Nature Definition and 730 Threads

I am interest in see the derivation for the speed of light from maxwells equations, or other interest derivation base on it. I want to understand whatever "natural" phenonmen that could be explained by maxwell s equations.

Without getting into a mathematical explanation, can anyone who reads this posting explain to me how there can be a "tractive" force in our world. For example, a vessel that is evacuated with atmospheric pressure on the outside is said to have been "sucked in" (a tractive cousin) while in...

quantum mechanics basically says that everything in nature is truly random and unpredictable. However, isn't it just as likely that there are particles we are unable to detect that cause everything to happen. Because we can't detect them, everything would seem random.

I do not know if this is a redundant topic, but I was wondering if our subconscious was our memories. People often talk about repitition driving an idea into their mind, i.e. their subconscious. Repitition is also how we learn, how we remember. Our subconscious minds basicly go over what we did...

Can love be for one person and not for another as well? I mean: can i say that i love, if that love is for one person and not for another, as well? is love, then, both love and not-love? it appears that this must be true. i shall elaborate before this opens for debate. can love be said to...

A few months ago I linked to this development in the creation of synthetic setae far better than those of geckos: http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,68639,00.html In the time since, I've done some research, corresponded with the team leader involved with the linked research and then...

So, what exactly is "cubelike" about the hilbert cube? I think I am having trouble "visualizing" it. Is it just called that because it it homeomorphic to I^inf. ?

How can we say that light has speed but at the same time say that relative to us it doesn't move through time? (sorry if this is a stupid question:rolleyes: )

I went to the county library to get a book on Biology 101. I took out the one that looked most promising among the small set of choices. It's called "The Nature of Life" by Postlethwaite and Hopson. It seems like an OK book, but I read this paragraph on page 30 and now I wonder what kind of...

Hi everybody, I am new to this site. And for this first time I want to ask your thoughts about "space - vacuum". Does anybody have any interest in this area. I mean, the question "what is empty space?" is always there and as far as I know not a complete and satisfactory answer has arosen for...

Which alternative do you think is the most likely to solve the Dark Matter problem?

The distance-dependent nature behind lorentz "time-transformation"... The Lorentz transformation give sush an equation: t = y(T-ux/c^2). t = "time-point" where an eventZ happens in a moving frame T = "time-point" where the event Z happens in a stationary frame. u = relative velocity. I...

I can sort of deal with it conceptually, and even work with it mathematically - but are there any examples of it as a property of something in the physical universe? (I'm probably missing something obvious..)

Nuclear forces are said to be non-central. By definiton of central force, angular momentum is constant. It is usually found in spherical bodies. How do the electric quadruple moments indicate the non-spherical structure of the nucleus? How is the nucleus stable if the angular momentum is not...

Geckos, we learned from you, now watch what we humans http://www.wired.com/news/medtech/0,1286,68639,00.html?tw=rss.TOP :smile:

So what exactly is meant by time as a 4th dimension? I've read in a couple of places a nice visualization of the effect of time dilation using velocity as a 4-component vector. Since the maximum possible velocity is the speed of light, as something travels through space at close to the speed...

I found in a text that had this question. why should F, n row 2, be more reactive than iodine, in row 5, while Li, in row 2, is less reactive than Rb, in row 5? BUT this does not agree with this text http://richardbowles.tripod.com/chemistry/reactivity/reactivity.htm as it is more...

Due to a peculiar combination of events, I've been thinking about human nature and the nature of scientific inquiry... a scary thought. For example, how does a scientist answer the question 'why is the universe exactly the size it is [feel free to insert the gravitational constant, speed of...

Hello, I've always wondered why gravity was described as "bending space". Why isn't gravity simply thought of as an attractive force? Does magnetism bend space? Eli

HI; Could someone please help me with this question: Calculate the minimum thickness needed for an antireflective coating (n=1.35) applied to a glass lens in order to eliminate blue (458 nm) reflections for light at normal incidence? How would I go about this question? Thanks.

Godel and the Nature of Mathematical Truth A Talk with Rebecca Goldstein http://edge.org/3rd_culture/goldstein05/goldstein05_index.html A fascinating read! Highly recommended. In addition to discussing Godel's Incompleteness Theorem in the context of his metaphysical views, it also...

i am currently reading the nature of personal reality by jane roberts and i have a few questions and i would also like to discuss the implications of this book. what exactly is natural guilt? how can i identify and change my core beliefs? how do my thoughts shape the physical me and how...

Hi all ,, i have a course on nature and properties of materials next semester,,If u guys can pls advice me some good book which have nice coverage of the following topics ,,it will be highly appreciated. ESO 214 NATURE AND PROPERTIES OF MATERIALS, 3-1-3-1-5 Examples of materials...

So I've been thinking lately about what physics is really about. Isn't it true that at the end of the day physics is just a logical construction for us to understand the material world? Nobody has ever litterly 'seen' enities like energy, charge, electrons or even time and space. Simply...

In what other examples is the wave nature of light important in society and technology? One example is in DVD drive where different wavelengths can read different layers of the DVD.

