Theoretical Definition and 999 Threads

I am an engineering graduate(ME) and want to study physics at masters level. If I get a Masters degree in theoretical physics, can I go for a PhD. in an experimental sub field? Say, I write a thesis in Nuclear & particle physics to get a masters degree, Can I go for experimental Nuclear &...

I am a bit new in this forum, so excuse me if you have already talked about it before. I've been reading on this forum about the possiblility of doing scientific research without being paid for it, and according to some posts there were some problems, mainly due to a lack of time and social...

Let's say a mother ship is traveling at the speed of light. If you shoot a pod out of the mothership at the speed of light(and that pod is already traveling at the speed of light), then wouldn't that pod be traveling at twice the speed of light? And if you have a second pod speeding away from...

Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post Interview with a Theoretical Physicist: Carlo Rovelli Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

I recently completed a lab over magnetism and I need some help on my results. We were asked to find the magnetic dipole moment of small neodymium magnets that were about the size of a dime and around 1/4 inch thick. I found the experimental value using my results. However, I have not been...

Greg Bernhardt submitted a new PF Insights post Interview with a Theoretical Physicist: Garrett Lisi Continue reading the Original PF Insights Post.

I have been accepted to the the theoretical physics program at Uppsala University. It ranks around 60-120 in the world for physics and astronomy. I know these rankings aren't the best metric to determine how good a program is, but it gives me an idea. I want to know how good the program is for...

I am thinking of doing a theoretical physics PhD but i am worried about my knowledge on the subject. I am predicted at a first class degree. But i must honestly say i am not one of these prodigy types. I have to read over things a lot of the time and more often than not i will forget simple...

This is an unusual idea that I have been entertaining for some time, and I can't find anything about it online. However, it is so simple that someone must have conceived it before. First, I will elaborate my idea, then I will ask if it possible within the framework of General Relativity. There...

I wanted to know about some great masters programs in physics(theoretical) in UK,US ,Europe. I know about Cambridge Part 3 , Oxford Msc Theoretical physics, Perimeter but not all details.Also some good programs in US,UK would be helpful.

Hi All! thanks a lot for this great forum!... I really love it and spend a lot of time reading the threads (when I have time of course, hehe). I am searching some advice and I think this is the best place to get it!. I apologize in advance for the long post! and thank you all for reading! My...

Following the new discovery of gravitational waves by LIGO, I just want to make sure I understand the concept of these waves. I believe I currently have a novice understanding of gravitational waves: when a large, fairly sudden change happens to the position of a particle (acceleration or its...

As a Mechanical engineering graduate who aspires to become an Astrophysicist one day but only has a formal knowledge in Physics, is getting a masters degree in theoretical physics a right step towards my goal of becoming an Astrophysicist?

There's this game called sword of the stars and one of the most interesting weapons is the meson beam. Essentially what happens is that mesons are generated and accelerated close to the speed of light so that they decay once they're inside an enemy ship, thus bypassing all defenses and creating...

Just humour me, if you had an infinitely thin cone, would the surface area inside the cone be the same surface area on the outside of the cone? It must be right? Is there a formula for the surface areas of the inside and outside of a cone WITH thickness?

Okay so to start, this is just about the most random inapplicable proposal ever, so bear with me. Its just a cool question to consider. So, here goes: What would happen, (again, this is highly theoretical) in the instance that an enormous screen - much like the ones that rests behind most...

Among the following programs, which are the best for theoretical particle physics? Stony Brook, Penn State, Iowa State, Urbana Champaign, Arizona, Arizona State, Georgia Tech, Florida, Tennesse KnoxVille Are there some other programs of lower ranking in the league tables, but has a strong high...

If we were living in a two dimensional world. would we know about angular momentum of an object?

I am not looking for homework help on how to do the math for vectors and momentum. Nor do I expect to understand the answer theoretically, but is/has any work been done that examines what it is that "carries" or encodes or transfers momentum? By this I mean that a particle receives energy from...

I am 30 years old and doing a degree in pure maths wishing to work towards a Phd in pure maths. Think I will be late 30's when finished with this Phd. Unfortunately, I am not a maths genius and they say a job in pure maths is extremely difficult. Being close to 40 doesn't help either. If after a...

I heard they sometimes need to use powerful computers or see the experiment and results.

Hi guys, I am an italian student in the first year of Msc in physics. I'd like to make a good Physics Phd in USA/Canada in one of the top 30 cosmology schools(I know some good place in Europe, such as ETH, Scuola Normale di Pisa,...). I'd like to make theoretical cosmology. For now I'm...

Hello i am thinking of going into university for physics. ... i am plannig to stop only at a phd and i wanted to ask about the work opportunities in lebanon (my country) and beyon for this kind of degree taking into consideration that i will most likly graduate with a theoretical physics phd of...

I am writing a novel about time travel and don't quite understand the theoretical science behind it. If I understand correctly, Einstein's General Relativity theory opened up the door for the possibility of time travel even though he dismissed the idea as impractical. Einstein proved...

live in malaysia and holding an UEC certificate, which our national university won't accept.And I can't find any university in my country and Singapore, axcept nation university in Malaysia,offer the theoretical physics couses and my family cannot afford the cost to study oversea.Should I just...

