Tag: Theoretical physics
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The Decay of Black Holes
Black holes are areas of space where the gravity is so strong that nothing, not even light can escape. However, that was the understanding held until 1974, when the astrophysicist Stephen Hawking proposed that black holes are indeed radiant objects, emitting a variety of particles by a mechanism involving tunnelling through the (gravitational) potential barrier…
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The Bending of Starlight as Predicted by Einstein
Light falls in a gravitational field, for instance, a laser beam fired horizontally across a room will be closer to the ground on the side where it hits the far wall than it was when it left the laser. Likewise, a ray of light that is passing over a massive object like the sun will…
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Bohr’s Original Quantum Theory of Spectra
Regarded as one of the greatest discoveries, Niels Bohr’s original quantum theory of spectra was one of the most revolutionary and successful theory of atomic dynamics. Both Thomson and Rutherford recognized that the electrons must revolve about the nucleus in order to avoid falling into it. They along, with Bohr, realized that according to Maxwell’s…
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The Limitations of Classical Physics
Light waves and other forms of electromagnetic waves travel through free space at the speed c = 3.0 x 108 m/s. The speed of light sets an upper limit for the speeds of particles, waves and the transmission of information. In our everyday experiences, we mostly deal with objects that move at speeds much less…
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What is a Black Hole?
A black hole can be described as an area of space where the gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other electromagnetic waves has enough energy to escape it. In varied ways, a black hole acts like an ideal black body, as it reflects no light. Black holes are thought to form when…