The Myth of the Flat Earth refers to a common misconception that, during the Middle Ages, people widely believed in a flat Earth and that this belief was only corrected by the work of scientists like Christopher Columbus and Galileo Galilei. In reality, the idea of a spherical Earth was well established among educated people in the ancient world, including the Greeks, and was further confirmed by various forms of evidence and observations.
Baryon number is a quantum number in particle physics that represents the total number of baryons in a system. Baryons are a class of subatomic particles that include protons and neutrons, which are the building blocks of atomic nuclei. The baryon number is defined as follows: - Each baryon (like protons and neutrons) has a baryon number of +1.
"Bottomness" is not a widely recognized term in a specific academic or professional context, but it may refer to various concepts depending on the context in which it is used. Here are a few interpretations: 1. **Philosophical Context**: It could describe a state of being at the bottom of a hierarchical structure or system, emphasizing themes like despair, depression, or existential reflection.
Weak isospin is a quantum number associated with the weak interaction, one of the four fundamental forces of nature responsible for processes like beta decay in atomic nuclei. It is a key concept in the electroweak theory, which unifies the electromagnetic force and the weak nuclear force. In the context of particle physics, weak isospin is analogous to the concept of isospin (or isotopic spin) used for strong interactions, but it is specifically related to the weak force.
Michiel Coignet (also known as Michiel de Coignet) was a Flemish astronomer and mathematician who lived during the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is best known for his work in developing and promoting scientific instruments, particularly for astronomy, and his contributions to cartography and geodesy.
Rayleigh–Bénard convection is a fluid dynamics phenomenon that occurs in a horizontal layer of fluid (such as a liquid or gas) that is heated from below and cooled from above. This setup creates a temperature gradient, where the bottom layer of fluid becomes warmer and less dense, while the top layer remains cooler and denser. As the bottom fluid heats up, it becomes buoyant and begins to rise, while the cooler, denser fluid descends to take its place.
Richard Courant (1888–1972) was a prominent mathematician known for his contributions to various fields, including mathematical analysis, partial differential equations, and mathematical physics. He was one of the founding figures of modern applied mathematics and played a key role in the establishment of mathematical education in the United States, especially through his work at New York University.
Adhémar Jean Claude Barré de Saint-Venant (1797-1886) was a French engineer and mathematician known for his significant contributions to the fields of mechanics and fluid dynamics, particularly in the study of elasticity and the flow of fluids. He is best known for formulating the Saint-Venant's principle, which is a fundamental concept in structural engineering and elasticity theory.
Chung K. Law is a prominent figure in the field of mechanical engineering, particularly known for his contributions to the study of fluid mechanics, combustion, and thermodynamics. He is a professor at Princeton University and has been involved in research related to high-temperature gas dynamics, reactive flows, and the fundamentals of combustion. His work often involves both theoretical analysis and computational modeling.
Alexander Gorlov is a notable figure primarily associated with engineering and academia. He is best known for his work in the field of fluid dynamics, particularly for his contributions related to fluid mechanics and the design of advanced fluid systems. One of his significant contributions includes the development of the Gorlov helical turbine, which is a type of water turbine designed to be efficient in low-flow and low-head environments.
Amable Liñán is a prominent Spanish physicist known for his work in the field of astrophysics, fluid dynamics, and cosmology. As a researcher, he has contributed significantly to the understanding of various physical phenomena and has published numerous scientific papers. His work often involves theoretical approaches to complex scientific problems.
Andrea Prosperetti is an accomplished researcher and professor known for his work in the field of mechanical engineering and fluid dynamics. He has made significant contributions to various areas, including bubble dynamics, multiphase flows, and acoustics in fluids. Prosperetti has published numerous scientific papers, and his research often involves both theoretical and experimental approaches.
Andrei Monin is a well-known Russian-American scientist and professor, recognized primarily for his contributions to the field of fluid dynamics. His work has advanced the understanding of various fluid-related phenomena, and he has published extensively in the area. He is also involved in the field of turbulence and has made significant contributions to theoretical and computational fluid mechanics.
Blaise Pascal (1623–1662) was a French mathematician, physicist, inventor, and philosopher. He made significant contributions to several fields: 1. **Mathematics**: Pascal is known for his work in geometry and probability theory. He is one of the founders of probability theory and his correspondence with Pierre de Fermat laid the groundwork for modern probability calculations.
Brian Launder is a term that does not appear to correspond to a well-known concept, individual, or term in popular culture, literature, science, or specific fields. It could be a misspelling or confusion with another name or term.
Gretar Tryggvason is a notable figure in the field of fluid dynamics, particularly known for his work on numerical methods for simulating fluid flow. He is often associated with advancements in computational fluid dynamics (CFD) and has contributed to developing techniques for simulating complex fluid behaviors. In addition to his research, Tryggvason has been involved in academia, having published numerous papers and studies on topics related to fluid mechanics and numerical simulations.
David A. Frank-Kamenetskii is a prominent scientist known for his contributions to the fields of molecular biology and biophysics. He is particularly recognized for his work on the structure and properties of nucleic acids, including DNA and RNA. His research has focused on the mechanics of DNA and its interactions within cellular processes, which has implications for understanding genetics, molecular biology, and biotechnology.
Donát Bánki was a Hungarian engineer and inventor, notably recognized for his contributions to the development of internal combustion engines. He was born on March 6, 1859, and is best known for the invention of the Bánki-Csonka engine, which utilized the principles of gas mixtures and compression ignition. This invention played a significant role in the evolution of engine technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
Edwin N. Lightfoot is known for his contributions to the field of chemistry, particularly for his work in chemical kinetics and reaction dynamics. He authored several influential texts on chemistry, including textbooks that are widely used in educational settings. Lightfoot's research has significantly impacted the understanding of mass transfer and its applications in chemical engineering.
Evgeny Lifshitz (1915–2012) was a prominent Soviet and Russian physicist known for his significant contributions to condensed matter physics and theoretical physics. He is particularly recognized for his work in the field of quantum mechanics, statistical mechanics, and the theory of superconductivity. Lifshitz made important contributions to the understanding of phase transitions and critical phenomena. He was also known for his collaboration with other renowned physicists, including his work with Ilya M.

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