What is Confused: Definition and 1000 Discussions

In medicine, confusion is the quality or state of being bewildered or unclear. The term "acute mental confusion" is often used interchangeably with delirium in the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems and the Medical Subject Headings publications to describe the pathology. These refer to the loss of orientation, or the ability to place oneself correctly in the world by time, location and personal identity. Mental confusion is sometimes accompanied by disordered consciousness (the loss of linear thinking) and memory loss (the inability to correctly recall previous events or learn new material). The term is from Latin: confusĭo, -ōnis, from confundere: "to pour together", "to mingle together", "to confuse".

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  1. N

    Confused by wikipedia on (torque-free) precession

    Hello, I quote http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Precession from the first paragraph from the first section ("Torque-free precession"): But isn't the matrix product L = Iωs relative to the moving frame (that's how we did it in our course anyway), meaning L and omega are indeed the vectors as...
  2. D

    Understanding Time Dilation: How Do Clocks Differ in Space Travel?

    Homework Statement At 3 pm a rocketship passes extremely close to the Earth with a speed of 0.800 c. Observers on the ship and on Earth agree that it is 3 pm. At 3:40 pm, as indicated on the rocketship clock, the ship passes a small space station that is fixed relative to the Earth and...
  3. M

    MHD equations - confused about derivation

    I am confused about the usual derivation of the ideal magnetohydrodynamic equations, as given for example here: http://theoretical-physics.net/dev/src/fluid-dynamics/mhd.html The problem is that there are a few different "currents" to consider. For example, in the momentum equation, the...
  4. A

    Solving Array Homework: Output Explained

    Homework Statement say a[5] = { 5.6, -3.2, 11, -7.7, -1 ); and b = 5 void fum ( double a[], int b ){ for ( int i = b -1; i >= 0; i-- ){ if ( a[i] < 0 ) cout << -a[i]; else cout << a[i]; cout << ", "; } } Why is the output 1, 7.7, 11, 3.2, 5.6 and not 7.7...
  5. R

    I've been thinking about blackbodies, and have become confused with

    I've been thinking about blackbodies, and have become confused with regards to their temperature. Is the temperature constant throughout in a blackbody, or is there a temperature gradient dependant on which side is closest to the source of heat? Would it matter?
  6. J

    Quick Phys question before test, involves Energy, just confused? Help please

    Homework Statement The rope of a swing is 2.90 m long. Calculate the angle from the vertical at which a 81.0 kg man must begin to swing in order to have the same KE at the bottom as a 1450 kg car moving at 1.05 m/s (2.35 mph). Homework Equations KE=1/2mv^2 PE=mgh SOH CAH TOA (trig...
  7. G

    Direction of Movement for Barbara

    Vectors question- CONFUSED! Blabla
  8. P

    Confused on this deformation problem (statics)

    Homework Statement 2. The attempt at a solution Ok. so I'm a little bit confused as to how to approach this problem. I would know how to do this problem if it was laying right to left, but because it's vertical, that makes it a lot more confusing for me. I know A = (1/4)(pi)(d^2) =...
  9. S

    Confused about moveing through time

    I was reading about worm holes and stuff like that, and I don’t get it. What dose going back in time really mean? If it just changes the time, how dose that all of the sudden give you the power to... kill your grandfather and create the Grandfather paradox, or walk around in the past... It...
  10. E

    Confused by radial vs. centripetal acceleration

    Hi I've been working through some examples from the course material we use in physics class, but one thing keeps confusing me: What is the difference between centripetal and radial acceleration? For instance, when we have a particle traveling in a circular path, the acceleration towards...
  11. E

    Conservation of mechanical energy and external forces. A bit confused

    Hi I got a question regarding conservation of mechanical energy. The mechanical energy of a system is conserved, as long as there are no transfer of energy (like heat, work, mechanical waves etc.), right? So, why is the mechanical energy in the system of the pivoting rod and the earth, as...
  12. B

