What is Forum: Definition and 405 Discussions

An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are often longer than one line of text, and are at least temporarily archived. Also, depending on the access level of a user or the forum set-up, a posted message might need to be approved by a moderator before it becomes publicly visible.
Forums have a specific set of jargon associated with them; example: a single conversation is called a "thread", or topic.
A discussion forum is hierarchical or tree-like in structure: a forum can contain a number of subforums, each of which may have several topics. Within a forum's topic, each new discussion started is called a thread and can be replied to by as many people as so wish.
Depending on the forum's settings, users can be anonymous or have to register with the forum and then subsequently log in to post messages. On most forums, users do not have to log in to read existing messages.

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  1. R

    Stargazing Formulas for camera obscura (correct sub forum?)

    Experiment / demonstration: Set up military surplus command tent as camera obscura / pinhole projector for observation of full soar eclipse. Problem: lacking in personal knowledge of the formula needed to determine correct focal length to hole diameter Solution: Request assistance from actual...
  2. berkeman

    Newbie Spammer Banned from ME Forum

    Hi Folks, Newbie @mechanicalengineer had posted a thread (I think it was in the ME forum) where he asked a vague question about how to run 5 DC motors at the same RPM without using feedback. A number of users tried to post helpful replies, despite the OP's thread start being so vague. Turns...
  3. Fips

    I Finding the Solution to ∫dx/sen(x): A French Forum Experience

    So I was solving a problem and I had to find the solution for ∫dx/sen(x) and I found this, but because the forum is in french I wasn't able to understand the solution :P (especially the last two steps) Thanks!
  4. GerryZ

    MHB Importing Excel Table into MHB Forum

    Hello MHB Gurus I'm writing this section but I'm not sure if is the right one I wonder if is possible to import an Excel Table (with copy and paste) from excel into the forum with line and boarders Thank you for your help 7 mag 2014 10:20 1,3928 7 mag 2014 10:25 1,3926 7 mag 2014 10:30 1,3925...
  5. Monoxdifly

    LaTeX How to Install LaTeX in Forum?

    Can you guys tell me how to install LaTeX in a forum? Thanks for advance.
  6. snoopies622

    Seeking forum for fans of La Nouvelle Vague

    I am very interested in the French New Wave films of the 1960's and would like to find a forum to help me learn more about them, but so far no luck. Any recommendations?
  7. F

    Best way to draw out a molecule for forum question?

    I mean what is the most common way people do this? I was using something called chemdoodle but i couldn't figure out how to number the atoms. Is chemdoodle the best or something better? thanks
  8. Kris_with_a_k

    How Can I Start Learning Computer Engineering While in Jail?

    Hello All, I'm Kris. So I need your guys help. I have to spend 6 months in jail because of a protective order violation :( - Facebook conversation with my ex. Anyway, I plan to use this time to its FULLEST, and get a kind of "primer" or head start. I've always wanted to get a degree some kind...
  9. Kevin McHugh

    Introducing a Newcomer to the World of Physics and Quantum Mechanics

    Hi folks, My name is Kevin. I have a BS in Chemistry (1984) and an MBA Finance (1994). I worked in the plastics compounding business for over 20 years. I retired early, now GR and physics has become a hobby of mine. I'm a little thick, so I have hard time understanding some of the material. My...
  10. MarkFL

    MHB Please Read This Before Posting In This Forum

    Hello MHB Community, This forum, "Useful Mathematics Resources," is a place for people to share links to non-commercial useful resources they have found in their online travels, resources they wish to share with the community. New threads/posts are put into the moderation queue so that they may...
  11. E

    What is your favorite part of this forum?

    Glad to have joined this website. I'm sure I'll be needing help with physics soon.
  12. B

    History What in the nation happened to the History forum? :(

    What in tarnation is the reason that the history forum was removed?
  13. D

    Any SAS users (beside me) in this forum?

    I am using SAS (sweat and suffer) for many years now on a daily basis in work and it would be nice to be able to exchange here some problems. However, searching for "SAS" in physics forums only turns up tons of post related to science advisors (SAs).
  14. phoenixthoth

    Terms of Service & Ownership of Forum Posts: Legal Considerations

    I was wondering if anyone knows of what type of law is involved with the terms of service of internet discussion forums. Is it possible through terms of service for a discussion forum to legally own poster's posts? Thanks!
  15. O

    Public forum for discussion of non-specific subjects

    Does anyone happen to know a website where you can start a discussion with e.g. your colleagues about a very wide, unspecified topic or personal topic (e.g. research proposal which has not yet been decided), but which could still be documented and viewed publicly? I hope I am posting in the...
  16. kq6up

    LaTeX Tutorial for Students w/ Posting in LaTeX in HW Helps Forum?

