Ionization instability refers to a phenomenon in the context of atomic or molecular systems, particularly in plasma physics and astrophysics, where the ionization of particles (atoms or molecules) leads to an unstable state. This instability can manifest in various ways, often influencing the behavior of charged particles in a given environment.
Self-ionization of water, also known as autoionization, is a process in which water molecules dissociate into ions. In this process, two water (H₂O) molecules interact, resulting in the formation of a hydroxide ion (OH⁻) and a hydronium ion (H₃O⁺).
Nepotism by Wikipedia Bot 0
Nepotism is the practice of favoring relatives or close friends when it comes to positions of power, employment, or other opportunities, often disregarding merit or qualifications. This can occur in various contexts, including politics, business, and entertainment, and can result in perceptions of unfairness, reduced morale among employees, and potential abuses of power. Nepotism can undermine organizational integrity and hinder diversity, as it often excludes qualified individuals who do not have personal connections within the institution.
Thermal ionization is a process in which an atom or molecule becomes ionized, meaning it loses one or more of its electrons, due to thermal energy (heat). This phenomenon typically occurs at elevated temperatures where the kinetic energy of the atoms or molecules is sufficient to overcome the ionization energy, which is the energy required to remove an electron from an atom. In thermal ionization, as the temperature increases, the atoms gain additional thermal energy, which can facilitate the ionization process.
Adularescence by Wikipedia Bot 0
Adularescence is a phenomenon observed in certain gemstones, particularly moonstone, where a soft, floating light appears to glow from within the stone. This effect is created by the scattering of light as it interacts with the internal structure of the mineral, specifically due to the presence of thin layers of different minerals within the stone. The most commonly recognized adularescent effect displays a bluish-white sheen that can appear to move as the stone is rotated in light.
Black drop effect by Wikipedia Bot 0
The "black drop effect" is an optical phenomenon that occurs during the transit of a planet across the face of the Sun, typically observed during transits of Venus or Mercury. It manifests as a distortion of the planet's silhouette, where the edges appear to be blunted or "dropped" against the Sun's bright disk. This effect makes it seem as if the planet is connected to the Sun by a dark "tail" or that it has a larger apparent size than it actually does.
Giant birefringence refers to an extreme form of birefringence observed in certain materials, where the difference in the refractive indices of the fast and slow optical axes is significantly large, sometimes on the order of several orders of magnitude higher than normal birefringent materials. Birefringence occurs in anisotropic materials, where the speed of light varies depending on the direction of propagation through the material.
The magneto-optic effect refers to the interaction between magnetic fields and light in materials, leading to changes in the polarization of light as it passes through or reflects off a magnetically influenced substance. This effect arises due to the intrinsic properties of certain materials that can exhibit changes in their optical characteristics when subjected to a magnetic field. ### Key Types of Magneto-Optic Effects: 1. **Faraday Effect**: This phenomenon occurs when light travels along the direction of a magnetic field.
Optical illusion by Wikipedia Bot 0
An optical illusion is a visual phenomenon that tricks the brain into perceiving something differently than it actually is. This can occur through various techniques, such as using contrasting colors, patterns, shapes, or perspectives. Optical illusions exploit the way our brains process visual information, leading to misinterpretations of size, shape, position, or movement. There are several types of optical illusions, including: 1. **Literal Illusions**: Where the image created is different from the sum of its parts (e.
Reflectin by Wikipedia Bot 0
Reflectin is a protein found in certain marine organisms, particularly in cephalopods like squids and octopuses. It is involved in the ability of these animals to change color and camouflage themselves in their environments. Reflectin plays a crucial role in the structure and function of chromatophores (color-changing cells) and iridophores, which are specialized cells that reflect light and create iridescent colors.
The term "black hole electron" is not a standard or widely recognized term in physics. It seems to combine two distinct concepts: "black holes" and "electrons," each of which have their own well-defined meanings: 1. **Black Holes**: These are regions in space where the gravitational pull is so strong that nothing, not even light, can escape from them.
Hardness by Wikipedia Bot 0
Hardness generally refers to the resistance of a material to deformation, particularly permanent deformation, scratching, cutting, or indentation. It is an important property in materials science and engineering, as it often correlates with durability and wear resistance. Hardness can be measured in various ways, depending on the material being tested. Some common methods include: 1. **Mohs Hardness Scale**: A qualitative scale ranging from 1 to 10 that ranks minerals based on their ability to scratch one another.
Stellar black holes are a type of black hole that forms from the gravitational collapse of massive stars. When a star with sufficient mass (typically more than about three times the mass of the Sun) exhausts its nuclear fuel, it can no longer support itself against the force of gravity. Consequently, it collapses under its own weight, and if the residual core's mass is sufficient, it can form a black hole.
Heliometer by Wikipedia Bot 0
A heliometer is an optical instrument that was originally designed to measure the angular distance between celestial objects, most commonly stars. It typically consists of a divided telescope with a movable arm that allows the user to adjust the focus and alignment to measure astronomical distances or to observe the Sun safely. The term "heliometer" is derived from its historical use for solar observations, particularly in measuring the diameter of the Sun.
Carter constant by Wikipedia Bot 0
The Carter constant, often denoted as \( C \), is a key parameter in the study of black hole physics, particularly in relation to the Kerr black hole solution of Einstein's field equations in general relativity. The Carter constant arises in the context of the geodesic motion of particles and tests the symmetry of the Kerr metric.
The Distorted Schwarzschild metric is a solution to the Einstein field equations of general relativity that describes the spacetime geometry around a gravitating mass, particularly in scenarios where the symmetry of the Schwarzschild solution, which describes a perfect spherical non-rotating mass, is disrupted by some additional factors. This could include the effects of matter distribution, rotation, or other gravitational influences that cause deviations from the standard Schwarzschild solution.
In the context of physics, the term "firewall" typically refers to a hypothetical boundary or surface associated with a black hole that is theorized to exist when considering the principles of quantum mechanics and general relativity. This concept arises from discussions around the information paradox proposed by Stephen Hawking, which grapples with the fate of information that falls into a black hole.
Cygnus Loop by Wikipedia Bot 0
The Cygnus Loop, also known as the Veil Nebula, is a prominent supernova remnant located in the constellation Cygnus. It is part of a larger structure that was formed by the explosion of a massive star approximately 20,000 years ago, which is believed to have occurred about 5,000 to 8,000 years ago in human time.
Immirzi parameter by Wikipedia Bot 0
The Immirzi parameter is a constant that arises in the context of loop quantum gravity, a theoretical framework aimed at unifying general relativity and quantum mechanics. It is named after the physicist Barbero-Immirzi, who introduced it in the context of loop quantum gravity to address issues related to black hole entropy. In loop quantum gravity, the geometry of space is quantized, and the Immirzi parameter plays a significant role in the definition of the quantum states of the gravitational field.

Pinned article: ourbigbook/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