs to have at least two of the following: Machining Welding Automatisation Assembly Also it must be entirely realisable during the semester. Really not looking at making stirling engines...
  14. C

    One of out Ideas of Gravity Falls

    By Chuck St. Louis January 5,2009 Guatemala City, Guatemala...
  15. U

    Proving a trig identity: set theoretic ideas?

    Hi everyone, Any assistance with this following problem would be greatly appreciated. I'm in Year 11 and working through Apostol volume 1. Homework Statement sin n*pi = 0, where n is an integer sin n*pi =/= 0, where n is not an integer. Prove these statements... Homework...
  16. M

    Studying When do you make the jump from textbook to original ideas?

    So far, I'm pretty happy with my education. I feel like I'm understanding things as well as they are presented and developing insight into physics and engineering, but my college seems to think that their degrees speak for themselves and if you grind through their classes, you will automatically...
  17. A

    Help me brainstorm ideas regarding what I want to do with my life

    I am currently a junior at a 4 year university and I will be graduating in the spring of 2010 with a BS in physics. I'm having a very hard time deciding what to do after I graduate, so I thought I'd ask around for ideas. My problem is that I have a lot of interests, but I don't know how to...
  18. O

    Can Stove Heat Be Recycled for Home Efficiency?

    While cooking, I noticed how much heat energy is lost using the grill. Isn't there some way to rig up the stove so that the heat from the coils on their underside is collected? Can't stoves be made more efficient this way? If I could, I'd have numerous collectors throughout my apartment. Heck...
  19. S

    Mechanical Engineering Student Seeking Ideas for Project

    sir, i am a 2nd year mechanical engginering student. i want to start a project so i want some innovative ideas .please suggest some projects.
  20. G

    [Lab] Coursework assignment ideas

    Hi guys, I thought this would be the best place to post, We are currently preparing for our physics course work assignment (I am in year 13, 17 years old, in the UK). We have to come up with at least three idea before we decided on one to do. Now I have thought of quite a few but I don't...
  21. C

    Ideas for Getting 5 People to 500,000 feet

    hi has anyone got any ideas on how you would send people on a sub orbital flight to 500,000 feet and return them safely? (apart from the ones that have been done already ie. spaceshipone even though that only went a bit above 300,000ft) i came up with 2 the first is the a winged rocket...
  22. S

    Ideas for small special relativity wiki-page

    Hi all, We recently got an assignment from our professor to make a small wiki-like page on Blackboard about a topic related to special relativity. The article should have about 1500 words and it should be 'inviting' for others to discuss or edit. Ideally it should be something that's not...
  23. thrill3rnit3

    What Is Mathematics? An Elementary Approach to Ideas and Methods by Courant

    Is it a good book?
  24. A

    Ideas for 1st order Non-Linear DE

    I don't know very much about DEQs, can someone point me in the right direction for solving this? Note: \phi is a function of another variable and C_1, C_2 are constants. -\phi ^2 \cdot C_1=\frac{1}{1+\phi ' ^2}+C_2 I have tried trig sub, but I didn't get anywhere. Regards...
  25. J

    Ideas for 4-6 week research project

    I am thinking of applying for a bursary to do a research project for 4-6 weeks during the summer holidays in 2009. The one problem is I can't think of a project to undertake. The criteria are: I have a good understanding of physics for my age (16). All suggestions are welcome. Thanks!
  26. marcus

    If y've read Wilczek's book (comment on ideas of chapter 8)

    If you've read Lightness of Being, which just came out, then you may see that the core ideas of the book are presented in Chapter 8. I'd be interested to read comment on the main ideas from other people who have read the book. The book aims to communicate a new intuitive idea of what the world...
  27. A

    SPS President Seeks Ideas for Fun Physics Activities

    Ok, so I've been elected president of my department's Society of Physics Students (SPS) and I'm looking for physics or science-related things to do, or rather, things to keep people coming to the meetings. For our next meeting, we're going to draw up a draft for a campus-wide egg-drop battle...
  28. T

    Sometimes my ideas work out better than I'd expected

    Here's my suggestion to everyone here. If you are ever feeling down head to your friends list and just send a message to each of them. Doesn't matter what you say. I just said I was checking in and wondering if we were still friends. I wasn't feeling down when I did this, at least I don't think...
  29. S

    I have ideas, I'm not sure what to do with them

    So, since my sophomore class until now - my senior class - I have been thinking about mankind and control and I came up with ideas, such as what control is or what is the purpose of the existence of species and then of individuals. So fare they are in my blog (http://sizarieldor.blogspot.com)...
  30. V

    What are some unique ideas for a physics final year project?

    I'm just going to my second year in the university as a physics major and I'm trying to beat time by starting research on my final year project(something new and involves both theoretical and experimental ideas) but i don't seem to get any ideas.please help.
  31. J

    Motors & Generators practical investigation ideas

    Hey everyone I'm a physics student doing my last year of high school in Australia. For an assessment task I have to do a practical investigation on electric motors and generators but I am a bit lost on this subject. I need a few ideas that are easy to understand and prove/disprove using a...
  32. Y

    Ideas about dark matter and structure

    Could you be more specific? You suggest that there are methods by which dark matter can dispose of kinetic energy, but can you show a method that is purely a gravitational interaction? If dark matter particles ineract with each other non gravitationally then do you agree that the dark matter...
  33. Gib Z

    Alternative Geometric Proof ideas?

