The Naval Observatory Vector Astrometry Subroutines (NOVAS) is a software library developed by the U.S. Naval Observatory (USNO) to provide precise astronomical calculations related to the position and motion of celestial objects. It is particularly focused on vector astrometry, which involves the use of vectors to describe and compute the positions and movements of stars, planets, and other celestial bodies in various coordinate systems.
Polarizability is a measure of how easily a charge distribution within a molecule or atom can be distorted by an external electric field. In simpler terms, it quantifies the extent to which the electron cloud around a nucleus can be distorted, resulting in the creation of a temporary dipole moment. This property is significant in various areas of chemistry and physics, particularly in understanding molecular interactions, such as van der Waals forces, dielectric properties, and the behavior of materials in electric fields.
Protein–protein interaction (PPI) refers to the physical contacts between two or more protein molecules as a result of biochemical events and/or electrostatic forces. These interactions are crucial for almost every biological process in cells, including enzyme activity, signaling pathways, structural integrity, immune responses, and regulatory mechanisms. PPIs can be transient or stable and can occur in various forms, such as: 1. **Homomeric Interactions**: Involves interactions between identical proteins.
A slip bond is a type of adhesive bond formed between two surfaces that allows for relative motion or sliding between them under certain conditions. Unlike traditional bonds, which are designed to maintain a strong connection, slip bonds are often used in applications where some level of movement or flexibility is required.
The Christofilos effect refers to a phenomenon in the field of particle physics that involves the behavior of certain particles when they interact with electromagnetic fields. It is named after the physicist Christofilos and typically is discussed in the context of the interactions of charged particles and the resulting effects on their trajectories and energy levels.
The Mikheyev–Smirnov–Wolfenstein (MSW) effect is a phenomenon in particle physics that describes the matter effects on the oscillation of neutrinos as they propagate through matter, such as in the Earth or the Sun. It helps to explain how neutrinos change from one flavor to another—a process known as neutrino oscillation—when they pass through dense media.
Solar Physics is a scientific journal that focuses on research related to the Sun and its interactions with the solar system. The journal publishes original research articles, reviews, and other scholarly contributions that advance the understanding of solar phenomena, solar-terrestrial interactions, and related fields. Topics covered in the journal may include solar magnetic fields, solar flares, coronal mass ejections, solar wind, and the Sun's influence on space weather and climate.
Besselian elements are a set of parameters used in the mathematical formulation of the motion of celestial bodies, particularly for calculating the positions of planets, moons, and asteroids in the solar system. These elements are derived from Bessel's equations and are used in a variety of astronomical calculations, including predicting the trajectories and positions of objects over time. The term "Besselian elements" is often associated with the calculations of the positions of bodies in celestial mechanics.
"Dark flow" is a term used in cosmology to describe a peculiar phenomenon observed in the motion of galaxy clusters that appears to be moving in a direction that cannot be fully explained by the known gravitational influences from matter within our observable universe. Specifically, it refers to the observation that certain galaxy clusters seem to be moving towards a particular region of the sky at a speed that is not accounted for by the distribution of mass and energy we see in the universe.
The term "ring system" can refer to different concepts depending on the context, but it is most commonly associated with two main areas: 1. **Astronomy**: In astronomy, the "ring system" usually refers to the collection of rings that orbit certain planets, most notably Saturn. Saturn's ring system is the most extensive and well-known, consisting of countless small particles composed mainly of ice and rock. These particles range in size from tiny grains to large boulders.
Electronic correlation refers to the interactions and relationships between electrons in a system that affect their spatial and spin configurations. In many-body quantum systems, such as atoms, molecules, and solids, the behavior of individual electrons cannot be described in isolation due to their mutual interactions. Instead, the properties of such systems arise from the correlated motion of electrons. Key aspects of electronic correlation include: 1. **Inter-electronic Repulsion**: Electrons are negatively charged and repel each other due to Coulomb's law.
Resolved sideband cooling is a technique used primarily in the context of quantum physics and atom optics to cool an oscillator, such as a trapped ion or an atom in an optical lattice, down to its quantum ground state. This method exploits the interaction between the oscillatory motion of the particle and a laser field to reduce the energy of the particle's motion. The concept arises from the observation that an oscillator can absorb or emit energy in discrete packets (quanta) when interacting with light.
The Thomas-Fermi model is a statistical approach used to describe the distribution of electrons in an atom or a solid. It provides a simplified way of calculating the electron density in a system, particularly in the context of many-electron atoms or in systems where the potential due to the electrons themselves is significant.
Acoustic enhancement refers to techniques and technologies used to improve sound quality and clarity in various environments or applications. This can apply to different fields, including music production, architectural design, telecommunications, and audio-visual media. Here are some common aspects of acoustic enhancement: 1. **Room Acoustics**: In music venues, theaters, and recording studios, acoustic enhancement methods like sound diffusion and absorption treatments are employed to optimize sound quality.
Acoustic levitation is a technology that uses sound waves to lift and manipulate small objects without physical contact. This phenomenon occurs because sound waves create regions of high and low pressure in the air, known as standing waves. When an object is placed in a standing wave, the forces exerted by the pressure variations can balance the force of gravity, allowing the object to remain suspended in mid-air.
Audiology is the branch of science and medicine that focuses on the study of hearing, balance, and related disorders. Audiologists are healthcare professionals who specialize in identifying, diagnosing, treating, and preventing hearing loss and balance disorders in individuals of all ages. Key areas within audiology include: 1. **Hearing Assessment**: Audiologists perform various tests to evaluate hearing ability, including pure-tone audiometry, speech audiometry, and tympanometry.
In acoustics, diffusion refers to the scattering of sound waves as they encounter various surfaces and obstacles in an environment. Unlike reflection, which occurs when sound waves bounce off a surface at an angle equal to their angle of incidence, diffusion involves the random redistribution of sound energy in multiple directions. This phenomenon is important in the study of room acoustics, sound design, and architectural acoustics.
Electromagnetically induced acoustic noise refers to sounds produced when electromagnetic fields interact with physical systems in a way that creates vibrations or oscillations, which then manifest as audible noise. This phenomenon can occur in various contexts, particularly in electrical devices and machinery. Here are some key points about the concept: 1. **Electromagnetic Interference**: In many electromagnetic systems, such as transformers, electric motors, and speakers, varying electromagnetic fields can induce mechanical vibrations in materials.

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 2.
    You can publish local OurBigBook lightweight markup files to either https://OurBigBook.com or as a static website
    .
    Figure 3.
    Visual Studio Code extension installation
    .
    Figure 4.
    Visual Studio Code extension tree navigation
    .
    Figure 5.
    Web editor
    . 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.
    Video 4.
    OurBigBook Visual Studio Code extension editing and navigation demo
    . Source.
  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