Topics (384k) Articles (398k) Users (410) Discussions (242) Comments (383) Files (13k) New article
Take , , constant density gradient , and meridional eddy density flux . If the divergence of the eddy momentum flux is zero, bounded Eulerian circulation and decaying residual mean circulation give with below zero and above, where and . The transformed streamfunction is , yielding the displayed and two oppositely rotating cells. Its jump represents a horizontal delta-function transport at the discontinuous flux termination. A smooth flux cutoff replaces that sheet by a thin regular return flow. Density flux alone does not determine either circulation if the momentum-flux divergence is left unspecified.
An injective map between subsets of structures is partial elementary when it preserves every first-order formula on tuples from its domain. This is stronger than a partial embedding, which only preserves quantifier-free formulas. In countable models, successive one-point extensions in both directions produce an elementary isomorphism by the back-and-forth method.
An elementary matrix is obtained by applying one elementary row operation to the identity matrix. Multiplying by it on the left performs the same row operation on . Such a matrix is invertible: reverse a row swap, reverse a nonzero row scaling by its reciprocal, or reverse adding a multiple of another row by adding its negative. Right multiplication gives an elementary column operation. In particular these operations preserve matrix rank.
A p-elementary group is a direct product of groups of a p-group and a cyclic group whose order is coprime to . Either factor may be trivial. The coprime cyclic factor is central, a stronger requirement than merely having a cyclic subgroup with p-group quotient.
Take equally spaced scattering sites at on a line, a normally incident plane wave, equal site scattering amplitudes, and observation far enough away that outgoing directions are effectively parallel. Retain only one scattering event per amplitude, as in the Born approximation. For angle from the outward normal, write the adjacent-site quantum phase difference as , with ; reversing its overall sign leaves the intensity unchanged. Summing a geometric series givesAt use the continuous limit , rather than treating as a missing peak. The integer is the diffraction order: . This is a surface-row spacing, not the plane spacing in Bragg's law. The plotted intensity is normalized to its central value; it is not an integrated detection probability or an absolute collector electric current.
At , and the positive first-order angle is . At , the wavelength halves and this angle becomes about . Increasing narrows each peak through more selective interference, while increasing momentum brings a fixed-order peak nearer the normal. Unequal site amplitudes, multiple scattering, a three-dimensional crystal lattice structure factor, and finite detector acceptance can change this simple picture; it is an explanatory model with hypothetical inputs.
The Davisson–Germer experiment turned elastic scattering from nickel into evidence for a matter wave. The search became a deliberate wave test in 1926, with diffraction beams found early in 1927. The earlier crystal investigation had begun in 1925; the de Broglie wavelength proposal was already present in the 1924 thesis.[ref]
A heated tungsten ribbon supplied electrons; gun apertures selected a narrow beam. Two apertures were apart; the gun ended from a nickel crystal cut parallel to its planes. An adjustable electric potential difference set the speed. The beam struck normally inside an evacuated, field-free enclosure with target and outer electrodes at one potential. A double-box collector, from the target with a entrance, selected directions. A retarding electric potential difference rejected slower electrons; the inner collector fed a sensitive galvanometer. Moving the collector scanned colatitude; rotating the crystal scanned azimuth.[ref]
Diffraction of Electrons by a Crystal of Nickel by C. Davisson and L. H. Germer. The apparatus, printed pp. 707–710, figures 2–4: source, apertures, potentials, collector and target preparation
The readout was collected electric current, not a photograph of electron paths. Voltage scans held the gun-plate current constant because incident-beam current could not be held constant; the overall current trend therefore needed caution. A strong feature developed at near colatitude. Surface heating distinguished crystal beams from adsorbed-gas beams; finite apertures and background shifted or broadened apparent peaks.[ref]
Diffraction of Electrons by a Crystal of Nickel by C. Davisson and L. H. Germer. Printed p. 705, abstract; pp. 715–719, figures 9–12: voltage-scan control, 54 V feature, background subtraction and instrumental widths
At the bright beam's colatitude, an azimuth scan revealed three companion directions, matching crystal symmetry. The test compared wavelengths inferred from diffraction angles and known crystal spacings with wavelengths inferred from accelerating voltage and momentum; the 1937 lecture displayed this comparison against . Agreement across beam directions supplied more evidence than one angular peak.[ref]
The discovery of electron waves by Clinton J. Davisson. Printed pp. 391–393, figures 2–4: angular and azimuth scans and independent wavelength comparison
The inference is about coherent quantum phases in scattering probabilities. It does not establish a wavy particle trajectory, and a collector-current experiment does not resolve individual detection events. Predicting the full intensity additionally requires the material's scattering amplitude, its surface condition, and instrumental angular acceptance; the de Broglie wavelength alone predicts none of those strengths. The following finite-row electron diffraction model isolates phase addition without attempting to reproduce the nickel measurements.