    The question from my textbook was "Give a complete proof that the largest triangle that can be inscribed in a circle is an equilateral triangle ", largest meaning that with the greatest area. I found a proof that finds the area of the general triangle in terms of the angles, and through...
  34. H

    Transitioning to Educational Research: Strategies & Ideas

    I'm about to complete a PhD in computational materials science. However, moving on, educational research seems interesting to me. What are some ways in which I can make the move? Start doing a literature search on my own, then when I've identified a problem, then knock on someone's doors and...
  35. C

    Need ideas for school aero project please

    i'm a masters student at the university of cape town in south africa. we are trying to encourage disadvantaged school pupils in the townships (grade 11 & 12) to become intersted in science and engineering. since we ourselves are involved in aeronautics we are looking for related project ideas...
  36. Saladsamurai

    Someone painted on my Hardwood floors Any ideas?

    Someone painted on my Hardwood floors :( Any ideas? So the folks who owned the house before my folks bought it clearly half-a$$ed a lot of things before we moved in. They put wall-to-wall carpeting in everywhere (over perfectly good hardwood floors:confused: ) Now it is clear that they...
  37. wolram

    Design a Logo: Seeking Creative Ideas

    I am sure it has been mentioned before but i aint seen one yet, so is there any plans afoot for a logo? I am sure there are people here that can put crayon to paper and come up with some thing cool.
  38. S

    Creating a Science Club at My School: Ideas and Suggestions

    There is a Science Olympiad team at my school, but no real science club, so I was thinking of forming one. However, to be honest, I don't really know what people do at science clubs. I was thinking we could do some interesting experiments, but I'm not sure what else, if anything. I'm thinking...
  39. M

    Ideas for a Senior Project in Photovoltaics

    Hello, I am trying to come up with a good senior project for my physics degree. I am really interested in PV and I have spent a lot of time researching the literature and whatnot but haven't been able to come up with an original idea for a project. My first idea was improving the efficiency of...
  40. Astronuc

    Creating a Water Garden: Tips & Ideas

    There's already a thread on conventional (terrestrial/earthen) gardens, so I thought I'd start on water gardens. I was visiting a local nursery last week, and they have a really water garden set up (about 2 m x 3-4 m) in the shape of an irregular oval. Anyway, some members have posted...
  41. D

    What Are Current Challenges in Computational Methods for Orbital Mechanics?

    I need to do a class project for a Physics of Planetary Science course. I'd like to do it on problems with/possible improvements on computational/mathematical methods in some aspect of orbital mechanics. Please let me know if you know of any specific contemporary computational/mathematical...
  42. M

    Exploring Fresh Ideas for Wind Energy Harvesting

    There is a lot of talk about big projects to gather energy from wind. I have two ideas I don't see used that I was wondering about. 1. Using large stretches of canvas to redirect wind from a large cross sectional area to a smaller outlet, like some kind of wind nozzle. It would also form...
  43. Holocene

    Ideas as how to improve your mental math?

    Has anyone felt as though they've no problem with fairly advanced mathematics on paper, but is horrible with even arithmetic in their heads? If so, does anyone have any ideas as how to improve your mental math?
  44. Saladsamurai

    Designing a Reclining Binocular Chair: Ideas and Techniques

    Okay so completed a similar project the other day,but I am addicted now. I built a parallelogram binocular mount similar to this. Now I am trying to come up with ideas for a binocular chair...like this I would like to make the chair recline though. This is where I need help. I need to...
  45. WolfOfTheSteps

    Design Ideas for Undergrad in DSP

    Hello, I'm looking to meet an undergrad design requirement, which can be done with independent study. I'll graduate in December, so I have a lot of coursework under my belt. I'll also have all summer to research and prepare. I've focused on communications and dsp, and these are the...
  46. S

    Need some help discarding/tying together ideas

    I have been attempting to make the leap from AP Calc to more theory-based calculus by trying to solve problems. Unfortunately, there are no solutions to the book I'm using so I need some guidance. Here's the problem: Let f: [0,1] -> (0,1) be continuous. Show that the equation 2x -...
  47. B

    What Are Creative MSN Names for a Tech-Savvy, Music-Loving Adventurer?

    this doesn't have much (at all) to do with science but i quess it could be a bit of a brain teaser. anyway. i need help with a new msn name/email thing. and i have absolutely no idea. maybe you could help? i like maths, computers, physics, electronics, art (strictly realistic, i hate abstract...
  48. wolram

    What Are Some Practical Indoor Hobbies to Keep You Busy?

    I need an in door hobby to keep me busy, like making some thing, but i can not think of any thing worth making, it matters not what it is as long as it has a use or is entertaining, and the cost can be spread over several weeks/months. Any one have sensible/realistic ideas?
  49. marcus

    Two best QG papers so far this quarter-other ideas?

    Two best QG papers so far this quarter--other ideas? Part of doing regular QG NEWS AND OVERVIEW has been having a poll every three months to get people's views on the papers appearing that quarter which they think will be most important for future research----a Most Valuable Paper (MVP)...
  50. I

    Weird question: ideas of a physics' project

    Hi! As you can see, I didn't use the template, but that is because this is a different kind of question. I need to think of a project relating to physics for my final project in Honor's Physics. She (the teacher) would like an idea by Monday and the sooner I can start researching, the better...
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