Recent content by Matt Jacques

  1. M

    How is a radio signal turned into an image?

    Im not talking about TVs, but radio astronomy. We receive signals from say a distant star and turn it into a picture, but how?
  2. M

    How to go about learning Quantum Mechanics?

    Ok, I'm out for the summer, but we never covered all the quantum dynamics chapters. I am interested, but am having a bit of a hard time in self study i.e. understanding the schrodinger equation. Any recommendations? Any books?
  3. M

    If you can answer this question, youare the smartest person in the wold

    There was a physics problem about light propulsion in my physics book. If an astronaut weighing 100 kg fired a 1 kw laser away from him, how long would it take him to move 20 meters? I don't recall the answer exactly, but it was around 10 hours. If instead he threw a show lace, he would get...
  4. M

    Why is the speed of light constant regardless of perspective?

    So it is all based experimental data? So I guess my pursuits of reasoning why light is constant in all frames is constant was a fruitless endeavor this afternoon. I am relieved, I thought I was missing something. "The Elegant Universe" by Briane Green has a few good chapters on relativity...
  5. M

    Why is the speed of light constant regardless of perspective?

    I'm missing something here. To my understanding, regarding the classic light clock example. When it is stationary the photons go vertically up and down. However, from our perspective when the light clocks are moving at some immense velocity, it appears the photons are moving diagonally. Since...
  6. M

    Why is the speed of light constant regardless of perspective?

    I understand why it needs to be for relativity, but I don't understand why it is always c regardless if we're speeding toward it or away from it as some insane velocity, can someone tell me without a reference to relativity?
  7. M

    Need system of linear differential equation physics application

    Anyone know any applications on planetary motion or systems of attracting bodies?
  8. M

    What is it like to be a physicist? The duties? Responsibilities?

    Yes, that is what frightens me. Any uplifting comments though?
  9. M

    Ultra-cool Multi-Spring simulator freeware

    Take a look, http://lorenb.com/software/sproing/ I can't imagine the differential equations needed for this to work...
  10. M

    What is it like to be a physicist? The duties? Responsibilities?

    I seem to have grand, romanticized notions of what a physicist does during the day. If you are a physicist, I would like to hear from you. What do you do day in and out? Do you enjoy your work? What level of education do you have for your physics job?
  11. M

    Relativity and accelerating observers?

    I am wondering about this, too. Take the kinematics formula ?D=VoT+.5AT^2 and I want to have take relativistic affects in place, would I need to do anything more than just subsitute the time dilation formula into the T variable?
  12. M

    What are you favorite to hated topics in Physics?

    From favorite to hated: 1. Kinematics / Gravitation / Relativity 2. Conservation of Energy / Vectors 3. Momentum 4. Dynamics 5. Waves / Oscillations 6. Magnetism 7. Electric Fields / Optics 8. Pressure/Fluids... 9. Angular stuff...blech
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