Questions tagged [terminology]
Use this for questions relating to the proper use of physics terminology or nomenclature.
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What is the difference between loudness, amplitude and volume?
i'm confused because some websites I've seen they are not the same, while my textbook says they're the same, and I'm trying to find the distinction between amplitude, loudness and volume.
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Symbol denoting parity eigenvalue
What is the symbol reserved for designating the parity of a parity eigenstate?
For example an eigenstate $\phi$ of the squared angular momentum operator $\hat{\mathbf{L}}^2$ is characterized by a ...
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What is the difference between material time derivative and total time derivative of a tensor field? [closed]
I consider material coordintes as $(X_1(t),X_2(t),X_3(t),t_0),$ ($t_0$ arbitrary) and space coordinates as
$(x_1(t),x_2(t),x_3(t),t).$
$\textbf{Remark.}$ I am interested just in dim=3.
We consider a ...
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GR and Riemann Surfaces -- does the complex plane have anything to do with it?
I have only the vaguest understanding of Riemann Surfaces -- my sense is that Einstein used them in General Relativity because of their shape.
But Riemann Surfaces I think are not just deformations of ...
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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.
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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 ...