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Relativity

Calculus-Based General Physics

Seldom has a development in science captured the attention of the general populace to the extent that Einstein's special theory of relativity did. Once, after giving a public lecture, Einstein was on the way to the railroad depot when he was asked to summarize his theory in one sentence, in a way the general public could understand. His reply: "When does the station get to the train?" Many of the predictions of the theory violate common sense -- lengths change, times change, masses change, depending on who is looking -- but the theory has been proved correct whenever it has …

Applications Of Newton's Laws

Calculus-Based General Physics

Perhaps at some time you have had occasion to swing a massive object at the end of a rope. Maybe you have watched a parent swing a child around by his outstretched arms or have been fortunate enough to watch an athlete throw the hammer. But all of you have heard or watched an automatic washer go through a spin-dry cycle. How was this spinning drum with holes in its periphery able to speed up the "drying" process? The clothes were too large to pass through the holes in the drum and were "held" in a circular path but the …

Simple Harmonic Motion

Calculus-Based General Physics

Have you ever felt you were the slave of a clock? Clocks are mechanisims that include a pendulum or balance wheel whose repeated patterns of movement define equal time intervals, one after another. Such repeated movements are called periodic motion. Periodic motion may occur when a particle or body is confined to a limited region of space by the forces acting on it and does not have sufficient energy to escape.

In this module you will study the special kind of periodic motion that results when the net force acting on a particle, often called the restoring force, is directly …

Second Law And Entropy

Calculus-Based General Physics

Suppose you get into your car and drive to _________.* During this trip, (1) the burning of the gasoline in the engine cylinders converts chemical energy into thermal energy of the gases -- that is, they become very hot; (2) the expansion of these hot gases turns the crankshaft, performing work; and (3) this work, transmitted to the wheels, gives the car kinetic energy -- which must be continually replenished, because of depletion by friction and air resistance. At the end of this trip, ____ gallons of gasoline have been converted into water vapor, carbon dioxide, and sundry less desirable …

Rotational Dynamics

Calculus-Based General Physics

A diver, in making several turns in the air, grabs his knees to achieve a high rate of rotation, and a skater does much the same thing when she goes into a spin with arms and legs extended but brings them in close to her body for the extremely rapid part of this motion. This module considers the physics describing these motions, and those of other rotational systems -- starting or stopping a record turntable (or a washing-machine tub), unwinding of winch cord as a bucket is dropped into a well, etc.

Conservation Of Energy

Calculus-Based General Physics

Imagine a bicycle rider coasting without pedaling along a road that is very smooth but has a lot of small hills. As he coasts up a hill, the force of gravity will, of course, slow him down; but it speeds him up again as he goes down the other side. We say that gravity is a conservative force because it gives back as much kinetic energy (KE) to the cyclist when he returns to a lower level, as it took away when he ascended to the top. We therefore assign a gravitational potential energy (PE) U_g to the cyclist, …

Temperature, Heat, And Thermodynamics: First Law

Calculus-Based General Physics

How can we keep track of energy as it is transferred from one system to another? How can we calculate the amount of internal energy -- a quantity that seems to be hidden within the very "guts" of matter? Further, what is the difference between temperature and heat, and between heat and work?

This module focuses on the first of two central thermodynamic principles: the conservation of energy, or, as it is sometimes called, the first law of thermodynamics. The second basic principle, which deals with the inevitable increase of a quantity called entropy, is the subject of another module …

Alternating-Current Circuits

Calculus-Based General Physics

The electric clock on the wall, radio and television, the incredibly rapid handling
of information by computers, and the transmission of signals by our own nerves
are among countless devices and effects that depend on circuits in which currents
or voltages vary with time. Alternatinq-current (ac) circuits, in which charges
oscillate back and forth in a wire in such a way that the average current is
zero,are among the simpler time-varying circuits. In this module you will study
the behavior of simple ac circuits containing resistors, inductors, and capacitors.

Gravitation

Calculus-Based General Physics

The members of the solar system -- the Sun, the Moon, and the planets -- have held a strong fascination for mankind since prehistoric times. The motions of these heavenly bodies were thought to have important specific influences on persons' lives -- a belief that is reflected even today in horoscopes and astrological publications. A revolution in man's thinking that occurred about four hundred years ago established the concept of a solar system with planets orbiting about the Sun and moons orbiting about some of the planets. Copernicus, Kepler, Galileo, and Newton were the four scientific leaders chiefly responsible for …

Impulse And Momentum

Calculus-Based General Physics

You have already learned that you stub your toe harder trying to kick larger masses. Now imagine another unpleasant activity: catching a bowling ball. This gets harder to do as the ball is dropped from higher places. The difficulty depends both on the ball's mass and its velocity just before you apply the stopping force. This force can be applied in different ways. Any winner of an egg-throwing contest will tell you the way to stop an object with the least force is to spread the stopping process out over a maximum time.

