Tag: Index
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Convection
Introduction Convection is one of the three modes of heat transfer, the other two being conduction and radiation. It is the process of heat transfer from one place to another by the movement of fluids, such as liquids and gases. Mechanism Convection is driven by the fact that fluids expand when heated, becoming less dense,…
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Conduction
Introduction Conduction is one of the three primary modes of heat transfer, the other two being convection and radiation. It involves the transfer of energy from more energetic particles of a substance to adjacent less energetic ones as a result of interactions between the particles. Mechanism In solids, conduction primarily occurs through the vibrations of…
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CHSH Inequality Test
Introduction The CHSH inequality, named after John Clauser, Michael Horne, Abner Shimony, and Richard Holt, is a specific case of Bell’s inequalities and is used to test whether the predictions of quantum mechanics about entangled particles are borne out by experiment, or whether local hidden variable theories can be sustained. Bell’s Theorem and Local Hidden…
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Chaos Theory
Introduction Chaos Theory is a branch of mathematics that studies the behavior of dynamical systems that are highly sensitive to initial conditions, a phenomenon generally known as the butterfly effect. This sensitivity makes long-term prediction impossible in general, hence the term ‘chaos’. The above plot from Desmos shows the time-evolution of population size Y with…
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Chandrasekhar Limit
Introduction The Chandrasekhar Limit is the maximum mass that a stable white dwarf star can have before it collapses under its own gravity to form a neutron star or black hole. The limit is named after the Indian astrophysicist Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar who calculated it in 1930. Derivation The Chandrasekhar limit is derived from the principles…
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Cavendish Experiment
Introduction The Cavendish Experiment, conducted by British scientist Henry Cavendish in 1797-98, was the first to measure the force of gravity between masses in the laboratory, and the first to yield accurate values for the gravitational constant () and the mass of the Earth. Experiment Setup The experiment involved a torsion balance, a horizontal bar…
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Cathode Ray Tube
Introduction A cathode ray tube (CRT) is a vacuum tube containing an electron gun and a phosphorescent screen. It was invented in the late 19th century and has been widely used in various electronic devices, including televisions, computer monitors, and oscilloscopes, before the advent of modern display technologies like LCDs and OLEDs. Basic Structure and…
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Casimir Effect
Introduction The Casimir Effect is a quantum mechanical phenomenon where two uncharged metallic plates attract each other when placed a few nanometers apart in a vacuum. It was first predicted by Dutch physicist Hendrik Casimir in 1948. Theory The Casimir effect arises due to the quantum fluctuations of the electromagnetic field in a vacuum. Even…
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Carnot Cycle
Introduction The Carnot cycle, named after Sadi Carnot who introduced it in 1824, is a theoretical thermodynamic cycle that provides the maximum possible efficiency a heat engine can achieve operating between two thermal reservoirs at different temperatures. It’s an idealized process that assumes no friction, perfectly insulated components, and other ideal conditions. The Carnot Cycle…
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Bose-Einstein Distribution
Introduction The Bose-Einstein distribution describes the statistical behavior of a collection of non-interacting indistinguishable particles, known as bosons. Bosons are particles that follow Bose-Einstein statistics, characterized by their integer spin. Bose-Einstein Distribution Function The Bose-Einstein distribution function gives the average number of particles in a given energy state: where is the average occupation number of…