| Subject | Date Asked |
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| quantum physics | 11/21/2009 |
Q: Something about this theory bugs me. Essentially it is all too complex to be true. The various ...
A: Quantum mechanics bugs a lot of people, but it works fantastically well and it's stood up to nearly ...
|
| How many times the power would a sprinter have to produce to run ten times as fast? | 11/21/2009 |
Q: I've been wondering about the relation of power to speed, and I'd like it if you could clarify some ...
A: You are, of course, assuming that air resistance is the main resistance to a runner's motion. At ...
|
| electrostatics | 11/19/2009 |
Q: what is it said that a moving automobile becomes charged ? ANSWER: Do you mean "why is it said" ...
A: Air won't charge up a vehicle much, though it is another charging (and discharging) mechanism. Air ...
|
| Re: | 11/19/2009 |
Q: First off, I am not in school, I am trying to build a machine utilizing hydraulics to push something ...
A: The equations all work, actually, because the distance listed accounts for the radius of part B as ...
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| electrostatics | 11/18/2009 |
Q: what is it said that a moving automobile becomes charged ?
A: Do you mean "why is it said" rather than "what is it said?" If so, then it's because an object like ...
|
| observations | 11/12/2009 |
Q: I know under the rules of the quantum, that when we observe a particle, we change it, but how do we ...
A: I'll point you to this: http://www.aip.org/history/heisenberg/p08a.htm Based on some pretty ...
|
| building catapults | 11/11/2009 |
Q: I am not sure if you will be able to help me with my problem, if you cant it would be appreciated if ...
A: I would suggest a combined approach. Use both the lead weight and the rubber band for energy, so ...
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| water bottle physics | 11/10/2009 |
Q: Is there any physics laws that can be applied to water bottle covers cracking with normal usage? We ...
A: This really seems more like a manufacturing problem, like you got a bad batch of plastic in those ...
|
| Energy transformation | 11/10/2009 |
Q: I have been teaching about energy transformation and transfer to a primary level class (7-8 year ...
A: For your first one I'd need a picture, I think. I'm not sure what your toy looks like. For the ...
|
| Water Suction | 11/8/2009 |
Q: I hope I went to the right person for this question.. I have made a gold dredge and I am trying to ...
A: Is the gravel under water or dry? This is kind of the opposite of an air lift used for salvage ...
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| Electron's location in any atom | 11/8/2009 |
Q: My question is further to your reply on electron location. The below is your reply to somebody on ...
A: You cannot simultaneously measure the position and momentum of an electron beyond a certain accuracy ...
|
| magnetism - increasing magnetic flux | 11/7/2009 |
Q: I'm curious as to how and why the magnetic flux increases for a magnet when you place stainless ...
A: First, stainless steel is generally non-magnetic. Raw iron and ordinary steel are magnetic, but ...
|
| Water Suction | 11/6/2009 |
Q: I hope I went to the right person for this question.. I have made a gold dredge and I am trying to ...
A: How do you get the air bubbles out? I mean, when you're under water the air has time to escape, but ...
|
| Speed | 11/5/2009 |
Q: How would I calculate the speed if given the % heavier than the true weight as a car goes through a ...
A: The extra "apparent weight" of the car is due to centripetal acceleration of the car in the bottom ...
|
| Acceleration due to gravity | 11/5/2009 |
Q: How do I find the height above earth where the acceleration due to gravity at a percentage of its ...
A: You use the basic formula for gravitational acceleration, GM/r^2 where G is the gravitational ...
|
| Electron's location in any atom | 11/5/2009 |
Q: My question is further to your reply on electron location. The below is your reply to somebody on ...
A: No, these theorems are based on physical experiments with particles. An electron exists in an ...
|
| The Classic Egg Drop | 11/4/2009 |
Q: This year, my Junior Physics teacher wants our class to compete at the Physics Fair in the Egg ...
A: Well, you could use rubber. It's biodegradeable. You could make a sling of rubber bands and put ...
|
| Question | 11/3/2009 |
Q: Sir, I've read that to locate an electron in a shell or in an atom, we have to pass a light of ...
A: OK, there's a lot of things wrong here. Some gamma rays can have extremely small wavelengths (far ...
|
| science fair expert talk | 11/3/2009 |
Q: 1.Do you know much about bridge physics. 2.What would you say is the strongest bridge type: ...
A: Bridges are just statics and strength of materials, but on a very large scale. Strength is as much ...
|
| physics book for highschool student | 11/2/2009 |
Q: I am looking for a book which is suitable for high school student that cover most of high school ...
A: You might try Walker's book. Any book labeled Physics for Scientists and Engineers will be meant ...
|
| Rate of ascent of weather balloons | 11/2/2009 |
Q: The rate of ascent of a weather balloon is considered to be approximately constant, (although I've ...
A: The rate of ascent is "approximately" constant. It does eventually slow down and stop. The ...
|
| Calculations and Theory involved for Car Collisions | 11/2/2009 |
Q: I'm not too sure if you may be able to help me, but any input ins very much appreciated. I had just ...
A: I've gotten these questions before, they rarely turn out with definitive answers. That said, ...
|
| Hello!! | 10/29/2009 |
Q: my name is Jose and i go to a magnet school in the 6th grade. I am currently working on a project ...
A: Now that we have a question and a test to work with, I can help. The density will be the first ...
|
| nuclear physics | 10/28/2009 |
Q: sir i want to know that when a beta particle is emiited from a nucleus ,an antinutrino is also ...
A: Actually, we accept as tenets of physics that energy and momentum are conserved. We observe these ...
|
| Hello!! | 10/27/2009 |
Q: my name is Jose and i go to a magnet school in the 6th grade. I am currently working on a project ...
A: A science fair project is a science project that answers a question. First, to be able to answer ...
|
| hello | 10/24/2009 |
Q: 1-why most people build their summer house near the sea? 2-why Lv "latent heat vaporization" it's ...
A: Frist one, the evaporating water robs the air of heat. The ocean moderates the heat. The heats are ...
|
| Inverted Pendulum on a moving platform | 10/23/2009 |
Q: I am currently working on the effect of vehicle acceleration on standing passengers. For simplicity, ...
A: Well, you seem to have all the mass at the end and a pendulum of length L standing nearly vertical ...
|
| electromagnetic induction | 10/19/2009 |
Q: A varying magnetic field is confined to an area smaller than that of a conducting loop surrounding ...
A: Well, since flux is what matters and flux is field*area you would obviously use the *flux* over the ...
|
| interview questions for science project | 10/18/2009 |
Q: I'm doing a project on how far a Wooden Glider Flies if you change characteristics of the wings.This ...
A: Some of your questions have answers, some don't. 1) A wooden glider has no thrust. Hence glider. ...
|
| project | 10/18/2009 |
Q: during our last conversation as i told u that i ve been doing a project so i need ed to ask u that ...
A: Uranium-pigmented glass is already used in many things, however its from naturally occurring (i.e. ...
|
| Spinning concentric spheres | 10/17/2009 |
Q: Imagine a machine that consists of three perfectly balanced concentric spheres. (ie one iside the ...
A: Sure, there might be some tiny precession of the individual spheres during acceleration, but the ...
|
| Forces | 10/14/2009 |
Q: This isn't a homework question, it is more of a question to generally understand physics and force ...
A: Forces in general can be thought of as the exchange between two objects of a flux. Flux is kinda ...
|
| physics | 10/13/2009 |
Q: explain when a cup fall from a certain height 'h' then it broke into pieces why?and which type of ...
A: The forces on the cup exceeded the shattering strength of the material it was made of during impact. ...
|
| Particle physics | 10/6/2009 |
Q: My Question is this:- Is it possible that the Higgs particle and the Graviton are one and the same ...
A: No, by "particle" they still don't mean something like you envision (a grain of sand or a proton or ...
|
| Unitary Operator | 10/5/2009 |
Q: I have a question. Is it possible to apply a different unitary operator on the each component of a ...
A: This sounds like a quantum mechanics question, but the way it's phrased I can't tell exactly what ...
|
| energy conservation | 10/5/2009 |
Q: This may or may not be your type of question, but I don't know any other field to submit it to. ...
A: This depends on a couple factors of the dryer's design, but the basic thermal physics of evaporation ...
|
| Ice | 10/2/2009 |
Q: if i were to put a ice into a bowl of liquid than is constanly below 0 degree celcius and the ice is ...
A: Technically there's a thermal probability even below freezing that the water molecules will diffuse ...
|
| please help | 9/30/2009 |
Q: ,i was wondering if u could help me with this, i need the general equation of motion. a robot is ...
A: Well, since I know nothing about its walking motion then no I can't. Or about the magnitude of this ...
|
| Depth and distance perception | 9/29/2009 |
Q: I have read quite a bit about these and am trying to determine what factors would affect these and ...
A: Motion of a viewer doesn't really affect depth perception of an object which is stationary relative ...
|
| kinetic sculpture | 9/29/2009 |
Q: I am trying to make a wind driven sculpture. This sculpture will have several points of rotation. ...
A: The principle difference between his design and yours appears to be one of symmetry. His has more ...
|
| Prism | 9/29/2009 |
Q: i know that when white light passes through a prism, it would diffuse into 7 colours, but when it ...
A: It'll separate, just like light passing through a prism, the bend angle will just be the opposite ...
|
| magnetic strip | 9/29/2009 |
Q: I have a card at school-much like a credit card. i can use it at the school store. The magnetic ...
A: Heat can de-magnetize materials. Unfortunately, what you have on your card isn't just ...
|
| light | 9/27/2009 |
Q: Is the space really empty(no medium)? Then how a wave(light wave) can travel in that empty space?
A: Empty space isn't really empty. There are quantum particle/antiparticle pairs popping in and out of ...
|
| Particle Accelerator | 9/27/2009 |
Q: I am attempting to build a traditional particle accelerator using a van de Graff and a Vacuum tube. ...
A: OK, let's start with some basics. First, particle accelerators require licenses. They're not hard ...
|
| Self Quenching In Geiger-Muller Counter | 9/26/2009 |
Q: Can you please explain the following (the capitalized text)? "The ions of the quenching gas reach ...
A: A Geiger counter is an avalanche detector, relying on runaway multiplication of electrons. A ...
|
| The Earth | 9/25/2009 |
Q: when we are at the bottom of the earth(South Pole), we are able to stand and not fall off the earth ...
A: You're assuming that the person in the spaceship has a spaceship whose roof always points North. If ...
|
| Science | 9/25/2009 |
Q: when we take a lift from a higher level to a lower level, am i right to say take when the lift is ...
A: It would reduce their impact speed, but you can only jump up a couple of feet in the air. This was ...
|
| physics | 9/23/2009 |
Q: why a swimmer diving into a pool of water doesn't get hurt?
A: The forces on a swimmer diving into a pool of water, because the water moves out of the way, are not ...
|
| Measurement Questions | 9/23/2009 |
Q: Im a 8th grade student and part of our homework is to ask a scientist questions. These are our 5 ...
A: Well, I don't usually answer homework questions but I'll point you to resources where you can do ...
|
| Pumping with Compressed Air | 9/23/2009 |
Q: I recently asked this question of James Kovalcin. I have a follow up but apparently he is ...
A: It should work. The only way it wouldn't work at all is if the air on the supply to the controller ...
|
| Physics inside a galvanic cell | 9/22/2009 |
Q: I am puzzled about the physical forces acting on charge carriers inside a simple cell. My ...
A: In a battery like the Daniel cell or the Gravity Cell (a variant): ...
|
| Pumping with Compressed Air | 9/22/2009 |
Q: I recently asked this question of James Kovalcin. I have a follow up but apparently he is ...
A: 200 meters of supply line? That will reduce pressure dramatically, depending on flow rate and ...
|
| Pumping with Compressed Air | 9/21/2009 |
Q: I recently asked this question of James Kovalcin. I have a follow up but apparently he is ...
A: I can't fault his math or his physics, it really should pump that high and only the vertical rate of ...
|
| Quantum theory | 9/20/2009 |
Q: Do you know any websites where I can computer simulations that presented important concepts of the ...
A: This guy has a whole mess of neat ones: http://www.falstad.com/mathphysics.html This one's for the ...
|
| Physics inside a galvanic cell | 9/19/2009 |
Q: I am puzzled about the physical forces acting on charge carriers inside a simple cell. My ...
A: Focus on the piece about the salt bridge. A battery needs something to neutralize the ion buildup ...
|
| Irrational values in a real universe. | 9/18/2009 |
Q: Can the physical characteristics (velocity, temperature, mass, etc.) of tangible objects have an ...
A: Pi isn't irrational, it's transcendental. Meaning it goes on forever without ever repeating its ...
|
| Science fair help | 9/15/2009 |
Q: Hey there! My name is Jenny, and I was wondering if you had any science fair project ideas on ...
A: OK, for astronomy projects there are a few out there like this: ...
|
| clinker | 9/15/2009 |
Q: I am studying the frequency distribution of size of crystals in a cement clinker. As a clinker is ...
A: This is definitely outside my regular field of expertise, but I did a quick search anyhow and found ...
|
| Science fair help | 9/14/2009 |
Q: Hey there! My name is Jenny, and I was wondering if you had any science fair project ideas on ...
A: The problem is that you've picked a very specific area of physics. General relativity is extremely ...
|
| Beer eruption | 9/14/2009 |
Q: Question is related to a screenplay I'm writing. I couldn't find a good explanation on the ...
A: This is actually a really good question, because I've seen this (my friends used to do this in ...
|
| Science fair help | 9/13/2009 |
Q: Hey there! My name is Jenny, and I was wondering if you had any science fair project ideas on ...
A: Technically you're stuck, since relativity projects don't currently have practical applications and ...
|
| Magnetism | 9/10/2009 |
Q: Respected sir I am a student of class 12 How do birds navigate using the earths magnetic field ?
A: This is a little outside my area. It's believed that magnetite deposits in their beaks allow them ...
|
| nuclear physics | 9/10/2009 |
Q: what if depleted uranium is used in braces or any other isotope from nuclear waste could be used in ...
A: Basic experiment involving nuclear waste? No. It takes special equipment and training to handle ...
|
| quantum | 9/10/2009 |
Q: I previously asked a question relating to a electron or any wave function, inside a box, covering ...
A: The wavefunction does collapse upon interaction, it's actually still a distributed thing until then. ...
|
| Color effect in B & W program | 9/9/2009 |
Q: I've been wondering about this for the longest time, and was hoping that you'd be able to explain ...
A: Only when you have grids? And is it particular to your TV? If so then I'd say you're getting a ...
|
| quantum | 9/9/2009 |
Q: I'm reading a book by Paul Davies and need to clear something. I understand teh quantum has its own ...
A: If I have a Geiger counter, it's fully capable of resolving the decay of a radioactive nucleus like ...
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| nuclear physics | 9/8/2009 |
Q: what if depleted uranium is used in braces or any other isotope from nuclear waste could be used in ...
A: First, think of fuel recycling: http://www.nationalcenter.org/NuclearFastReactorsSA1205.pdf The ...
|
| Weird Atom based Sci-fi Query :) | 9/7/2009 |
Q: I’m betting this may be one of the weirder questions you’ll get today. There is, however, method to ...
A: OK, so your guy wants to commit suicide and dissociate into individual atoms. Relatively easy, ...
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| quantum | 9/7/2009 |
Q: I'm reading a book by Paul Davies and need to clear something. I understand teh quantum has its own ...
A: It's not magic. Upon interaction, the wavefunction of a particle collapses to a definite state. It ...
|
| distance | 9/7/2009 |
Q: I want to increase the distance in my spring loaded gun. How do I do that I want a 2 or 3 ounce ...
A: You'll need to be more specific, I have no idea what your design looks like or what the spring ...
|
| wind-up hybrid vehicle | 9/6/2009 |
Q: How is it impossible to power a vehicle using the idea of torsional springs as in wind-up toys,if ...
A: Weight and durability. Springs have very low energy densities compared to their sizes. If you make ...
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| nuclear physics | 9/5/2009 |
Q: what if depleted uranium is used in braces or any other isotope from nuclear waste could be used in ...
A: Braces? Well, it is incredibly dense material, and I've heard of it used in bullets, aircraft ...
|
| energy in humans | 9/4/2009 |
Q: I attended a recent lecture on the mind. One of the main things that was said is that they can ...
A: I believe you mean "sort of" and not "sought of," as well as "exists" and not "exits." That said, ...
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| nuclear physics | 9/4/2009 |
Q: im doing a science project and its research based project and im working on recycling of nuclear ...
A: Uranium is a heavy metal and therefore not good for you chemically. Depleted uranium is really not ...
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| physics | 9/4/2009 |
Q: Cats have nine lives Folks claim that “cats have nine lives” because when they are thrown at a ...
A: Cats generally land on their feet because while angular momentum is conserved they can alter their ...
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| Time and Energy | 9/2/2009 |
Q: I was thinking about time travel and one thing still puzzles me. Energy can't be created or ...
A: You'd be relocating it in spacetime, until the point where you sent its original copy back in time. ...
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| Car crash | 9/2/2009 |
Q: I was driving across a roundabout, a girl in a car was not looking and drove into me. Her offside ...
A: On the face of it, you'd appear to be right about the sternum and the direction, but I'd need photos ...
|
| few questions | 9/2/2009 |
Q: 1)which of the follwing travels faster in optical fiber, uv lighy, invisible IR ,visible light, or ...
A: 1) That depends on the dispersion relation in the particular optical fiber, and there are two kinds. ...
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| astrophysics science fair project idea | 9/2/2009 |
Q: I am in the 8th grade, but I am highly capable of a 12th grade project. I was wondering if you could ...
A: The vacuum that we can create on Earth is nowhere near as good as the vacuum that gravitation ...
|
| Evanescent Wave Project | 8/31/2009 |
Q: I am a college freshman and am involved with a junior physics program in which we help middle ...
A: This is pretty specific and a little outside my subfield, but I'll try to help you out. First, a ...
|
| windmills | 8/31/2009 |
Q: I am trying to make a windmill. Please look at my sketch. Can you think of an answer to my two ...
A: Well there's no material I know of that acts as a one-way valve for air, and no static structure. ...
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| color | 8/31/2009 |
Q: why dont red, sunburned feet look as red above water than they do underwater?
A: Well that depends on the water and the background. I always thought sunburned feet looked more red ...
|
| massless particles | 8/27/2009 |
Q: its been brought to my attention that there may exist particles that contain no mass. If so, I have ...
A: Photons are massless particles. In physics, the word "particle" is used to mean that it is absorbed ...
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| Classical Physics | 8/26/2009 |
Q: Sir, I have few doubts in using Newton's second law F = ma. Consider the following situation. ...
A: You won't observe a force that has a proportionality constant equal to the mass, that's what's ...
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| physics | 8/26/2009 |
Q: How can I design an experiment to measure the center of gravity of doughnut, if I know its center is ...
A: An actual doughnut or a torus of general material? I guess that doesn't matter, just use the ...
|
| microwave damage to water | 8/25/2009 |
Q: <my health food friends tell me that you should not eat food from the microwave because it destroys ...
A: No, that's crazy-talk. The microwave doesn't destroy all nutrients and it absolutely will not alter ...
|
| problem in physics | 8/25/2009 |
Q: SIR,THANKS FOR ANSWER THAT THE ROPE'S VELOCITY IS THE COMPONENT OF BLOCK'S VELOCITY.BUT I HAVE ONE ...
A: No, even if the angle theta that you draw is not 45 degrees you can draw a right triangle. It ...
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| Classical Physics | 8/24/2009 |
Q: Sir, I have few doubts in using Newton's second law F = ma. Consider the following situation. ...
A: If there was a force proportional to the acceleration of the charge, then it could not have this ...
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| theory | 8/21/2009 |
Q: Now you know how gravity and mass effect each other. How they both manipulate the other. And how ...
A: Only huge densities of light energy could do that, but yes. Here's a related paper. Einstein's ...
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| electrostatics | 8/21/2009 |
Q: a very long straight uniformly charged thread carries a charge lambda (k) per unit length. find the ...
A: Something's missing from the answer, because the way you stated the question the answer is off by a ...
|
| gravity and friction | 8/21/2009 |
Q: what are some of the effects of gravity and friction on speed?
A: The answer is entirely situation dependent. Are you talking about kinetic (sliding) or static ...
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| Physics | 8/17/2009 |
Q: Consider a body (For example a metal Sphere). What will be the forces acting on the body if it is ...
A: Sure, if it's designed right. The system will settle to a stable state after a while (you're ...
|
| Secondary wavelets | 8/14/2009 |
Q: I read about the Huygens priciple of secondary wavelets and how they act as sources of disturbance ...
A: Light is an electromagnetic wave, which does not travel through a medium like water waves. Its ...
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| Secondary wavelets | 8/14/2009 |
Q: I read about the Huygens priciple of secondary wavelets and how they act as sources of disturbance ...
A: Why would they suddenly stop and go backwards? That would violate conservation of momentum. The ...
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| gravitation | 8/12/2009 |
Q: what is the main difference in the newtons gravitatinal view and that of eistein in which einstein ...
A: Newtonian physics assumes that light travels at infinite speed, and that the force of gravity simply ...
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| capacitor | 8/12/2009 |
Q: i wanted to ask that why in a capacitor the charges are not neutralised when there is no dielectric ...
A: You'll notice lightning discharges after building up. You need to reach a voltage of roughly (rule ...