This module will develop the above "folk …

Newton's Laws

Calculus-Based General Physics

When a body is at rest, we know from experience that it will remain at rest unless something is done to change that state. A heavy box on the floor will stay in place unless it is pushed or pulled. We walk without fear beside a massive rock on level ground because we know it won't suddenly move and crush us.

Undoubtedly you have leaned against a chair only to have it move and send you scurrying for your balance. Did you then question the relationship of the interaction between you and the chair to the ensuing motion of the …

Work And Energy

Calculus-Based General Physics

Energy is much in the news lately. The term "energy" usually refers to the inherent ability of a material system, such as a person, a flashlight battery, or rocket fuel, to bring about changes in its environment or in itself. Some common sources of energy are the fuel used to heat hot water, the gasoline that propels a car, the dammed water that drives the turbine in a hydroelectric plant, and the spinning yo-yo that can climb up its own string. Inanimate energy sources are of central importance in raising the standard of living of mankind above the subsistence level. …

Sound

Calculus-Based General Physics

We, much more than our ancestors, are constantly being bombarded by sound. We hear, and are more or less aware of, music, air hammers, television sets, jet planes, conversation, engines, sirens, etc., throughout the day. A sophisticated audio industry tries to improve the quality of musical sound. At the other end of the quality scale, noise pollution is a serious concern, which probably affects our lives more than we realize.

In order to deal with sound, we should have some idea of what it is. What factors determine whether a sound is pleasing or grating? How is sound transmitted? How …

Inductance

Calculus-Based General Physics

Anyone who has ever grabbed an automobile spark-pluq wire at the wrong place, with the engine running, has an appreciation of the ability of a changinq current in (part of) a coil of wire to induce an emf in the coil. What happens is that the breaker contacts open, suddenly interrupting the current, and causing a sudden large change in the magnetic field through the coil; according to Faraday's law, this results in a (large) induced emf. In general, the production of an emf in a coil by a changing magnetic field due to a current in that same coil …

Introduction To Quantum Physics

Calculus-Based General Physics

You have probably encountered a system known as an "electric eye," which senses light from an artificial source or the sun. This information is used to open doors, count pedestrian or auto traffic, turn on lights at sunset, read holes in punched card, and for a host of other applications. Most of these devices are based on the photoelectric effect, which is the light-induced emission of electrons from atoms.

The photoelectric effect completely baffled physicists at the time of its discovery. Einstein's explanation of this process, which won the Nobel Prize in 1921, was a major part of the twentieth-century …

Maxwell's Predictions

Calculus-Based General Physics

With this module, you will reach a milestone in your study of electromagnetic phenomena. From past modules, you now have (at your fingertips, hopefully!) the same basic laws of electromagnetism that Maxwell collected together in the nineteenth century. However, as powerful as these laws were, Maxwell found that there was a basic flaw -- a logical inconsistency -- in the one known as Ampere's law. He was able to deduce (in advance of any direct experimental test) precisely the correction that was needed. With this correction, the addition of what is called the "displacement-current" term to Ampere's law, it follows …

Geophysical Institute Annual Report 1974-75, Geophysical Institute

GI Reports

The 1974-75 Geophysical Institute Annual Report presents an overview of the year’s scientific research achievements across the Institute’s disciplines, alongside operational summaries covering finances, administrative changes, and other key activities.

Measurement Of Growth Rate To Determine Condensation Coefficients For Water Drops Grown On Natural Cloud Nuclei., A. M. Sinnarwalla, Darryl J. Alofs, J. C. Carstens

Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering Faculty Research & Creative Works

Growth Rate Measurements Were Made for Water Drops Grown on Nuclei in Atmospheric Air Samples Taken in Rolla, Missouri. Rolla, Having a Population of 15,000 and Very Little Industry, is Relatively Free of Urban Pollutants. the Measurements Were Made in a Vertical Flow Thermal Diffusion Chamber at Supersaturations of 0. 5 and 1%. the Time to Grow from Near Dry Radius to the Final Radius (6 to 7. 5 Mu M) Was Measured. If One Assumes the Thermal Accomodation Coefficient is Unity, the Measurements Indicate an Average Value of 0. 026 for the Condensation Coefficient. the Temperature Ranged from 22. …

Analogy Between Spinodal Decomposition And Martensitic Transformation, Tetsuro Suzuki, Manfred Wuttig

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The translation of the theory developed for the spinodal decomposition of a supercooled alloy to the language appropriate for the martensitic transformation is carried out. In the spinodal theory, the stability of the alloy with respect to the composition fluctuation is examined, while in the present theory the stability of the crystal with respect to the shear displacement fluctuation, the transverse phonon, is studied. The analogy to the spinodal theory requires the revival of the strain gradient energy term or the couple stress term, the presence of which has been a subject of controversies for a long time since Laval. …

A High-Power Pulsed Xenon Ion Laser As A Pump Source For A Tunable Dye Laser, Laird D. Schearer

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

An inexpensive pulsed xenon ion laser with peak power outputs up to 4 kW has been constructed and used as a pump source for a tunable rhodamine 6G dye laser with a 0.25-A bandpass in the yellow-red range of the spectrum. The dye laser is tunable from 5465 to 6300 A. Over 50 W are obtained at the peak of the tuning range. Copyright © 1975 by The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc.

