Recent content by LunaFly

  1. LunaFly

    I've heard so many horror stories....

    So your academic sources and industry sources all say that: ? If you trust your sources, than I guess you've answered your own question. Run away from physics as fast as you can, because there is nothing but misery for you there, apparently. I also wanted to point out that I did receive the...
  2. LunaFly

    I've heard so many horror stories....

    You make some good points. The APS data is kind of dated. As far as the "survey" aspect is concerned, I agree that that isn't a favorite word to hear about a data set. The APS data (at least, the one comparing bachelor degree starting salary) is from surveying campus recruiters while the data...
  3. LunaFly

    I've heard so many horror stories....

    The plots I posted were from APS (American Physical Society), which is a source I trust, and the graph is based on real data, so I don't understand how it could be incorrect...?
  4. LunaFly

    I've heard so many horror stories....

    I often hear stories of those (usually in the chemistry field) making the transition from the private sector to academia and being much happier, but this is the first I've heard of someone moving the other direction. Thank you for sharing your experience!
  5. LunaFly

    I've heard so many horror stories....

    I was curious what your source is for this information? I am not saying whether or not it is valid, just that blanket statements are seldom true. I am graduating this spring with a BS in Physics from a school with a top-tier undergrad physics program, and I will have less than $10k in debt, so...
  6. LunaFly

    Point charge inside a electrically neutral cavity in conduct

    Remember the things that are always true, i.e. the electric field inside a conductor is always zero and Gauss' s law, and work from there. Check out this link to guide you. http://www.physicspages.com/2011/10/27/electrostatics-conductors/
  7. LunaFly

    Line integral in spherical coordinates

    It may be helpful to think about the path you are integrating on. It starts at (a, 0, 0) and ends at (a, 0, 2a)... What does the path look like?
  8. LunaFly

    "Crow Flies Distance" On a Rectangular Grid -- Definition?

    This seems correct to me. My understanding of "as the crow flies" is a direct straight-line path from one point to another, in which case the distance would be given by the expression you have written.
  9. LunaFly

    Difficulty of question asked in PGRE exam

    Everyone has different learning styles, strengths and weaknesses so it is difficult to say what is right for you. I think that, whatever you do, make sure you understand the material you are learning, don't just memorize it. Personally I understand material by doing problems; whenever I start...
  10. LunaFly

    Difficulty of question asked in PGRE exam

    It's good you have time to prepare! Then your strategy can work. I would still recommend looking at a practice test as soon as you can to see the difficulty of the problems, because some are intentionally tricky and many are quite different than what a standard textbook on the subject would ask...
  11. LunaFly

    Difficulty of question asked in PGRE exam

    In response to your question, I think it depends. How long do you have before you plan on taking the PGRE? A good resource may be the book "Conquering the Physics GRE". It looks specifically at content that will be on the PGRE and is very well written.
  12. LunaFly

    Difficulty of question asked in PGRE exam

    I am a physics major (in the US) and I have been preparing to take the PGRE soon as well. To answer your questions, my advice to you is to take the practice tests. This will show you what the PGRE questions are like, and will also show you what you need to study to improve your score. There are...
  13. LunaFly

    Find the magnetic field of an infinite uniform surface

    The magnetic field beneath the plane of current travels in the opposite direction of that above the plane (use the right hand rule... above the plane, B is in the -y direction, and below the plane, B is in the +y direction). Thus when using Biot-Savart Law, the integral around the loop is the...
  14. LunaFly

    Find the magnetic field of an infinite uniform surface

    Think about what would happen if we rotated the coordinate system. Originally the current was in the +x direction, but we rotate our original coordinate system -90 degrees around the z-axis so that now the flow of K is in the +y direction. The z-component of B wouldn't change, correct? Now if...
  15. LunaFly

    Skater Ramp Simulation: Potential Energy vs. Position

    Potential energy due to gravity is being plotted in this simulation. That being said, it is a tad bit complicated since the skater is on a ramp. For example, an object in free-fall would have potential energy mgy. The force on the object would then be -d/dy (mgy) = -mg. Simple enough. Notice...
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