The future of financial transactions has been changed forever by the rise of computer programs that authenticate the validity of online transactions. Almost every noteworthy corporate entity has major investments into cryptocurrency, including Facebook ( FB ), Microsoft ( MSFT ), Goldman Sachs ( GS ), and many, many others; however, we are in theContinue reading “CRYPTOCURRENCY: Coins that have Weathered the Storm”
Author Archives: George Tafari
AP PHYSICS: Heat Transfer in a Calorimeter
Q: A kilogram ( kg ) of water with a temperature of 20o C is poured into a calorimeter. Subsequently, an unknown mass of stainless steel with a temperature of 80o C is placed in the water. What must the mass of the steel be in order for the temperature of the water to riseContinue reading “AP PHYSICS: Heat Transfer in a Calorimeter”
HEAT AND THERMAL ENERGY: Rate of Heat Transfer Within Various Materials
Thus far, discussions about the rate at which heat is transferred to a system has been ignored. We know from experience that materials that are removed from a hot oven will retain heat energy differentially in accordance with their subatomic structure. Fortunately, such observations have been used to construct a very modest yet useful expressionContinue reading “HEAT AND THERMAL ENERGY: Rate of Heat Transfer Within Various Materials”
HEAT AND THERMAL ENERGY: Heat Energy Absorbed by a Pot of Water
Q: A 3 kg aluminum pot is filled to capacity with 5 kg of water. If the pot and water are both raised from 25o C to 95o C, what total quantity of heat has been absorbed by the system? A: Although the pot and water both rise and reach a common final temperature, theyContinue reading “HEAT AND THERMAL ENERGY: Heat Energy Absorbed by a Pot of Water”
HEAT AND THERMAL ENERGY: Specific Heat Capacity of an Unknown Metal
Q: A sample of an unknown metal is heated to a predetermined temperature. It is subsequently placed within a quantity of water that is room temperature. The temperature of the water is determined to have risen by a certain amount after being measured a second time around. Generally speaking, how may this information be usedContinue reading “HEAT AND THERMAL ENERGY: Specific Heat Capacity of an Unknown Metal”
ROTATIONAL MOTION: The Frequency and Period of a Pendulum
Q: How may we derive an expression for the frequency ( f ) and period ( T ) of a pendulum? How does the motion of a rotating radius ( r ) within a unit circle relate to the centripetal or “ center seeking “ force that maintains a simple-pendulum system? A: We begin byContinue reading “ROTATIONAL MOTION: The Frequency and Period of a Pendulum”
ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: The Potential Energy of a Pendulum
Q: A pendulum of unknown mass ( m ) is rotated through an angle ( θ ) until it is vertically displaced by a distance ( Δh ). As a consequence, it has a gain in potential energy ( PE ) within the gravitational field that is directly proportional to its vertical displacement. If theContinue reading “ENERGY AND MOMENTUM: The Potential Energy of a Pendulum”
GEOMETRICAL OPTICS: Focal Length and the Index of Refraction
Q: A thin spherical planar-convex lens is surrounded by air: The lens has a radius of curvature ( R2 ) of 50mm and a refractive index ( n1 ) of 1.50. Determine the focal length. Additionally, what will happen to the lens’ focal length if it is placed within a watery medium instead of airContinue reading “GEOMETRICAL OPTICS: Focal Length and the Index of Refraction”
GEOMETRICAL OPTICS: Object and Image Focal Points and Focal Lengths
When we evaluate systems that contain thin lenses, several parameters within the system may be of interest to us. At times, the distances that separate the object ( do ) and image ( di ) from a lens at hand are related to the physical dimensions of the lens itself by the Thin-Lens Equation, alsoContinue reading “GEOMETRICAL OPTICS: Object and Image Focal Points and Focal Lengths”
GEOMETRICAL OPTICS: Positive and Negative Sign Conventions
In order for the Thin-Lens Equation and similar derivations to mathematically represent thin-lens systems, sign conventions must be assigned to the physical parameters encountered within optical systems that are modeled. In some circumstances, relationships between the height of an object ( ho ) or image ( hi ) are related to the distances ( doContinue reading “GEOMETRICAL OPTICS: Positive and Negative Sign Conventions”
RENAISSANCE PHYSICS 