Questions tagged [terminology]
Use this for questions relating to the proper use of physics terminology or nomenclature.
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Absorption and emission spectrum terminology
Hi everyone recently i was looking for laser crystals and since I am an autodidact i was confused by the terminology and units of the optics domain. And specialy by the absorption and emission ...
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What does "DC" mean in gravitational physics?
I have came across a few works in gravitational physics using the term "DC" without further explanation of its meaning. For example, consider Strominger's 1703.05448, which states in p. 2 ...
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How can I call a transformation where only the $z$-axis is modified by a function in each point?
What is called a transformation that maps $z \rightarrow |f(z)|\, z$, while the other axis stays the same? Is it a conformal transformation?
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Is there a name for the number of '9's in numbers such as 0.999 (where it would be 3)?
I am doing an optics simulation involving transmission and reflection coefficients very close to 1, such as 0.999. While I was an undergraduate student, a professor mentioned that, in certain fields, ...
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What is the tangential component of any vector?
There's a statement I discovered in the book I am reading which says
Kinetic energy changes only when speed changes and that happens when the resultant force has a tangential component.
Does that ...
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Is the set of possible elementary particle types equal to the set of all combinations of their properties? [closed]
I'm playing around with a mnemonic system for a fantasy language I'm working on, for remembering the properties of elementary particles. Each letter represents a unique sound.
i
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These 3 are the &...
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How to call ellipse packing structures?
My research group and I are trying to figure out what is the correct terminology for two different packing structures of 2D ellipses. The two structures are displayed below as Structure A and ...
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What exactly are cohesive and adhesive forces?
Are cohesive and adhesive forces defined only when at least one of the interacting materials is a fluid?
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What type of variable would you classify $a, b, c$ etc shown in the picture? Would I just call them random, insignificant real values? [closed]
The variables don't really represent anything
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Is there a practical distinction between functions of state and functionals in thermodynamics?
In thermodynamics, and more precisely when talking about continuous systems, some sources [1, 2] introduce functionals of state:
$$F[s(x), \dots]:=\int_VdV(x)f(s(x),\dots,x)$$
In order to derive ...
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Is there a name for Bohmian pilot wave theory with an ensemble of jockey particles?
In Bohmian QM, the wave function $\psi$ is moving a classical point particle around. Without effort, it could also move a large
ensemble of particles (since there is no back reaction).
Is there a name ...
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What is the difference between field and disturbance?
In my textbook Sears & Zemansky's University Physics, 15th ed, Page-399, it is written that,
"A useful way to describe forces that act at a distance is in terms of a field. One object sets ...
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Why do people say that the $\Lambda$-CDM model has six independent parameters?
The Wikipedia article on the $\Lambda$-CDM model says that the model has six "independent parameters". It also says that the model has several "fixed" parameters and several "...
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What is the name of the transformation from one harmonic oscillator basis to another centered elsewhere?
If I have a harmonic oscillator basis centered at $x=2$, how do I rewrite it in terms of the harmonic oscillator basis centered at $x=0$? To be more specific:
If $|\Psi_n\rangle$ is the $n$th ...
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Can motion be oscillatory but not periodic?
The equation of motion of a particle is $x = A \, \mathrm{cos}\left[(\alpha t)^2\right]$. What type of motion is it?
The answer to this question in my textbook was: "Oscillatory but not periodic&...
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