Recent content by cougar1

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    If multiple universes exist, would they have the same physical laws ours does?

    Obviously, the true answer is that I have no idea, but if by multiple universes you are referring to the many-worlds interpretation of Quantum Mechanics, it might depend on which Universe you are referring to. In the many-worlds interpretation, all possible events do indeed occur, but in...
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    How do rechargeable batteries recharge?

    Most of the electrochemical reactions used in batteries are reversible. However, some require very precise charging conditions (voltage and current regulation) to avoid excessive formation of heat and hydrogen gas, a potentially explosive combination. Battery design (size, layout...
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    Notebooks recommendations?

    I'm in the market for a new notebook, but I really prefer Pointstick devices (Trackpoint, TouchStyk, etc...) to Touchpads. Does anyone have a list of models with Pointsticks or dual input devices (both Pointstick and Touchpad)? A few that I know of include: HP - nc8430, nx9420, nc6400...
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    Economic Myth -- Arizona, Texas, Georgia booming and packed full of good jobs?

    I moved to Texas last year after 8 years in Arizona. I know nothing about Georgia, but as for Texas and Arizona, I'd say your friends' assessment about the states of these economies are pretty true. Both places are booming like crazy. What I'm not so sure about are the availability of good...
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    Highly Technical books

    As for advanced mathematics, you need to understand that in many ways mathematics is really about abstraction and short cuts. For instance, when learning to add, you probably first learned 2+2 = 4 by lifting two fingers on one hand and two fingers on the other and counting the total number of...
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    Highly Technical books

    Like f95toli, I agree that it is good for you to read these books to get some of the general ideas. The problem is that because the results of QM are strongly linked to the mathematics rather than intuition, with these books you will only learn about the "what" (the conclusions of QM), but not...
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    Highly Technical books

    Feynmann's "Lectures on Physics" are pretty good too. These were basically compiled from class notes for a college physics course at Caltech, designed to give freshmen (ie. beginners) a taste of advanced physics. Since they are designed for freshmen, they do not delve too deeply into the math...
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    Is radioactive decay truly random?

    > The very first line of the OP's post is wrong. Technically, you are right, but assuming the poster meant atoms of the same isotope in their ground state (which is usually implied in such a statement), he is basically correct about their being indistinguishable. > QM, for example, is a...
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    Americans... you all confuse me.

    Fine, why don't you give us a list of significant accomplishments by Mr. Clinton that were not a direct result of his having to compromise with a Republican-dominated congress?
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    Americans... you all confuse me.

    To the OP: Yeah, your friend from Oklahoma needs to get an education. Clinton was a potential disaster, but not because of Monica. Rather, because of things like an ill-conceived (at the time) National health-care plan, plans to increase taxes and expand government spending for social...
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    Who makes the best BBQ?

    I recently moved to Austin, TX and there's some decent BBQ around here, but there's nothing like a good Argentine Asado. Ranged cattle, not corn-fed, killed the day you bought the meat. Lightly seasoned with salt and perhaps a little garlic... Cooked over a well controlled flame. Pure...
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    High K gate metal candidates

    AFAIK, electrically FUSI gates show a lot of promise. For example IMEC has shown some really promising data for both nmos and pmos on a few devices. However, there is a major problem in terms of manufacturability. FUSI gates are formed by depositing a layer of polysilicon and then of nickel...
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    Is radioactive decay truly random?

    But, the theory implies that such ignorance or randomness may be an integral part of nature (not just a consequence of our ignorance or the incompleteness of a theory).
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    Reaction Kinetics

    Kinetic data can be pretty hard to find in the literature. Also, you need to be careful that any published data matches the conditions you are interested in. I'd start out checking at NIST, although most of their data are for gas-phase reactions: NIST (http://www.nist.gov/srd/chemkin.htm)...