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| physics | 8/11/2009 |
Q: Mr. Steve :-) If a curve with a radius of 88 m is banked for a car travelling 75 km/h, What should ...
A: Well, you asked me what it should be but you already know the answer. You're going to have to ...
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| gravity | 8/11/2009 |
Q: How the gravitational energy get conserved in earth(for example)? It is attracting each and ...
A: You seem more to need the law of conservation of energy explained. The rest of this sounds like ...
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| light | 8/11/2009 |
Q: What is real and virtual image? And tell me about diffraction, interference and polarisation please.
A: I'll explain part of this and then refer you to hyperphysics because you don't have a specific ...
|
| atom question | 8/6/2009 |
Q: what happens inside an atom when it is excited by a collision
A: The wavefunction (basically, the spatial distribution) of an electron in an excited atom spreads out ...
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| electricity | 8/6/2009 |
Q: I was surprised to read in a textbook that although we understand electricity enough to describe its ...
A: Electricity is the flow of charges. We play with charges all the time and know quite well what they ...
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| current as a vector | 8/5/2009 |
Q: Sir, Why can't current be treated as a vector? It has both magnitude and direction. ANSWER: ...
A: Anyone who's really concerned with the answer to this is definitely overly concerned with semantics. ...
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| uncertainty and light | 8/4/2009 |
Q: We know that by the De broglie's theorem, the momentum of a light photon traveling at the speed of ...
A: No, not without experimentation. You're assuming its direction and such, momentum is a vector. And ...
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| General science vocabulary | 8/4/2009 |
Q: A scientific statement (often mathematical in form) that summarizes experimental data is called a ...
A: One of the great conundrums in physics, why is it that we call a law a law and a theory a theory? ...
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| Force an a charge | 8/3/2009 |
Q: Sir, I have got into another confusion regarding Lorentz forces. Let's consider the following. ...
A: Wow, I had a whole long answer to this typed up yesterday and didn't hit the second send button... ...
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| shapes of galaxies | 8/3/2009 |
Q: Sir, I have got into confusion after thinking of the following effects. I think the forces which ...
A: I'll get to your more complex question tomorrow when I have some more time. But this one is easy. ...
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| Science experiment help? | 8/3/2009 |
Q: i was wondering if you could help me with my science experiment. I need to provide research for my ...
A: That would probably depend on which surface absorbed the least energy. So you're looking for ...
|
| photoelectric effect | 7/31/2009 |
Q: how is the stopping potential a measure of max kinetic energy of electrons and how come the ...
A: Well, this is somewhat situation dependent, you have to know both the photon energy and the work ...
|
| shapes of galaxies | 7/31/2009 |
Q: Sir, I have got into confusion after thinking of the following effects. I think the forces which ...
A: Your first situation, observer A would also see time moving slower for those particles, ...
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| shapes of galaxies | 7/31/2009 |
Q: Sir, Are there proven theories which explain the various shapes of galaxies? To my knowledge I ...
A: Astrophysicists may tell you they have a theory that does it, but galaxy formation is still a ...
|
| ENERGIES | 7/30/2009 |
Q: when an electron add in an atom , energy is released......this energy is released because when the ...
A: First, the sign of the electron charge (q2) is negative. So when it's attracted to a positive ...
|
| Mirage | 7/30/2009 |
Q: Hey all! I'm kind of worried. Today I went to the univ. and it was a hot summer day. As I was ...
A: I don't have a photograph to work with or anything, but I would say it was still an effect of ...
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| Gravity | 7/28/2009 |
Q: Is there gravity at the exact center of the earth? In other words, would equal mass in all ...
A: Yes and no. The forces will all cancel out, so there will be no gravitational forces. Time will ...
|
| Complicated Mu Issues | 7/22/2009 |
Q: I've been working on a detailed project that's about the 'Physics of a Merry-Go-Round,' and I'm ...
A: Your question doesn't make it clear what the goal of your calculation is. Are you trying to figure ...
|
| wind energy | 7/21/2009 |
Q: What is the difference between a Baker Wind Turbine and a propeller driven windmill?
A: Well, since the name of the questioner appearing on this question and the invention are the same and ...
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| eclipse | 7/21/2009 |
Q: There will be an eclipse on the 22nd and one of the concerns is with the disruption to communication ...
A: Nothing at all. However, people gather in open spaces away from cell phone towers to watch ...
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| physics | 7/21/2009 |
Q: Steve If a person is standing above a car, and this car starts to move, after that he jumps, what ...
A: OK, I'm wondering if you asked this question quite the way you meant it. Is he standing on the car ...
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| Quatum theory | 7/20/2009 |
Q: Calculate the energy range, in eV,of photons in the visible region of the electromagnetic ...
A: Each of those wavelengths corresponds to an energy, since you have a range of wavelengths you have a ...
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| lasers | 7/20/2009 |
Q: we are supposed to do an experimental project on laser and total internal reflection of lasers can ...
A: I think they intended for you to come up with something like "how fiber-optic communications works." ...
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| How to prevent the Ringing effect and the decision of the secondary coil parameters ? | 7/19/2009 |
Q: In this new treatise we will discuss some important questions about RLC circuits and resonance ...
A: Birol, I still don't understand the overall goal of these coils. What exactly are you trying to ...
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| inclined plane friction help | 7/19/2009 |
Q: I am doing an EEI. My experiment was to roll golf balls down an inclined plane in order to test ...
A: "f" is the force of static friction. Multiplied by its radius, that gives you the torque, which ...
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| Physics - Kinetic Energy conversion | 7/19/2009 |
Q: I don't often wonder about such things but a couple of weeks ago I did and this popped out.... ...
A: Obviously it's a continuous process and not instantateous. You just have to look on a small enough ...
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| problem in physics | 7/18/2009 |
Q: SIR,THANKS FOR ANSWER THAT THE ROPE'S VELOCITY IS THE COMPONENT OF BLOCK'S VELOCITY.BUT I HAVE ONE ...
A: No, it's not a parallelogram (look at the drawing, the sides are in no way parallel). It's two ...
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| physics | 7/18/2009 |
Q: we are agroup of teachers in training course and we would like your help to answer some questions ...
A: 1) Impossible to answer, who is to say what is the most important research? It could be anything ...
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| Gasoline | 7/17/2009 |
Q: Will you please help me with some suggestions on how to build my invention, the NoGas Engine? I ...
A: The coefficient of expansion of gasoline is approximately 0.0006/degree F. You can multiply be 9/5 ...
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| 2 masses! | 7/17/2009 |
Q: I'm a guy from India currently preparing for the entrance exam of the IIT(Indian Institute of ...
A: OK, the problem is slightly weird. Your solution is great for a steady state, but if they start ...
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| problem in physics | 7/17/2009 |
Q: SIR,THANKS FOR ANSWER THAT THE ROPE'S VELOCITY IS THE COMPONENT OF BLOCK'S VELOCITY.BUT I HAVE ONE ...
A: No, it's just like the previous problem. Rotate it 90 degrees clockwise, block out the lower ...
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| Cern | 7/16/2009 |
Q: We all know Cern can change way of the physic.Altough it is very very important experiment we can ...
A: CERN is currently repairing the Large Hadron Collider, but has another large collider still in ...
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| physics | 7/16/2009 |
Q: REVEREND SIR, I HAVE A QUESTION.WHEN A BLOCK IS CONNECTED TO A ROPE AND THE ROPE IS ...
A: I'll go back and modify my answer (so no one else gets confused), upon looking at it I was thinking ...
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| see by all electromagnetic waves | 7/15/2009 |
Q: if we could see by all range of electromagnetic waves,what we see,and how we see the world and all ...
A: Well, that's physically impossible...nothing is sensitive to the infinite range of electromagnetic ...
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| optics. | 7/15/2009 |
Q: how a trick mirror is made? why are shaving mirrors concave while rear view mirrors convex?
A: A trick mirror is made the same way any other mirror is made. Glass is cast in a shape, polished, ...
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| Heat from electromagnetic waves 2 | 7/14/2009 |
Q: Days ago, I asked you about the heat produced by electromagnetic waves. I was thinking that some ...
A: The thermometer either absorbs infrared better than visible light (meaning that visible light is ...
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| length of a curb lever | 7/14/2009 |
Q: would you pls explain me ; if i use a curb shape lever rather than a hard straight one .considering ...
A: For this situation it will increase slightly, as the distance between the fulcrum and the end of the ...
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| Fusel Oils | 7/14/2009 |
Q: What is the boiling point of fusels oils at atmospheric Pressure?
A: You don't need me, wikipedia has a well-researched section on this: ...
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| hollow sphere | 7/14/2009 |
Q: can an object float inside a hollow sphere,which is placed in a gravitational field?
A: Do you mean, will the hollow sphere shield the object inside it from gravitation if the sphere is ...
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| length of a curb lever | 7/14/2009 |
Q: would you pls explain me ; if i use a curb shape lever rather than a hard straight one .considering ...
A: Point of grammar: it's spelled "curved" and not "curbed." 1) I'll assume you have the fulcrum in ...
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| Ray Optics- Caustic curve | 7/13/2009 |
Q: i beg that you kindly explain to me this phenomenon, i have failed to understand it. Our teacher is ...
A: This term isn't commonly used in physics classes anymore, I believe it's a bit archaic. I'd heard ...
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| Frictionless surface | 7/13/2009 |
Q: Is it just a mathematical approximation that on a frictionless surface since no obstruction ...
A: It's not zero, it just tends towards zero. That's not the same. You need nearly zero force on a ...
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| velocity vector entering a magnetic field | 7/13/2009 |
Q: I'm trying to understand a question. An electron with velocity vector v e- enters a magnetic ...
A: Easy, use the right hand rule and remember that the sign of the charge is negative. You take your ...
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| velocity vector entering a magnetic field | 7/12/2009 |
Q: I'm trying to understand a question. An electron with velocity vector v e- enters a magnetic ...
A: Your rough sketch in text did not make it through. Since you know the answer, I won't consider this ...
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| Tesla | 7/12/2009 |
Q: Iread somewhere that Tesla was able to transmit electrical power without wires.He was able to light ...
A: Basically, induction is a very general term. Also he could pass it through his own body at very ...
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| Optical Illusion | 7/11/2009 |
Q: I'm a cyclist, and have noticed that from a distance all hills look like they're going to eat you ...
A: I can think of two explanations, which are both human. Kinda like how the sky isn't actually blue. ...
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| Ice engine | 7/11/2009 |
Q: Will you please help me with some suggestions on how to build my invention, the ICE ENGINE? Here is ...
A: This is a fascinating concept, aside from two tiny but enormous flaws. The first is obvious, speed. ...
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| The Honey Dilema??? | 7/10/2009 |
Q: I was taking some honey from a jar of set Honey and the strangest question entered my mind! If you ...
A: Then honey must be a non-Newtonian fluid like Oobleck. Try mixing a 50/50 mixture of corn starch ...
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| Capacitance quandry | 7/10/2009 |
Q: I am experimenting with high voltage capacitors and was wondering if you could explain what I am ...
A: The small spark is from the difference in voltage, but there's no conundrum here. The charges on ...
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| Force | 7/8/2009 |
Q: I recently read in a DMV book that the force is 4 times greater (not 2 times) for a vehicle ...
A: They mean the force needed to stop you in the same distance. Force*distance = energy. Kinetic ...
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| Quantum Physics | 7/8/2009 |
Q: I'm 13 years old, and i was wondering if you could explain quantum physics to me in the most ...
A: Attempting to find a simple explanation for quantum physics is relatively futile. The simple and ...
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| Electric current | 7/7/2009 |
Q: When you touch an electric wire while standing on the ground, you get shocked! How an electric ...
A: Yes, due to its large area the ground is an excellent conductor. The fatter the wire, the better ...
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| Battery and Leyden jar | 7/7/2009 |
Q: What's the difference between battery and Leyden jar?
A: A battery stores energy in chemical form and does not contain excess buildup of charges. It creates ...
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| Synthetic Telepathy | 7/3/2009 |
Q: My family and I have been under electronic attack since at least 2007. I know the individual who is ...
A: I do know a good bit about this. I've worked on some of the most sensitive types electronic devices ...
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| color and wavelength | 7/3/2009 |
Q: on your webpage i have found an answer of Curtis to one question on physics, it is says, the energy ...
A: This could mean two things, so I'm going to address it first as if you're talking about light. ...
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| physics | 7/3/2009 |
Q: I have to make a working model or perform an experiment related to "Physics in kitchen" .Could you ...
A: Fortunately, you don't need me. My kitchen physics experiments are usually unnecessarily complex. ...
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| fatal car accident | 7/3/2009 |
Q: my husband was in a fatal car accident. Law enforcement explained the accident as follows: the car ...
A: I'm sorry for your loss. Based on the few details presented here and the complexity of a car crash, ...
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| Heat from electromagnetic waves | 7/2/2009 |
Q: I would like to know the next: Does every wavelength of radiation increase temperature of materials ...
A: The answers to these question are by no means simple and you haven't provided enough information for ...
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| Synthetic Telepathy | 7/2/2009 |
Q: My family and I have been under electronic attack since at least 2007. I know the individual who is ...
A: OK, your question is somewhat incomplete and will require a follow-up before I can answer it. The ...
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| nucleus | 7/1/2009 |
Q: In beta decay, does the atom get oppositely charged when an electron or positron is emitted? And do ...
A: They do, conservation of charge demands it. The jury is still out on your second question, I have a ...
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| Eddy Currents | 6/27/2009 |
Q: I know that for a corrent to flow you need a driving source like an emf.In the case of eddy currents ...
A: EMF stands for electro-motive force. That's induced by changing magnetic fields. So when you have ...
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| reflection | 6/25/2009 |
Q: I read somewhere that light is an EM wave and in relation to this wave theory can you help me ...
A: Let me approximate this... Waves reflect from surfaces. Electric fields in an EM wave hitting a ...
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| NUCLEAR PHYSICS | 6/25/2009 |
Q: Am a 200 level physics student of Ahmadu Bello University Zaria, Nigeria. I want to know the ...
A: I'm not sure what a 200 level student is, your system is different. Nuclear physics studies the ...
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| Electricity | 6/24/2009 |
Q: Can you explain how this works or is it some kind of hoax? candles.wmv ANSWER: You'll have to ...
A: OK, I got it. I've seen plenty of videos on youtube, and this one has a few tells: 1) Timing. ...
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| Electricity | 6/24/2009 |
Q: Can you explain how this works or is it some kind of hoax? candles.wmv ANSWER: You'll have to ...
A: There's only a link for attaching pictures on the question form. Therefore, you're either stuck ...
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| physics of light reception | 6/24/2009 |
Q: assume a light is glowing at a long distance.that source wont give light to our vicinity because of ...
A: Well, if a light is shining from far enough away we won't see it. There are stars which are too ...
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| physics | 6/23/2009 |
Q: what will happen if earth stops to revolve around sun? what will happen if earth stops spinning?
A: So, you're assuming two things which are physically impossible, but that the rest of physics works? ...
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| Fields | 6/22/2009 |
Q: As usual..yr answers are excellent!! Thank You. In an Electric Field,,what is is when we say a Field ...
A: It means that the change in energy due to the field (in the case of an electric field, due to the ...
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| investigatory project | 6/21/2009 |
Q: can you please give me some easy investigatory projects related to physics?
A: Yes, but I need to know a few things if you would follow this up. Your age and knowledge of ...
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| fire | 6/21/2009 |
Q: When you light up a candle, the flame will glow in a triangle like shape. Why can't it take any ...
A: That's relatively complex fluid dynamics, if I were to calculate the shape, but for an intuitive ...
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| Physics Application | 6/20/2009 |
Q: I will be taking part in a Science Challenge in July.Earlier,the challenge were conducted in several ...
A: Well, you pretty much listed some already, and I'm not psychic. Perhaps it would help to look at ...
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| heat energy | 6/18/2009 |
Q: Nelson, I am wondering if there is any equation to calculate how much energy (heat?) an object is ...
A: This is actually quite complex. It depends on the temperature of the flame, the thermal ...
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| Rocket | 6/17/2009 |
Q: I am looking to design a own model rocket, i should know some information please help mme How ...
A: Calculation of the height is pretty simple if you know your engine type, there are calculators out ...
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| Quantam Physics | 6/10/2009 |
Q: What is quantam physics...how can we make a lay man understand the concept in a simple manner.
A: Haaa ha ha ha! If I knew how to make a lay person understand quantum mechanics I'd have published a ...
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| The Stand | 6/8/2009 |
Q: I'm re-reading Stephen King's "The Stand". Early in the novel several major cities lose power, ...
A: No, the reactors would be shut down and there would be NO power coming from them, starting as soon ...
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| The Stand | 6/8/2009 |
Q: I'm re-reading Stephen King's "The Stand". Early in the novel several major cities lose power, ...
A: Unmanned? That's now how they run. If careful operators were unavailable even for a minute the ...
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| Atomic Behaviour | 6/7/2009 |
Q: Does one atom of isolated hydrogen have a temperature? If one atom was n space with no gravity ...
A: Sure it does, relative to whatever is measuring its temperature. It will have a velocity relative ...
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| A/D converter/ion | 6/6/2009 |
Q: I built a data logger and an 8 bit digitizer then realized that some were using 12 - 24 bit ...
A: Yes, Ron, the ADC would be uselessly overcomplicated if one were limited to that screen and plotting ...
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| electric power requirement for generation of sparks | 6/6/2009 |
Q: could you please tell me how much (minimum electric)power would be required to produce electric ...
A: A whole mole? That's 22.4 liters of an ideal gas at STP (with only small deviations for other gas ...
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| working model on physics | 6/5/2009 |
Q: please give me ideas for making working model on any topic of physics like light, electricity, ...
A: No need to reinvent the wheel, just check out demonstrations (in effect, working models) at places ...
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| Power line vibration | 6/5/2009 |
Q: I often walk under a point where two power lines cross. The local line along our street crosses ...
A: There's gotta be some coupling between them at 120 Hz. If you drive a mechanical system at its ...
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| Question concering falling down and odds to survive. | 6/4/2009 |
Q: Can a person survive entering water at 300KM/h in vertical position with toes pointing down? How ...
A: 300 km/h? No, at that speed there's no diving position that would allow one to survive. So ...
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| Mass | 6/4/2009 |
Q: Does surface area have an affect on mass? Does changing the surface area of something change it's ...
A: No, mass is the quantity of matter in an object. If I squish a sphere of clay flat I change its ...
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| draining water | 6/3/2009 |
Q: If you have 2 containers half full with water and a tube to the ground. The first is 1 foot off the ...
A: Are you talking about siphoning the water or just draining it out the bottom? Does the tube go the ...
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| electromagnetic shielding | 5/26/2009 |
Q: actually i was wondering if there were other ways to stop electromagnetic waves beside using ...
A: Large amounts of less-conductive material? That's still a Faraday cage, I guess. I guess you could ...
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| curriculum questiom | 5/26/2009 |
Q: I am from Kuwait and I want to know about the curriculum of physics in other countries because I ...
A: Well, the only obvious thing you're missing is fluid mechanics (buoyancy, Bernoulli's equation). ...
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| throw | 5/26/2009 |
Q: When rain (with constant velocity), if you want walk from one place to another place how can you go ...
A: Well, I'm not going to prove it mathematically because that might constitute the solution to a ...
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| Escape velocity | 5/25/2009 |
Q: Dr. Nelson, I just asked this question of another expert, but his reply was 2 screens of math ...
A: Escape velocity depends on how far out you achieve that velocity. You have to set the kinetic ...
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| Practical limitations of submarine periscope-mounted surface search radar | 5/25/2009 |
Q: Nelson, Thanks very much for your willingness to answer questions, and I apologize if this ...
A: A Stirling engine is more efficient, but not air-independent. Anyhow, your question about the ...
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| curriculum questiom | 5/24/2009 |
Q: I am from Kuwait and I want to know about the curriculum of physics in other countries because I ...
A: That depends on the level of physics they study. Generally, they spend one semester on classical ...
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| Collisions, Momentum and Energy | 5/24/2009 |
Q: I don't fully understand how momentum is always conserved in a collision, yet kinetic energy can be ...
A: It's not "lost," it's just converted to another form of energy. Conservation of momentum is one of ...
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| rocket | 5/22/2009 |
Q: I'm working on building a rocket with an A8-3 engine. Before liftoff i have to answer some ...
A: The formula is correct, but assumes no friction. The real value will be considerably lower of both ...
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| Laser Defraction | 5/22/2009 |
Q: I'd like to be able to defract laser light from my laser point in a number of ways. For example ...
A: They contain spinning mirrors that will fan the beam. The the human eye it'll look like multiple ...
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| rope suspension bridge building | 5/21/2009 |
Q: i have been wondering how rope suspension bridges were built in ancient times {Incan for ex:}. more ...
A: Well, generally someone had to climb down and up the other side. Bridges weren't built to help the ...
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| SPEED & GRAVITY | 5/21/2009 |
Q: mars has a gravity 38% that of earth...if earths gravity was the same how fast will a man be able to ...
A: Depends on the person, the animal, the bullet, or the car of course. Friction isn't usually the ...
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| physics | 5/21/2009 |
Q: From what i understand if you are travelling in a vehicle at 100 km an hour and dropped an object ...
A: Nope, in fact she's exactly wrong. A dropped rock would have the same velocity at first, then it ...
