Tips Definition and 553 Threads

Question at topic title.

So my girlfriend and I are moving to Boston in August so I can attend grad school there. But neither of us have moved to another town before, so we don't really know how the logistics work. I'm looking for any tips or tricks or things to watch out for about the actual mechanics of moving to and...

Although it's my first choice, I don't see high hopes of having a career in academia. As such, I've decided not to put all of my eggs in the same basket, and instead first set myself up for a backup option in the industry. The issue is that my interest lies with providing smart grid...

I've been a bad student my entire life, and I'm 22 now. My goal right now is to become an electrical engineer. Problem is that I do just enough to pass. My GPA is at about a 3.0 and classes are getting harder. I'm almost done with my lower division and I know my GPA is going to drop more...

How can I prove that every finite domain has an identity element? How should I think about the problem and what should I take into consideration?

I'm interested in building a model rocket. Someone told me about water rockets and this looks pretty cool but are there any other guides or videos you can refer me to? I also have no experience in rocketry

I'm a graduate with a BS in Mechanical Engineering with a minor in Aerospace Engineering. It is my dream to work in the Aerospace field. As I've learned since I graduated, it's a field where folks want 3+ years of experience most of the time which I'm told (and kind of assumed) has a lot to...

Today I totally bombed my physics (Mock college entrance) exam. I mis read questions, pressed the wrong button on the calculator etc.. This has always happened to me. Whenever I do an exam I both figuratively and literally crumble to pieces. (dry skin) Does anyone have any tips for...

I'm wondering if I can make this task easier, since I've ruined a lot of grids lately. Currently, I'm trying to use tweezers, but I lack the subtlety to grip them firmly enough without bending them. We can't use vacuum on them since it would potentially contaminate our samples. I've thought...

Homework Statement A uniform rectangular wood block of mass M, with length b and height a, rests on an incline as shown. The incline and the wood block have a coefficient of static friction, μs. The incline is moved upwards from an angle of zero through an angle θ. At some critical angle the...

Ive been accepted to University of Texas at Austin as a physics major! Still waiting on a reply from MIT but I am not holding my breath. I was wondering if anybody has any tips for a soon-to-be physics major, or perhaps anyone who actually attended UT Austin who could offer some tips about the...

If you are a student, or a budding entrepreneur, your R&D budget may be limited. But it is during this time that getting your hands on material is most important! I've had some success with (what is basically) e-begging so I'm sharing my strategies with anyone that can make use of them 1)...

Well I'm a really great physics student, but our teacher told us that no one will get a perfect score on the exam we're going to be taking on wednesday, but I believe that i can do it. Do you guys have any good test taking procedures that you do before a test?

Hi! I'm new to college so i have a few questions. What specific things do you pay attention to when in a mathematics heavy course? Have you tried using tablets or laptops to take notes? For those of you that have used tablets do you have a recommendation for a specific tablet and programs?

First, how and where did you learn LaTeX? I want to get started, but I have been shocked at how unhelpful the resources at the top of my Google searches have been. Second, what applications do you write and compile in? I've heard of "Emacs," but I'm not sure if this is as related as I would...

I've a digital camera since 2005 and it started going bad maybe 1 or 2 years ago. Basically most of the time when I want to take a photo it turns automatically in filming mod. I have to wait/shake the camera in order for it to turn back to photo mod and that's pretty annoying; even more...

I want to be better at math. I'm not horrible, but I'm not great either. I want to be able to calculate things fast and with accuracy. Tips?

Heading to Italy! Any tips? So I am heading to Italy tomorrow for a 3-week adventure! It actually starts in Malta for 3 days (an island south of Sicily) and then we head to Sicily for a few days and then we travel up the Western coast of Italy. The destinations are as follows...

Hello guys, I have a physics midterm coming up on 11/29, and I am studying all day, everyday during this thanksgiving break. The reason why I am studying so hard is because I have never taken physics in high school, and now in freshman year of college, I am struggling with General Physics...

As finals are approaching, I'm looking for practice final exams from other universities which will allow me to test my knowledge and prepare for exams. So if anyone is willing to share/has links to a collection of practice tests of Quantum and Classical Mechanics at the undergraduate level, that...

Hello, I'm now enrolled in a class that talks about charge, electric field, magnetic field, and inductance. I really need help on how to study smart for physics test. I've been studying physics for 2 weeks until the test. Every time I took it, I still get the low scores on the test. The...

Can anybody tell me tips on how I can develop intution in mathematics. I am Senior. I get great score, but I want to push up limits, i.e. I want to be fast and accurate and also do math questions without any paper. ...

Hello, I interesting in making a high voltage power supply for capillary electrophoresis. Not much power is required and the DC does not need totally noise free so I figure this gives me a lot of flexibility. I would love the ability to adjust the voltage at 5kv increments in maybe a 5-30kv...

Hi, folks. I'm currently in Calc. III, and having a very hard time. Right now, each one of my home-work assignments seem to take hours. I'll spend 30 min. on one problem, get it wrong, do it again, and again, and again—until I finally get it right. It's taking huge amounts of time, and when I...