    I have some students that I am willing to tutor for free if they come here first, but I want to provide them with the information that they need to post questions with LaTeX if need be. They are freshman physics students. Are their any Youtube type tutorials for this? I looked, but found...
  17. Stephanus

    Saving Favorite Threads on PF Forum

    Dear PF Forum, Does anyone know how we can save our favorite threads INSIDE www.physicsforum.com profile not in our browser? Thanks.
  18. AdityaDev

    Deleting threads without proper reason

    I had created a thread in the chemistry forums regarding the addition of thiols to vinyl ethers. The question was proper and "was not homework/numerical/objective question". I just wanted to know if the reaction was correct and the question was "not given by teacher/not taken from problem...
  19. Stephanus

    B Understanding Watt & Newton: Questions for Physics Forum

    Dear Physics Forum, I really don't understand the concept of watt and Newton. I have two questions, perhaps someone can explain it to me. ======================================================= Case 1: If a one Newton force is applied to a one kg rocket in space with no or very little effect of...
  20. H

    Post your favourite memories/stories from this forum

    thought we would start a thread looking back at old memories of this forum so since you have been a member of this forum , what have been your favourite memories?
  21. Suraj M

    Where Did the Regular Forum Members Go?

    I was just googling something which led me to an old PF thread, i saw a few awarded members like @hootnany, @Kurdt, @Njorl @Enigma and many more.I don't see them around, What happened to them?? PS I'm sorry if i included someone who actually is still around(i haven't)
  22. spacecadet11

    I/OFF-TOPIC FORUM: "Railing" Against the System

    Hello. I would like to know where I can find a forum where I can for example "rail..against the system" or basically about potentially "off topic" stuff. Could be also science related though. Thanks SC
  23. Bandersnatch

    Forum game: Finding the Golden Record

    Remember Voyagers? Travelling through the endless void of space, carrying the species-scale equivalent of teenage poetry etched onto what is called the Golden Record. Full of naive hope and good intentions, cute to think of, but increasingly embarrassing to look at, it was sent in an...
  24. P

    AI Forum: Find Answers to AI Questions

    Does anyone know a good Artificial Intelligence/Pattern Recognition/Graphical Models/Probability Theory forum?
  25. S

    Different subject forum but at same level as physicsforums

    Not even care if this question is within the rules, but just knowing it is a good question...I already tried various google searches, and I wish I could find a languages & linguistics forum that is of the same level of quality as physicsforusm - but about languages, linguistics, translating...
  26. I

    For Integral and all forum members - semiconductors industries

    Hello Integral and all the forum members, Before approximate 8 months I read that some big companies begin to invest a lot of money in change the wafer size from 300 millimeters diameter to 450 millimeters diameter, in these days one friend tell me that he hear that all the industries in...
  27. M

    Integration of A exp( (− 3 R^2)/(2Na^2)) (whilst following forum rules; I think)

    Homework Statement A exp( (− 3 R^2)/(2Na^2)) I wish to integrate ^ The expression is equal to P(N,R) The limits are infinity to -infinity. The intention is to find the normalisation constant / A in terms of N and a (then to cube it).The Attempt at a Solution This is what I've managed. A S...
  28. D

    LaTeX Latex Symbols | Forum Posting Guide

    How can I type in latex style symbols when I am adding new posts to my threads
  29. E

    MHB Celebrating 1000 Posts - Thanks to the Driven2Services Forum Staff!

    Today I made my 1,000th https://driven2services.com/staging/mh/index.php?posts/55191/. Here is to many more to come! I want to thank the staff for making this forum such a pleasant place to be.
  30. S

    Demographics of the PF forum: where do you currently live?

    Hi everyone! I was curious as to the demographics of PF forums, so I posted this poll on where the respective members of PF forums live. Please note -- in this poll, I am only asking which country you currently live as a permanent resident, not where you were born or raised, or what citizen you...
  31. gfd43tg

    Adding code in box on the forum

    Hello, I am taking MATLAB this summer and will be having a number of questions on this forum about all my bugged code when I make it. Before I begin, I was wondering how do people add those ''code boxes'' when they make a thread that shows all their code within the post. Thanks Example: Post...
  32. R

    Who Is the Newest Addition to Our Forum?

    hello everyone,i am a new comer in this forum.
  33. phinds

    This forum gives conflicting info on the HUP

    I am not going to look up specific threads to support that assertion because I assume they have been seen by all those who regularly read threads on the HUP. If necessary, I'll dig up a few. The two points of view expressed in various threads are as follows 1) Simultaneous measurements for...
  34. S