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| PV hydrogen fuel | 5/20/2009 |
Q: Hopefully this isn't too basic, but it seems so obvious to me. If you set up a Photo Voltaic cell, ...
A: It's not a matter of simplicity, it's a matter of cost and wattage. Solar, to those who grew up ...
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| electromagnetic waves | 5/19/2009 |
Q: Could you please explain the following sentence why it is correct? The field strengths are great in ...
A: Without advanced math and in-depth physics this will be difficult, but picture light like a water ...
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| arc length | 5/18/2009 |
Q: i am attempting to determine the arc length of a baseball without using calculus. i would be very ...
A: Well, how did you figure out the x velocity? You really have to integrate the total velocity. So ...
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| Impact | 5/15/2009 |
Q: I work in product development within the glass industry in the UK. We are developing products to ...
A: I'm confused by your question, what exactly do you need an expert for, help calculating energy or ...
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| Rivers and ponds | 5/14/2009 |
Q: How are the volume of water, total distance covered and depth of large rivers and deep ponds ...
A: Volume is calculated. Area covered can be measured from satellite photographs, check google Earth ...
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| Electric question | 5/13/2009 |
Q: I am researching a story that I am working on, and am having difficulty locating decent information. ...
A: This is more of a biology question, but I know Glen Elert answers questions like this with his ...
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| motors | 5/11/2009 |
Q: which is the most powerful pound for pound engine or motor can you get the same power or more from ...
A: See here: http://www.uqm.com/pdfs/PowerPhase150%20(2.4.09).pdf This is an example of a 200 HP ...
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| heat | 5/10/2009 |
Q: If there is water in glass of 20K temperature in room the room is also equal to the water ...
A: Heat is transferred in and out of the water at the same rate. The room and the water are in thermal ...
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| How can I work at the saturation point B ? | 5/10/2009 |
Q: I am sending you some informations about you answer. For the application of a toroid you are ...
A: My mistake, in looking into mu-metal this appears to be why they're not used in power transformers ...
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| ROTATIONAL MOTION | 5/9/2009 |
Q: Q: I find that whenever a body is executing some sort of rotational motion, the body is at its ...
A: The simple answer, without dragging you through the mathematics and cross products, is that rotating ...
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| Pressure decreases when adding more weights? | 5/7/2009 |
Q: Steve, (see attached picture) Q1. If you put a weight of 1 pound (and an area of 1 sq. inch) on a ...
A: For question one, the answer is yes that the gauge will read 1 PSI. The reading will not decrease ...
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| MASS | 5/6/2009 |
Q: Q: Right from the schooldays i have been taught the concept of mass as such without differentiating ...
A: Inertial mass is an object's resistance to acceleration. Gravitational mass is an object's ...
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| EM SPECTRUM | 5/6/2009 |
Q: Q3.I think nature has given an undue importance to a particular region in the EM spectrum.This is ...
A: I thought I'd followed up on this. "Gamma rays" and "radio waves" are the same thing: photons. We ...
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| ELECTROMAGNETISM & GRAVITATION | 5/5/2009 |
Q: Q1:We use electric or magnetic lines of force to deal with most of the problems in electricity and ...
A: This is largely historical, and the use of "lines of force" is somewhat outdated. Also, magnetic ...
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| COMPLEX NUMBERS | 5/5/2009 |
Q: Q:In maths we speak of imaginary nos.What is the real physical meaning of these nos.What is the ...
A: They're a mathematical tool do describe things whose physical laws behave the same way ...
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| HEAT RADIATIONS | 5/2/2009 |
Q: Q:Why the infrared rays alone should carry heat and why not other radiations(say light or X-rays) ...
A: Visible light does heat us up, actually. IR doesn't necessarily irritate people, just heat their ...
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| DEBROGLIE WAVELENGTH | 5/2/2009 |
Q: Q:The DeBroglie wavelength of a particle is given by lambda=h/mv. Two properties of a particle ...
A: Well, the words "fuses up" is an incredible sweeping under the rug of a lot of mathematics and ...
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| Rotation of Rigid bodies | 5/2/2009 |
Q: Greetings sir, I am a first year university student.I would like to grasp some basic concepts ...
A: Presumably you *always* try to use the correct formula. Yes, 1/2MR^2 is the correct form for a ...
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| HEAT RADIATIONS | 4/30/2009 |
Q: Q:Why the infrared rays alone should carry heat and why not other radiations(say light or X-rays) ...
A: It doesn't, that's just the range of the peak frequencies emitted in the energy distribution by ...
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| Quantum entanglement | 4/30/2009 |
Q: Q:What is quantum entanglement? How to make two particles quantum mechanically entangled? Is this ...
A: Quantum entanglement deals with the states at which two particles are prepared in when they're ...
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| Pressure on sensor | 4/30/2009 |
Q: Steve, You are stubborn! I understand you don't want to do students' homework, given to them from ...
A: I'm not stubborn, and I answered this question already if you read my entire answer. It depends on ...
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| UNIFIED THEORY-NOT A HOMEWORK | 4/30/2009 |
Q: Q:Sir,why should we look for a unified force theory without knowing exactly whether the nature ...
A: I think I accidentally clicked on homework rejection on your last question, sorry about that. If ...
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| HERF and man-made auroras | 4/30/2009 |
Q: Steve, I am currently writing a bit of science fiction that I need help getting as accurate as ...
A: It would not, though a large enough nuclear blast in the upper atmosphere might interact with power ...
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| HERF and man-made auroras | 4/29/2009 |
Q: Steve, I am currently writing a bit of science fiction that I need help getting as accurate as ...
A: Sure, here's an example of a man-made aurora: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Starfish_Prime You can ...
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| physics | 4/29/2009 |
Q: I have a couple of questions regarding physics. The first one might seem silly to a physics ...
A: E=mc^2 gives you the equivalent conversion amount, but matter and energy are different. As energy ...
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| basketball | 4/29/2009 |
Q: My homeowners association requires portable basketball goals be kept close to the house when not in ...
A: How did you measure the angle? 25 degrees is rather steep for a driveway. Anyhow, the answer is ...
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| heat and sound | 4/29/2009 |
Q: Please tell me how to detect heat by infrared rays and radius. I know that we can use thermal ...
A: I'm not sure what you mean by thermal inductance. Or why you need a radius, the simple detection of ...
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| Travelling at speed of light | 4/28/2009 |
Q: What is the meaning or the statement ' nothing can travel faster than the speed of light' ? If a ...
A: The observers on Earth the spaceship behaving exactly as the laws of physics says it should. So do ...
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| Travelling at speed of light | 4/28/2009 |
Q: What is the meaning or the statement ' nothing can travel faster than the speed of light' ? If a ...
A: Its acceleration would change relative to observers on Earth, it would continue to observe the same ...
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| DIMENSIONS | 4/27/2009 |
Q: Sir, I've 2 questions: 1. How is the weight and length of whales, sharks and other large sea ...
A: 1) They're roughly neutrally bouyant, so their density is the same as sea water. Therefore, using ...
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| twin paradox | 4/27/2009 |
Q: how is the twin paradox solved in which one of them travel in spaceship? b'coz in it both will ...
A: By accelerating, he changes the inertial reference frame in which he exists. That causes his clock ...
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| basic pressure understanding - not home work | 4/27/2009 |
Q: Steve, I know you don't answer homework. But I don't even go to school. I'm 40 this August. The ...
A: It's a numbered list of questions about a specific diagram, and I still have no idea where these ...
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| physics | 4/26/2009 |
Q: I have a couple of questions regarding physics. The first one might seem silly to a physics ...
A: Angular momentum is like linear momentum, it's rotational inertia multiplied by angular velocity. ...
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| Generators | 4/26/2009 |
Q: I have a question. i am constructing a generator in which the magnets attached to a metal rod are ...
A: It'll be AC, the field will be flipping back and forth. Therefore the rate of change of the ...
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| voltage | 4/25/2009 |
Q: Sir, Inspite of being an undergraduate student in electronic engineering, i am not clear in the ...
A: Electrical current flows because there's a net electric potential difference between the two ...
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| plank time | 4/24/2009 |
Q: plank time does this mean time is not continuous as there is gap in it , that is we actually ...
A: It's spelled Planck, as in the last name of German physicist Max Planck. ...
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| evaporation | 4/24/2009 |
Q: how does water evaporate when kept outside below 100°c, i know it starts evaporating at 100°c only ...
A: Even fractional distillation doesn't completely separate a mixture, it only alters the balance of ...
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| work or force to compress air | 4/24/2009 |
Q: I was thinking of making a fire piston (small fire starting device that compressed air in a ...
A: Fire tubes are fun, but break easily so be careful in the actual use. No heat is exchanged with the ...
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| My science fair project. | 4/24/2009 |
Q: Do you know anything about model rockets? How do you use them? How do you make them and launch them? ...
A: There's enough information in my profile for you to go to the school in my details and look me up ...
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| My science fair project. | 4/24/2009 |
Q: Do you know anything about model rockets? How do you use them? How do you make them and launch them? ...
A: As a science fair director and physics professor, I can tell you that it would be a good science ...
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| understanding the physics of a balloon rocket and also a paper rocket | 4/23/2009 |
Q: Nelson, my daughter is a Sophmore in High School and has to present these two demonstrations to her ...
A: I'm not sure which type of paper rocket you mean, most of them seem to act more like guns than ...
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| Observing jet contrails - earth rotation | 4/23/2009 |
Q: Should a jet's contrail (flying from the south to the north) remain in the same part of the sky ...
A: Ahh, good question and a tricky visualization. Not a curl, the plane is in the air. Relative to ...
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| My science fair project. | 4/23/2009 |
Q: Do you know anything about model rockets? How do you use them? How do you make them and launch them? ...
A: Are you talking about the type of rocket with snap-out wings that deploy at the end of its flight, ...
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| gravity | 4/23/2009 |
Q: i understand motion of object/planet orbiting curved space created due to the presence of mass but ...
A: More to the point, how can an object which isn't moving at all be attracted to the Earth? The ...
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| Question about General Relativity | 4/23/2009 |
Q: I'm an amateur at physics, but am interested in the experiments that set gravitation as the bending ...
A: To your questions: 1) Newtonian gravitation doesn't really predict the bending of light, because ...
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| time and objects speeding from earth | 4/22/2009 |
Q: Five years ago my high school science teacher showed the class an older video from I think the ...
A: Ummm...you may have seen who you consider a "hippie" scientist present something in a film five ...
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| Observing jet contrails - earth rotation | 4/22/2009 |
Q: Should a jet's contrail (flying from the south to the north) remain in the same part of the sky ...
A: No, as wide as it looks from the ground, the part of the sky you can actually observe is shockingly ...
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| GRAVITATION | 4/22/2009 |
Q: Q.sir,i came to know that a body will execute a simple harmonic motion when it goes into a tunnel ...
A: Symmetry. It turns out that if you're inside a spherical shell of mass the gravitation is pulling ...
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| My science fair project. | 4/22/2009 |
Q: Do you know anything about model rockets? How do you use them? How do you make them and launch them?
A: I know lots about model rockets, what do you want to know? Typically you follow a kit and launch ...
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| expantion coefficient | 4/20/2009 |
Q: i want to know what is the basic agent affects the expantion coefficient of gallium or mercury in ...
A: This is a straight-up thermodynamics problem. There will be Gibbs free energy terms related to the ...
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| expantion coefficient | 4/20/2009 |
Q: i want to know what is the basic agent affects the expantion coefficient of gallium or mercury in ...
A: I'm confused, largely because a grammatical glitch in this sentence left me wondering exactly what ...
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| evaporation | 4/20/2009 |
Q: how does water evaporate when kept outside below 100°c, i know it starts evaporating at 100°c only ...
A: Molecules evaporate from water at every temperature. Molecules will even come off of ice (it's ...
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| Falling Car | 4/20/2009 |
Q: A buddy and I were watching Mythbusters when a car was dropped 400 feet. The engine (front)part of ...
A: You're both right and wrong, that's how these arguments almost always go. Air resistance provides ...
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| evaporation | 4/19/2009 |
Q: how does water evaporate when kept outside below 100°c, i know it starts evaporating at 100°c only
A: No, 100 degrees Celsius is just where the vapor pressure exceeds atmospheric pressure, allowing the ...
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| Sound | 4/18/2009 |
Q: Is there a simple and possible way to make a device that enables a human to hear sounds emitted by ...
A: You'd have to make the elephants breathe the helium or the bats breathe xenon/argon to make the ...
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| physics | 4/18/2009 |
Q: why we use convex lens of small focal length for a magnifying glass?
A: I won't drag you through the optics of it, but the magnification of a simple magnifier is given by ...
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| coulomb force | 4/15/2009 |
Q: can a charged body exert coulomb force on a neutral body?
A: Yes, generally a charged body will polarize a neutral body. The opposite charges will be pulled ...
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| gaussian distribution | 4/14/2009 |
Q: i am studying the statistical distribution of the size of crystals formed in a cement clinker. i ...
A: I'd say it's a binning issue, but it's the wrong distribution for it. That brings us back to ...
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| Question | 4/12/2009 |
Q: Help me with this question please. In capillary pipe why water uprise until it arrive higher than ...
A: Surface tension. See this picture: ...
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| Shockwaves | 4/11/2009 |
Q: Do you know what the density increase in a shock wave through a mix of liquid lithium and lead is? ...
A: It's going to depend on many factors that you'll need to specify in a follow-up for me if I can ...
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| Sound | 4/10/2009 |
Q: i am in graduate.Does our singing really sound better in a shower? If so,What are the physical ...
A: I can't answer "better" or "worse" because that may depend on personal taste. However, resonant ...
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| Sound | 4/10/2009 |
Q: i am in graduate.I want to ask that Sound wave can be used to measure the speed at which blood flows ...
A: Sound reflects off of the red blood cells in the arteries and veins. It acquires a Doppler shift ...
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| vapor pressure | 4/10/2009 |
Q: When a liquid is placed in an evacuated container,at constant pressure some of the liquid molecules ...
A: No, they don't completely occupy the space. In fact, they occupy very little of the space, really, ...
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| Gas turbine working | 4/10/2009 |
Q: I have a small doubt..what is the feasibility of using a gas turbine engine in atmospheres that ...
A: Depends on the design. Generally you want high masses in the flow to get momentum transfer. ...
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| Electrostatics | 4/9/2009 |
Q: Sir, My question is (i)why the electric field inside a charged conductor is zero? (ii) Why do the ...
A: Inside a conductor, charges are free to move. If any field exists briefly in a conductor, the ...
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| Gravity and the theory of everything | 4/9/2009 |
Q: (this may be a loaded question) Do you think gravityis a pulling effect/phenomenon or a pushing ...
A: The genius of Einstein's General Relativity is that it turned the scientific community's thinking on ...
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| x-rays2 | 4/8/2009 |
Q: can you give me some examples of x-ray radiation please?
A: X-rays are usually generated by stopping high-energy electrons, like the high-energy electrons in a ...
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| x-rays | 4/8/2009 |
Q: can you give me any details on the frequency of x-rays?
A: No need, you can calculate it for yourself. Just divide the speed of light by the wavelength. ...
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| absoluteness | 4/8/2009 |
Q: einstein in his relativity has said that everything is relative , because there is no ...
A: The universe is the very extent of space itself. It has no center. It's more complex to think ...
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| Gas turbine working | 4/8/2009 |
Q: I have a small doubt..what is the feasibility of using a gas turbine engine in atmospheres that ...
A: Ahh, so you're adding the oxidizer in the turbine in the same place you add the fuel. This should ...
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| car crash, vehicle in motion hitting stationary vehicle | 4/6/2009 |
Q: Scenario of car crash: I pulled up to a stop sign intersection facing east at the same time as ...
A: Let me go straight to your questions. No, the moving car will not generally inflict more damage. ...
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| simple harmonic motion | 4/6/2009 |
Q: hallo, I'm asp & seek help regarding spring mass system let us assume initially there is spring ...
A: The sum of forces is equal to mass*acceleration. I don't use the term "inertia force," so we're ...
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| Gas turbine working | 4/6/2009 |
Q: I have a small doubt..what is the feasibility of using a gas turbine engine in atmospheres that ...
A: I'm pretty sure methane and nitrogen don't combust. You need fuel and an oxidizer, that's where ...
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| physics of still water (in white water rapids) | 4/3/2009 |
Q: I need a simple way to explain still waters that appear in streams that also include white water. ...
A: The water isn't really still, it's just moving very slowly. It's based on geometry. Rapids occur ...
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| physics | 4/3/2009 |
Q: Are electrons and negative charge the same things or not.please explain your answer
A: No, electrons are particles. They have a property called charge, just like they have a definite ...
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| coil voltage & rate change | 4/3/2009 |
Q: I am slightly confused over a coils flux and rate change. If I impress a flux of 100A/uS into a ...
A: I don't see anywhere that he explains DVDI still. I'll need more full information on what you do ...
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| physics | 4/3/2009 |
Q: I am feeling really puzzled about the difference between resistance and resistivity.please explain ...
A: Resistance is the resistance to flow of electricity through an object. That object is made of a ...
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| coil voltage & rate change | 4/2/2009 |
Q: I am slightly confused over a coils flux and rate change. If I impress a flux of 100A/uS into a ...
A: We have some bad terminology here you'll need to clear up in a follow-up before we can continue. ...
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| "physics for dummies:" resonance in matter | 4/2/2009 |
Q: I am currently researching the properties of stone, rocks, crystals and other matter that act as ...
A: Perhaps you could clarify what you mean by "response." In general, no, sound frequencies do not ...
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| n s pole | 4/2/2009 |
Q: which is the pole of a magnetic compass that get deflect near to the wire carrying dc current and ...
A: Depends on the direction of the DC current. The compass will want to line up perpendicular to a ...
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| Motor | 4/2/2009 |
Q: I have a question concerning how an electric motor works. I took apart a working garage door opener ...
A: It's probably not the right type with permanent magnets, so it probably won't produce a lot of ...
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| Motor | 4/1/2009 |
Q: I have a question concerning how an electric motor works. I took apart a working garage door opener ...
A: You REALLY need to study up on AC vs DC and circuits in general to even come close to doing this and ...
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| gravitation | 4/1/2009 |
Q: If in a room filled with air(uniformly), there are 2 spherical cavities some distance apart, what ...
A: If you're holding back the air from the empty cavities with physical shells that have mass, those ...
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| gravitation | 3/31/2009 |
Q: If in a room filled with air(uniformly), there are 2 spherical cavities some distance apart, what ...
A: Depends on the mass of the cavities, you need something to hold the air back. Let's assume they're ...
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| hydro-turbines | 3/30/2009 |
Q: Steve,i am working on putting a hydro-turbine in a closed loop system..the non potable water ...
A: I don't have an option to change the status of an answered question from public to private, that ...
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| hydro-turbines | 3/30/2009 |
Q: Steve,i am working on putting a hydro-turbine in a closed loop system..the non potable water ...
A: I'm a little unsure about the overall purpose of your system, perhaps you could follow-up with an ...
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| Quantum phenomenon | 3/30/2009 |
Q: My husband and I need to resolve a friendly argument: IS THIS A THEORETICAL POSTULATE OR IS IT AN ...
A: Changing charge? Charges don't just change. What you describe is mildly similar to the quantum ...
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| Volume of water change with temperature | 3/29/2009 |
Q: How do i design a laboratory experiment to investigate how the volume of a given amount of water ...
A: If you don't like dong experiments, why did you ask me to help design an experiment you could do ...
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| ufo | 3/29/2009 |
Q: I have a rather hard to explain question, but I will try my best. Years ago i saw a very ...
A: It would help if I had a picture, but the colors you mention all appear in the nitrogen emission ...
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| physics | 3/28/2009 |
Q: I was wondering if you could explain this better for me, A 4kg mas and a 10kg mass are acted on by ...
A: No, that's not right. If they're acted on by the same force, then the 10 kg mass will experience an ...
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| Sound | 3/27/2009 |
Q: Why sugar syrup containing bottle produces fizzy sound while opening cap?
A: There's either extra air pressure inside or too little (temperature change could cause this) and as ...
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| Design experiment | 3/27/2009 |
Q: How do i design a laboratory experiment to investigate how the current which passes between two ...
A: This guy has done a lot of research on the practical issues: ...
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| a question about how to clean glass plate | 3/27/2009 |
Q: i am going to do some research on the contact angle between glass plate and water. firstly, i think ...
A: I'll tell you what I do know, but this is getting outside of my area of expertise, you probably ...
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| Water defying gravity? | 3/26/2009 |
Q: White-water rafting is a wet sport because the swift water flowing over the rapids, enters the still ...
A: Energy density. All the terms in Bernoulli's equation are in units of pressure, which is equivalent ...
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| Light | 3/26/2009 |
Q: If you had two objects in orbit, say like the moon and the earth. Then for some impossible reason ...
A: No, because seeing them would require light to reflect from the surface on the side facing the ...
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| newton's first law | 3/25/2009 |
Q: Can you help me understand newton's law of interia at general and specially in on its role of the ...
A: That law is very simple, it just states that an object which is moving will continue to do so until ...
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| light | 3/25/2009 |
Q: what is the weight of a light ray?
A: Light has no mass. It contains energy equivalent to mass (E=mc^2), but it has no mass itself. ...
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| microwave oven | 3/25/2009 |
Q: why metallic vessels are not suitable in microwave oven?
A: Microwaves are designed to contain microwave photons as standing waves reflected between their ...
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| Electric sharge | 3/25/2009 |
Q: I have two question,hope you will satified me.I have done graduate in physics. Q1)Why do ...
A: 1) They involve high voltages generated by very small charges. That means that water molecules are ...
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| a question about how to clean glass plate | 3/24/2009 |
Q: i am going to do some research on the contact angle between glass plate and water. firstly, i think ...
A: Solvents work well for basic cleaning (windex, etc). The only way to get rid of extra molecules ...
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| classical physics | 3/24/2009 |
Q: I read somewhere in Wikipedia that Classical physics is Superseded by relativistic and quantum ...
A: There's currently no way to know, actually. We know that at some level they can't both be right, ...
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| the space between atoms | 3/23/2009 |
Q: On the atomic level, there is some free space between the electrons and nucleus of atoms (and ...
A: Actually, there isn't. That's the classical notion of the atom, but quantum mechanics has shown us ...
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| classical physics | 3/23/2009 |
Q: I read somewhere in Wikipedia that Classical physics is Superseded by relativistic and quantum ...
A: Classical physics is, in fact, an approximation of relativistic physics and quantum mechanics. That ...
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| pressure? | 3/23/2009 |
Q: Steve, thanks for answering my first question. Now leading on from that....this link asks the next ...
A: First you added pressure from some unknown source to the bottom bottle. But that bottle still has ...
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| force & elasticity | 3/23/2009 |
Q: Does elasticity depend on mass? I used two objects of similar volume (metal ball and ping pong ...
A: Elasticity is a material property, not dependent on mass. It's a material property. What did you ...
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| pressure? | 3/22/2009 |
Q: Question for you, please. If I increase the air pressure in bottle A will it force the water from ...
A: Yep. You may find you have to increase that pressure a lot. First you have to increase it enough ...
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| displacement in S.H.M after the periodic time | 3/22/2009 |
Q: I was trying to find a law that i can calculate periodic time with displacement and i tried this: ...
A: You can't calculate periodic time based on displacement. It's the same time for simple harmonic ...
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| resistance | 3/22/2009 |
Q: The cross section of a portion of wire increases uniformly so it has the shape of a truncated cone. ...
A: To "integrate" means to add together. You add resistors in series, so integrate along its length. ...
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| friction | 3/20/2009 |
Q: My question is: I have a block 1800 lbs on a surface with friction coefficient of .8 . I have an ...
A: Since you approach this with an attempted solution, I won't reject this as a homework question out ...
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| Energy production | 3/19/2009 |
Q: If a hollow tube were to be lowered to a sufficient depth in the ocean,would the greater pressure at ...
A: Absolutely not, you'd have to force the pipes down below the surface of the water, fighting the ...
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| Aerodynamics | 3/19/2009 |
Q: I'm doing a presentation on aerodynamics in my physics class, and I was just wondering if you could ...
A: Bernoulli's equation. In flight, the shape of the wing forces the air to move faster over the top ...
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| negative ions | 3/19/2009 |
Q: Do negative ions produced in some air purifiers create ozone that is unsafe?
A: Apparently so. I'll refer you to the below link from the experts from the State of California. ...
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| expansion of water on freezing | 3/18/2009 |
Q: I have a small quarry on my property, filled with water. It is a confined basin, about one acre in ...
A: I'm slightly confused by the phrasing of the question, so perhaps you can clarify. Separation ...
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| Water pressure | 3/18/2009 |
Q: I am sending you this question because you are willing to deal with "everyday observations of ...
A: I'm not actually talking about things on a microscopic level, the gaskets in valves give quite a bit ...
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| Wave propagation | 3/18/2009 |
Q: Would you be so kind to explain me what wave propagation is? Thanks in advance, Bas
A: Wave propagation is just a general science term. It means the traveling of a wave, or the method of ...
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| reflection | 3/18/2009 |
Q: A street light,viewed by reflection across a body of water in which there are ripples,appears very ...
A: Well, that depends on the direction and size of the ripples. If the ripples are headed towards or ...
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| Gravity | 3/17/2009 |
Q: Is gravity a particle or a wave ?. If it's a particle can it be detected,and if it's a wave do we ...
A: Gravity is a distortion in spacetime. It's generated by the presence of matter and energy. ...
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| Water pressure | 3/17/2009 |
Q: I am sending you this question because you are willing to deal with "everyday observations of ...
A: I'm having to figure this out by thinking in detail about the system, but I believe I have an ...
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| help on DDP project | 3/17/2009 |
Q: I'm sure you probably get many many people asking you about the same project so I'm sorry if it ...
A: Packing peanuts are allowed? You could simply glue them to the outside. Alternatively, taking a ...
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| force of impact on a multi car collision | 3/16/2009 |
Q: This is not a homework discussion. I am having an agrument with a friend of mine and I just wanted ...
A: The answer is complex and depends on what you want to really know: the force between the cars or ...
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| engineer fair project!!!!! HELP ME!!!!! | 3/16/2009 |
Q: I'm doing a project for school(required),and have no idea how to build a rubber band powered car!!!! ...
A: In this case, there are several factors. 1) Make it as light as possible, but still stable. ...
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| momentum | 3/14/2009 |
Q: sir which will be more effective in knocking down a bear down. i- a rubber bullet ii- a lead bullet ...
A: A rubber bullet, based on conservation of momentum. The bullet bounces, therefore has a greater ...
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| electrostatic force | 3/14/2009 |
Q: Can you please help me with question 13 and Numerical respons 7 on this site: ...
A: 13 is just a vector problem, basically the Phythagorean theorem. You square and add the two ...
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| Water Freezing Above 32 F. | 3/13/2009 |
Q: Steve, I have a co-worker who has started a few acres of organic blue berries. He asked me if I ...
A: No. You can temporarily superheat formed ice crystals a little in the lab by raising their pressure ...
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| radioactivity | 3/13/2009 |
Q: I am interested in using Uranium glass that was produced pre 1940's in my artwork, making light ...
A: It should be fine. The material will contain very very tiny amounts of radon, which is chemically ...
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| Heat | 3/13/2009 |
Q: What is the difference between specific heat and heat capacity?
A: They're related. Heat capacity is often used to mean specific heat, but heat capacity refers to a ...
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| Fluid temperatures | 3/12/2009 |
Q: Hot or warm air is lighter than cooler air, and thus rises. I always believed that water behaved ...
A: It would only cool rapidly to the same temperature if stirred. Convection is an exceedingly slow ...
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| Fluid temperatures | 3/12/2009 |
Q: Hot or warm air is lighter than cooler air, and thus rises. I always believed that water behaved ...
A: Depends on geometry and time. Several geometric temperature factors, the first one is the straw. ...
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| surface tension | 3/11/2009 |
Q: Please can you tell why does surface tension of liquids fall with temperature?
A: You can picture it this way: at lower temperatures molecules slow down, allowing the attractive ...
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| heat | 3/11/2009 |
Q: why are mountain tops cold?
A: Temperature drops as pressure drops in the atmosphere. This is known as the environmental lapse ...
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| Physics | 3/11/2009 |
Q: What is negative energy? When can the total energy of a system be 0? If total energy is 0, can it be ...
A: There's no such thing as "negative energy." You can mathematically define a negative potential ...
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| Particle Accelerators | 3/10/2009 |
Q: I'm an 18 year-old student studying my A-Levels in Britain. I love physics. I was wondering: is it ...
A: Having been involved in the construction and maintenance of low-energy accelerators before, I can ...
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| circular motion | 3/9/2009 |
Q: what is tangent
A: A tangent is a straight line perpendicular to the radius of a circle and touching the circle in ...
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| question | 3/9/2009 |
Q: what is the difference between first order and second order phase transmortion? how should we ...
A: A first order phase transformation, like the boiling of water, involves a latent heat. It either ...
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| physics | 3/9/2009 |
Q: what will happen to a car that is travelling at 50 kilometers per hour if a large force is applied ...
A: That depends on the magnitude and direction of the force. If the force is applied to the rear of ...
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| Physics | 2/26/2009 |
Q: In semiconductors, for intrinsic carrier concentration, how the probability function f(E)is ...
A: It's been a while since I've had solid state physics, myself, and the scope of your question goes to ...
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| Is it a wheel? | 2/25/2009 |
Q: Nelson, In class we are learning about wheels. We have a question. Is a top a wheel? 14 of us ...
A: In my opinion, no. A wheel is a device designed to support weight while rolling without slipping, ...
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| kinetic and potential energy | 2/25/2009 |
Q: Is it possible for a human to have both zero potential and kinetic energy. If potential energy is ...
A: First, the absolute value of potential energy is arbitrary, so it's technically possible to just ...
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| Wind chill effect | 2/24/2009 |
Q: I need an answer to settle a friendly argument, and I think it's a physics question. If the wind is ...
A: Of course for your second example that would eliminate the wind and therefore the wind chill. For ...
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| complex variables | 2/23/2009 |
Q: i don't understand what a complex variable indicate?.Does it refers to a single point or more.what ...
A: Complex variables are mathematical constructs with specific properties, much like matrices or ...
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| pressure | 2/23/2009 |
Q: i'm a B-pharm-1 student.my doubt is how inter molecular forces of attractions can accounts for ...
A: No, think about the equation. Look at the other side of the equation. That is constant, like 1 ...
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| pressure | 2/22/2009 |
Q: i'm a B-pharm-1 student.my doubt is how inter molecular forces of attractions can accounts for ...
A: That's not an increase in pressure, it's a decrease. The pressure added to a constant, in that ...
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| pressure | 2/22/2009 |
Q: i'm a B-pharm-1 student.my doubt is how inter molecular forces of attractions can accounts for ...
A: They don't cause pressure at all. Pressure is caused by molecular collisions with the container ...
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| hi | 2/21/2009 |
Q: When we float, we can’t do things we normally do on Earth’s surface that scientists think of a way ...
A: The acceleration of Earth's gravity is 9.8 m/s^2. The centripetal acceleration due to rotation is ...
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| Kinetic Energy | 2/21/2009 |
Q: I have some doubts as to the application of kinetic energy in some circumstances, the main one being ...
A: You use a slightly complicated situation as an example, but your math is correct. If I was riding ...
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| elementary physics | 2/20/2009 |
Q: When you roll an aluminum can using a balloon and static electricity How fast will it roll? How far ...
A: Static electricity generally exerts weak forces, because significant static electricity buildup is ...
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| Lifting to weight ratio | 2/20/2009 |
Q: How much weight will one square foot of a vacuum lift? ANSWER: You technically mean how much weight ...
A: Oh, that's very different and you need to pose the question in cubic feet, not square feet. The ...
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| Lifting to weight ratio | 2/20/2009 |
Q: How much weight will one square foot of a vacuum lift?
A: You technically mean how much weight will one atmosphere of pressure lift when applied to the bottom ...
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| acoustics | 2/20/2009 |
Q: A man-sized object breaks the sound barrier at 10,000 feet. Would the boom be loud enough to notice ...
A: It's most likely between 50,000 and 100,000 ft where you drop from about 10% atmospheric pressure to ...
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| Science Fair Project - Ice | 2/20/2009 |
Q: My son wants to do a science fair project with regard to ice. Any suggestions as to a good project ...
A: Many! I'm the director of the regional science fair (where the local fair winners go before the ...
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| physics | 2/19/2009 |
Q: what is a light gate?
A: Well, there are two things you could be referring to. One would be a photogate, which is a ...
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| acoustics | 2/19/2009 |
Q: A man-sized object breaks the sound barrier at 10,000 feet. Would the boom be loud enough to notice ...
A: A sonic boom is a set of types of cone-shaped shock-wave that builds up just as an object reaches ...
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| electricty being produced | 2/19/2009 |
Q: i need you to help me to understand about electricity being produced. the only way i know is when ...
A: This isn't quite correct. A change in magnetic field creates an electric field (Faraday's law). ...
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| force | 2/19/2009 |
Q: I hang a block by a string from a strong support & another sting from bottom of the block. Now, if I ...
A: If you give it a fast jerk then no time is given for the mass of the block to accelerate and ...
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| finding research info | 2/18/2009 |
Q: I am doing a science experiment and I am having a hard time finding research info on the topic. Can ...
A: This is a good question, but hard to answer because the answer depends on so many things. Mostly ...
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| history of maths/physics | 2/17/2009 |
Q: I recall reading an aside issue in abook about electromagnetism that the derivation of E=mc^2 had ...
A: You have to understand when you read these stories, people are obsessed with Einstein. His name is ...
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| Rotation mystery.??? | 2/11/2009 |
Q: .. Below is a link that shows a blond Russian lady Hammer thrower (ther are about 4 other ...
A: This problem is not a great mystery if you're only considering angular momentum, and certainly ...
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| stainless steel weight | 2/11/2009 |
Q: I have a question about the weight of stainless steel. I want to know,that, what will be the weight ...
A: Sure, you need to know the density of the steel. Stainless has a density of 8000 kg/m^3, while ...
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| physics | 2/11/2009 |
Q: How does friction relate to something falling 5.5 meters with a parachute? ANSWER: Why 5.5 m? Why ...
A: You're interested in drag forces for an egg drop, why didn't you say so? Just deal with drag ...
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| physics | 2/10/2009 |
Q: How does friction relate to something falling 5.5 meters with a parachute? ANSWER: Why 5.5 m? Why ...
A: No, though drag forces are in some ways similar to friction. They resist motion, but drag forces ...
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| physics | 2/10/2009 |
Q: How does friction relate to something falling 5.5 meters with a parachute?
A: Why 5.5 m? Why not 6 or 60? It's all the same when you're talking about a parachute once you've ...
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| Gravity | 2/10/2009 |
Q: I have a weird question for ya. I know that magnetic fields and electric fields exhibit all of the ...
A: At some point in studying physics, everyone wonders about this. No one has yet managed to unify ...
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| Rotation mystery.??? | 2/10/2009 |
Q: .. Below is a link that shows a blond Russian lady Hammer thrower (ther are about 4 other ...
A: I can think of two things. Either her hands were moving in a direction perpendicular to the main ...
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| Energy Mechanics | 2/9/2009 |
Q: If the acceleration of an object is not zero, can the velocity of the object be zero? and Also,... ...
A: First question, yes. For example, if you throw an object up in the air it's always accelerating ...
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| light | 2/8/2009 |
Q: If light is energy (photons) then why, if one wraps an LED in aluminum foil to reflect light back ...
A: Heat, LEDs use very very little power. If you want a better example of energy being converted into ...
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| light | 2/7/2009 |
Q: If light is energy (photons) then why, if one wraps an LED in aluminum foil to reflect light back ...
A: They wouldn't reflect off the LED well at all, and the aluminum foil isn't 100% reflective. There's ...
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| capacitance and change in charge, voltage | 2/7/2009 |
Q: I am having trouble understanding capacitance, since each physics source I read gives a different ...
A: Voltage doesn't change the capacitance. Capacitance results from the geometry of the conductors. ...
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| brrnoulii | 2/7/2009 |
Q: In the steady flow, what is the factor that decreased the pressure and increased the velocity when ...
A: The question is posed in a confusing fashion, but let me explain what Bernoulli's equation really ...
|
| question | 2/6/2009 |
Q: what is space time co ordinate?
A: Much like standard three-dimensional coordinates, a space time coordinate is a set of three spatial ...
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| Desalinating the Ocean | 2/6/2009 |
Q: I am a senior at my school and am taking an independent physics class in which I explore areas of ...
A: I have an idea or two for this, actually, but it's a bit outside my field as I'm a nuclear physicist ...
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| Desalinating the Ocean | 2/5/2009 |
Q: I am a senior at my school and am taking an independent physics class in which I explore areas of ...
A: Reverse osmosis (RO) is the main form. It requires putting pressure across very large areas of ...
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| physics | 2/3/2009 |
Q: can u tell me if thier is a maximum speed that somthing can fall at, an if thier is wot speed is it? ...
A: The speed of light comes to mind, of course. Actually the speed you were quoted is about the speed ...
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| Newton's 2nd Law | 2/3/2009 |
Q: Recently I was tobogganing with my little brother. After racing to the bottom of the hill (which I ...
A: In the classroom physics world, you're right. Absolutely it should make no difference between you ...
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| electric and magnetic field | 2/3/2009 |
Q: isn't a magnetic field created by a magnet(or a dipole) similar to a field created by a +ve and a ...
A: They're related via Maxwell's equations, which provide a mathematical description of the laws of ...
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| ice breaking | 2/3/2009 |
Q: Is it possible to shatter ice (on a driveway/sidewalk or roof of house) using microwave or ...
A: The short answer is yes, but the immediate thing that occurs to me is that either would be ...
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| Magnetic Field | 2/2/2009 |
Q: I always thought magnetic lines of force eminate from a north pole and entered a south pole. a wire ...
A: Magnetic field lines are closed loops, always. They run back from south to north poles inside the ...
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| buzzing sound in the house | 2/2/2009 |
Q: We have a constant buzzing sound which resonates throughout the house even when power cut off. ...
A: These are tricky, I get these a lot. The trouble with resonating sounds is that they're difficult ...
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| Friction and force | 2/1/2009 |
Q: I am trying to figure out why it takes so much force to separate two phone books that have been ...
A: There's a certain frictional force per page when they're all clamped together, which depends on the ...
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| electric and magnetic field | 1/31/2009 |
Q: isn't a magnetic field created by a magnet(or a dipole) similar to a field created by a +ve and a ...
A: Well, it's far more complex than that. Here's a few things for you: Excess of electric charges of ...
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| cosmology | 1/30/2009 |
Q: not sure that the following is your area but il try! I have a very keen,amateur interest in ...
A: Let me try to run through this and then re-direct you to a much more informative source for the ...
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| cosmology | 1/29/2009 |
Q: not sure that the following is your area but il try! I have a very keen,amateur interest in ...
A: Ack! You need a full course in General Relativity, it's a very complex subject and you've waved ...
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| DC Motors | 1/29/2009 |
Q: What if any damage would occur to a 12V DC Motor if the polarity is reversed? This would be a small ...
A: Hobbyists reverse the polarity on DC motors all the time to make them run in reverse, as I ...
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| Sub-atomic physics | 1/29/2009 |
Q: If you were planning to energize an atom to a higher energy state what would the best method to do ...
A: After this many follow-ups, you really need to just go read up on the subject by doing some research ...
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| Sub-atomic physics | 1/29/2009 |
Q: Is it known what causes radioisotopes disintegrate spontaneously. What i mean by the above question ...
A: My advisor in grad school wrote a definitive paper on this while I was at Duke. I could only find ...
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| Sub-atomic physics | 1/28/2009 |
Q: Is it known what causes radioisotopes disintegrate spontaneously. What i mean by the above question ...
A: That's its ground state, isotopes with long-lived metastable states are rare. 137Cs doesn't have ...
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| Sub-atomic physics | 1/28/2009 |
Q: Is it known what causes radioisotopes disintegrate spontaneously. What i mean by the above question ...
A: If that was your question, you could've asked right away. I do teach how to calculate decay rates. ...
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| Sub-atomic physics | 1/28/2009 |
Q: Do the protons and neutrons in a nucleus vibrate. ANSWER: It's part of a model of the nucleus (we ...
A: No, the strength of the force doesn't vary between nucleons. But it is short range so it only acts ...
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| physics tatto help....:) | 1/28/2009 |
Q: i was hoping you could help me with a tatto design i already have the fourier transform on one arm i ...
A: I'll have to think about this, so I may follow up with another answer. The first things that come ...
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| Sub-atomic physics | 1/28/2009 |
Q: Do the protons and neutrons in a nucleus vibrate. ANSWER: It's part of a model of the nucleus (we ...
A: The strength of the strong nuclear force doesn't depend on which isotope it's in. It's 137 times ...
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| Sub-atomic physics | 1/28/2009 |
Q: Do the protons and neutrons in a nucleus vibrate.
A: It's part of a model of the nucleus (we have no exact formulae for the strong nuclear force, they're ...
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| another question... | 1/28/2009 |
Q: it was silly, I guess there was something I misread, so I'm sorry about wasting your time, but I ...
A: Well, four dimensions are all we observe. And as far as time "accelerating," you're referencing ...
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| another question... | 1/27/2009 |
Q: it was silly, I guess there was something I misread, so I'm sorry about wasting your time, but I ...
A: Not silly, just a bit inverted. Anyhow, we measure the physical second in terms of oscillations of ...
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| I'm not sure, that's what I wanted to know | 1/27/2009 |
Q: If something was standing entirely still, with a velocity of zero, would it be two dimensional? Is ...
A: Ummm...you've got it slightly backwards both from a relativity standpoint and a quantum mechanics ...
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| Physics | 1/27/2009 |
Q: My son is doing a science project on how far a water balloon can be thrown before it breaks. My ...
A: The physics of breaking the balloon involves the breaking strain of a highly elastic material. The ...
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| ceramic paint additive for heat reflection | 1/23/2009 |
Q: I purchaced a ceramic paint additive which is supposed to reflect heat back into the heated space of ...
A: I did some research, and found that your laser thermometer may indeed be being affected by the paint ...
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| ceramic paint additive for heat reflection | 1/22/2009 |
Q: I purchaced a ceramic paint additive which is supposed to reflect heat back into the heated space of ...
A: Paint is thin, it's not going to do much at all. Your laser thermometer measures the temperature of ...
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| Regarding atoms | 1/22/2009 |
Q: Has a proton, electron or an atom had ever been seen individually? We say that proton and neutron ...
A: Yes, we have, on all counts. We image atoms with many types of advanced microscopes (atomic force, ...
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| production of electricity | 1/22/2009 |
Q: Is there any process to produce electricity only by permanent magnet? I mean to say the production ...
A: Nope, nothing I know of except to produce uncontrolled eddy currents. Those would be channelled ...
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| physics | 1/22/2009 |
Q: My six year old son who is very into math and science is playing in the tub with a plastic drinking ...
A: Yes, cohesion. Water is a polar molecule, the water molecules tend to line up next to other water ...
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| Sonic Boom | 1/15/2009 |
Q: Could you please give me an idea of a science experiment that I could use for my sonic boom topic? ...
A: To make a winning science fair project, your project should answer some kind of question. The only ...
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| Surface Tension | 1/15/2009 |
Q: We know that mercury does not wet glass. Is there any material which is wetted by mercury?
A: You would expect it to wet materials with similar chemical makeup, like another metal. Here's an ...
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| potential | 1/14/2009 |
Q: why there is no acceleration when we transfer a charge from point a to point b in an electrostatic ...
A: You set balanced forces as a condition in the initial problem, the result of which is an ...
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| Neutron hole | 1/14/2009 |
Q: whilst reaserching CERN, I came across this site.Please take a look at it : ...
A: I've read many of these websites, all of which are pure scare-mongering. Not only that, but the ...
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| Floating motorcycles across rivers | 1/14/2009 |
Q: I am a Physics end user, but don't understand the process of figuring things out. I work and travel ...
A: Is that the inner diameter, the outer diameter (which I will assume for this calculation), or the ...
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| Floating motorcycles across rivers | 1/13/2009 |
Q: I am a Physics end user, but don't understand the process of figuring things out. I work and travel ...
A: Archimedes' principle, you need to displace a weight of water equal to the weight of your gear. So ...
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| Gamma Rays | 1/12/2009 |
Q: Hey, Goodnite. I was wondering if there was a specific range of frequencies from which Gamma Rays ...
A: All x rays and gamma rays cause damage to cells. They're higher in energy than UV light, which also ...
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| Solar energy | 1/12/2009 |
Q: Yes it is a 40 watt going to a 120v house current.Although i could try and find a smaller one if it ...
A: Just google search "40 watt solar panel" and you'll find plenty of them. They all put out about 17 ...
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| earth's rotation | 1/12/2009 |
Q: Sir- How much, if any, effect does the re-distribution of mass on the earths surface effect the ...
A: No, the amount of mass that human activity shifts is absolutely tiny in comparison to the mass of ...
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| Freeze Drying | 1/11/2009 |
Q: why is freeze-dried food mostly undamaged when defrosted?
A: Well, it is quite damaged, but not as badly as if it was just fozen. They don't leave the water in ...
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| Gamma Rays | 1/11/2009 |
Q: Hey, Goodnite. I was wondering if there was a specific range of frequencies from which Gamma Rays ...
A: Not really, though they pass through you more easily at higher energies they have more energy to ...
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| Force and Density | 1/10/2009 |
Q: Steve, Hello, I am a father who is helping his son on a science project, and I need some guidance ...
A: The density doesn't affect it so much, the molecular binding forces do. That's far more complex, ...
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| is there a hand held device to measure the speed of light? | 1/10/2009 |
Q: Could you tell me if there is a hand held device that can measure the speed of light? I’m ...
A: Since the speed of light in a substance depends directly on the index of refraction, you can just ...
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| A 50 MILE DEEP HOLE | 1/10/2009 |
Q: Yes is it possible if there was A 50 mile deep crater in the ground, There was A person all the way ...
A: No, 50 miles deep the temperature would be so hot they'd die first. It's not the helicopter flying ...
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| scifi question for children's book | 1/9/2009 |
Q: I write mystery fiction books for middle-school aged children, and I hope this is an appropriate ...
A: Well, magnetic disturbances are easy. A standard iron meteorite would cause that. Or the heat from ...
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| Physics Project | 1/9/2009 |
Q: We are currently working on an egg drop project with limited supplies. We can use: 1 sheet computer ...
A: Ahh, it's egg-drop time. If the sandwich bag is zip-lock, so you can fill it with air, I'd try to ...
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| Bremsstrahlung Radiation | 1/9/2009 |
Q: My understanding is the Bremsstrahlung Radiation occurs when a charged particle velocity changes ...
A: No, that wouldn't work. Bremsstrahlung radiation is emitted with a very low cross-section at such ...
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| egg drop project | 1/9/2009 |
Q: I have to do my egg drop project in my physic class and I totally have no clue on how to do it. What ...
A: You want something that will provide even force and is pretty long, but will stay upright when it ...
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| Observational Theory on the Atlantis from Stargate: Atlantis | 1/9/2009 |
Q: Good evening, A question in a fan forum has come concerning the city of Atlantis as depicted in the ...
A: Your list of questions all have the same answer, Archimedes' principle. The buoyant force of an ...
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| "Gravity" in a Hollow Sphere | 1/8/2009 |
Q: I know that because of Newton's shell theorem, the gravitational force inside a hollow sphere is ...
A: Not the way you're thinking, the geometry of the sphere prevents it. It's basic geometry, anything ...
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| "Gravity" in a Hollow Sphere | 1/8/2009 |
Q: I know that because of Newton's shell theorem, the gravitational force inside a hollow sphere is ...
A: Of course it would, just spin it and you'll get just the force you mentioned to cause centripedal ...
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| solar energy | 1/8/2009 |
Q: How do you make a homemade solar panel to absorb the sun's energy?
A: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qYeynLy6pj8 This shows how you can assemble them, but you aren't ...
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| Help!!! | 1/7/2009 |
Q: I've been working on my science fair and i need to ask an expert in my field for my research. I can ...
A: If that's your question, test it! That IS your science fair project. I'm not a biologist or an ...
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| potential energy | 1/7/2009 |
Q: why we chosen the infinity as a Reference instead of the center of the earth in calculating the ...
A: The choice is arbitrary, and meant for mathematical convenience. You can use the center of the Earth ...
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| maglev tech | 1/7/2009 |
Q: i was wondering if you knew anything about maglev tech. because me and my group want to make a ...
A: First, a few questions for clarification: What does the "ir" in "maglev car ir train" mean? You ...
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| Solar Energy | 1/7/2009 |
Q: How can I electrically wire a solar panel to a light bulb to make it shine/work?
A: Well, there are many ways this can be done. If you're trying to wire a small standard solar panel ...
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| Radiant Heat Shield | 1/7/2009 |
Q: We have a ventless fireplace and in the nook above, we have placed our stereo equipment. The ...
A: I don't have any information about the Thermo-Tec insulating mat because (I looked it up) they don't ...
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| Apparent weight of objects underwater and movement? | 1/7/2009 |
Q: I am a keen angler and would like to ask for your help with understanding buoyancy, movement ...
A: There's not a lot of difference in the actual total density of a fishing line. There are ...
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| The freezing of Ice | 1/6/2009 |
Q: I may have made a mistake flooding mu backyard rink. I put down a plastic sheet and filled the rink ...
A: No, ice is a pretty good insulator. It usually takes a lake a good four days or so to freeze. You ...
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| Apparent weight of objects underwater and movement? | 1/6/2009 |
Q: I am a keen angler and would like to ask for your help with understanding buoyancy, movement ...
A: If you want less resistance at the first bite, then having slack in the line would seem to be the ...
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| physics | 1/5/2009 |
Q: ! can you help me choose the easiest physic investigatory project, without using expensive ...
A: First, as a science fair director, I'd say to follow the links on our science fair website. My ...
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| Physics | 1/4/2009 |
Q: Does temperature effect the speed of a falling object? ANSWER: Temperature of the object? No. ...
A: You'd need a long drop from someplace really high up. And make sure that humidity didn't change. ...
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| Physics | 1/4/2009 |
Q: Does temperature effect the speed of a falling object?
A: Temperature of the object? No. Temperature of the air? Yes, it'll affect the viscosity of the ...
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| Special Relativity | 1/3/2009 |
Q: I have some questions to ask. 1. Is it true that it takes an instant for light to travel any ...
A: For the first one, by "an instant" I'll take it to mean zero time. That is what it takes, zero time ...
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| Several Questions | 12/24/2008 |
Q: I hope you can answer the following: 1.Is work always a result of energy conversion? And what ...
A: 1) No, work is not always the result of energy conversion. Example, your light bulb, where ...
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| upthrust | 12/19/2008 |
Q: A man is in his boat and is floating on a still lake. he has some stones with him in the boat. If he ...
A: The stones are more dense than water, so they will sink (I'm assuming he's not throwing pumice into ...
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| Help calculating torque | 12/19/2008 |
Q: I'm working on a two-wheeled balancing robot, but am stuck and need help with calculating the torque ...
A: So you've calculated the torque from gravity at the angle you want, now your motor has to be able to ...
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| Help calculating torque | 12/19/2008 |
Q: I'm working on a two-wheeled balancing robot, but am stuck and need help with calculating the torque ...
A: This project isn't going to be solved with simple equations, and you might want to find someone with ...
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| Help calculating torque | 12/18/2008 |
Q: I'm working on a two-wheeled balancing robot, but am stuck and need help with calculating the torque ...
A: Speed at which it moves does not relate directly to torque, acceleration does. The torque applied ...
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| Physics 11 Help | 12/18/2008 |
Q: Why can gravitational potential energy be described as an arbitrary value?
A: Only changes in potential energy matter. Where you start and where you end are the determining ...
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| special glasses | 12/17/2008 |
Q: how can i see behind the things? for example i want to see if someone carrying a weapon behind his ...
A: I think you mean through and not behind. For behind you just need a mirror to see around things. ...
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| Newton third law | 12/17/2008 |
Q: I have a simple question but it is confusing for me. According to Newton's third law, For every ...
A: There is an equal and opposite response. You are pushed back on by the stone that you throw. You ...
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| Ships on Water | 12/16/2008 |
Q: I would like to know how ships can sail in water. I read that the Ships are constructued in such a ...
A: Archimedes, the ancient Greek philosopher and scientist, discovered the principle that the buoyant ...
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| rotational mechanics | 12/16/2008 |
Q: Sir, I asked you the following question. When a screw is rotated on a flat surface, it slows down. ...
A: Ahhh, now I understand! Rotating a screw is usually done to insert it into wood, so I was ...
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| surface tension | 12/16/2008 |
Q: Two hollow glass spheres contain a little water & mercury respectively.What will happen when the 2 ...
A: The liquids will want to form spheres inside the spheres. The mercury will do a better job of this, ...
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| Spring | 12/15/2008 |
Q: I have a problem and I can not solve it. We have a simple spring.We compress it and fix the current ...
A: The answer you provide is correct indeed. The non-compressed spring will not spring open and stir ...
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| tire rubber | 12/14/2008 |
Q: The question has come up here about what happens to all the rubber wearing off all the cars on the ...
A: All of it, in a sense, but it depends somewhat on the type of road. This is a little outside my ...
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| Physics | 12/14/2008 |
Q: Hey... I'm having a problem on my Physics homework Oh and by the way, i really need this to be ...
A: It's a bad question, there's no way that the motorcycle can clear the second block even at infinite ...
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| What is a "heterostructure"? | 12/13/2008 |
Q: In http://www.allexperts.com/user.cgi?m=6&catID=1358&qID=4723397 you said that a "complex ...
A: Heterostructures are not my area of expertise, but have many unusual optical and electronic ...
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| projectiles | 12/13/2008 |
Q: I have been asked to find the angle that gives maximum projectile arc length , in horizontal ...
A: Angle? Seems incompatible with the phrase "horizontal projectiles." I assume you meant projectiles ...
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| Sparks | 12/13/2008 |
Q: How do atoms behave in different wall sockets and what makes different colored sparks?
A: Well, contaminant atoms will alter which type of atoms in a spark are emitting light. For example, ...
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| Physics | 12/12/2008 |
Q: Respected sir, I am Mukul of grade 11 The following question was asked to me by my teacher: Explain ...
A: I don't answer homework questions. However, you should investigate here: ...
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| Thermal Infrared Fluorescent Lamps? | 12/11/2008 |
Q: Most fluorescent lamps emit light in visible range. Is it possible to build a fluorescent lamp that ...
A: For 1) a UV lamp emits very very little power. It only needs a fraction of the power of an ...
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| A rolling ball | 12/11/2008 |
Q: What physical formulas and laws are applied to a spherical ball rolling on a flat surface. does ...
A: As far as rolling friction goes, no. Static friction is what actually applies. The response force ...
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| Thermal Infrared Fluorescent Lamps? | 12/11/2008 |
Q: Most fluorescent lamps emit light in visible range. Is it possible to build a fluorescent lamp that ...
A: For 1) It'll have to get "hot" to emit infrared, that's basic physics. Even if you pump it with a ...
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| Heat and temperature | 12/9/2008 |
Q: suppose an object is kept in bright sunlight, it will become warm depending upon time of exposure ...
A: Energy has entered. First law of thermodynamics, in fact. What makes it feel warm? A flow of ...
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| Optics: Spectrometer | 12/9/2008 |
Q: Sir, Why we use to focus the spectrometer for paraleel beams and what is the method of doing this?
A: We need to focus them to parallel beams in order to separate the beams based on their different ...
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| Capacity and voltage ratio | 11/30/2008 |
Q: If you have a metallic sphere (which has a fixed capacitance of course) and inside that sphere you ...
A: No, within the inner capacitors you will retain the same *net* charge of zero. If you nullify the ...
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| Capacity and voltage ratio | 11/30/2008 |
Q: If you have a metallic sphere (which has a fixed capacitance of course) and inside that sphere you ...
A: A sphere has a fixed capacitance relative to matter at infinity. If you put spheres inside it you ...
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| kepler's laws | 11/29/2008 |
Q: If you know the mass of a object that is emitting a gravitational field and the radius between it ...
A: If it's in a circular orbit and you know the radius PRECISELY, then yes. You have a known mass M ...
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| Helium | 11/28/2008 |
Q: Steve how far can Helium be compressed to? This is just a hypothetical example of numbers, but if it ...
A: That balloon would be heavier, not lighter. Helium can be compressed to incredibly high pressure, ...
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| - egg drop-- conceptual questions | 11/27/2008 |
Q: We have been asked to build a vehicle that would safely carry an egg from a height of fifty feet. ...
A: It would be completely inelastic (maximum energy absorption in the crushing vehicle). Impulse is ...
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| billiards, kinetic energy | 11/26/2008 |
Q: i an new and i need help with two questions. 1) In billiards(pool), is it possible for the cue ball, ...
A: The first one is easy, of course it's possible. That's why the ball stops, it transfers all its ...
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| PHYSICS | 11/26/2008 |
Q: We know 2+2 is 4, but can physics present a working model as to how a cell upon cenception becomes ...
A: I won't ask who "they" are, you should just be aware that such a statement is a little vague. The ...
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| PHYSICS | 11/26/2008 |
Q: Why does the ocean appear blue?
A: This question has been answered well by others: ...
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| PHYSICS | 11/26/2008 |
Q: We know 2+2 is 4, but can physics present a working model as to how a cell upon cenception becomes ...
A: Matter is not created from less matter. The cells ingest organic matter (amino acids, proteins, ...
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| Special Theory of Relativity | 11/26/2008 |
Q: It is said that Einstein in his teenage years, asked the question "what would I see in a mirror if I ...
A: This question usually assume you're looking at a clock in the mirror. You may as well just look ...
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| object around the earth | 11/26/2008 |
Q: I would like to know whether just as earth revolves around the Sun naturally, can we have an object ...
A: It's called the Moon. As tempted as I was to leave that as my answer to your question, I feel like ...
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| INQUIRY | 11/25/2008 |
Q: I m an engineer , unfortuntly after taking my bachelor degree I found that I unsatisfied with ...
A: You wrote that you enjoyed puzzling out physics and mathematical problems. In modern industry this ...
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| einstein | 11/25/2008 |
Q: my question is regarding the famous equation E=mc squared. I understand this to mean that each tiny ...
A: They all have "mass," therefore they have the kind of energy you're talking about. But mass does ...
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| Wave Interference | 11/25/2008 |
Q: I am doing a physics experiment,connecting two speakers to emit same sound frequency to produce node ...
A: Easy, in theory. Make them out of phase by 180 degrees. So possibly difficult to delay the signal ...
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| Egg drop- energy conservation | 11/25/2008 |
Q: how would you explain the concept of conservation of energy using equations for an egg drop? Thanks
A: Well, you're dropping eggs. So first you have the drop from height h. mgh = 1/2 mv^2, where m is ...
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| Energy | 11/25/2008 |
Q: Why force can't be an energy? Although I know that the force has to multiply the distance so as to ...
A: What do you mean, why can't it be an energy? That is, in a sense, like asking why sand can't be a ...
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| electricity | 11/24/2008 |
Q: How much energy could be gained from a 7" diameter circular shape brace (Cu) coil of 300 turnes. The ...
A: The details aren't quite right, so you should re-pose the question or follow the below link. For ...
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| galaxy size | 11/24/2008 |
Q: As I understand, the planets revolve around the Sun because of the gravitational pull of the Sun. ...
A: The range of the gravitational force is infinite, though it gets dramatically weaker with distance ...
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| Radium watch dial risks? | 11/23/2008 |
Q: While I am not one of those people who worries about every little environmental contaminant, I do ...
A: Well, having taught radiation safety, I may be able to apply some perspective. It's surprising how ...
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| bear-bull momentum | 11/23/2008 |
Q: Me and my friends are debating something regarding a bear and a bull. The average 500 kilogram can ...
A: You'll note that the units are the same for mass*velocity and force*time. There's a reason, ...
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| quantum | 11/23/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if you could help me out. Why can't you measure both the location and velocity of a ...
A: If you don't interact with a particle, you can't detect it because you didn't have an interaction to ...
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| INQUIRY | 11/22/2008 |
Q: I m an engineer , unfortuntly after taking my bachelor degree I found that I unsatisfied with ...
A: There are jobs in this field, though often applied to theoretical situations involving the real ...
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| speed of electron | 11/21/2008 |
Q: sir what is the speed of electron in a conductor and what will be it's speed if it is connected to ...
A: The speed of an electron in a conductor depends on its quantum state, and therefore I'd need more ...
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| bear-bull momentum | 11/21/2008 |
Q: Me and my friends are debating something regarding a bear and a bull. The average 500 kilogram can ...
A: I know I've answered this before, but can't find the original question. I'll give you my thoughts, ...
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| Nuclei Single-particles Harmonic Oscillator Potential | 11/21/2008 |
Q: I am looking into the calculations of a harmonic oscillator potential for nuclei single-particles. ...
A: First, you're relying on a brief wiki instead of a textbook. Your local library probably has the ...
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| Help! | 11/20/2008 |
Q: So, in my physics class we just dropped a plastic egg filled with metal washers from the ceiling. It ...
A: Never seen a lab quite like that, so it would help if you followed up with some more details, but ...
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| boat hull | 11/20/2008 |
Q: Is there a way to determine if the balsa core sandwiched between 2 layers of fiberglass in a small ...
A: That would work, probably. Air in the upper parts of the hull would significantly muffle the sound ...
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| quantum | 11/20/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if you could help me out. Why can't you measure both the location and velocity of a ...
A: The act of measuring something requires it to interact with another quantum of matter or energy at a ...
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| electromagnetism | 11/20/2008 |
Q: Estimate the magnetic field that might be obtained close to a thick piece of copper wire which is ...
A: You'll have to look up the maximum amperage or the starting amperage of the battery for the car ...
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| boat hull | 11/20/2008 |
Q: Is there a way to determine if the balsa core sandwiched between 2 layers of fiberglass in a small ...
A: Yes, estimate the volume of the balsa (area estimate times thickness) and do the same for the ...
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| Query about the electromagnetic forces. | 11/19/2008 |
Q: Sir, I want to know how the interaction between the two poles of a magnet i.e. like and unlike poles ...
A: Wow, you really asked a difficult question to answer. Unfortunately, the actual answer to this ...
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| our vision | 11/19/2008 |
Q: When I stand in the roof of a top building, I see a tree or a tower as the end point (i.e., I see ...
A: I'll take a stab at your question, though it's a little unclear. By "farmost thing" I think you ...
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| Thermodynamics | 11/18/2008 |
Q: (1)Is the force of the electromagnetic attraction of the molecules of a gas at high pressure ...
A: 1) Thermal interchange of energy happens during collisions between molecules. They are the source ...
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| Magnetic reaction time | 11/18/2008 |
Q: What is the speed at which magnetic interactions occur? I realize in some sense this may not be an ...
A: The magnetic field will become higher due to length contraction nearer to the speed of light. Same ...
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| Magnetic reaction time | 11/17/2008 |
Q: What is the speed at which magnetic interactions occur? I realize in some sense this may not be an ...
A: As light is composed of electromagnetic fields, magnetic information is indeed transmitted at the ...
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| newton's third law of motion | 11/17/2008 |
Q: i am always confused about this law((action====reaction)) Is there any situation in which when the ...
A: Water provides us with an equal reaction force, but that force is not sufficient to move our large ...
