Motivation Definition and 124 Threads

Just a quick question. If you want any value to follow a particular probability distribution function (pdf), do you have to multiply that value by the variance of the desired pdf ?

Is there any deep reason for introducing the electromagnetic field tensor other than the fact that Maxwell's equations can be written in a very succinct form in terms of it? Would it be possible to write down a lagrangian involving a normal kinetic term for A^{\mu} that reproduces the physics...

I am doing my A-Levels: Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry. I am doing very well at F-Maths/Maths and physics. I'm getting 90-100% in the mock tests, but I'm just not enjoying or doing well in chemistry. The teacher doesn't seem to have a deep understanding of the subject, so she...

After having been rejected from all ten of the astronomy grad schools to which I applied and even a few years before my undergrad graduation in physics and astronomy, I have gradually become disinterested in pursuing a career in science. I started out very sure I would end up as a professional...

What do other mathematicians do if they get "in a rut" and feel like they're losing motivation? I'm a 4th year MMath student in the UK and this term I'm taking courses in Stochastic Analysis, Differential Geometry, Brownian Motion and PDEs. I'm also supervising 1st year students (4 hours a week...

I'm sure that for many of you this class is old news; but I just started elementary number theory this summer and, as much as I love the challenge of the course, and doing these proofs; I feel like an amateur boxing Mike Tyson here. These things are chewing me up and spitting me out. Granted I...

I've read that the choice of Gauge group \mathrm{SU}(2)_\mathrm{L}\times \mathrm{U}(1)_\mathrm{Y} can be justified by the fact that the electromagnetic charge and the flavour-changing weak charge do not form a closed SU(2) current algebra. The solution is to tack on an additional U(1) group and...

I quite often hear that GR is formulated in terms of tensors because laws of physics expressed in terms of tensor equations are indepedent of choice coordinates because they `transform nicely'. I thought the motivation for tensors was that since spacetime is curved, we locally linearize it by...

So it is my senior year of university (double major in EE and physics) and I think I have a severe case of senioritis. I am kinda slipping in my shakespeare class and I didn't get my last quantum mechanics homework set done in time. I also kinda slipped up on my last qm test. I just didn't...

I'm a first-year EE grad student at a prominent university, and I feel like I'm at an impasse. Basically, I've lost all interest in my research, as well as my (once strong) peripheral interests in physics and math. I have no more motivation. At the risk of sounding like I'm venting, I really...

Hi, everyone. I don't know if this is the right forum, here it goes: I have been reading on Serre's spectral sequence (Wiki, Hatcher). I understand the general goal, but I don't get well the process: how does a fibration F->E->B give rise to a spectral sequence?. Thanks.

I'm about to begin a bachelor of science with a physics major. I've already found some books on electrodynamics and relativity and such, but I can't find the motivation nor resources to intepret some of the more abstract mathematics, especially to do with linear algebra, tensor analysis and...

What is it's purpose?

So far all theories of physics have been motivated by the need to explain physical phenomena, but is there any phenomena that requires quantum gravity for explanation? Is this a situation, where the motivation stems from a need to have a model of some specific form, instead of having...

I find that I work best when I am really passionate and believe in what I'm doing but I've been finding that thinking deeply about why I'm doing it and where its going to lead ends up killing my motivation because there are so many unexpected and undesirable outcomes. How do people deal...

I was in a library recently and was struck by the shear number of journals. Journals often focus on some very specific topic, contain many thousands of articles going back more than 100 years. What is the motivation for people to submit papers to journals? I would expect that doing so would...

I'm applying to some a several master program in many Schools, I have to write a letter of motivation, I clearly understand the main concept of it, But what do I have to write in it? How long should it be? I know I should be honest, how much honest I have to be? I have like a hundred question...

What orginally motivated the field of differential geometry?

could someone please explain to me what the tensor product is and why we invented it? most resources just state it without listing a motivation.

Hi Guys, I'm looking for some guidance and motivation. I’ve always been very interested in engineering and have pondered returning to school and obtaining a degree. I never went to college because I really fear and dislike writing. For the last 10 years this has been the only thing keeping...

If you have finals and need motivation, try this. Promise to buy yourself the new Red Hot Chili Peppers album AFTER your final exams provided that you study really had and EARN it! Muahahahha, RHCP rule...:!) http://www.showbizz.net/uploads/films/stadiumarcadium1.jpg

I want to go into physics then go into applied physics in grad school. This has been my plan since I started college. But, reading posts here I am thinking that I may lack the motivation. I mean, I love physics and almost like math (well... I love it as a tool and admire its elegance. But...

The motivation just isn't there anymore... Hi all, I have a problem. I don't feel that my motive for studying is as strong as it use to be. When I started my 1st year in engineering, it wasnt that hard for me to pick up a physics book and read. Now (in second year) I'm like "yea, mayb...

How much study (maths) do you guys do on average? What motivates you? Your thoughts. :confused: