Theoretical Definition and 999 Threads

Okay, so if two identical twins put on a heart rate monitor that after let's say 400 million beats were detected (at 80bpm that's about 10 years) the monitor killed them. Now one gets in a spaceship and the other stays on earth. The one in the spaceship travels at say 95% of the speed of light...

Hello PF, I am currently pursuing my Masters in Physics with specialisation in material science. But I am interested in quantum mechanics and want to do PhD and then research in quantum mechanics. But in today's date is it good to go for theoretical physics rather than going for some...

I did research on theoretical formulations in general relativity during my MSc studies. I look forward to pursuing PhD and have searched many universities and some research institutes for suitable research themes, but haven't found many research groups undertaking research consistent with my...

Hi at all, maybe it's a bit trivial. However, the question that i ask myself is ; that relation there is between statistics-probab theory & theoretical physics. What role does it play in theoretical research ? (apart from the probabilistic amplitudes encountered in qm) Thanks for the answers

Is anyone aware of any theory which includes a theoretical limit on acceleration in the same way C is the universal speed limit? [[By this I do not mean some sort of practical limit set by energy density and known systems of propulsion.]]

On pg. 60 of Nolting Theoretical Physics 1 for the definition of a vector multiplied by a scalar the book shows two little up arrows if the scalar is greater than zero and an little up arrow and then a little down arrow if the scalar is less than zero. Then again on pg. 61 for definition 1.139...

Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post Interview with Theoretical Physicist Clifford Johnson Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

Dear All, I am sorry if you consider this question to be repetitive or too general but I have been unable to find sufficient answers on the web and thus I want to see what I can win from asking you guys. First my situation: I finished my Physics' Bachelor in the LMU Munich with good grades...

Not withstanding the fact that most neutronium is produced in neutron stars, what is the lowest mass required to keep neutronium stable? I've heard it could be as low as 0.1 solar masses. Could it be even smaller than that? Can you make an Earth mass neutronium ball and have it stay stable due...

First of all, I know it's a big field. But, currently, I don't know where exactly I would like working in it so I'm just asking like the most generalized explanation. I would probably prefer more in the theoretical part of the field (which might just be all of it [emoji23] ). A few major...

Firstly, I'm sorry if it is wrong part to start this thread. I'm new here and I can change the category if you let me know. Secondly, I want to learn something about theoretical physics. I am about to finish my study Mathematics in a semester. However, I consider to study physics either and I...

Hey there, my name's Travis, I'm a high school graduate and prospective theoretical physicist. I started my post-school learning by looking into correspondence study and got hold of some material from a friend. However, despite the fact that I love calculus and physics, I completed the 1st year...

I'm writing a serialized Steampunk-fantasy story in which the cities float high in the planet's atmosphere using a combination of Magic and technology (sci-fi-ish steampunk technology) Though I want to bring it as close to real science as I can. From some google searches it seems that a vacuum...

Isn't this a breakthrough? Well, a base for a breakthrough? I have always wondered if a complete theory or accurate prediction of the formation of bonds and molecules is possible... I tried to think about this myself... :) What do you think...

Dear PF community, I was wondering, what do theoretical physicists actually do? Putting teaching and marking responsibilities aside, would you be able to describe to me your day-to-day activities when you do research? It is something that has been on my mind for a while. I suspect PF members...

If the spheres of a Newton's Cradle were perfectly spherical I assume "contact" would be some minimal distance between the outer electrons of one atom of each sphere? Pulling one sphere back and releasing would result in a modest plastic deformation and subsequent minimal distance between more...

Homework Statement Spaceship A, traveling past us at 0.7c, sends a message capsule to spaceship B, which is in front of A and is traveling in the same direction as A at 0.8c relative to us. The capsule travels at 0.9c relative to us. A clock that measures the proper time between the sending and...

What exactly does a theoretical physicists do? Do they come up with hypotheses, and then do calculations to see how things would work if those hypotheses were true. If that is correct, how exactly do you come up with a hypothesis? Is there a lot of creativity involved? Also, when physicists...

The Italian physicist Gian Francesco Giudice has come out with an article about the crisis in theoretical physics. Please read the paper before commenting. Thoughts? https://arxiv.org/abs/1710.07663

Hello! I would like to follow a career in theoretical physics (mainly high energy). Can someone point me towards the most important theoretical predictions made in the last 50 years (basically after the QCD period, W, Z and Higgs predictions) that have been experimentally tested. By this I mean...

Due to circumstances outside of my control, I couldn't go to college after high school. Physics is my passion however and I refuse to give up. I have a 5 month old so it would be in my best interest to start my schooling online. I'm only the 2nd person in my family to go to college. So, I don't...

I personally am undecided on the issue but it goes without saying that physicists have been stuck on the same problems for years. Sure they recently proved gravitational waves, but one could say that we knew they were they existed anyway with near certainty, if they weren' t there it would be a...

Hi everyone! I am currently in the process of applying for a masters degree in theoretical physics. I am having troubles on writing the personal statement part since I really need to make it shine (200 applications and 20 places:frown:) . Any definitely do's and dont's I should bear in mind? A...

Recently, I've been struggling with this issue. I really really love theoretical physics and mathematics, but at some point, I feel like it has now become into a mix of speculation and super advanced mathematics. The fact that some physicists say some areas like String Theory or Quantum Loop...

Say you have a red laser and pointed it at a ~175 nm antenna, then amplified the signal into a speaker. Would you then theoretically get a very high frequency audio signal (in the terahertz range, i realize this isn't practical)? My question is really on the nature of the light emitted from...

Hi everyone, What can I do with a master's in theoretical physics and a bachelor of computer science ? I am in Canada, I had to do a master's before a PhD. I just decided to do something else than physics afterwards. I had the opportunity to do a PhD in computer science, in medical imaging...

What is the power to weight ratio required from a wingless augmented portable flight pack (jetpack) so that it can enable flight horizontally? Assume that the jetpack and the user both weigh 300 pounds combined.

Hello, I'm about to start my last year of bachelor degree in physics, and in a few months I would like to have a clear idea of where I want to go for my master degree. My dream since I started university is to pursue theoretical physics, in which specific field, that remains for me to...

what is the academic route to become a theoretical physicist?

Jack Smith, professor emeritus of physics at SUNY Stony Brook passed away Sunday. His colleague George Sterman writes " Jack Smith joined the Institute for Theoretical Physics at Stony Brook as research associate in the Institute’s second year, 1967, and he subsequently joined the faculty of...

Hi, I am finishing the grad in physics and i would like to study a master in theoretical physics the next year. Anyone know or have studied any master in theoretical physics preferably in Spain but also in other countries in Europe. I would like to know your opinion Regards

I'm a rising physics sophomore at a Japanese university. I've studied general physics, linear algebra, and analysis (actually, calculus of single and several variables with emphasis on analysis, everything was proven and the theoretical background was well explained) Other than that, I've...

ever since my first year in undergraduate, I wanted to pursue a degree on theoretical high energy physics. so I took a lot of theoretical classes and started a double major in math (I dropped it after I took some classes I was interested in). however now I have only one year left, I began to...

How did they figure out that particles have spin.where does spin 1/2 come in...how was that detected?

Stumbled upon 't Hooft's receipe for the self-learner. Perhaps some of the readers could find it useful https://www.staff.science.uu.nl/~gadda001/goodtheorist/index.html

I'm currently doing my undergraduate physics course at university, and I'm quite confident I'd like to be a theorist in the future. We have separate maths lectures from maths students, and most people have an attitude towards maths which could be summed up as "only learn what you need to know...

Hi, quick question. Are there any Engineering Majors that deal frequently with theoretical physics? Thank you

Hello, I am interested in getting into low-energy experimental nuclear physics. I have studied quantum mechanics and a few introductory nuclear science textbooks (e.g. Shultis + Faw: Introduction to Nuclear Science and Engineering). I found the textbook Theoretical Nuclear Physics by Blatt...

Hello everyone! I have been admitted in Utrecht and UvA (University of Amsterdam) for the Theoretical Physics masters. I am having a hard time deciding between the two and I was thinking that someone might have an opinion on one or the other (or even better on both). Any kind of information is...

I am aware that according to the Standard Model of Particle Physics, fundamental particles such as electrons and quarks are treated as point-like particles. However, if fundamental particles are indeed 0-dimentional points with no spatial extent, it creates problems (i.e. fundamental particles...

Hello! I have one more year in undergraduate and I would like to go for a grad school in USA and do theoretical physics. I am a bit confused about particle physics. From what I saw most of the theoretical models today aim to extend the standard model and yet most of them are proved to be wrong...

At this point I have no idea how to look at this situation, so I'm really hoping I can get a little help here. I have an offer for Mathematical and Theoretical Physics which leads to an MMath, and eliminates all lab. I also have an offer for straight Physics, leading to MPhys with no extra...

Another thread reminded me of this. Sometime, probably in the 70's Suzuki said something like this, for something to be "real" it has to have a least one piece of retrievable information. One example he gave that I remember was a point in space. I remember this example because of his...

TheAdmin submitted a new PF Insights post Interview with a Theoretical Physicist: Sabine Hossenfelder Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

Hello, I'm Michael, am 17 and uncertain about my future (as I'm sure anyone my age is). you see, I aim to be a theoretical physicist in the future and I am worried a bit: Yes, I know, you shouldn't pick a job just for the money, but I do worry about how much does a theoretical physicist make. do...

Hi all, I have an offer to do an MSc in QFFF at Imperial or an MSc in Mathematical Physics at Edinburgh, or (with luck) an MSc in Theoretical Physics at Kings College London (KCL). Technically, QFFF is the best (i.e most reputable) course - but I have heard very bad things about how it's...

Quantum theory, although hard to understand with intuition has a lot of experimental proof. Do the more modern theories e.g. String theory, or black hole theories have any experimental proof, or are they theories that the mathematics have led to? Without proof, do they deserve so much credit...

Homework Statement Hello all, I have a question regarding the damping constant for a model of a vertically oscillating mass on a spring. I have read through one or two similar questions on this site but I think I can manage to be a little more specific about what I'm asking. I am in a physics...

Classical mechanics: a minimal standard course by Sergei Winitzki. It is not probably going to help you if you already did not know the subject but is a great refresher nonetheless. He also includes a differential equations refresher that I found invaluable. Looks like he has a ton of other...

Not sure where to put this discussion, so please feel free to move it... Ok, so here I go... I understand why theoretically time travel cannot exist before the moment it was created, cause one fellah would have to take one end of a wormhole on a fast ship and fly about a bit. I understand...