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What is an inertial frame of reference?

It is a frame of reference in which Newton's first law, which states that objects won't change velocity (accelerate) unless an external force acts upon them, is obeyed.
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Answered by Michael S. • Physics tutor
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What is simple harmonic motion?

Simple harmonic motion is an oscillation where both of the following statements are true: -The acceleration of an object is directly proportional to its displacement from an equilibrium position (the midpoin...
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Answered by Michael S. • Physics tutor
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What is an electron volt?

Electron volts, like joules, are a unit of energy. This may sound confusing- why two? But think of it this way; length has two possible units- metric (metres) and imperial (inches). We can use either units t...
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Answered by Nicholas M. • Physics tutor
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Explain how and why the diffraction pattern of electrons passing through a slit depends on their momentum.

To understand this question, we have to consider the wave-particle duality of electrons. When passing through a slit, electrons exhibit a wavelike property- they diffract or spread out like a wave passing th...
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Answered by Thomas F. • Physics tutor
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Explain the change of quark character associated with the beta-plus decay and deduce the equation.

First, we can deduce the equation for beta-plus decay in terms of the nucleons. We know a positron, ß + (antilepton), is produced, so to conserve lepton number an electron neutrino, v e (lepton), must also b...
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Answered by Thomas F. • Physics tutor
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