The matrix sign function is a matrix-valued function that generalizes the scalar sign function to matrices. For a square matrix \( A \), the matrix sign function, denoted as \( \text{sign}(A) \), is defined in terms of the eigenvalues of the matrix.
The Moffat distribution is a statistical distribution used primarily in the fields of astrophysics and image processing. It is often employed to model the point spread function (PSF) of optical systems, especially in the context of astronomical observations. The Moffat function is characterized by its ability to describe the spread of light from a point source, allowing for a profile that has more pronounced "wings" compared to Gaussian functions, which decay more rapidly.
The Sigma-D relation, also known as the \(\Sigma-D\) relation or the \(\Sigma-D\) correlation, is a concept in astrophysics and cosmology that describes a relationship between the surface density of galaxies (or their stellar components) and their dynamical properties, particularly their rotational velocity or other measures of mass distribution.
Velocity dispersion is a measure of the range of velocities within a group of objects, such as stars in a galaxy or galaxies in a cluster. It quantifies how much the velocities of the objects deviate from the average velocity of the group. In a more technical sense, it is defined as the standard deviation of the velocities of the objects in the sample. In astrophysics, velocity dispersion is an important metric because it provides insights into the dynamics and mass distribution of celestial bodies.
The Allen-Cahn equation is a partial differential equation that describes the evolution of phase interfaces in materials science and represents the dynamics of gas-liquid phase transitions typically in the context of, but not limited to, crystallization processes. It is an example of a conserved order parameter system and is derived from the principles of thermodynamics and variational calculus.
The Basset–Boussinesq–Oseen (BBO) equation is a mathematical model that describes the motion of small particles suspended in a viscous fluid. This equation accounts for the effects of inertial and viscous forces acting on the particles, along with the interaction between the particles and the surrounding fluid. It is particularly important in the fields of fluid mechanics and particle dynamics, especially in scenarios where the Reynolds number is low.
The Borda-Carnot equation describes the relationship between the temperature, pressure, and specific properties of a fluid in a thermodynamic context, particularly for a fluid undergoing adiabatic (no heat transfer) expansion or compression. It is commonly associated with the performance of turbines and compressors. The equation itself typically relates how the enthalpy, pressure, and temperature of the fluid change during these processes.
The Buckley–Leverett equation is a fundamental equation in petroleum engineering and reservoir engineering that describes the movement of two-phase fluids (typically oil and water) in porous media. It models the flow behavior of immiscible fluids in a reservoir when one fluid displaces another, commonly used to analyze waterflooding operations during oil recovery. The equation is derived from the conservation of mass principle and reflects the dynamics of the interfaces between the two fluids.
The Darcy–Weisbach equation is used in fluid mechanics to calculate the pressure loss (or head loss) due to friction in a pipeline or duct. It is an essential equation for engineers and designers working with fluid flow systems to assess the efficiency and performance of piping and ductwork.
The Davey-Stewartson equation is a nonlinear partial differential equation that arises in the study of wave phenomena, particularly in the context of two-dimensional surface water waves. It is a generalization of the nonlinear Schrödinger equation and describes the evolution of complex wave packets in a two-dimensional setting.
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 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. - 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