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| Momentum | 11/17/2008 |
Q: Greetings sir, I am a high school senior and have troubled you in the past.So sorry to bother you ...
A: No problem on the repeat question. The statement is absolutely correct. Density of metal has ...
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| Question | 11/16/2008 |
Q: I have a friend who is a chemical engineer, though, he was unable to help me but so far. ...I have ...
A: The slowdown in the flow of the fluid from injecting the CO2 (whatever your backflow pressure) would ...
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| Thermodynamics | 11/16/2008 |
Q: (1)Is the force of the electromagnetic attraction of the molecules of a gas at high pressure ...
A: This is a lot of questions all at once. Yes, it is a function of their position. Not applicable ...
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| Thermal Infrared Fluorescent Lamps? | 11/15/2008 |
Q: Most fluorescent lamps emit light in visible range. Is it possible to build a fluorescent lamp that ...
A: It is possible, but it would be expensive and really no more efficient than simply heating a surface ...
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| RF cooling?! | 11/15/2008 |
Q: Just how can microwaves be used to cool something? Usually they heat things up. ...
A: The microwaves have momentum, which can be used to cancel out the momentum of motion in tiny ...
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| newtons laws(pulleys) | 11/14/2008 |
Q: this is a question in my text book,but its kinda like a doubt.the text book says tat if we assume ...
A: As the 15 kg mass moves down it needs to extend the string on both sides. For every unit distance ...
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| Work done by a magnet | 11/14/2008 |
Q: I am curious to know if work is done by a magnet in attracting a magnetic material. Since there is a ...
A: Technically the work isn't done by the magnet itself. Technically the work is done by the response ...
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| Understanding. | 11/14/2008 |
Q: I subscribed to the Cern Courier and came across this page: The Higgs and LHC. Whilst reading it I ...
A: Wait, it's not still the woman worried about the LHC causing global destruction, is it? This quote ...
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| Reductionism Fate | 11/14/2008 |
Q: First off, you seemed the most qualified of everyone here I've looked through, so even if you can't ...
A: Nuclear fission (where there are many outcomes to the same reaction, as nuclei split unevenly and ...
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| energy levels | 11/14/2008 |
Q: I am working on a project involving co2 gas under high pressure.It is my understanding that (1)there ...
A: Phonons are caused by collisions between atoms, the interchange of energy. They are the quantum ...
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| Helicopter Physics | 11/13/2008 |
Q: I guess I should have been more clear on my last question. I am trying to figure out how fast a RC ...
A: I'm trying to steer you clear of the Navier-Stokes equation, so try this on for size: ...
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| Speed of light, time, nuclear fission. | 11/13/2008 |
Q: i have a question concerning the speed of light and special relativity. Let's assume an individual ...
A: You said the speed of light, so I'll answer for that condition. Nothing happens, because time would ...
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| condensation | 11/13/2008 |
Q: This may be stupid to you, But I just want to know exactly why and if I can stop it. I built this ...
A: I have no idea what this box is for, but I'm going to say to remove a tiny piece of the seal at a ...
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| condensation | 11/13/2008 |
Q: This may be stupid to you, But I just want to know exactly why and if I can stop it. I built this ...
A: Air tight fit is both a benefit and a problem. On one hand, no moisture can get in, on the other ...
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| force | 11/13/2008 |
Q: Where do forces come from? And can a body, in and of itself, possess a force as it possesses other ...
A: Forces are the interactions between objects, not a quantity an object may possess. Where they come ...
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| physics | 11/13/2008 |
Q: How are gravitational fields and electric fields similar? How are they different?
A: They both have the same form, where the force depends on a constant of nature, a product of a ...
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| Cold Energy | 11/12/2008 |
Q: When matter is cold that basically means the particles are slowed down inside of its atoms? Is there ...
A: Heat is a form of energy. Temperature is directly related to the energy content of material. ...
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| Reductionism Fate | 11/12/2008 |
Q: First off, you seemed the most qualified of everyone here I've looked through, so even if you can't ...
A: To the best of our scientific knowledge, the philosophy of Reductionism is absolutely false. The ...
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| Circles, | 11/12/2008 |
Q: I have had some sleepless nights recently thinking about circles, i (think i) know that a body ...
A: I will assume you mean with constant velocity to make this easier. This is almost more of a ...
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| Work done by a magnet | 11/12/2008 |
Q: I am curious to know if work is done by a magnet in attracting a magnetic material. Since there is a ...
A: Work is done on a magnetic material. The magnetic domains in the material re-align with the ...
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| Force and contact time | 11/12/2008 |
Q: Nelson, I am a 3rd Degree black belt in Taekwondo and regularly break both wood and concrete. I ...
A: Breaking stuff with your hands and feet is a little out of my experience range, but I'll take this ...
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| energy levels | 11/10/2008 |
Q: I am working on a project involving co2 gas under high pressure.It is my understanding that (1)there ...
A: Temperature is technically the result of the number of available quantum states of the molecules. ...
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| Drag | 11/10/2008 |
Q: Steve, if you are driving a car down the road at 65 MPH, how much wind force is pushed onto the road ...
A: Wind speed being pushed down on the road...that quantity doesn't make sense unfortunately. You can ...
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| Pseudo Geiger Mueller detector | 11/8/2008 |
Q: Ran into what I thought was a really neat demo which showed the basic concept of radiation detection ...
A: First, thanks for showing me this site, it's fantastic. I'm always looking for neat do-it-yourself ...
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| Why? | 11/8/2008 |
Q: can you please explain why water sprays off a rapidly turning bicycle wheel? Thanks!
A: Inertia. The water, moving with the wheel, has momentum and inertia. The forces that cause the ...
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| Center of Mass | 11/8/2008 |
Q: A uniform circular plate of radius 2R has a circular hole of radius R cut out of it. The center C' ...
A: Well, for one thing the units don't even match up. You're trying to subtract kg*m from kg^2 ...
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| 0 Mass | 11/7/2008 |
Q: Dr. Nelson: Would you please explain the menaing of a particle with 0 mass? If something has 0 ...
A: A photon is a quantum, or particle, in that you can only absorb or emit one as a whole unit. You ...
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| energy levels | 11/7/2008 |
Q: I am working on a project involving co2 gas under high pressure.It is my understanding that ...
A: The kinetic energy of gas molecules depends only on their temperature. Pressure depends on both ...
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| Magnet | 11/6/2008 |
Q: I just wanted to know if there is a super magnet (no bigger than your fist) that can move a car when ...
A: They make magnets with a few hundred pounds of lifting strength, but remember Newton's Laws...it's ...
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| Double slit experiment | 11/6/2008 |
Q: In the double slit experiment, why does an interference pattern show up behind the slits when ...
A: There's a great youtube video for this which explains it all, but requires some further explanation: ...
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| Magnet | 11/6/2008 |
Q: I just wanted to know if there is a super magnet (no bigger than your fist) that can move a car when ...
A: Depends on the car, the strength of the magnet (I know some that could have a pull of hundreds of ...
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| reg waves in sea | 11/5/2008 |
Q: What causes waves in the sea?. Why some seas have no or very less waves? Regards. Moosa
A: This is very complex indeed. Motion of water is converted into waves, this motion can come from ...
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| Current at all points? | 11/5/2008 |
Q: My question concerns the fact that in a simple series circuit, the current is the same at all points ...
A: Of course there's a time lag, nothing can travel faster than the speed of light. The electric field ...
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| Current at all points? | 11/5/2008 |
Q: My question concerns the fact that in a simple series circuit, the current is the same at all points ...
A: Yes, there's a very very slight difference in charge distributions around a circuit that keeps ...
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| Physical characteristics of liquids splashing | 11/4/2008 |
Q: I am not putting you on. I seriously am curious about this. Not that I am a hypocondriac about ...
A: The amount of splashback will be far less important than the content. The liquid with downward ...
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| geosynchronous orbit?? | 11/4/2008 |
Q: A satelite in a geosynchronous orbit has a period of revolution of: a) 5400 s b) 3600 s c) 43200 s ...
A: I don't answer homework questions directly, so I can't just point you at a formula. Geosynchronous ...
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| bernouli's theroem | 11/4/2008 |
Q: When an object is moving, it has two kinds of energies.. Kinetic energy(by virtue of its movement) ...
A: These are a lot of questions. First, this is not a new type of energy, pressure is energy density ...
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| Acceleration | 10/31/2008 |
Q: In the car, what can produce acceleration? Thanks in advance!
A: Applied forces produce acceleration. When the engine applies torque to the wheels, the wheels apply ...
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| x-ray machine | 10/31/2008 |
Q: I'm not sure if i'm in the correct area, but i thought i'd give it a shot anyways. So here it goes: ...
A: Tantalum, with the drawback that it's hard to machine. Tantalum has all the properties you mention ...
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| Mass | 10/29/2008 |
Q: So what causes something to have its mass?
A: The current theory (unproven) is that this is caused by something called the Higgs boson. This has ...
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| Gravity | 10/28/2008 |
Q: What is gravity? Why don't we know what gravity is? ANSWER: We do know what gravity is, although ...
A: No, in my first sentence I told you what gravitation is. It *is* the distortion of spacetime. Then ...
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| Room Temperature | 10/28/2008 |
Q: If you have a cold room (say 10 degC) and you want to heat the room to say 20 degC so you get a ...
A: Yep, this one's easy for me to answer because you were smart enough to answer it for yourself with ...
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| Gravity | 10/28/2008 |
Q: What is gravity? Why don't we know what gravity is? ANSWER: We do know what gravity is, although ...
A: Gravitation is the stretching or curving of spacetime. If you put your pencil on the Earth, you put ...
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| Now its Newton | 10/27/2008 |
Q: I hope I don't sound like a botheration to you but I'm preparing for my final exams at senior high ...
A: Your first of your two equations is correct, the sum of forces = mass*acceleration. Technically ...
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| Physics | 10/27/2008 |
Q: I just need a better understanding on how right-angled prisms work dealing with reflection. Thank ...
A: Right-angle prisms generally rely on total internal reflection. ...
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| Blocking the Sun for Climate Control | 10/27/2008 |
Q: Steve, this may sound stupid to you but if one were to place on top of a blimp a "sun shade/sun ...
A: Complex question, but the sun has an angle due to its size of 0.5 degrees, so if you fly it high ...
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| Gravity | 10/26/2008 |
Q: What is gravity? Why don't we know what gravity is?
A: We do know what gravity is, although we've never directly observed a gravitational wave. General ...
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| electronics | 10/25/2008 |
Q: Sir! why do different colours appear instead of real ones on a TV screen when a magnet is brought ...
A: Magnets deflect moving charged particles. TV phosphors are illuminated by a beam of electrons, ...
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| Audio/Video recordings | 10/25/2008 |
Q: I wonder how information are stored in audio tapes and video tape/CDs?. If magnets store these ...
A: There are areas of ferromagnetic material on these tapes. Atoms in ferromagnetic material have ...
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| magnetic permability | 10/25/2008 |
Q: I am stuck with a concept in physics. I am using the magnetic permabililty of air in an equation but ...
A: Currents traveling in the same direction will attract one another, so I assume you meant attractive ...
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| quanta of the electromagnetic force | 10/24/2008 |
Q: Can you explain what is meant by the universe's Total mass deficit ? What is anti matter ? Can a ...
A: Mass deficit usually refers to galactic mass deficit. We don't observe enough matter in galaxies to ...
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| Twilight detector | 10/22/2008 |
Q: i would like to construct a simple twilight detector lamp for my electrical engineering class. I ...
A: These devices basically consist of a photodiode or solar cell and a voltage detector. ...
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| antifreeze | 10/22/2008 |
Q: Steve... If the antfreeze in my car reads -20 degrees C when tested, what will happen if the ...
A: We used to keep dry ice (-78C) in antifreeze all the time and it would just be a little thick. But ...
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| sequential inflation of a garden hose | 10/21/2008 |
Q: I have taken physics in undergrad. How can i vary the length and width of a rubber or plastic tube ...
A: Not really, you want a pressure that you set as the maximum before the valves open. It's kinda like ...
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| drift velocity ¤t electricity | 10/18/2008 |
Q: why is the direction of current & drift velocity same if particle is positive ,& direction of ...
A: Current is defined as going from positive potential to negative potential. The drift velocity is ...
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| friction | 10/16/2008 |
Q: My question is that (1)by experience we know that wide tyres offer better traction to a vehicle, ...
A: That appears to be one of the three major functions of tread, to cut through dirt and other ...
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| General Relativity | 10/16/2008 |
Q: I read that according to General Relativity Theory, gravitation is not a force but something else. ...
A: A force is that which causes a body with mass to accelerate. Therefore gravitation is a force. ...
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| Cause of gravitational force | 10/16/2008 |
Q: What is the cause of gravitational force between two bodies? What makes two bodies to attract each ...
A: ***As a warning, you're asking questions to which there are no quick and simple answers. There's no ...
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| Clouds | 10/15/2008 |
Q: Small clouds in the sky seems to move in the sky and unite. What makes the clouds to move and unite ...
A: They usually don't join, they usually just drift along, but occasionally they do. Appearances can ...
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| Theories | 10/15/2008 |
Q: What exactly qualifies a theory (such as general relativity, or any other physical theory) and how ...
A: Interesting question. Anyone can have a theory. An *accepted* theory is one that's presented ...
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| gravitational force | 10/15/2008 |
Q: This may be a stupid question but here it is. Would it be possible to build something so massive ...
A: It doesn't have to be large at all, we measure this all the time. It's a classic experiment called ...
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| friction | 10/14/2008 |
Q: My question is that (1)by experience we know that wide tyres offer better traction to a vehicle, ...
A: They're not incompatible, the force of friction being area-independent is somewhat dependent on the ...
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| physics | 10/8/2008 |
Q: Can water be compressed to a solid? As in: A theoretical planet composed entirely of water, about ...
A: See here for the many anomalous properties of water: http://www.lsbu.ac.uk/water/anmlies.html ...
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| Hazards of 400 nm lasers? | 10/8/2008 |
Q: What hazards -- other than thermal burns -- does a 400-nanometer-wavelength continuous [i.e. ...
A: Mostly the hazards you saw on the wiki page you attached to the question. The human eye can see ...
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| Spinning Tops | 10/8/2008 |
Q: How can I explain the physics principles involved in spinning tops to 5th grade students? It is a ...
A: There's a good demonstration you can do if you can find a chair or stool that rotates and a bicycle ...
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| About generation of current from rotional motion | 10/8/2008 |
Q: Nelson. I am a molecular biology major with interest in, but little understanding of, various ...
A: The tube must have been connected to a generating mechanism more than just a diode. A diode doesn't ...
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| Electric Field and Application | 10/7/2008 |
Q: What is the importance/relevance to know the electric field distribution of a electrical apparatus? ...
A: Electric field intensity is important to know for a couple of reasons I can think of off the top of ...
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| Conservation of Energy | 10/6/2008 |
Q: According to the law of conservation of energy, the energy is always preserved. Suppose if eletrical ...
A: If the energy is absorbed in the atmosphere it is turned (by the molecules in the atmosphere) into ...
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| Cycling backwards | 10/5/2008 |
Q: Sir ill be highly obliged if you could answer this question my sister put to me the other day... Q. ...
A: On some stunt bikes it is actually possible to pedal backwards, but on most bikes you can't. Listen ...
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| calorimetry | 10/5/2008 |
Q: 1) if we take a solid which contracts on being melted(like, for example ice which contracts due to ...
A: Water exhibits anomalous behavior. Since I'm a nuclear physicist, I consulted with friends in ...
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| Going for Grey | 9/28/2008 |
Q: Am I correct in thinking that if traveling at close to the speed on light, the frequency that light ...
A: Yes, that's the doppler shift. An object which was grey would have all its light shifted towards ...
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| Calculate properties of matter | 9/28/2008 |
Q: I want to calculate the mass properties or density of the matter of interest //Mohan ANSWER: No, ...
A: We can't simply calculate mass, mass is a measured quantity. It's observed in the laboratory, not ...
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| Calculate properties of matter | 9/27/2008 |
Q: I want to calculate the mass properties or density of the matter of interest //Mohan
A: No, using only the speed of light it is not possible to calculate such properties. You need many ...
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| Going for Grey | 9/26/2008 |
Q: Is there an opposite colour to grey? In the same way that red and green are opposite.
A: Sort answer: no. Slightly longer discussion. Red and Green are not physically "opposite." This ...
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| Law of gravitation | 9/26/2008 |
Q: I read that according to Law of Gravitation all bodies in the universe attract each other. Does it ...
A: Of course the Earth is far larger than the mountains that sit on it. So the mountains may attract ...
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| LHC | 9/25/2008 |
Q: So do you think i'm worrying over nothing. The whole thing has mad me very ill and I just wanted ...
A: I'm not remotely qualified to give you medical advice. Personally I would chalk this up to an ...
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| coulomb charge and electrolysis | 9/25/2008 |
Q: my question is i have a 2C charge, how to i make it a positive anode and negative cathode with this ...
A: You make a positive anode and negative cathode by putting 2 C of charge on the positive anode and -2 ...
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| Friction | 9/24/2008 |
Q: When a block rests on a truck that is moving with uniform velocity, the block also moves with the ...
A: The force of friction is zero in this case, as there is no acceleration. So you don't need to go ...
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| speed of light | 9/22/2008 |
Q: If you were moving half the speed of light and you shined a light infront of yourself, would that ...
A: No, light always travels the same speed. It's one of the more difficult notions of relativity, I ...
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| speed of light | 9/22/2008 |
Q: If you were moving half the speed of light and you shined a light infront of yourself, would that ...
A: Moving at half the speed of light relative to what? Presumably, you mean an observer watching the ...
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| gravitation | 9/21/2008 |
Q: why is the gravitational potential enrergy of a body on mass m the surface of earth in the ...
A: It's not U=-GMm/r^2, it's U=-GMm/r. You were thinking of the equation for force and not energy. ...
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| electrical | 9/20/2008 |
Q: can 11kv of electricity would be converted into light to pass through fiber optics ANSWER: Short ...
A: Nothing can pass light through the fiber with 100% efficiency, especially over that extreme ...
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| LHC | 9/20/2008 |
Q: I have read on the CERN website that stable black holes if produced could settle into the core of ...
A: Oh, yes. You keep saying that you've gotten information from the CERN website. You should go here: ...
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| LHC | 9/20/2008 |
Q: Which can be absorbed by the earth. If this were to happen then how long would it take to destroy ...
A: I'm trying to not be offended that you ignored my explanation of how this is impossible and ...
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| fiber optic cable | 9/19/2008 |
Q: If fiber optic cable is made out of very thin strands of glass, how can it be flexible? It seems ...
A: Nope, kinda like a copper plate is quite hard but thin copper wire is quite flexible. It's a matter ...
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| Vectors/Termianl velocity experiment | 9/19/2008 |
Q: For a project at school I was going to measure the terminal velocity of objects in air by using a ...
A: The problem here is that you have to measure the speed of the air at the height of the object. If ...
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| LHC | 9/19/2008 |
Q: Which can be absorbed by the earth. If this were to happen then how long would it take to destroy ...
A: Protons with even higher energy than the LHC can produce would be far more likely to produce black ...
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| proving an arguement with a friend | 9/19/2008 |
Q: So my friend and I were arguing over how sniping can all calculated with calculus, including factors ...
A: Anyone who turns a character in a video game knows that video games are digital and only have finite ...
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| electrical | 9/18/2008 |
Q: can 11kv of electricity would be converted into light to pass through fiber optics
A: Short answer: yes. Longer answer: Not with 100% efficiency, no, you need something like a laser ...
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| Water Boiling | 9/17/2008 |
Q: She says that something is released in the bubbles formed when you boil water. If this is so can ...
A: Well obviously something fills the bubbles or they'd collapse. That's air for the little bubbles ...
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| Physics | 9/17/2008 |
Q: what is used to calculate the speed of sound
A: Either the dispersion relation for the fluid that the sound travels in, or a direct measurement are ...
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| momentum | 9/17/2008 |
Q: Which should be the best on knocking the bear down- a lead bullet or a rubber bullet with the same ...
A: This question is a little vague. What bear? Is it moving, standing, etc? Does the fact that a ...
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| radioactive decay | 9/16/2008 |
Q: my question arises from the fact that it seems not to exist information at atom-level that makes one ...
A: Interesting question, I've wondered about something that sounds along these lines when I've talked ...
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| quantum computers | 9/16/2008 |
Q: Is a quantum chemical computer possible? Could you explain further? ANSWER: Yes. No. Well, a ...
A: Ahhh, we're mixing chemical computers with quantum computers. Quantum computers generally are ...
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| radioactive decay | 9/16/2008 |
Q: my question arises from the fact that it seems not to exist information at atom-level that makes one ...
A: I'm not sure what a decay ratio is, but I'll assume you mean either a half-life or a fraction of ...
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| quantum computers | 9/16/2008 |
Q: Is a quantum chemical computer possible? Could you explain further?
A: Yes. No. Well, a quantum computer is possible. What you mean by a quantum chemical computer is ...
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| Time | 9/15/2008 |
Q: Steve, I think it's generally accepted that time changes due to velocity and gravity. Beyond ...
A: The speed of light being constant is well-measured, not assumed. The theory of relativity depends ...
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| Time | 9/14/2008 |
Q: Steve, I think it's generally accepted that time changes due to velocity and gravity. Beyond ...