    Confused about future in academics and career

    Hey everyone. I'm a senior in high school and need some serious guidance for my future major and job. I can say that I'm a very good student, academically, yet I lack the passion for anything right now. I want my knowledge to be powerful, on a level where it impacts the world. There are very...
  13. J

    Inertia Question, simple but yet confused? Help greatly appreciated

    Homework Statement QUESTION 1: Calculate the rotational moment of inertia of a meter stick, with mass 0.56 kg, about an axis perpendicular to the stick and located at the 20 cm mark. Treat the stick as a "thin rod." Homework Equations I=m(l)^2 BUT SINCE IT ASKED TO consider the...
  14. N

    Confused about the theory behind Frobenius' Method

    Hello, My course is a bit vague on this topic. 1 First of all it states: if the differential equation A(x)y''(x) + B(x)y'(x) + C(x)y(x) = 0 with A, B, C analytical has A(a) = 0 but B(a) and C(a) NOT both zero, then a is a singular point and we can't solve it with a power series. Now: what...
  15. J

    Majorly confused over the cabibbo matrix?

    Hi, I'm having some trouble with the Cabibbo matrix. I get vaguely what it's about but there are things I don't understand, and there seems to be so little information explaining about this out there. I know that before the top and bottom quarks were discovered, it was just a 2x2 matrix that...
  16. S

    A jumble of basic SUSY questions (i.e. a bit confused and seeking help)

    So, I've been tasked to learn SUSY in a small time span (few weeks) and I've made some progress but I'm a little stumped on how deeply I should go into things while still making reasonable progress (get to phenomenology, etc). First of all, most primers seem to gloss over the algebra or go...
  17. P

    Should I Still Apply to Cambridge with My Current Grades and Health Challenges?

    Hi, I'm from Canada and I'll be applying next year to Cambridge. Long story short, I'm a first year IB students and so far my first semester is predicted to look like this: French HL: 70 + English HL: 80 + Physics HL: 80+ Biology HL: 80+ Math HL: 90+ Chemistry HL: 70+ I haven't had such a...
  18. K

    Understand Power Loss in a Wire Through V, I and R

    I would be grateful if anyone could clear up my confusion with this relatively simple concept. It has been bugging me for 3 years now and I've never had a clear answer from my teachers. Consider a power line transmitting electricity: Power loss in the wire = I2R = VI To reduce power loss...
  19. L

    Confused About Fourier Trick: Exploring an Example

    Homework Statement Hey I am confussed about how the Fourier trick works. In my book they have an example ...=integral from 0 to pie Pl(cos@)Pl'(cos@)sin(@) d@ then somehow they get ={0 if l' does not equal l and 2/2l+1 if l'=l Thanks Homework Equations The Attempt at a...
  20. G

    Is Max Born Ignoring the Electric Field that Produces Current in his Theory?

    I'm reading Max Born's "Einstein's Theory of Relativity", 1962 version. On page 297 he says that a wire with a current in it is electrically neutral and surrounded by only a magnetic field. Yet on page 161 he says that current in a wire is the result of an electric field. It would seem that...
  21. S

    BEZOUT's IDENITY solution there just confused on few steps.Help please

    I have a Questions for Bezout's Identity of POLYNOMIALS: I have the soltuions however i am confused about some things in between the answers HELP please...Thank You The question was Find the (g.c.d) of (( x^5 +1), (x^3 +1)) = ( x+1) ( i found) by the Euclids Algorithim by the following...
  22. J

    Why does a re-formed copper rod have a resistance of 4R instead of 2R?

