The term "tornado outbreak sequence" refers to a series of tornadoes that occur within a specific timeframe and geographical area, often associated with a particular weather system, such as a severe thunderstorm or a frontal system. These outbreaks can result in multiple tornadoes forming over several hours or days, sometimes affecting large regions and causing significant damage.
Approximation theory is a branch of mathematics that focuses on how functions can be approximated by simpler or more easily computable functions. It deals with the study of how to represent complex functions in terms of simpler ones and how to quantify the difference between the original function and its approximation. The field has applications in various areas, including numerical analysis, functional analysis, statistics, and machine learning, among others.
A bi-directional delay line is an electronic or optical component designed to introduce a time delay in a signal that can travel in both directions along the line. This means that the signal can be delayed whether it is propagating in one direction or the opposite. Bi-directional delay lines can be implemented in various forms, including: 1. **Electrical Delay Lines**: These are typically made using transmission lines such as coaxial cables or twisted pair cables, often incorporated with electronic components to provide delay.
The Boundary Particle Method (BPM) is a numerical simulation technique used for solving boundary value problems in various fields of engineering and applied sciences, particularly in fluid dynamics, solid mechanics, and heat transfer. It combines elements of boundary integral methods and particle methods, leveraging the advantages of both approaches. ### Key Concepts of the Boundary Particle Method: 1. **Boundary Integral Equation**: BPM typically starts from boundary integral equations, which are derived from the governing differential equations.
The Chebyshev pseudospectral method is a numerical technique used for solving differential equations and integral equations with high accuracy. This method leverages the properties of Chebyshev polynomials and utilizes spectral collocation, making it particularly effective for problems with smooth solutions. Here’s a breakdown of the key components: ### Chebyshev Polynomials Chebyshev polynomials are a sequence of orthogonal polynomials defined on the interval \([-1, 1]\).
The Closest Point Method (CPM) is a numerical technique primarily used for solving partial differential equations (PDEs) and in various applications such as fluid dynamics, heat transfer, and other physical phenomena. The method is particularly useful for problems involving complex geometries. ### Key Features of the Closest Point Method: 1. **Level Set Representation**: The CPM often employs a level set method to represent the geometry of the problem.
De Boor's algorithm is a computational method used for evaluating B-spline curves and surfaces efficiently. It was developed by Carl de Boor in 1972 and is a generalization of the more specific Cox-de Boor algorithm for evaluating B-splines. B-splines are a family of piecewise-defined polynomials that are used extensively in computer graphics, computer-aided design (CAD), and numerical analysis.
Fixed-point computation is a method of representing real numbers in a way that uses a fixed number of digits for the integer part and a fixed number of digits for the fractional part. This contrasts with floating-point representation, where the number of significant digits can vary to accommodate a wider range of values. In fixed-point representation, the position of the decimal point is fixed or predetermined.
Gal’s accurate tables refer to a set of mathematical tables created by the Danish astronomer and mathematician, Niels Bohr Gal, in the early 20th century. These tables are specifically designed for accurate calculations in celestial mechanics, such as determining the positions of celestial objects or calculating the orbits of planets and moons.
Gradient Discretisation Method (GDM) is a numerical method used in the context of solving partial differential equations (PDEs), particularly those arising in fluid dynamics and other fields of continuum mechanics. The GDM is designed to achieve a balance between accuracy and computational efficiency, especially when dealing with the advection-dominated problems that are common in these fields.
The Iterative Rational Krylov Algorithm (IRKA) is a numerical method used primarily for model order reduction of linear dynamical systems. It is particularly useful in control theory and numerical linear algebra for reducing the complexity of systems while preserving their essential dynamical properties. Here's a brief overview of the concepts and methodology involved in IRKA: ### Background 1. **Model Order Reduction (MOR)**: In many applications, high-dimensional systems (e.g.
The angle of incidence in optics refers to the angle formed between an incident ray and the normal to the surface at the point where the ray strikes the surface. The normal is an imaginary line that is perpendicular to the surface at the point of contact. In mathematical terms, if a ray of light is coming in at a certain angle relative to this normal line, that angle is defined as the angle of incidence (typically denoted as \( \theta_i \)).
Aperture has a couple of different meanings depending on the context, but it is most commonly associated with photography and optics. Here are the main definitions: 1. **Photography**: In photography, aperture refers to the size of the opening in a lens through which light passes. It is one of the three critical elements of exposure, alongside shutter speed and ISO. Aperture is usually measured in f-stops (f/numbers), where a lower f-stop (e.g., f/1.
In optics, a caustic refers to the envelope of light rays that are refracted or reflected by a curved surface or by a light source, typically creating a concentrated pattern of light. The term "caustic" can also refer to the pattern of light created on a surface when light shines through a transparent medium like water or glass.
Reto Knutti is a prominent climate scientist known for his research in climate change, climate modeling, and the uncertainties associated with climate projections. He is affiliated with ETH Zurich (Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich), where he has made significant contributions to understanding the mechanisms driving climate change and the potential impacts on global and regional scales. His work often focuses on the analysis of climate models, climate sensitivity, and the evaluation of the risks and uncertainties related to climate change impacts.
In optics, "coma" refers to a type of optical aberration that occurs when light from a point source does not converge to a single point after passing through a lens or reflecting off a mirror. This leads to a blurring of images, particularly noticeable when viewing off-axis objects. Coma is characterized by distorted images that appear to have a tail or a comet-like shape, hence the name "coma.
Depth of focus is a term used in optics that refers to the range of distances over which a lens can create a sharp image of a subject on a sensor or film. It is closely related to depth of field, but the two concepts apply to different aspects of the imaging process. 1. **Depth of Focus**: This is the distance between the nearest and farthest points from the lens at which the image remains in acceptable focus on the imaging plane (like a film or digital sensor).
In optics, "focus" refers to the point where light rays converge or diverge after passing through a lens or reflecting off a mirror. This concept is critical in various optical systems, including cameras, telescopes, microscopes, and human eyesight.
Gaussian optics is a branch of optics that deals with the behavior of light in systems where the wavefronts can be accurately approximated by Gaussian functions. It primarily focuses on paraxial (or small-angle) ray optics, which simplifies the analysis of optical systems, such as lenses and mirrors, by assuming that light rays make small angles with the optical axis.
Optical aberration refers to the imperfections in the imaging properties of optical systems, such as lenses and mirrors, that prevent them from focusing all incoming light to a single point. These aberrations result in distortions or blurriness in the images produced by these optical devices. There are several types of optical aberrations, each affecting image quality in different ways.

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!
We have two killer features:
  1. 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-calculus
    Articles 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/derivative
  2. 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.
    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.
  3. https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ourbigbook/ourbigbook-media/master/feature/x/hilbert-space-arrow.png
  4. Infinitely deep tables of contents:
    Figure 6.
    Dynamic article tree with infinitely deep table of contents
    .
    Descendant pages can also show up as toplevel e.g.: ourbigbook.com/cirosantilli/chordate-subclade
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