I'm currently doing Electrical Engineering. My main problem is math, and it's mostly my fault. I did the minimum work I needed in calculus 1 and 2 and it's kicking my butt in calculus 3 (I have failed it once before). I don't remember the basic stuff from calculus 1 and 2 is the big problem...

Disclaimer: I have zero electrical engineering/physics/math experience. In fact, I am a painting major. (Laugh it up) That said, I've been dreaming for quite some time of a very exacting music visualizer which would put all other music visualizers to shame, in that it would have a different...

Ive found Fluids and Heat Transfer stuff to be difficult so far in my learning. I, for some reason, can't put everything together and feel like there is just this overwhelming abundance of equations that you need to know how to manipulate to get what is asked. My issue is that I don't know...

Hi, This isn't a homework question. I need help on how to go about solving 2D kinematics problems. My teacher is terrible and doesn't even teach. It seems like it should be pretty straight forward with solving these, but I'm just having a hard time. If someone could give me tips on how to...

Hi guys, It seems like a lifetime ago that I started my undergraduate journey (which actually began here: https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=222143 if anyone's interested). I'm just now beginning my 4th year of an Honours B.Sc. in mathematics with a minor in physics, and I'm...

It's still summer and it's like an oven where I live. Since air-conditionings are either ridiculously expensive or does not exist. Let us share some ways to overcome it. Post your methods Put your clothes (I put even my underwear) in the freezer overnight. Wear it after you take a shower Eat...

Hi all, I'm sure this subject has already been posted before, so please forgive me if this seems like a rehashed post. I know from google searches what the GRE is, but how exactly is it different from a physics GRE? And do I have to take both? I know that probably depends on what grad...

What are some ways you intertwine logic into syntax, so the two can work together? Does pseudo code help?

Hello, What would be the best way to write Engineering Research Papers at an Bachelor Level. I mean how to go about choosing the topic? And doing actual research about it? I mean I know it all depends on the interest of a person,but choosing a topic or a technology to write upon is a...

50 Fun Things for Professors to Do on the First Day of Class 1. Wear a hood with one eyehole. Periodically make strange gurgling noises. 2. After confirming everyone's names on the roll, thank the class for attending "Advanced Astrodynamics 690" and mention that yesterday was the...

anyone who has majored in geology, please give tips, advice, warnings, pros, cons

I know that mesh method can only be used in loops without inside loops. Kirchhoff's laws for few unknowns. And nodal analysis can be used for analyzing almost all circuits, right? But what to use for an easier solution? I know that it is dependent to what is given but I just want to have an...

Hi, I'm a raising college sophomore. I took Calc I through IV in high school and I'm on track to major in a completely different field (non-science) which I also love at a fine arts school which doesn't have a math dept. After college, I want to get a PhD in Math. To gain admission and...

I am going to university this fall to Toronto University, the best university in Canada. Based off of your experiences with studying physics what would you recommend a freshman student to do for success in studying physics and mathematics?

Stuff you need to know before attending unicorn camp:

Hi, I'm building a pair of helmholtz coils to do a variety of magnetism-related experiments. I've borrowed an old Avo Douglas coil winder and plan to do a couple of thousand turns on two sections of 50mm or 60mm diameter pipe. Some nylon threaded rod will pass through the middle of each coil...

Here are some: Skip class if the teacher is not very good at lecturing and stay at home using that time to teach yourself the lesson to understand the material, or come to class but do homework (for that class, or for other classes during the non effective lecture.) (But only do that if the...

im a sophomore at a junior college, and my calculus III prof. keeps ranting and raving about how we need to have better study skills, since at a 4 yr. university, in upper division math, science, engineering courses they go at a faster pace and cover more difficult subject matter. unfortunately...

please answer simple and descriptively

Hi, This is my first post. I've been mulling over whether to go back to university and study physics for years now. I've always had a passing fascination but have been constantly aware that I'm picking up the glamourous 'new scientist' end of the field and that real physics is, in all...

Homework Statement I'm currently doing Physics 12. Its about electric fields, voltage, current, power, gravitation field and series, parallel and series-parallel circuits. I've already taken the test once and got 48% because I didn't fully study the last section which involved...

I'm aiming to have applied for a Ph.D. or two by the end of this week, been meaning to do this for months but coursework & exam preparations have left me with no spare time until now. The first thing I wanted to ask is, is it realistically possible to make a good, complete application for a...

Homework Statement I'm just looking for ideas, like how to proceed with various problems and how to counter them. Almost all problems I have encountered so far haven't been very much like the examples, but instead kind of vague and dependant on trigonometry and vectors. Right now I'm stuck...

We just got into this topic and my teacher gave me an "introductory assignment" Homework Statement 1.) A 0.22 rifle bullet, traveling at 350 m/s, strikes a block of soft wood, which it penetrates to a depth of 0.130 m. The block of wood is clamped in place and doesn't move. The mass of the...

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