A: We have many experimental proofs, from particles whose half-life is altered (high energy cosmic ...
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| need help with ohm's law | 9/14/2008 |
Q: i am having a problem in making authentic questions about ohm's law please give me some authentic ...
A: You can ask about the resistance of a wire of length L, area A, and resistivity rho. You can sketch ...
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| LHC | 9/14/2008 |
Q: I have been very worried about this experiment and have become very ill. I have read the conflicting ...
A: If there was any danger, we'd all have been destroyed naturally billions of years ago. It really is ...
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| making mass from energy | 9/12/2008 |
Q: In nuclear physics we often hear about energy coming from mass e.g.Nuclear bombs and nuclear power. ...
A: That's impossible, becuase you'd have to make the components of anti-hydrogen, which then annihilate ...
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| making mass from energy | 9/11/2008 |
Q: In nuclear physics we often hear about energy coming from mass e.g.Nuclear bombs and nuclear power. ...
A: Of course, high-energy photons are naturally converted to matter-antimatter pairs all around you, ...
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| Small EMP | 9/11/2008 |
Q: I've been told that one of the few causes of an EMP is a large explosion. Is there anyway to create ...
A: There's nothing minor you can set up next to a building. It has to have too much energy to cause ...
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| Small EMP | 9/11/2008 |
Q: I've been told that one of the few causes of an EMP is a large explosion. Is there anyway to create ...
A: Yes, but no explosion. A single pulse from a Tesla coil will do the trick. However, the energy ...
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| CLouds | 9/10/2008 |
Q: I asked this question of a meteorologist, but he kept saying that the answer lay in surface ...
A: He probably interpreted your question as meaning how a single droplet wouldn't blow up. Not the ...
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| Protons | 9/10/2008 |
Q: Steve Where do scientists get the protons from to use in experiments? Simon
A: That's shockingly easy in terms of many things scientists do, though I understand how "proton beams" ...
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| Earth's inner liquid dynamo | 9/10/2008 |
Q: this is a follow up in a way. I thought the Dynamo was producing the Earth's magnetic field. Is it ...
A: You might want to consider asking a geophysicist about the relationship between the dynamo and ...
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| Science | 9/10/2008 |
Q: how centripetal force is involved in the operation of a washing machine? How the spin dryer of the ...
A: In order to keep the clothes spinning in a circle, the barrel of the dryer presses against them to ...
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| earth's mantle | 9/9/2008 |
Q: Perhaps this isn't exactly your field but I can't get an answer anywhere? I understand that the ...
A: You don't have to add energy for that, the momentum of the Earth's inner liquid dynamo is enormous ...
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| electricity | 9/9/2008 |
Q: sir what is terminal velocity and drift velocity and is there any way to construct two wires of same ...
A: Terminal velocity is generally used to refer to the velocity a falling body achieves where its air ...
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| Charging an inductor | 9/9/2008 |
Q: I am experimenting with voltage gains based on LC ratios and low coupling between a primary and ...
A: The rate of change of the current may be slower, but the total magnetic flux (field times area) may ...
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| LHC | 9/8/2008 |
Q: im pretty sure you know what the LHC or CERN im worried because in 2 days they will start it up and ...
A: Yes, it's telling you that your mind correctly identified black holes and strange matter eating the ...
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| earth's mantle | 9/8/2008 |
Q: Perhaps this isn't exactly your field but I can't get an answer anywhere? I understand that the ...
A: The magnitude of the Earth's size is perhaps what makes the analogy not quite work. A pan of milk ...
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| Charging an inductor | 9/8/2008 |
Q: I am experimenting with voltage gains based on LC ratios and low coupling between a primary and ...
A: The voltage depends greatly on the rate of change of the peak magnetic field in the secondary coil. ...
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| earth's mantle | 9/8/2008 |
Q: Perhaps this isn't exactly your field but I can't get an answer anywhere? I understand that the ...
A: Nuclear decay is the primary thing *adding* heat to the mantle, but mostly it's just really hot and ...
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| about drinking bird | 9/7/2008 |
Q: Have you heard about drinking bird?? Do you think the drinking bird performs work? ANSWER: I've ...
A: No, the bird does indeed work (as in it functions as designed). Gravity is the force that acts on ...
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| Twins paradox | 9/6/2008 |
Q: As I understand it (or I suppose I should say "if"), it is deemed a paradox not because the twins ...
A: Here's a way to think about it that most explanations don't usually cover. Every inertial reference ...
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| microwaved water | 9/6/2008 |
Q: I have noticed that when heating water to the boiling point in a microwave in a ceramic cup, the hot ...
A: The water is superheated, meaning above its boiling point. The problem is that there are no places ...
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| i need ur help | 9/4/2008 |
Q: i have been admitted to a institution to read physics and solar energy and i dont know anything ...
A: If would help if I knew something about the institution and if you can be more specific about what ...
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| another bet | 9/2/2008 |
Q: in theory: I was once told that if you have a rifle in a vice at a specific height and also had a ...
A: In a classical approximation this statement is true. This is in a vacuum, and neglecting the ...
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| egg drop container | 9/2/2008 |
Q: I need a good egg drop container for school all my ideas fail!!!!!!!!!!Must not use these items- ~ ...
A: My first thought is to use a bag of Jell-O. Simple, effective. Gel up the egg inside the gelatin. ...
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| electricity and power | 9/2/2008 |
Q: I have a 55 watt power source and need to power a machine. Is there a way to increase the power ...
A: There are many remote controls (look at your basic RC car with a manually-operated remote control) ...
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| electricity and power | 9/2/2008 |
Q: I have a 55 watt power source and need to power a machine. Is there a way to increase the power ...
A: Not with a standard computer. Most standard computer cases require at least 230 Watts of power at ...
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| "Gravitational Constant" | 9/1/2008 |
Q: Sorry to bother you with what is probably a dumb question. But, if gravitational attraction between ...
A: The gravitational force is *approximately* constant in our human experience, because the distances ...
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| air compression | 9/1/2008 |
Q: I have a steel tank 70 cubic feet in volume. I have an air compressor, output 900 CFM @ 350 psi. ...
A: Seems simple enough. The product of the absolute pressure (gauge pressure minus atmospheric ...
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| Dust on my TV screen | 8/31/2008 |
Q: As of late, dust has been forming on my TV screen in an odd manner. It forms in the exact center, ...
A: The same thing happens to my TV! There must be more static electricity building up in that region. ...
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| lorentz transformation? | 8/31/2008 |
Q: what is lorentz transformation? and what do the symbols mean? and i have found 2 different equations ...
A: Well, technically the second one refers to a time interval and not an absolute time. But it's ...
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| electricity and magnetism | 8/30/2008 |
Q: . 1) sir convential current says it flows from positive to negative charge sir what is the positive ...
A: Positive charges in matter are protons. Atoms are neutral, because they contain equal numbers of ...
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| Response to a past question | 8/27/2008 |
Q: i tried to send a follow up, but it wouldnt work. my past question was about relativistic mass. and ...
A: You can measure it. Say you know its charge and you accelerate it across a voltage (to give it a ...
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| gravitation | 8/25/2008 |
Q: few questions 1) why the earth's orbit is like an ellipse why it's not a circle? 2) if the pull of ...
A: It would increase in radius, which would sap some of the potential energy and slow it back down at ...
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| gravitation | 8/25/2008 |
Q: few questions 1) why the earth's orbit is like an ellipse why it's not a circle? 2) if the pull of ...
A: I'll try to answer them in order: 1) This is one of Kepler's observational laws. The orbit would ...
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| Atmospheric explosive phenomenon | 8/24/2008 |
Q: I hope you are able to answer this question. I have been looking online for an answer now for a ...
A: Atmospheric phenomena are weird and hard to explain a lot of the time. It was during a lightning ...
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| Einstein's equation | 8/23/2008 |
Q: Is theory of conversion of mass into energy correct? I mean how can anything can travel faster than ...
A: Mass and energy are converted from one form to another all the time in natural processes like pair ...
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| nuclear | 8/22/2008 |
Q: I think peak oil is here and it looks like nuclear fission is our nearest straw. I've heard uranium ...
A: Yes it could, but there are three ways to solve this. First, there are probably undiscovered ...
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| rain | 8/22/2008 |
Q: I have for years wondered why a rainfall shower is of greater intensity just before the end of the ...
A: Actually, I'm not sure about this since it's a little outside my expertise, so you should ask a ...
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| Electric motor current draw | 8/21/2008 |
Q: I have a question about 12v DC motor current draw. I have read in several books on electric motor ...
A: No, the current flowing through the motor will determine the amount of work it does. Because power ...
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| physics | 8/21/2008 |
Q: My friend and I would like to ask you few questions about physics. please help us. Thanks 1. Is it ...
A: 1) Yes, but it's inefficient. Plenty of farmers have fermented their own corn into ethanol for ...
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| quz | 8/21/2008 |
Q: How we can study the move of the car which is moving on the straight and horizental road ?
A: Time it as it passes lines or markers on the road. Use photogates. Radar and laser Doppler shift. ...
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| relativistic mass of light | 8/20/2008 |
Q: from what i kno, energy something has, the more mass it has since they are inter related, right? and ...
A: Watts per second is the wrong unit. Include units in your equations and you won't make mistakes ...
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| gravitation | 8/20/2008 |
Q: sir i want to ask that if earth starts revolving faster around sun so will it's orbit increase or ...
A: Most would say it would increase, but that's slightly inaccurate. If the Earth's orbit increases in ...
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| motions | 8/18/2008 |
Q: ANSWER: Neglecting air resistance, yes. Including, of course not. Including it, it will lose ...
A: Equations aren't really necessary, just terms. Kinetic energy is given by 1/2 mv^2, potential ...
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| motions | 8/18/2008 |
Q: hi sir i want to ask that if i fire a bullet vertically upward will it hit the ground with same ...
A: Neglecting air resistance, yes. Including, of course not. Including it, it will lose energy ...
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| physics | 8/17/2008 |
Q: what are the possible things that would happen if air was an electric conductor?
A: We wouldn't use much electrical power, for one, since we wouldn't be able to create voltage between ...
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| Random physics questions. | 8/16/2008 |
Q: How the hell does anti-matter fit in? How does it form? How does it react with matter (I have vague ...
A: It's not lost from existence, it goes toward the singularity in the center. At that point the laws ...
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| physics | 8/16/2008 |
Q: A common misconception about heat energy is that 'heat rises'. Many examples are given; it's ...
A: Yes, a misunderstanding. Less dense substances rise, more dense substances fall. Substances at ...
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| Random physics questions. | 8/15/2008 |
Q: How the hell does anti-matter fit in? How does it form? How does it react with matter (I have vague ...
A: You're asking things that are a mix of two types of questions: 1) I can't answer without giving ...
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| Random physics questions. | 8/15/2008 |
Q: How the hell does anti-matter fit in? How does it form? How does it react with matter (I have vague ...
A: The first one is kinda vague, so I'm going to assume you meant to ask what anti-matter is. First I ...
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| conversion of chemical to radiative heat | 8/6/2008 |
Q: What determines the rate at which chemical heat (convection) becomes electromagnetic heat ...
A: Emission of radiation from a hot body is governed by the Stefan-Boltzmann Law: ...
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| water flow | 8/6/2008 |
Q: So i want to know if water flow into a container can be great enough to prevent the air in that ...
A: Flow is caused by differences in pressure. Therefore, if water pressure is lower than the air ...
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| Light speeds and relative single point objects. | 8/2/2008 |
Q: What happens if you spin a single object, in a place relative to the things around it, at the speed ...
A: I assume you mean an object's edge. It can't be done. You can get close, but particles can't be ...
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| Rockets | 7/30/2008 |
Q: I am a university level student and this is the question on which I have to research but don't know ...
A: Research? I can definitely start you out, though obviously the explanation has to be yours (your ...
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| Light and Sound | 7/30/2008 |
Q: I often come up with weird "if.. would" scenarios pertaining to physics, and I wanted to know if you ...
A: Lit is a matter of perspective. To perceive "lit" your eye would have to absorb light. Eventually ...
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| behavior of gravity | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I'd like to try and get a better intuitive sense of gravity by learning the answer to thisSuppose I ...
A: Assuming that the orbit didn't take it too close to either the Earth or Moon to throw off the ...
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| Do human share the same colour system? | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I want ask why do human seem seem to be able to agree on following phenomenon? -Is it true that ...
A: Human eyes share many physical characteristics and respond in very similar ways to colors. There ...
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| wind force | 7/29/2008 |
Q: I have a question about the force of wind. Is there an equation that factors in air pressure in ...
A: The 0.00256 is simply a constant related to the density of air. It relates to the energy dissipated ...
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| space flight | 7/29/2008 |
Q: #1 is the Van Allen belt real? and what, if real, what is its role in space flight? We as humans ...
A: Yes it is real. Charged particles get trapped in magnetic fields, and cosmic rays in the Earth's ...
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| toothpick egg drop project | 7/28/2008 |
Q: Where can I get information (at an eighth grade level) for designing an egg drop container out of ...
A: There aren't really many hard and fast physics rules for making an egg-drop container, more ...
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| wind force | 7/28/2008 |
Q: I have a question about the force of wind. Is there an equation that factors in air pressure in ...
A: The short answer is yes, there are equations that will give you that. The long answer is that it ...
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| newtons 3rd law | 7/24/2008 |
Q: Why when you would hit a soft object will newtons 3rd law not apply and an equal and opposite force ...
A: It is applying the same force. The third law is not violated. The reason it accelerates forward ...
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| air as an insulator | 7/24/2008 |
Q: why is air such a good insulator?
A: Short answer: density. Air has about a thousand times less molecules/volume to conduct heat. ...
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| Broken window | 7/24/2008 |
Q: How can I tell if a window was broken on the inside or the outside. Most of the glass is on the ...
A: I think the logical conclusion is that you're correct. A blunt or sharp object breaking the window ...
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| water wicks | 7/24/2008 |
Q: I have been trying to find a wick that will be able to wick water upwards as far as possible. Q1) ...
A: What I was able to find was more about speeds for ground water sampling and not absolute attainable ...
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| Broken window | 7/24/2008 |
Q: How can I tell if a window was broken on the inside or the outside. Most of the glass is on the ...
A: Please send more information in a follow-up question (there should be a link to ask one on this ...
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| water wicks | 7/23/2008 |
Q: I have been trying to find a wick that will be able to wick water upwards as far as possible. Q1) ...
A: The short answer to Q1 is yes, of course gravity eventually causes stars to collapse and will limit ...
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| electricity, solar cells | 7/23/2008 |
Q: if solar cells can convert photons to electricity, why not tune the 'solar' cells to convert gamma ...
A: Such devices have existed for decades to convert beta and alpha radiation into light (via a ...
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| electric heater efficiency | 7/23/2008 |
Q: How can there be any significant difference in performance among 1500 watt electric heaters?
A: The basic physics may seem to say no and it's pretty closely correct. But there may be differences ...
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| Pressure | 7/21/2008 |
Q: If I took a bath towell, placed it in a body of water so the towell is entirely saturated with the ...
A: To follow up on this, since I just got my first hostile response question for refusing to answer ...
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| Physical States | 7/19/2008 |
Q: When water is frozen it takes up more space than liquid water, and when it is hot it evaporates and ...
A: No water only takes up more space because it forms hydrogen bridges and makes a crystal structure ...
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| X-Ray | 7/19/2008 |
Q: I'm just trying to settle a questions my friends were discussing about x-rays. With electrical ...
A: No, lead can different different types of metal but it's not the only one. And it doesn't make a ...
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| Refraction | 7/19/2008 |
Q: Sir, I am a 10th class student, my question is, I want to know how does the Refractive Index affect ...
A: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/hbase/geoopt/refr.html#c1 You can see that if you raise the ...
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| colour spectrum | 7/18/2008 |
Q: Violet and Indigo are at the top of the colour spectrum. But where do Pink, Purple and Mauve fit in ...
A: Pink light isn't a single color, it's a mix of red and white light. White light is a mix of all the ...
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| Atom | 7/17/2008 |
Q: What causes the electrons to orbit around the nucleus?
A: Electrons have a negative charge. Protons in the nucleus have a positive charge, attracting them to ...
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| gas mixing | 7/16/2008 |
Q: Assume that you have two sealed chambers. each contains different gas (example - Oxygen in one and ...
A: The specifics of "time scale" for this question are a little vague, and so are the dimensions of the ...
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| proper readings from a multimeter/tester | 7/10/2008 |
Q: Nelson, I am developing a novel fuel cell/battery (iron-air) and my only stumbling block is how to ...
A: It appears (hard to say without seeing the design) that your design involves problems with the cell ...
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| physics | 7/8/2008 |
Q: Is there a working defintion of what cold is? Heat is a wave, what is 'cold' and how is heat removed ...
A: You can preview a whole book on cryogenic engineering on google books here: ...
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| chanign heat back into mechanical energy | 7/5/2008 |
Q: I was wondering what kind of systems and methods can be used to turn heat back into mechanical ...
A: The car's engine is an example of something using heat (from burning fuel) to create mechanical ...
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| ...Nucleus... | 7/1/2008 |
Q: ..i am B.tech student..i have some doubts regarding nuclear physics.. 1)whether antiproton is ...
A: That's a lot of questions. Let me go by the numbers. 1) The antiproton is stable as far as we ...
|
| buzz in room of house | 6/28/2008 |
Q: Dr. Nelson - Over the last week there has developed a high-pitched buzzing noise in an upstairs ...
A: Well, one last thing. The device probably has a chopping power supply or some kind of internal ...
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| buzz in room of house | 6/25/2008 |
Q: Dr. Nelson - Over the last week there has developed a high-pitched buzzing noise in an upstairs ...
A: I'd try something first, like plugging in an iron (draws a good bit of current) or other silent ...
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| NEW OPTICAL PHENOMENON | 6/24/2008 |
Q: sir can you tell me what optical phenomenon is acting here - ...
A: My first guess is that you've got polarized lenses and a polarized camera or some kind (or a camera ...
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| kinetic coefficient | 6/24/2008 |
Q: .. could you please explain to me in simple terms how I would find the average kinetic coefficient ...
A: The physics here is all out of whack. I don't know why you're dividing force by distance (that's ...
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| should we spend time in the sun figures ? | 6/23/2008 |
Q: how can i get data that i can process to calculate percent graphs? plot a graph and interpret trends ...
A: A quick google search of "sunscreen cancer trends" revealed that there's a government website with ...
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| electric motors and magnets | 6/22/2008 |
Q: In a simple electric motor with field magnets and a split-commutator, can you tell me what ...
A: Check out page 59 and 60 of this powerpoint for a graphical representation of a split commutator. ...
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| Magnetism | 6/21/2008 |
Q: I understand that heat causes demagnetisation. Why then do my drill bits become magnetised when ...
A: The demagnetization of metal at high temperature happens above the curie temperature. However, upon ...
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| thermodynamics | 6/18/2008 |
Q: I'm so confused. I have worked out the answer to the following problem and I was told that my ...
A: As far as your solution being one way to work it out, that's OK. But I've discovered an error in ...
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| thermodynamics | 6/18/2008 |
Q: I'm so confused. I have worked out the answer to the following problem and I was told that my ...
A: You've got some really wrong units here, force is not in Joules (for example). Just consider ...
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| motors & magnets | 6/17/2008 |
Q: Does this answer the problem of high-voltage power lines making a buzzing sound, using the motor ...
A: That is approximately why they hum at 60 Hz, but buzzing is different. Actual buzzing sounds from ...
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| relativity | 6/17/2008 |
Q: 1)According to relativity,noting can travel faster than light.So if we have a bullet that is ...
A: Interesting questions. Relativity isn't my research area, but I do get a lot of questions about it ...
|
| electrons | 6/16/2008 |
Q: Here is myDescribe what happens to electrons when one material is charged negatively by rubbing it ...
A: The part about the conductor at the end is a little superfluous, but OK. The real difference in the ...
|
| factors affecting friction | 6/16/2008 |
Q: I need to conduct an experiment. I am not looking for you to do my work for me. I will be doing ...
A: First, the theory of friction is described quite well in hyperphysics for some background reading: ...
|
| GCSE question should we spend time in the sun? | 6/16/2008 |
Q: thank you
A: This is a little outside my expertise, as I'm a nuclear physicist and not a medical doctor. One of ...
|
| nuclear physics | 6/15/2008 |
Q: What are the approximate velocities of alpha, beta, gamma and x- rays?
A: Gamma rays are a form of light, so they travel at the speed of light. Alphas and betas have mass, ...
|
| physics | 6/11/2008 |
Q: what are the different branches of a physics
A: This is a matter of some debate, and your question is slightly unclear. There are four major areas ...
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| Magnet ONLY pushes in ONE direction | 6/10/2008 |
Q: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xb8wwkdtz0M Can you explain this ?
A: My take on it is (hard to see from a youtube video) that from the cone shape he's created a magnet ...
|
| electrons | 6/6/2008 |
Q: what are the electrons made of??
A: Electrons are fundamental particles. They're made out of electrons! A string theorist might say ...
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| Electromagnets | 5/20/2008 |
Q: I am looking to build a pretty strong electromagnet. A: how do I go about it, B: how strong can an ...
