- #1
Airsteve0
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Homework Statement
Suppose two objects have energy fluxes, f and f + Δf, where
Δf ≪ f. Derive an approximate expression for the magnitude difference
Δm between these objects. Your expression should have Δm
proportional to Δf.
Homework Equations
Δm = m2 - m1 = 2.5 * log(f1/f2)
The Attempt at a Solution
So the issue is that I'm not sure which of these solutions would be the better one to work with. However, I did make an approximation with the one as shown below and I'm not sure if it is quite accurate enough. Any assistance is greatly appreciated.
ARRANGEMENT 1: Δm = 2.5 * log(f / f+Δf) = 2.5 * [ log(f) - log (f + Δf)]
or,
ARRANGEMENT 2: Δm = 2.5 * log(f+Δf / f) = 2.5 * log(1 + Δf/f) ≈ 2.5*Δf
The second arrangement seems more correct to me but I would feel more confident with a second opinion.