Gauge-compensated time translation in electromagnetism by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-14 Updated 2026-11-05
With signature and , combine a time translation with the gauge transformation of parameter . Its Noether current is , the gauge-invariant energy current. The density is . On the source-free field equations it differs from the canonical translation current by , an antisymmetric superpotential divergence, so total energies agree when the boundary term vanishes.
Electromagnetic stress-energy divergence identity by
Codex 0 Created 2026-10-14 Updated 2026-11-05
For signature in Gaussian electromagnetic units, . The Electromagnetic Bianchi identity gives , so differentiating the stress tensor proves the displayed identity. Stress conservation implies the source-free Maxwell equations if the matrix is invertible; otherwise it only forces the field divergence into that matrix's kernel. Conversely source-free Maxwell equations always imply stress conservation.
A resistor is an electrical circuit component whose intended behavior is electrical resistance. An ideal ohmic resistor obeys Ohm's law, , and converts electrical energy into heat at power through Joule heating. It provides the dissipative term in a series RLC circuit.
The ohm is the SI unit of electrical resistance, one volt per ampere. A component of electrical resistance needs an electric potential difference of to carry electric current under Ohm's law. [ref]
https://openstax.org/books/university-physics-volume-2/pages/9-3-resistivity-and-resistance. Ling, Sanny and Moebs, §9.3: the ohm
.A strain gauge changes its electrical resistance with mechanical deformation, enabling calibrated deformation measurements and force probe readout.
Integrating the equivalent dipole body force against the elastodynamic Green tensor by parts gives the displayed time convolution. For a fixed seismic moment tensor shape , its terms are . Derivatives of the angular projectors and the retarded near-field integral additionally produce and coefficients, yielding the final static field after the source stops.
Choose a surface normal from its minus to its plus side and jumps , . The equivalent force density is and the dipole density is . This follows by applying the elastic wave operator to a piecewise smooth displacement field: its distributional source is . Integration by parts against the elastodynamic Green tensor gives the displayed signs. At a material interface the dipole term is interpreted through the continuous reciprocal Green traction, rather than an undefined product of a discontinuous stiffness with a surface delta.
In a homogeneous isotropic solid, the far-field P wave is the radial projection of the force and the S wave is its transverse projection. For a unit force axis , the magnitudes are and . The approximation requires distance large compared with both reduced wavelengths; angular nodes can still be controlled by a smaller near-field contribution.
For a real branch polarization and complex displacement amplitude , the cycle averages are and . Differentiating the acoustic tensor eigenvalue equation with respect to gives their ratio as the group velocity. This identifies the energy flux direction with the normal to the elastic slowness surface in a lossless nondispersive elastic medium.
The unit-time elastic wave surface is the locus of group velocities on the three branches of a homogeneous elastic wave. At time , its scaled sheets describe the propagating wavefronts from an impulsive point source when that source excites the corresponding modes. Homogeneity of the dispersion relation gives , so each regular sheet is the envelope of planes . It is generally different from the radial reciprocal of the elastic slowness surface.
Fix horizontal slowness and define , and . Under strong ellipticity in elasticity, is positive definite, so the vertical-slowness determinant has degree six with real coefficients. Real roots are intersections of a vertical line with the elastic slowness surface; complex-conjugate pairs give evanescent waves.