A: First: strong magnets can be extremely dangerous. You must absolutely be careful when making a ...
|
| Tesla Coil Build | 5/20/2008 |
Q: Dr. Nelson, I'm planning to build a tesla coil as a nice side project over this summer, and seeing ...
A: First of all: A TESLA COIL CAN BE DANGEROUS! So be careful. Second, check here: ...
|
| Terahertz laser | 5/20/2008 |
Q: I was wondering how T-ray imaging,when it becomes practical for everyday use,would work.Would the ...
A: T-ray *imaging* is used to detect tiny structural defects because it operates on the sub-millimeter ...
|
| Quantum Mechanics | 5/19/2008 |
Q: I am very curious about the Many Worlds Interpretation of Quantum Mechanics. Are the dimensions ...
A: Wow, this is a lot of stuff. Let me try to break it down for you, since you're mixing multiple ...
|
| vacuum technology | 5/12/2008 |
Q: would it be possible to make a vacuumed surface (say opposite to an air hockey table) that would ...
A: Sounds easy enough to do. The method you mention (reverse air-hockey table) would be relatively ...
|
| selective breaking | 5/5/2008 |
Q: In kung fu their is an art called "selective breaking,"in which a practitioner can break the middle ...
A: You're talking about sound waves, as far as dissipation. In the case where you have moving columns ...
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| selective breaking | 5/5/2008 |
Q: In kung fu their is an art called "selective breaking,"in which a practitioner can break the middle ...
A: I can see that striking multiple blocks at the same time with a slight angle could focus the energy ...
|
| least action | 5/1/2008 |
Q: is there a proof for the theory of least action?. thank you ANSWER: I'm not a quantum field ...
A: A theoretical derivation of a first principle is relatively impossible. You're getting down to the ...
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| least action | 4/30/2008 |
Q: is there a proof for the theory of least action?. thank you
A: I'm not a quantum field theorist, I'm an experimental nuclear physicist, so this may be slightly ...
|
| Flow principles | 4/27/2008 |
Q: I have previously been taught that according to Bernoulli's principle, velocity is inversely ...
A: You have a few things exactly backwards here and you need to go check in a physics book about it, or ...
|
| quantum biology | 4/27/2008 |
Q: I am wondering about a product called the Neutralizer from Quantum Biology Research which you can ...
A: I always try to keep an open mind, as an expert who studies science crackpots for my book on them, ...
|
| projectile motion | 4/26/2008 |
Q: Sir,Could you please explain how to relate projectile motion to an activity such as a swimming dive, ...
A: The key to any projectile motion problem is to find and use the conditions at the beginning and end ...
|
| heat and reflection | 4/26/2008 |
Q: This is a very simple question about absorption of heat. My impression is that in the absence of ...
A: Your examples, unfortunately, are absolutely incompatible. For insulation you're talking about the ...
|
| bel , decibel question | 4/23/2008 |
Q: I have a small misunderstanding and i hope you could help me Provided that 1 bel (B) = log ( I1 / I2 ...
A: Ahhh, seemingly so. I was confused by this question, myself. A Bell was designed to determine ...
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| physics | 4/21/2008 |
Q: hypothetically what would happen to an object if all the atoms in it suddenly stopped moving?
A: In what? I'll assume a basic mass of atoms. The material you're talking about will go to absolute ...
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| Physics 121 software? | 4/21/2008 |
Q: I am a student at Cal Poly Pomona -- http://www.csupomona.edu . In the fall of this year I plan to ...
A: Then let me suggest this software: ...
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| Physics 121 software? | 4/19/2008 |
Q: I am a student at Cal Poly Pomona -- http://www.csupomona.edu . In the fall of this year I plan to ...
A: That's strange, because most people who really have Asperger's, like my older brother (Ph.D. in ...
|
| Egg | 4/12/2008 |
Q: I need to know the force it takes to break an egg in Newtons. i saw a similar question but is there ...
A: Nope, no standard, every egg is different. You do indeed just need to test it, but also the ...
|
| Torque | 4/11/2008 |
Q: I am not fully understanding torque. I know it talks about the direction in which its moving but ...
A: Torque is the rotational analog of force. It's represented by a vector which points in a direction ...
|
| Schrodinger question | 4/10/2008 |
Q: I majored at uni in physics and pure maths years ago so I'm hoping you can help. I assume ...
A: You've assumed the object to be "initially stationary relative to the two walls" and yet you want a ...
|
| Electromagnatism | 4/7/2008 |
Q: Is it possible for a person to control his electromagnetic field and to manipulate it (such as Nina ...
A: I think you misunderstand what I mean by killed by the electrical shock. I don't mean headaches and ...
|
| eletronic transition | 4/7/2008 |
Q: what is meant by absorpsion spectrum and how does it happen?
A: Frist, atoms have a structure: ...
|
| Large hadron Collider | 4/7/2008 |
Q: My name is Max, pleased to meet you. My question is about the large hadron collider in France, and ...
A: This is always a good one, you're not the first person to ask questions like this about a particle ...
|
| Be-8 | 4/5/2008 |
Q: my name is Stamatis Muratidis and I have a Ph.D. in chemistry. I have studied relativistic and ...
A: In graduate school one of our associated groups was responsible for data evaluation for the light ...
|
| Electromagnatism | 4/5/2008 |
Q: Is it possible for a person to control his electromagnetic field and to manipulate it (such as Nina ...
A: If you think about it, to an exceedingly limited degree we all control some of our electromagnetic ...
|
| Light | 3/31/2008 |
Q: What is light made out of? And why does it make things visible to the eye?
A: http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/Hbase/ligcon.html Light is made of alternating electric and ...
|
| transmitting electromagnetic radiation | 3/29/2008 |
Q: I would like to transmit electromagnetic energy at 44KHZ range. Could a coil of wire measuring one ...
A: What do you mean by "measuring?" Diameter? Length? In either case, you can use that to transmit ...
|
| Please help........ | 3/13/2008 |
Q: You can answer this question anytime from now through April 1st. I'm in 6th grade and I have no ...
A: I assume you mean you need an idea for a science fair or science class project. I have an original ...
|
| a Vacuum Chamber Battery concept | 3/8/2008 |
Q: I was thinking about if vacuum chambers could be utilized to slowly let compressed air back in ...
A: Sorry for the delay. There are two problems here. The biggest one is that vacuum pumps are ...
|
| mass to energy question | 3/7/2008 |
Q: alright, if mass and energy are interchangable, then energy can be converted to mass. and light has ...
A: Your link didn't post, but I found a Ronald Mallett who's a physicist working on time travel. This ...
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| mass to energy question | 3/6/2008 |
Q: alright, if mass and energy are interchangable, then energy can be converted to mass. and light has ...
A: Protons are particles with mass in the center of the nucleus with neutrons (note the spelling, ...
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| mass to energy question | 3/6/2008 |
Q: alright, if mass and energy are interchangable, then energy can be converted to mass. and light has ...
A: No, light has no *rest* mass. Light has energy, which can be *converted* into the rest mass of ...
|
| physics | 3/5/2008 |
Q: I have a skier that traveling down a hill and once it reaches the bottom he keeps skiing and goes ...
A: This is a homework question, but since you didn't ask me to just feed you the answer I will indeed ...
|
| temperature | 3/5/2008 |
Q: How good is fiberglass and metal at conforming to room temperature? For example, If I load a ...
A: There are three factors here. 1) Siding is thin, so conducts heat quickly. Metal faster than ...
|
| static friction | 3/3/2008 |
Q: I teach Gr. 12 physics, textbook says tan theda equals coefficient of static friction for inclined ...
A: Of course the type of surface (not the surface area, though) has an effect. The coefficient of ...
|
| Antimatter | 3/3/2008 |
Q: Does antimatter move backwards in time? I remember a recent cloud chamber experiment where this was ...
A: It does move backwards in time, according to Feynman's QED diagrams. I've read much speculation on ...
|
| modern physics | 3/1/2008 |
Q: how can we understand from michelson and morely expriment that the speed of light is constant?
A: Appropriate that a question about the most famous failed experiment possibly in physics history ...
|
| Ideal Gas | 2/29/2008 |
Q: If I have 2.3kg of an unkown gas can find its molecular mass?
A: Nope, that's not enough information. But if this is a homework question, you should figure out what ...
|
| Physics | 2/27/2008 |
Q: Mr. Nelson I was hoping you could help to answer if two people are at the top of the empire state ...
A: This is clearly a homework question, so while I can't just feed you the answer I can clear up one of ...
|
| Volleyball | 2/26/2008 |
Q: How is Volleyball used in physics?
A: First off, I would say that physics is used in volleyball more than volleyball is used in physics. ...
|
| Infrared | 2/25/2008 |
Q: I have a different question for you. What are the properties of Infrared, and how does it really ...
A: Infrared is of longer wavelength than visible light. Check out Wien's Law here: ...
|
| Laser optics | 2/24/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if there is a type of lens that can bend the beam of light from a laser pointer into ...
A: Unless you get an attachment that was specifically made for that, then no...but you might be able to ...
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| Laser optics | 2/24/2008 |
Q: I was wondering if there is a type of lens that can bend the beam of light from a laser pointer into ...
A: By sheet do you mean a larger column of light like if you used a very large beam expander? Or do ...
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| forces | 2/24/2008 |
Q: This question is really weird so I was hoping you could help me understand. If a marble and a ...
A: Answer H is quite correct. The baseball requires more force to move it because it has a larger ...
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| dq | 2/24/2008 |
Q: In the field of electricity,we work with the quantity of q,which is charge mangnitude,and is equal ...
A: Yes, at its smallest level charge is quantized. It comes in chunks the size of the charge of the ...
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| Bending the space/time continuum? | 2/24/2008 |
Q: My teacher gave us a fairly open-ended project to do, about any (basic) topic in physics, so I chose ...
A: Hopefully you've got some time for such an open-ended project. Time enough to read Michio Kaku's ...
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| force | 2/22/2008 |
Q: sir since i could not get any other experts free to ask this question i am asking this question to ...
A: I'm going to go out on a limb here and provide two reasons that it shouldn't be done that way. The ...
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| relativity | 2/18/2008 |
Q: My question is about the concept of relativity. I want to know what the term "relativity" really ...
A: I'll give you the quickest definition I can think of, then you should probably read a book called ...
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| microwave oven | 2/17/2008 |
Q: I have a question about the mechanics of a microwave oven. Is the box or any part of its lining ...
A: Technically they could be zapped free-standing with enough power. However, the box is sized to ...
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| What exactly are "flames"? | 2/16/2008 |
Q: What exactly are "flames"? From what I've read about, it's where atoms are rearranging, with a net ...
A: I'll give you the short answer to this, you're right about unreactive gas being a flame if it's ...
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| Tidal power | 2/15/2008 |
Q: If we tap tidal power to generate vast amounts of electricity to answer the world`s demand, where ...
A: No, reducing the waves will have an almost incalculably small effect on the orbits of the Sun and ...
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| Tidal power | 2/14/2008 |
Q: If we tap tidal power to generate vast amounts of electricity to answer the world`s demand, where ...
A: The source that powers the currents, of course, which is the Sun. It's basically solar power, if ...
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| temperature | 2/13/2008 |
Q: I would appreciate finding out if I am on the right track in my thinking about how a temperature ...
A: Your story is very similar to the story of the development of the thermometer found here: ...
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| plasma physics | 2/9/2008 |
Q: theysay that plasma,the 4 state of matter is a stream of electrons and positive ions ..... so i ...
A: That's not true at all about higher efficiencies. There are many types of plasma rocket engine (see ...
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| High Magnetic Fields | 2/8/2008 |
Q: I have a pair presentation on high magnetic fields. I have been searching for quite a while on ...
A: Let me take these separately because there are three questions here: 1a) MRI machines need high ...
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| radio freqencies vs infrared freqencies | 2/7/2008 |
Q: I would like to know between radio and infared freqencies which one is less difficult to be ...
A: That depends radically on the frequency of the radio waves, infrared frequency, and transmission ...
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| radiation and the human brain | 2/7/2008 |
Q: is it possible for a certain form of controlled radiation to somehow transmit "memories" or lessons ...
A: Wow, your question encompasses the prediction of future technology. Let me put it both ways: 1) ...
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| electronic transmission | 2/4/2008 |
Q: Our civilization has been broadcasting TV signals for at least 50 years and radio for much ...
A: This is true. However, the area over which they spread out (broadcasting in all directions) is ...
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| fission | 2/3/2008 |
Q: sir 1) can you explain why Uranium 235 can not undergo fission with a fast moving neutron or why ...
A: I'll try to answer these in order: 1) U-235 can fission with a fast neutron, it just fissions far ...
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| Creating a Spectrum | 1/31/2008 |
Q: I have a prism hung up on my window that creates rainbows all over the walls, but a bunch of small ...
A: You might find http://www.rainbowsymphonystore.com/difgratfilsh.html useful. You may try a ...
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| water gravity? | 1/31/2008 |
Q: its not homework (i am 36) and i am not connected to physics in any way (just a bog standard IT ...
A: Questions about such phenomena involving drains are quite common because they're quite mysterious at ...
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| ELECTRIC BULB | 1/30/2008 |
Q: How does an electric bulb work?what phenomenon is used in it?
A: There are now several kinds of light bulb, but I'm going to assume you mean the classic bulb with a ...
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| Attenuation of light | 1/28/2008 |
Q: I recently discovered that light intensity attenuation would be higher in coloured liquids as ...
A: If there are particles, yes. Generally, "clear" liquids do have a finite amount of attenuation that ...
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| centripetal force | 1/22/2008 |
Q: How centripetal force is involved in the operation of a washing machine?How the spin dryer of the ...
A: The washing machine has holes in the sides of its inner canister. The high pressure from the ...
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| Joules per second | 1/21/2008 |
Q: Wouldn't the numerical value in Joules SI units actually be reduced to 1/2 and not doubled as you ...
A: No, the meter would not change just because you re-defined the second. Three's no reason to change ...
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| Joules per second | 1/18/2008 |
Q: Wouldn't the numerical value in Joules SI units actually be reduced to 1/2 and not doubled as you ...
A: First your equation is wrong to end in "= 1 photon." A photon is a physical thing, the mathematical ...
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| Relationship of density to gravitational force | 1/18/2008 |
Q: I am curious about the relationship of density to the gravitational force exerted on an object. ...
A: The short answer to your question is "yes." You're correct, the reason that cold watter settles and ...
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| Electrostatic meter | 1/17/2008 |
Q: I'm trying to start a van de graaf generator project, but I have never done any project involving ...
A: Dangit, my last answer got lost in the web here. The easiest way is simple, measure the length of ...
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| Joules per second | 1/17/2008 |
Q: Wouldn't the numerical value in Joules SI units actually be reduced to 1/2 and not doubled as you ...
A: No, I can see where you're making an error in your units. We can stop beating this very dead horse. ...
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| electromagnetic radiation | 1/16/2008 |
Q: How can a photon and Planck's Constant both be fundamental units in nature? It would seem to me ...
A: OK, I'll go one more round on this one because there's a fundamental misunderstanding. And here it ...
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| earth's rotation | 1/15/2008 |
Q: just curious can you speculate as to what would be the general results if 1. the earth stopped ...
A: Even stopping over a few months you would have a massive shift in the stresses on the Earth's crust, ...
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| electromagnetic radiation | 1/15/2008 |
Q: How can a photon and Planck's Constant both be fundamental units in nature? It would seem to me ...
A: No, Planck's constant is not the energy in a quantum of light. Planck's constant must be multiplied ...
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| Seeing atoms and molecules | 1/15/2008 |
Q: I had always thought that Heisenberg's Uncertainty Principle ruled out the possibility of ever ...
A: The addition of uncertainty to momentum by accurate position imaging depends on the precision with ...
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| Hamster powered night light | 1/15/2008 |
Q: I am doing a science project on making a hamster powered night light, and I am in 8th grade. We are ...
A: I think you're better off going with one design for the magnets, and going to Radio Shack and ...
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| safety ratings | 1/14/2008 |
Q: I am working on a science fair project about testing non-fibrous material. I am using noodles and ...
A: The breaking point of a material is given by its ultimate tensile strength (UTS). For some common ...
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| electromagnetic radiation | 1/14/2008 |
Q: How can a photon and Planck's Constant both be fundamental units in nature? It would seem to me ...
A: A photon is not a unit. A photon is a physical object, a quantum of light. The energy and momentum ...
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| Low Energy Light Bulbs | 1/14/2008 |
Q: I understand low energy light bulbs save energy because they do not generate as much heat as a ...
A: Perhaps yes and perhaps no, depending on your exact setup in your home. Let me discuss a few of the ...
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| The Universe and the Neurons | 1/12/2008 |
Q: I am a researcher looking into science and religion and during my studies I have found out that ...
A: Fun drawings! I'm writing a book on science crackpots. Take a careful look at the website you ...
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| Fission & Fusion | 1/11/2008 |
Q: I don't quite get the difference between these two. I've been explained to many times, but can not ...
A: Simple, fission is splitting atomic nuclei apart. Fusion is combining them into a heavier nucleus. ...
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| Buoyancy | 1/9/2008 |
Q: I am having a hard time understanding buoyancy. I am a mathematician and have never had a physics ...
A: No, for floating objects the fluid is *always* more dense than the solid. In that case, your ...
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| Buoyancy | 1/9/2008 |
Q: I am having a hard time understanding buoyancy. I am a mathematician and have never had a physics ...
A: I see this in a few of my smarter-but-more-easily-distracted students quite often: you're ...
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| Bizcarre occurrance | 1/9/2008 |
Q: I was traveling in a van on an elevated highway in a small monsoon. I (and my co-worker) heard an ...
A: Can you be more specific about the statement "some conditions can contribute to phenomenons" in your ...
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| Loss of body heat through radiation | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I would like to know if when we are hiking if we loose much heat from radiation (as opposed to ...
A: Especially when a body is in motion, such as while hiking, it would lose energy primarily through ...
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| Bizcarre occurrance | 1/8/2008 |
Q: I was traveling in a van on an elevated highway in a small monsoon. I (and my co-worker) heard an ...
A: Elevated highway...did you consider that you may have been on a span above an officer on a PA? ...
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| Water acting funny | 1/7/2008 |
Q: I'm the "hybrid car expert" - hope you're having fun too. Anyway, I just put an infrared heater up ...
A: Here's the link I was originally looking for with bizarre fluid effects: ...
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| Matter Transport | 1/7/2008 |
Q: Are we anywhere close to if not traveling through time, traveling at high speeds through space? I ...
A: Yes and no. Of course we have craft that can travel at those speeds, the space shuttle travels ...
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| Water acting funny | 1/7/2008 |
Q: I'm the "hybrid car expert" - hope you're having fun too. Anyway, I just put an infrared heater up ...
A: So I'm missing the question part of this, it's more of an observation as-posed. There are many ...
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| project | 1/7/2008 |
Q: My son needs to graph and chart an anti-gravity machine, using two funnels and a sloping machine ...
A: I don't usually answer homework questions, but you seem desperate and it's a real project you'll ...
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| calorimetry | 1/4/2008 |
Q: sir since you are expert in thermodynamics i have one question relatede to calorimetry 1) A ...
A: This question is badly posed, and the solution you showed here is indeed just plain wrong. If the ...
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| Sun comet deflector | 1/4/2008 |
Q: Awhile ago I saw a show on Discovery Channel about comets and possible ways to deter a comet from ...
A: The solar constant gives us the amount of power per square meter in space that the Sun emits at the ...
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| negetive ions | 12/29/2007 |
Q: How have you been? Hope you had agood Christmas and here's wishing you a great year ahead. There ...
A: Many strange devices out there with many strange claims. I'm writing a book on the types of people ...
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| Wave–particle duality | 12/25/2007 |
Q: I apologize if this is a stupid question, I’m no scientist, but I’ve been wondering about this for ...
A: You should read these two resources and re-pose your question. You're mixing up massless particles ...
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| potential difference | 12/23/2007 |
Q: I am learning about electric potential difference, and wonder if my understanding of it is correct. ...
A: David: Yep. If that's not enough detail, see here: ...
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| Sonic Boom | 12/21/2007 |
Q: I recently read that a sonic boom can carry as much as 100 megawatts per square meter of energy. ...
A: Jet engines do make megawatts of energy, I believe 25 MW is about the energy output of a 747 engine ...
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| rubber band car | 12/20/2007 |
Q: okay so i have to make a rubber band power car i made it and everythin but what i need to know is ...
A: Some punctuation might make this more clear, so let me rephrase. I'll assume you meant: "Okay, so ...
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| What is the quantum of sound outside solids? | 12/20/2007 |
Q: In solids, the quantum of sound is the "phonon". What is the quantum of sound outside solids? ...
A: The atoms flying around in a gas have quantum states of their own, which carry the sound energy in ...
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| Newton Scooter | 12/16/2007 |
Q: I need to build a newton scooter, but I do not know how to! What might you suggest that I should ...
A: This one you can use for school, no problem, since you still need to build it! A "Newton scooter," ...
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| High Frequency Noise in My House | 12/15/2007 |
Q: I am having high frequency noise in my house.I have contacted cable,phone, security and electric ...
A: I've made a lengthy professional study of the times when people notice correlations which turn out ...
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| Physics | 12/14/2007 |
Q: Why We Should Spend Time In The Sun? And Why We Shouldn't?
A: This is really more of a medical question, but it has a physical component. Sunlight has many ...
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