    Probability problem - from another forum

    This interesting problem was posted on another math forum (http://www.sosmath.com/CBB/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=62620): The probability that a six sided (possibly loaded) die lands on the ith face is P_i . The P_i are unknown. We are given the values of S_i = the probability that the i_th...
  35. E

    Welcome to the Moment Calculation Discussion Forum

    Hi, I was thinking of something: How are one supposed to calculate the moment needed for a scoop to scoop up a sample of e.g. sand? Does the classical p=mv work? Any ideas or comments?
  36. B

    Communicating Vessels- how? (searched forum, didn't find it before)

    Homework Statement I don't know much about physics, I'm using- F=m*a Homework Equations So say we got our 2 containers with a straight passage between them (they're cylinders for the sake of the question), and the right one has double the radius. So I'm assuming there are 2 forces...
  37. DennisN

    Merry Christmas! A Big Thank You to Our Forum!

    Merry Christmas to you all! And thanks to all administrators, mentors and members for making this forum into a very useful, helpful, educational, interesting, inspiring and fun place to be!
  38. I

    Why Kinematics is So Popular in the Homework Forum

    Everytime I go into the homework questions forum and look at threads started by people it always makes me laugh what threads have so many comments. In the introductory physics forum when it's a question on kinematics, there's always like 10 people that answer. As soon as there's something about...
  39. F

    New to the Forum & Need Paper Subject Suggestions

    Hi y'all, I am new to the physics forums. I really like Astronomy and Physics. This is a sort of a homework question but I couldn't find the right category to put it in. I have an english paper due soon and I need to find a topic. The paper is supposed to be about a controversial issue. I've...
  40. B

    Hi, I'm new to this forum and I could use some help. I'm a freshman

    Hi, I'm new to this forum and I could use some help. I'm a freshman in high school and for a school project, we have to make a magazine. My group and I are doing a tech and general science magazine. I'm writing a feature story on metamaterials, and a future where they are abundant. We need...
  41. Drakkith

    To the Best Forum on the Internet

    To the Admins, Patrons, Users, Guests, Mentors, Homework Helpers, and Advisors of PF. Oh, and Omcheeto too. Just over three years and 10,000 posts ago, I found a little site on the internet about something called science. Being almost completely ignorant of science and the forum I of course...
  42. S

    Welcome! Introducing Myself in the Forum

    Well although the thread topic speaks for itself I want to introduce myself here. I created an account in this forum a while ago and I've been checking it a bit So yes! I want to participate but I know no one, I tried to find the topical section in which newbies introduce themselves but I...
  43. P

    Electron Spin: +-1/2 | Physics Forum Q&A

    Mellow, all Physics Forum member, Please help me to have the answer of question, Why electron spin is +-1/2. What is the reason of integral spin of subatomic particle?
  44. PsychonautQQ

    LaTeX Start Learning LaTex for Physics Forum: Easier Than It Seems

    If I want to start using LaTex on the physics forum, is the best way to do it just to learn all the coding? This seems like quite a task for me (I've never learned any computer language thing). I downloaded MiKtex (LaTex software) and was hoping that it would somehow write up the proper syntax...
  45. J

    What are the expectations for authorship when using a forum for research help?

    Hi there, I'm a first year PhD student and was going to ask the forum for some advice on some maths (specifically Fourier) that will be used in my work. However, I wanted to know what the forum/general policy is on what happens should this work ever be published. Would a forum contributor be...
  46. L

    Dear Physics Forum: Calculus problem (Physical Chemistry)

    Homework Statement In the electrochemists technique of cyclic voltammetry, the peak current, I, is a simple function of the scan rate, v, according to the Randles-Sevcik equation: Homework Equations I = 0.4463nFAc(nF / RT)^1/2 D^1/2 V^1/2 Where n is the number of electrons transferred, F is...
  47. mesa

    Breaking Forum Records: How to Reach Six Figures in Post Count

    Any chance I am getting close to the record? jk :) I have seen many in the tens of thousands, has anyone cracked 6 figures yet?
  48. Petrus

    MHB Is Apple's Trendy Image Worth the High Price Tag?

    Hello MHB, I am just curious about how many in this forum got apple product :) I got one apple product which is Iphone 4s. Is there also anyone against apple?Regards, |\pi\rangle
  49. Opalg

    MHB Marissa043's question on another forum regarding a Cesàro limit

    Here is the question: Here is a link to the question: Prove this limit. I have posted a link there to this topic so the OP can find my response.
  50. Evo

    Forum Game - Where's That Landmark? Part 2

    In order to help with server load, we are splitting up the larger threads. This is a continuation of the original Where's That Landmark? thread located here https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=270543&page=480
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