I have done MSc in Quantum Field Theory and want to apply to the US for graduate studies, i.e. a PhD. Since the country I come from, Theory is not very popular, and research is usually done before PhD and nit before it, I don't have any research experience. I have done a project though, on...

Hello everyone. So I have this one question which I thought was going to be pretty easy, but now I struggle with it. It says: 1. The question A rock is thrown vertically up in the air with an initial velocity of 0.75ms-1. What would the rock's maximum theoretical height be? I am currently in...

One of the most accurate formulas for dispersion is the Sellmeier equation: n^2(\lambda) = 1 + \sum_i \frac{B_i \lambda^2}{\lambda^2 - C_i} Dispersion does not arise with Huygen's Principle. Is there a theoretical model that describes dispersion and explains why Sellmeier's equation takes the...

Hello everyone, as those of you who have helped with my other threads know I'm currently a high school student and an aspiring physicist. I'd like to start out my post by saying that I completely understand that I am very early to be thinking this far ahead, especially when I haven't experienced...

Could there perhaps ever be floating cities? If we could get the type of technology that sends rockets into space, and have the boosters running at a constant and equal velocity inversely, could this cause anything to levitate? If so, would this even be habitable? Considering that the fumes...

For all of you who are thinking I'm a complete doofus... you're right :oldeyes: Unfortunately, I'm getting ready to apply for graduate school, and I'm still deciding which sub-field to apply to. On one hand, I would feel most at home doing research with practical applications, especially in...

I'm an UG and I'm looking to major in theoretical physics, I learned that Elementary particle physics, plasma physics and condensed matter physics are of major importance. If so, of what importance are they?

Would you recommend this book as a first exposure to mathematical methods? How high a lever is this book of? Is it out-of-date or still quiet useful?

I'm between Maynooth University Department of Mathematical Physics and Trinity College Dublin Undergraduate Moderatorship in Theoretical Physics Tell me, how it works when this study program...

Can anyone tell me the level of difficulty (approximately) of getting into QS world ranking top 150 theoretical physics graduate programs in Europe? ex. ETH Zurich, Durham University, University of Amsterdam, Uppsala University, etc.

There are two courses I can take for a Differential Equations class at my school. One is for Engineering students and is described this way (I'm a physics major fyi): This course presents an introduction to the theory of differential equations from an applied perspective. Topics include linear...

Hi guys, i have been tasked with matching the upper a theoretical curve (seen in the picture-blue) to the upper experimental part. So far in an attempt to do this i have tried changing a single parameter in the equation i used to generate the theoretical curve, so that the sum of the differences...

Do you guys know wether Leonard Susskind is going to release the next theoretical minimum book which is expected to be focused on special relativity and electrodynamics?

Hi, I'm looking for a good book to study multivariable calculus from that would fit a proof-based undergraduate math course. The emphasis should be on RIGOROUS proofs, theorems and presentation of concepts. I really need a book that would be approachable for self-study with clear and...

I have come across a serious problem in my studies. I like to self-study, but I am wrestling between different study methods. I have at least three options on how to read material: Read through it Derive every formula yourself (~6x extra time) Read the title and outline, and re-invent the...

Homework Statement After performing a lab experiment to determine the conductivity if Pasco conductivity paper, I found the conductivity to be 0.195 Ωm. We found conductivity by graphing measured values of voltage (y axis) and the length (x axis) between the probes of a voltmeter that are...

What is the most important factors that determine if a candidate can be admitted into top theoretical physics PHD program? Since undergraduate students are most likely not able to produce significant research paper, will universities put more emphasis on GRE and GPA?

Which is the best theoretical Physics Journal of year 2015 ?

Homework Statement [/B] This is not a typical homework problem, so I hope I am posting this in the correct place. I am in 12th grade physics and we are dealing with basic kinematics. However, we recently did a set of problems that I did in a way which makes sense and which our textbook (and the...

I have applied for a degree in TPAM, theoretical physics and applied maths at Birmingham. I just want confirmation: This degree is filled with a lot of maths similar to that found in the Further Pure syllabus of A-level, correct? I have seen third year notes from someone who took the same degree...

I like physics but i don't want to worry about having enough money to afford a house or an apartment and l like would like to eat out without a coupon.

Homework Statement So, we did a lab wherein we rolled a 1.001kg cart down a 24.4 degree slope. We used a ticker tape timer and are trying to find the frictional force of the ticker tape timer alone. The problem is, I can't figure out how to find the acceleration for the equation Homework...

Hi, Im in my final undergraduate year of a physics major. I need to prepare a short presentation for "The mass of a photon" in my theoretical physics class. I do not do particle physics at a high level, so I don't have much experience in this field. Can anyone recommend me a source or key...

I'm making some theoretical modelling for a system, which is effectively 1d in the sense that it is much longer the wide. This means (like in model for quantized conductance) that the energy bands are parabolas with a spacing equal to the energy difference between the ground state, first excited...

This is just a general theoretical question. If i have a piece of wood that is wrapped with coils and then run a current through these coils. Will the magnetic field generated by this cause a voltage in a conductor if it is close enough to it? If this is the case could you explain how that...