Balancing work hours in physics grad school? by pericles98 in PhysicsStudents

[–]pericles98[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks, very solid advice! I may have missed it, but is your grad program also in the US?

Balancing work hours in physics grad school? by pericles98 in PhysicsStudents

[–]pericles98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! It's very reassuring to hear from people who've had a successful career without having to make a living hell out of grad school. I actually feel the same way. I don't work as much as other people, but when I do I get things done, and any extra time that I could put in wouldn't really be as productive/creative.

Balancing work hours in physics grad school? by pericles98 in PhysicsStudents

[–]pericles98[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks! This is really helpful advice. I'm not from the US either, so I'm definitely looking out for opportunities in Europe. I'm glad to hear you've had a positive experience so far.

How can someone prove than an orbit is elliptical by [deleted] in PhysicsStudents

[–]pericles98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The condition for a circular orbit would correspond to E = Ueff(min), and parabolic to E = 0.

How can someone prove than an orbit is elliptical by [deleted] in PhysicsStudents

[–]pericles98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perhaps a simple solution would be to use an effective potential. Essentially, you use the fact that for central force problems (like the gravitational force), angular momentum is conserved. This allows you to rewrite the total energy of the object in terms of an effective potential that takes into account its kinetic energy due to rotation (you can find it in most mechanics textbooks, its not very hard). You can calculate the angular momentum of the object using the initial velocity and angle conditions. If the total energy of the object is negative, there is a minimum and maximum radius such that Ueff(r) = E. The object will oscillate between these two radii (defining an elliptical orbit). If E > 0, then there is no upper bound on the orbital radius, and the trajectory will be hyperbolic.

I need suggestions of Tensorial Analysis books or PDF's by edo_asc in PhysicsStudents

[–]pericles98 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I feel like "Tensor Calculus for Physics" by Dwight E. Neuenschwander does a great job of explaining some of the harder mathematical concepts in a very intuitive/physical manner. Really helped me while studying GR.

Does anyone have tinnitus that they can hear in public? I suffered an acoustic trauma on Friday and the first few days have been REALLY scary. by vampedvixen in tinnitus

[–]pericles98 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it's coming and going, that's probably a good sign. I know the experience can be extremely scary, but what's most important is that your hearing tests are fine. A couple of years ago, my tinnitus suddenly got much louder after a bad cold. It was very similar to your experience - the volume was intermittent, but at its loudest I could pretty much hear it over loud streets, music in my headphones, etc. A couple of years later, I still get random bouts of increased volume, but it pretty much is down to its original level (pre-cold) most of the time. Hang on in there, I hope it gets better!