Recent Posts
- The Eddington Luminosity in Spherical Accretion and Beyond
- How a Molecular Cloud Collapses Into a Star
- Why $R_{\mu\nu}=0$ does not imply $R_{\mu\nu\rho\sigma}=0$
- Derivation of the Cosmic-Ray Diffusion Coefficient from Pitch-Angle Scattering
- The rubber sheet gets the geometry right and the mechanism wrong!
Tag Archives: classical mechanics
So, what is a vector?
In my first year of undergraduate physics, one of my professors walked into the lecture hall, placed his notes on the desk, looked around the room, and asked a question that, at first, seemed almost too easy. “What is a … Continue reading
Posted in Expository
Tagged classical mechanics, Math, Mathematical Physics, motion, What Is...
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Deriving the Euler–Lagrange Equation for Particles, Fields, and Curved Spacetime
A good way to understand the laws of motion is not to memorize a separate equation for each situation, but to notice there is really only one trick, and every equation of motion is what falls out when you apply … Continue reading
So what are tensors, really?
I want to start with a confession. When I first heard the word “tensor,” I assumed it was one of those words that exists to make physicists sound clever. Something you learn in graduate school, surrounded by people who already … Continue reading
Posted in Expository
Tagged classical mechanics, general relativity, Mathematical Physics, Tensors, What Is...
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Aristotle on Motion
Aristotle divided motion into two classes: natural motion and violent motion. These ideas are not really part of modern physics anymore, but they are important because they were among the first serious attempts to explain motion logically rather than through … Continue reading
Posted in Diary, Scratch essays
Tagged classical mechanics, philosophy of science, science writing
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