Recent content by Zorodius

  1. Z

    My teacher assigns too much work

    you're almost there. The potential energy at an arbitrary x is 1/4 kx^4. The potential energy lost between that position and the initial position is equal to the kinetic energy gained, and since it was released from rest, the initial kinetic energy was zero. So, K = U0 - U kinetic energy is...
  2. Z

    Why are there two square roots of -1 in complex numbers?

    (-1)^2 = 1. 1 ^ (1/3) = 1. so why is (-1)^(2/3) a horrible complex number?
  3. Z

    Humans don't hear below ~20 Hz, so why can we hear a singular sound?

    if you clap once, you can hear a sound. This seems like a single pulse of pressure variation. Why is it audible? Is the sound perhaps somehow a brief packet of many superimposed waves, rather than a single pulse? If you somehow generated one single pulse of sound, could a human hear it...
  4. Z

    Troubleshooting My Failing Grades at Cornell University

    No, because of the D I'm getting in math, and some similarly bad grade in circuits.
  5. Z

    Troubleshooting My Failing Grades at Cornell University

    bear in mind that this is only in really challenging honors physics classes. The thinking is that anyone in there could have dropped down to the non-honors version, which is curved to a B- or something, and had a much easier time with respect to the curve.
  6. Z

    Schools Are the prestigious colleges better than others?

    It can make a difference sometimes. I've compared what topics are covered in my school with what went into a friend's courses, at a less demanding school. Apparently they skimmed over or completely ignored a bunch of topics that we have to study. My experience is anecdotal, though.
  7. Z

    Troubleshooting My Failing Grades at Cornell University

    No, I don't smoke. If I was smart enough to get through the first two years, should I be able to get through the rest, too? Am I approaching this wrong somehow, or have I simply hit my limit?
  8. Z

    Troubleshooting My Failing Grades at Cornell University

    I'm failing out of school, that's a pretty solid thing to worry about :frown: I already took the normal honors E&M, this is "advanced" E&M (at the level of Marion & Heald.)
  9. Z

    Troubleshooting My Failing Grades at Cornell University

    What is wrong with me? I'm attempting to major in physics at Cornell University. I'm an undergraduate. It's my junior year. I have done alright in school so far (I have a 3.62 GPA here, I've been taking the honors physics sequence, I have A's and one A- in all my physics classes so far.)...
  10. Z

    What is the difference between inertia and Newton's First Law?

    To "coast" is to move with a constant velocity without being slowed by a resisting force. An ice skater "coasts" along the ice. It's not a term that is used in a very technical way. Sometimes we say someone is "coasting along" if they are moving through something without effort. Inertia is an...
  11. Z

    Magnet is used to levitate another magnet

    A book resting on a table is being held against gravity too, but no energy is being expended to keep it there.
  12. Z

    Magnet is used to levitate another magnet

    If the magnets are stationary, then there is no work being done.
  13. Z

    Inverse square law and magnetic fields

    they're the same, you just need to keep track of the units. The m or mm squares also, not just the number that goes along with it. (1,000 mm)² is 1,000,000 square-millimeters. To convert this into square meters, multiply by (1 meter / 1,000 millimeter) (=1) twice. The result is one square meter...
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