    Homework Statement A cylindrical copper rod of length L and cross-sectional area A is re-formed to twice its original length with no change in volume. If the resistance between its ends was originally R, what is it now? Homework Equations R=p(L/A) The Attempt at a Solution Using...
  23. P

    Solving Boolean Vector: Position of "1" Values

    Hi, I needed to write a function that takes a boolean vector and returns the position of the "1" values only. The correct way it was done was like this : function res = tmp(x) res=[ ]; for k=1:length(x) if x(k) res = [res,k]; end end I don't understand why the "if" statement...
  24. P

    What Speed Does the Second Car Achieve After a Collision?

    vector momentum problem Homework Statement A car moving North at 9.0 m/s strikes a stationary car of equal mass. The first car moves off after the collision at an angle of 30 degrees West of North with a speed of 6.0 m/s. (a) What is the speed of the second car after the collision? (3...
  25. L

    Forces, Vectors, Angles, Magnitude, CONFUSED

    Homework Statement Consider four vectors ~ F1, ~ F2, ~ F3, and ~ F4 with magnitudes F1 = 59 N, F2 = 29 N, F3 = 11 N, and F4 = 60 N, θ1 = 150 ◦, θ2 = −150 ◦, θ3 = 23◦, and θ4 = −56◦, measured from the positive x-axis with counterclockwise positive. What is the magnitude of the resultant...
  26. T

    Confused by velocity in spherical coordinates

    Hello, I am trying to work out how you derive velocity in terms of spherical coordinates, could anyone point me in the direction of a simple and quite explicit derivation. I keep getting confused! Thanks.
  27. K

    Confused about this blueshift/redshift paradox

    Confused about this blueshift/redshift "paradox" Say you had a light probe with a sensor that converts light energy into electricity and and uses electricity generated to draft a chart of energy converted on paper. Now you send the probe on a 1 LY round trip. The probe has an internal drive...
  28. K

    How can I prepare and apply for a degree in physics?

    Hi friends, I am a chemical engineering graduate from one of the reputed national institutes in India and presently working with a giant public sector unit of the govt.. I would like to pursue a degree on physics in the coming year can anyone guide me what all to prepare, how and where to apply...
  29. N

    Special Relativity (i'm confused)

    Does traveling towards a light source at a significant fraction of c mean that you will infact see the light source sooner than say someone who is stationary at the point you began traveling at the fraction of c from? Say you are traveling towards a light source a light year away, will you see...
  30. C

    Interpretation of Complex numbers - confused

    I know that generally complex numbers are represented in a two-dimensional plane with one real and one imaginary dimension. I also know that we have the quaternions, consisting of one real number and three imaginary numbers. The imaginary axis is always perpendicular to the real axis. The...
  31. S

    Relative mtion project - confused on velocity mostly

    Homework Statement A ball is tossed from 1m above the ground to a total height of 12m. An unidentified object passes directly underneath it at 20m/s at a height of 1m. If the ball lands on the object as it passes underneath, how far away was the unidentified object when the ball was tossed...
  32. B

    Why Is the Calculation of the Moment Sign Confusing in Force-Couple Systems?

    Homework Statement http://img827.imageshack.us/img827/371/diagramv.th.jpg I'm supposed to determine the equivalent force-couple system at point A, but that's not actually what I'm posting about. I got the problem right except for the sign calculating the moment. The Attempt at a Solution...
  33. T

    Projectile help - really confused

    1. In baseball, player throws ball so that the ball takes one bounce before it reaches infielder. Suppose that the angle at which a bounced ball leaves the ground is the same as the angle at which the outfielder launced it. The ball's speed after the bounce is half of what it was before...
  34. M

    Is s_m the Same as s_n in Advanced Calculus Problem?

    Homework Statement See attachment I am confused by what they mean on part (a) are these sequences s_m and s_n the same sequence and this is what i should be showing?
  35. G

    Confused about the reactive power

    hey, i am a little bit confused about the reactive power. we defined it as Q=UI sin(a) and the apparent power as S=UI Now I have to solve this excercise: Which percentage of heat loss in a power grid is caused by the reactive power, when the powerfactor is cos(a)=0,85? Now I...
  36. N

    Confused about equations with absolute values

    My calc book rewrites this equation: |y|=e^c|x| As this: y=\pm e^cx But that doesn't really make any sense to me. I know I should understand why we're allowed to do that, but I don't. Could someone please try to explain it to me? I really appreciate your help, thanks!
  37. W

    Confused about continuity of this function

    Homework Statement For y'=1/(x+y), sketch a direction field and the solution through y(0)=0. Homework Equations I'm confused as to why there is a solution through y(0) - I thought that the existence theorem says that if y' is continuous in a box, then there are solutions through all...
  38. Z

    Confused about phase difference

    Why should phase difference be small when resonance is small?
  39. H

    How Can Cross Products Help Solve Vector Problems?

