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Refractive index. A ray of light being refracted through a glass slab. In optics, the refractive index (or refraction index) of an optical medium is a dimensionless number that gives the indication of the light bending ability of that medium. Refraction of a light ray. The refractive index determines how much the path of light is bent, or ...
In mathematics, a spherical coordinate system is a coordinate system for three-dimensional space where the position of a given point in space is specified by three numbers, ( r, θ, φ ): the radial distance of the radial line r connecting the point to the fixed point of origin (which is located on a fixed polar axis, or zenith direction axis ...
The first general equation of motion developed was Newton's second law of motion. In its most general form it states the rate of change of momentum p = p(t) = mv(t) of an object equals the force F = F(x(t), v(t), t) acting on it, [13] : 1112. The force in the equation is not the force the object exerts.
Deflection (physics) An object hitting a surface is an example of deflection. In physics, deflection is a change in a moving object's velocity, hence its trajectory, as a consequence of contact ( collision) with a surface or the influence of a non-contact force field. Examples of the former include a ball bouncing off the ground or a bat ...
e. In mathematics, the logarithm is the inverse function to exponentiation. That means that the logarithm of a number x to the base b is the exponent to which b must be raised to produce x. For example, since 1000 = 103, the logarithm base of 1000 is 3, or log10 (1000) = 3.
A rocket's required mass ratio as a function of effective exhaust velocity ratio. The classical rocket equation, or ideal rocket equation is a mathematical equation that describes the motion of vehicles that follow the basic principle of a rocket: a device that can apply acceleration to itself using thrust by expelling part of its mass with high velocity and can thereby move due to the ...
Electromagnetism. Maxwell's equations, or Maxwell–Heaviside equations, are a set of coupled partial differential equations that, together with the Lorentz force law, form the foundation of classical electromagnetism, classical optics, electric and magnetic circuits. The equations provide a mathematical model for electric, optical, and radio ...
Levitation (physics) Levitation (from Latin levitas, lit. 'lightness') [1] is the process by which an object is held aloft in a stable position, without mechanical support via any physical contact. Levitation is accomplished by providing an upward force that counteracts the pull of gravity (in relation to gravity on earth), plus a smaller ...