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: What Is…
What are Quarternions?
I used to think complex numbers were the end of the line. You start with counting, patch in zero and the negatives, then the fractions, then the irrationals to fill the gaps between them, and finally you throw in $i$ … Continue reading
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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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...
1 Comment