    Homework Statement [PLAIN]http://img715.imageshack.us/img715/8128/66497284.jpg Homework Equations The Attempt at a Solution I'm really confused about this question and not sure what to do. I've only been able to find the angles and don't really know what to do next. I also think that it i...
  40. A

    Question on Time-independent perturbation theory: I am confused

    We all know from time-independent perturbation theory that if we have an atom in ground state [0>, and when a time-independent perturbation acts on it, the energy of the ground state gets shifted and the ground state wave function also gets modified. Using Time-independent Schroedinger eq...
  41. N

    Confused about KCL & Nodal Analysis (basic stuff )

    Homework Statement I'm confused about how to use KCL when doing Nodal Analysis. Please consider the diagram below: http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/4900/20091019131641633915550.jpg Homework Equations My first point of confusion is that the diagram shows the current "4Ix" going up...
  42. A

    Confused with sufficient and necessary condition

    Homework Statement i know that "A is necessary for B" means "B implies A". but i confused with the word "A is necessary of B" somebody help
  43. D

    How Does the Taylor Polynomial Change When Centered at a Non-Zero Point?

    Hello, if I understand correctly the Taylor approximation for a=0 gives me the possibility to approximate a function, say sin(x), at any x. But, what gives me Taylor polynomial at some point http://latex.codecogs.com/gif.latex?a\neq0 ,[/URL] what's the difference? what does it mean centred...
  44. C

    Resultant Force Acting On Springs : Confused

    Homework Statement Suppose we have 2 insulated metal rods each measuring 40 cm. Now,the 2 metal rods are connected with 3 identical springs each of length 20 cm (force constant 2.0 N/m) in parallel. A current of 20A is passed through each metal rod in opposing directions. What is the extension...
  45. L

    Feeling Confused in My E&M Class: Is This Normal for a 2nd Year Physics Major?

    let me start by saying that i love physics and i am very passionate about becoming an astrophysicist, but this semester i am taking my first e&m class and for the first time it my life i actually feel like i am confused (i might add that i am understanding it more than a majority my other...
  46. A

    Why Is My Calculated Speed of Sound Incorrect?

    Homework Statement We have to prove the speed of sound using a ultra-sound emitter, connected to EasySense software which records the speed for it to travel to surface and back. Known data - Speed of sound is 337 metres a second at 20 degrees celcius. Also, the distance covered is, 3.4m or...
  47. N

    Chemistry- Electron Affinity very confused

    Homework Statement Rank the atoms in electron affinity, from smallest to largest. Homework Equations none The Attempt at a Solution G has the highest energy, followed by H then K. I looked at the diagram and saw that- G= 1s^2 2s^1 (Li) H= 1s^1 (H) K= 1s^2...
  48. N

    Zeh: Basics of Basics of Thermodynamics, yet really confused

    Hello, I was reading Zeh's "The Physical Basis of the Direction of Time" but I just can't understand him in chapter 1 on something really easy: the definition of the phenomenological entropy + second law. Here is a screenshot I took from the googlebooks edition: Those two lines of...
  49. H_man

    So confused about reflection from metal surfaces

    :bugeye:Hi All... I am really confused about the mechanism of loss of energy when an EM wave hits a metal surface. I always thought the reflection was due to the motion of the electrons in the metal (due to the electric field of the wave). Which suggests that resistive losses would come...
  50. M

    Confused about time slowing down

    Hi, I am having a hard time getting my head around the time slowing down bit of the theory, and I could do with someone explaining it to me. From my understanding, the faster you travel the slower time gets right? but also any frame of reference is valid, so speed is again relative. and...
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