Given a wavelength length \alpha, what is the maximum Width (D) of a single slit, which would have no diffraction minima? It seems like a proof problem to me and I am trying to get a head start. should I use D * sin (\theta) = m \alpha ?

This question is related to the wave nature of light from Giancoli: Water waves having parallel crests 2.5cm apart pass through two openings 5cm apart in a board. At a point 2.0m beyond the board, at what angle relative to the "straight-through" direction would there be little or no wave...

I am actually a philosophy student that is dabbling in physics, so the nature of this question may seem a bit strange. My question is regarding whether electromagnetic charges are disjunctive in nature. In case you are not familiar with the philosophy lingo, a disjunctive property is one in...

While reading and engaging in discussions regarding reality etc, i am struck with an overriding urge to ask the following question: Without spewing forth memorised definitions from well established sources, what are some general conclusions/anecdotes concerning the nature of knowledge? ta...

I feel i need to ask this fundamental question, because everywhere i look i just get a very bland definition with no discussion. :smile: So what actually IS energy? Is it just a mathematical thing that we have worked out that just works in a kindo of"number crunching" fashion, or is it more...

does nature or nurture shape us? isn't it just both?

There is a human tendency to regard things as holy which is separate from religion or spirituality, though often associated. People have a tendency to in general value some objects or circumstances as special. Superstition involves holy objects + rationalization with a set of beliefs for their...

My question is regarding the nature of waves, and may be a very elementary question. Please bear with me. I am curious as to why waves form the way that they do. If for example i were to turn on the speaker in my car, then the resulting wave that is produced is simply energy transfer...

The nature of the "supernatural" I am sure that most of you here do not believe in supernatural ocurances and I would agree with you for the most part. What I would like to say is that certain things do happen that are sometimes hard to explain, and are blindly labled under 'supernatural'...

If you have 1 kg of matter, what is the energy equivalent of it in say joules? How much of the matter (heavy hidrogen?) that goes into a fusion reaction is transformed to energy? And to the point... Last year there was this discussion about what would happened if the Galileo orbiter...

Hi all, There's one controversial question, regarding work. If no physical work is done while holding a heavy object and carrying it horizontally, why then do we spend so much energy.

In another thread we discussed the nature and extent of the Giant Galactic Blobs!, and the nature of Dark Matter. I advocated a baryonic nature of most or all of the DM following the “Freely Coasting” Cosmology model. The question it raises is, "What form does this baryonic matter take...

"New Forces" Will physicists find any new fundamental forces of nature, and how would we ever know we have found all the fundamental forces in the universe? Might this question be the corner stone to a grand unified theory? Or do we expect a solution which indicates the number of fundamental...

Solidity is an illusion made by electrons repelling each other. A liquid, however doesn't have bonds between its atoms as strong as a solid does, hence the ability to flow.

Is Earth quakes and the resulting tsunami formed because of man's intereference with mother nature. for example: Is frequent taking out of crude oil from Earth or taking underground water results in Earth losing its equilibrium and resulting in earthquakes Thanking you in advance...

Why did nature never invent the wheel?

This topic may have been covered but I am not sure how to search for it, what phrase would I use? So my apologies if I am going over old ground. I am have great difficulty with light and its nature. Recalling some very basic physics, light behaves as both a particle and a wave. true or...

As a future engineer, my proffessors teach us to be concerned about pollutant emissions. I always hear about NOx production inside heat engines and turbomachinery. But little is explained about the true nature of this problem. Usually, we are told that NOx is produced at high temperatures...

I am currently learning about logarithms and I understand that Log base e (or Ln) comes up quite often in solutions of logarithms However, I also heard that it is a number that comes up often in nature Are there any good examples of "e" in nature? Anton

A block of mass 2.0kg is placed on a smooth plane, inclined to the horizontal at an angle of 15degrees. The force of gravity, acting straight down on the block, is 20N. a) What is the acceleration of the block down the plane? I'm having trouble with this because I know: Net...

i didnt know where this should go so i just put it in general. I am doing a culminating project on Voltaire in my philosophy class. one problem i encountered was that i don't know very much about Voltaire though he does seem interesting i know he was a poet, author etc but i don't know exactly...

I'm stuck on this question and I'm not sure where to start. :confused: A positively charged ion (m = 3.34 x 10^-26 kg) was accelerated from rest through a potential difference of 1.66 x 10^4 V. This ion now enters a region where there is a magnetic field (B = 3.20 x 10^-2 T) that is...

hallo guys. this is my first post( welcome me :-p !). Anyway I'm a freshman taking electrical engineering with a keen interest in physics. anyway my question is this: How do we know that physical constants are really constants. Ok, one way you might say is by assuming, that the...

Classicalist thinking has invaded me, I agree, however... As far as I understand sound, it is the exchange of kinetic information between sucessive particles in space. When these air pressures collide, certain pressures are amplified while others are nullified. The rest are modified between...

I was watching something on this the other day, about how serial killers or odd people who were brought up well but still turn out to be the opposite of how they were brought up. Pondering it, I came up with a few questions. Could too much nuture lead to negative feelings towards people...