Notes, summaries, assignments, exams, and exercises for Physics for University

LASER = Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation

A laser is actually an oscillator rather than a simple amplifier. The difference is that an oscillator has positive feedback in addition to the amplifier.

Light is understood in a general sense: electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength around 1 μm. Thus, one can have infrared, visible, or ultraviolet lasers.

The atomic medium with population inversion used in the laser is called the active medium. The positive optical feedback is obtained by placing the active medium between two mirrors. One of them (M1) totally reflects back the light (R1 = 1) to the active medium, while the other one (M2, called the output coupler) has a reflectivity less than unity (R2 < 1) and allows some...

Standing Waves & Speed of Sound: Experimental Analysis

Purpose of the Experiment

• To investigate the relationship between the frequency of vibration and tension in waves on a vibrating string.
• To measure the speed of sound experimentally.

Part 1: Standing Waves on a Vibrating String

Procedure for Part 1

• Vary the tension on the string by hanging different weights at its ends. Use 150g, 200g, and 250g.
• Once a standing wave is achieved, record the following information in a table: mass, weight (tension) on the string, frequency, wavelength, wave speed, and the square root of the tension.
• Relevant formulas: λ = 2L / n, f = 1 / T (where T is the period), v = λf, and v = √(T / μ).
• Create a graph of wave speed (v) versus the square root of the tension

The morpheme is the smallest, indivisible unit of semantic content or grammatical function from which words are made. Words can be classified into monomorphemic or simplex words ('faith' or 'week') and polymorphemic or complex words ('faithfully' or 'weekly'). 'Faith' and 'week' are free morphemes, while 'faithfully' and 'weekly' are bound morphemes that need to be attached to others. Bound morphemes can be prefixes, suffixes, or infixes.

Free morphemes act as bases to which other morphemes are attached to form derivatives. 'Mother' and 'faith' are examples of simplex bases, while 'faithfulness' is an example of a complex base composed of multiple morphemes.

'Teeth' and 'tables' are examples of nouns in the plural form, with 'tables' showing...

Adjectives

The simplest definition of an adjective is that it is a word that describes or clarifies a noun. Adjectives describe nouns by giving some information about an object’s size, shape, age, color, origin, or material.

It’s a big table. (size)

It’s a round table. (shape)

It’s an old table. (age)

Possessive adjectives - my, your, his, her, its, our, your, their -

Modify the noun following it to show possession.

Examples:

I'll get my bag.

Is this your luggage?

Comparative adjectives

Used to compare differences between two objects they modify (larger, smaller, faster, higher).

My house is larger than hers.

This box is smaller than the one I lost.

Your dog runs faster than Jim's dog.

Superlative adjectives

Used to describe an object at the upper...

Analysis of "On Home Beaches" by Les Murray

Body Image in a Consumerist Society

Les Murray's poem "On Home Beaches" explores the theme of body image and its significance in a consumerist society. It highlights the humiliation faced by individuals who do not conform to conventional beauty standards, particularly in environments like beaches where bodies are exposed.

Subverting the Sonnet Form

The poem adopts the sonnet form, traditionally associated with love and tenderness. Murray ironically subverts this form by using it to depict mortification and ridicule, contrasting the conventional themes of love with the harsh realities of body shaming.

Imagery of the Seaside

The poem utilizes vivid imagery of the seaside, including sand, towels, waves, foam,...

Science & the Universe                                                                                                                                       

Astronomy = study of celestial objects and their interactions.                                    

Scientific method: relies on observation, testing, and revision.

Distances measured in light-years; light travels at ~300,000 km/s

Scientific notation helps handle large/small numbers.  γ

Observing the Sky

Constellations = regions in the sky (88 official).

Sky appears to move due to Earth’s rotation (24h) and orbit (365 days).        

Zenith = overhead; meridian = N to S through zenith.

Ecliptic = Sun'...

25 More Physics Questions

Interference and Diffraction

Interference: The adding together of two or more waves of the same kind that pass by the same point at the same time.

Diffraction: The ability of waves to bend around the edge of an obstacle in their path.

Rainbow Formation

Rainbows are caused by the dispersion of sunlight into its component colors when refracted by water droplets in the atmosphere.

Beta Decay and Atomic Units

Beta Decay: Occurs when there are too many neutrons. The emission of an electron by a neutron in the nucleus changes the neutron to a proton.

Atomic Mass Unit: One-twelfth of the mass of an atom of carbon-12. It is equal to approximately 1.66 x 10^-27 kg.

Electron-Volt: A unit of energy equal to the work done on an electron...

Write your text here!Bernoulli's theorem, in fluid dynamics, relation among the pressure, velocity, and elevation in a moving fluid (liquid or gas), the compressibility and viscosity (internal friction) of which are negligible and the flow of which is steady, or laminar.

Middle English Pronouns, Verbs, and Lexical Change

2nd Person Forms and Address

2nd p. sg and pl in the Middle English period: Very different depending on whom you were addressing. The upper class used “ye” (plural of politeness), and lower-class speakers also used “ye” to address the upper class. The lower class among themselves used “thou” (singular). The upper class also used it to address the lower class. Objects: “thee” (sg), “you” (pl).

Pronouns and Relative Forms

• Relative pronouns and demonstratives: OE pe / demonstrative + pe.
• 12th century: that appears as a relative/interrogative marker.
• Introduction of wh-relatives and interrogative forms — frequency increases into Modern English.
• One replaces the OE indefinite pronoun