Use Of The Psi Technique In Prerequisite Courses, John T. Park, William R. Snow

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

An engineering physics course, in which the Personalized System of Instruction (PSI) technique has been used, has been designed to meet the requirements that all of a prescribed list of subjects be covered and that the course be completed within a single semester. The course was modified so that it has two levels of mastery for each unit: a passing level and a complete mastery level. All students were required to reach a passing level of mastery on all of the required material. Grades were assigned according to the number of complete mastery level examinations passed. It was found that …

Photoionization Of The 6p32,122 Fine-Structure Levels In Cesium, Kaare J. Nygaard, Robert E. Hebner, James A. Jones, Robert J. Corbin

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

The relative photoionization cross sections for cesium atoms selectively excited to the 6P32,122 states have been measured in a triple-crossed-beam experiment. A cesium discharge lamp produced resonant wavelengths of 8521 and 8944 for the excitation process. A Hg-Xe lamp combined with a grating monochromator was used for the actual ionization in the wavelength region from 2500 to 5000. Background counts due to photoionization of ground-state cesium atoms and dimers as well as various surface effects were discriminated against by chopping the excitation light source. The data are compared with results from radiative-recombination measurements in which the fine-structure levels are not …

The Use Of Surface Electromagnetic Waves To Measure Materials Properties, Ralph William Alexander, Robert John Bell

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

An Elementary Introduction to Surface Electromagnetic Waves (SEW) is Presented. the Emphasis is on Those Features of SEW Which Make Them Useful for Measuring Optical Properties of Thin Layers on Metals. the So-Called Two-Prism Technique for Making Such Measurements is Discussed, Some Preliminary Experimental Results Are Given, and Some Possible Applications Are Presented. © 1975.

Science Foundations: A Science Program For The Non-Science Student. Technical Report No. 4., James Shymansky

Educator Preparation & Leadership Faculty Works

No abstract provided.

Repeatable Testing-A Tool For Learning Physics, David E. Golden, Robert Fuller, Donald D. Jensen

Robert G. Fuller Publications

Physics courses have traditionally used one-chance-only examinations as a probe to tell the professor how much physics each student has learned, with the result that physics examinations have been a common cause of anxiety among undergraduates.

Repeatable equivalent examinations, on the other hand, offer an alternative testing procedure which underscores material not mastered on the first examination and then allows remedial study of this material for the next examination. Furthermore, the thought that it will be possible to have another try at the examination greatly decreases the anxiety associated with examinations. While repeatable examinations are routinely used in Keller-plan courses, …

16th Annual Rocky Mountain Spectroscopy Conference

Rocky Mountain Conference on Magnetic Resonance

Final program and abstracts from the 16th annual meeting of the Rocky Mountain Spectroscopy Conference, sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Section of the Society for Applied Spectroscopy. Held in Denver, Colorado, August 5-6, 1974.

An Investigation Of Photographic Phase Holograms, Dale Lance Markham

Masters Theses

No abstract provided.

A Theoretical Proton-Proton Pair Production Cross-Section Calculation, Jay W. Phippen

All Graduate Theses and Dissertations, Spring 1920 to Summer 2023

The calculation of both electron-pair and muon-pair production cross-sections was made using Feynman's quantum electrodynamics. Pseudo-scaler coupling was used between the nucleons and vector coupling was used between the photon and the Fermions. The protons were considered as Dirac particles and radiative corrections were omitted.

Eight fourth-order Feynman-Dyson diagrams were used. The subsequent sixty-four TRACES were reduced to seven basic topologically different TRACES. From the seven basic TRACES, it was possible to generate the sixty-four TRACES by the proper permutations of the variables.

With the mathematics and the corresponding computer programs written down, data (energies and momenta which represent the …

An Experimental And Theoretical Study Of The Flow Phenomena Within A Vortex Sink Rate Sensor, Dashrath Khodidas Patel

Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering Theses & Dissertations

The objective of this investigation was to obtain a detailed description of the flow field within a vortex sink rate sensor and to observe the influence of viscous effects on its performance.

The sensor basically consists of a vortex chamber and a sink tube. The vortex chamber consists of two circular coaxial disks held apart, at their periphery, by a porous coupling. One circular disk has an opening to permit the mounting of the sink tube, in such a manner that the vortex chamber as well as the sink tube have a common axis of rotation.

Air was supplied radially …

Diffusion-Controlled Intrachain Reactions Of Polymers. I Theory, Gerald Wilemski, Marshall Fixman

Physics Faculty Research & Creative Works

A theory of diffusion-controlled intramolecularly catalyzed reactions of polymer chains in dilute solution is formulated. A closure approximation yields a soluble integral equation for (essentially) the transient rate of the reaction. The time dependent solution consists of a sum of simple exponential terms whose coefficients and decay constants can be readily calculated. The theory is also applied to luminescence quenching and ring-chain interconversion.