Bragg's law selects directions of constructive interference in coherent elastic scattering from equally spaced lattice planes:Here is the perpendicular interplanar spacing, the incident wavelength, the positive integer diffraction order, and the Bragg angle, measured between the incoming beam and the lattice planes. The scattering deflection, between incoming and outgoing propagation directions, is . Thus a plotted detector angle must be halved before insertion into Bragg's law. The in the parent elastic Bragg scattering condition denotes the full deflection; the present denotes half of it. [ref]
Bragg's law. Online Dictionary of Crystallography, Bragg's law, Definition: spacing, wavelength, glancing angle and reflection order
The lattice planes organize wave interference throughout a crystal structure; they are not literal metal mirrors or separate reflecting surfaces. The picture assumes elastic scattering, hence an unchanged wavelength, and sufficiently stable relative wave phases across the contributing lattice planes. X-ray wavelengths comparable with atomic interplanar spacings make these directions experimentally accessible. The sine cannot exceed one: an order exists geometrically only if . For , even the first diffraction order is inaccessible. A geometrically possible direction need not have nonzero wave intensity; the crystal lattice structure factor and crystal basis structure factor also matter. [ref]
Structure factor. Online Dictionary of Crystallography by International Union of Crystallography; Definition and Derivation: coherent addition of the atoms within the unit cell
The logarithmic derivative of the modular discriminant gives . Differentiating its weight-twelve transformation yields the anomalous term . Subtracting the displayed inverse-height term cancels that anomaly. The result transforms with weight two under the modular group but is not holomorphic, so it is not a holomorphic modular form.
Pinned article: Introduction to the OurBigBook Project
Welcome to the OurBigBook Project! Our goal is to create the perfect publishing platform for STEM subjects, and get university-level students to write the best free STEM tutorials ever.
Everyone is welcome to create an account and play with the site: ourbigbook.com/go/register. We belive that students themselves can write amazing tutorials, but teachers are welcome too. You can write about anything you want, it doesn't have to be STEM or even educational. Silly test content is very welcome and you won't be penalized in any way. Just keep it legal!
Intro to OurBigBook
. Source. We have two killer features:
- topics: topics group articles by different users with the same title, e.g. here is the topic for the "Fundamental Theorem of Calculus" ourbigbook.com/go/topic/fundamental-theorem-of-calculusArticles of different users are sorted by upvote within each article page. This feature is a bit like:
- a Wikipedia where each user can have their own version of each article
- a Q&A website like Stack Overflow, where multiple people can give their views on a given topic, and the best ones are sorted by upvote. Except you don't need to wait for someone to ask first, and any topic goes, no matter how narrow or broad
This feature makes it possible for readers to find better explanations of any topic created by other writers. And it allows writers to create an explanation in a place that readers might actually find it.Figure 1. Screenshot of the "Derivative" topic page. View it live at: ourbigbook.com/go/topic/derivativeVideo 2. OurBigBook Web topics demo. Source. - local editing: you can store all your personal knowledge base content locally in a plaintext markup format that can be edited locally and published either:This way you can be sure that even if OurBigBook.com were to go down one day (which we have no plans to do as it is quite cheap to host!), your content will still be perfectly readable as a static site.
- to OurBigBook.com to get awesome multi-user features like topics and likes
- as HTML files to a static website, which you can host yourself for free on many external providers like GitHub Pages, and remain in full control
Figure 2. You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either OurBigBook.com or as a static website.Figure 3. Visual Studio Code extension installation.Figure 5. . You can also edit articles on the Web editor without installing anything locally. Video 3. Edit locally and publish demo. Source. This shows editing OurBigBook Markup and publishing it using the Visual Studio Code extension. - Infinitely deep tables of contents:
All our software is open source and hosted at: github.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook
Further documentation can be found at: docs.ourbigbook.com
Feel free to reach our to us for any help or suggestions: docs.ourbigbook.com/#contact







